It’s that time of year again, folks: Valentine’s Day. Stores are bursting at the seams with roses and chocolates and you can’t even turn on your phone without seeing a dozen ads for gift ideas! This holiday season cannot be escaped, no matter how hard you try. So if Valentine’s day is here to stay, why don’t we embrace it?
No matter what your love life looks like—head over heels in love, getting over a breakup, or single as the last chocolate in the heart-shaped box—romantic comedies are always a good genre to dive back into.
There are a multitude of rom-coms to pick from, so I’ve made the selection process easier by gathering five movies that are sure to warm your heart, make you laugh, or bring on the tears.
- 27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a clever chick flick that indulges equally in drama and humor. Katherine Heigl plays Jane, a personal assistant who is head over heels for her boss, George. In her spare time, Jane helps plan her friends’ weddings—she’s served as a bridesmaid 27 times. Jane’s sorrow over her inability to tie the knot is multiplied when her model sister Tess visits and inadvertently seduces George. Eventually the two get engaged, meaning Jane will have to be a bridesmaid, again! Meanwhile Jane also meets a journalist named Kevin with a hidden agenda (played by James Marsden). As these two get to know each other, will Jane find out about Kevin’s secret plan? I guess you’ll have to watch and see. 27 Dresses is a fun, flirty, feel good movie that will leave your heart feeling full and warm.
- How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days
How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days is arguably the best rom-com to exist. With the song “You’re So Vain” trending on TikTok, How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days has jumped back on everybody’s radar just in time for Feb. 14. Andie Anderson—played by Kate Hudson—is a journalist, writing columns for Composure Magazine. After a co-worker is dumped by her boyfriend, Andie decides to pen a new article called “How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days”, vowing to teach readers what not to do in a new relationship. Meanwhile, Matthew McConaughey plays Ben Barry, a frustrated advertising executive who is tired of being stuck with dead-end jobs. In order to prove that he can write pitches targeted towards women, he bets his boss he can get a new woman to fall in love with him within ten days and promises to bring her to a party. Will these two sniff out each other’s secret agendas, or will they fall for each other in spite of it? The screen chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson will leave you screaming at the screen and crying with joy all at once.
- 13 Going On 30
It’s 1987, and Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) is on the verge of becoming a young woman. The problem is, she wants to grow up and become an adult. She is smothered by her dorky parents, bullied at school, and the cute guy she has a crush on barely knows her name. On Jenna’s 13th birthday party she is dared to go into a closet with a boy—but the cool kids decide to pull a prank on her and leave her behind. While alone in the closet, Jenna wishes she could grow up and be “thirty, flirty, and thriving.” Miraculously, her wish comes true. As Jenna emerges from the closet she realizes that she’s suddenly 30. It turns out that Jenna has a great job and an amazing apartment on Fifth Avenue: finally, she has become popular and cool. One problem, however: she has no idea how she ended up there. Although Jenna is infatuated with her new life, she’s still missing her childhood friend Matt (played by Mark Ruffalo). In this story, Jenna discovers that “being cool” isn’t enough, and she decides to take a second chance on love. Her biggest wish now is that it isn’t too late. 13 Going On 30 isn’t only a rom-com that teaches us about love and second chances, but also shows us that we shouldn’t try to grow up too fast.
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Although my heart has a soft spot for early 2000’s romantic comedies, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before shows a more realistic love life in the 21st century. Lara Jean, played by Lana Condor, is an awkward teenage girl living a normal, boring, high school life. But there’s one problem: she’s in love with her sister Margot’s boyfriend. Whenever Lara Jean has a crush, she writes love letters, but she never sends them out—the love letters are never meant to be seen. When they mysteriously find themselves in the hands of her crushes, her life is thrown into turmoil. Among these boys are Josh, Margot’s boyfriend, and Peter Kavinsky, (Noah Centineo) arch nemesis Gen’s ex-boyfriend. Peter confronts Lara Jean about the letter, leading the two to come up with a mischievous plan. They decide to trick everyone into thinking they are dating to make Josh and Gen jealous. Lara Jean finds herself falling for someone, but the catch is, which boy is it? To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a heartwarmingly sweet movie that also showcases Lara Jean’s self-discovery, an important theme for young women to see.
- The Notebook
This movie is the real tear-jerker of the list. The Notebook, based on the 1996 novel written by Nicholas Sparks, centers around the relationship between Allie Nelson (Rachel McAdams) and Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling). Spanning over five decades, The Notebook begins with Allie and Noah’s teenage meet-cute in the summer of 1930. They fall in love and promise they will always be together—until Allie’s parents force her to move away. The pair promise they will stay in touch but Noah doesn’t hear from Allie until 14 years later, when they meet up again, and Allie is forced to make a decision. Will she decide to marry the man her parents want her to, or will she follow her heart and stay with her high school sweetheart? This movie is a devastating tale of true love and loss. The Notebook teaches us that life isn’t perfect, but rather a series of perfect moments. There will be arguments and disagreements from time to time, but true relationships will persevere. Pro tip: do not watch this movie on a plane or in public unless you want to be stared at for sobbing the whole time.
Some of these movies will make you laugh, and some will make you cry. Valentine’s Day reads differently for everybody: there is no right or wrong way to feel. But one thing I know for certain is that no matter what you are feeling, a romantic-comedy is always a good way to relax while feeling whatever you need to feel.