Valentine’s Day is about celebrating those you love and eating your weight in those delicious little candy hearts. It is also the perfect time to watch all the best rom-coms. If your Galentine’s celebrations end early, or you and your significant other want a quiet night in, consider having a rom-com movie night with these top 10 favorites.
- How to Lose a guy in 10 days
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Let’s start with a classic. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of the most popular rom-coms out there (and for good reason). This beloved movie features writer Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) and successful advertiser Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey).
After witnessing a messy breakup, Andie decides to write an article titled “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” She sees Ben and deems him the perfect target for her experiment. What she doesn’t know is that Ben just made a bet to make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. Despite their opposing goals, they find themselves falling for each other as the façade falls apart.
- Legally Blonde
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Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), a stereotypical “dumb blonde,” loves her Harvard Law-bound boyfriend (Matthew Davis), but he doesn’t reciprocate. Elle decides the only way to win him back is to go to Harvard!
While it isn’t as glamorous as she imagined, Elle is thriving in law school. Her unique knowledge of fashion and hair care proves beneficial when she is appointed as an intern to the lawyer of a high-profile client. Elle truly does it all; she becomes a successful lawyer and falls in love all before graduating!
- 10 Things I hate about you
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This famous rom-com is based on the comedy play The Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare. In this loose adaptation, Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) is a notoriously antisocial student, while her sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) is the total opposite. Bianca asks their strict father to allow her to date, but she is told that she can only date someone when Kat does.
Bianca’s admirer, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), will do anything to date her, so he pays the standoffish Patrick (Heath Ledger) to court Kat. They soon find they have more in common than their unfriendly nature. This movie will keep you on your toes and features a wealth of iconic scenes.
- 13 Going on 30
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It’s hard being 13, something that Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) knows very well. Unpopular and nerdy, Jenna makes a birthday wish: to be “30 and flirty and thriving.” Due to some magic wishing dust, her wish actually comes true.
Jenna wakes up in the body of her 30-year-old self, but this version of herself has turned into a selfish, antisocial person. She had even distanced herself from her childhood best friend Matty (Mark Ruffalo), who she later realizes she is in love with. This leads Jenna to start on her journey to find the magic dust and wish she was 13 again. She needs to make sure that things turn out differently. This movie is such a good reminder to let loose and have fun!
- The half of it
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The Half of It takes place in a very small town. Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), an unpopular yet smart girl, works with her dad (Collin Chou) and makes some money on the side by writing papers for her classmates.
One football player, Paul (Daniel Diemer), wants to hire Ellie to write love letters to his crush. To make sure these letters are believable, the begrudging pair must spend a lot of time together. They soon become great friends, but Ellie is hiding a huge secret from Paul, one that can change their relationship completely. If you’re looking for a feel-good rom-com that makes you cry at the same time, this is the one.
- Clueless
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In another classic (based on Jane Austen’s Emma), Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is the most popular girl at her school. She’s pretty, rich, and has a good group of friends. When the new girl, Tai (Brittany Murphy), gets to school, Cher and her friend Dionne (Stacey Dash) decide to take her under their wing.
They transform her into the new popular girl, but Cher and Tai start clashing over Tai’s newfound popularity and her crush on Josh, Cher’s ex-stepbrother. Cher becomes introspective due to this fight, leading her to discover that she is in love with someone very unlikely.
- Set it up
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Two overworked assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) in the same building meet, attempting to get dinner for their respective bosses. The two realize their lives would be better if their bosses were not single.
They devise an ingenious plan to set their bosses up. When the two get together, the assistants believe their work is done, but not yet. The relationship has its rough spots, so the assistants have to try to make it work. Spending this much time together makes them realize that they are not as different as they previously thought. This movie is great for those trying to reach the ultimate balance between “rom” and “com.”
- Crazy Rich Asians
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Crazy Rich Asians is a nice change of pace from typical rom-coms. Instead of a meet-cute, Nick (Henry Golding) and Rachel (Constance Wu) are already the perfect happy couple. The pair travel to Nick’s home in Singapore for a family wedding.
En route, Rachel discovers that Nick is extremely wealthy, almost akin to royalty. Because of this, Rachel is accused of being a gold digger by Nick’s family, and his mother greatly disapproves of her. Every time Rachel seems to make a good impression, Nick’s mother reminds her they do not have her blessing. Luckily, Rachel and Nick’s relationship is strong enough to consistently bounce back!
- Easy A
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Easy A is the funniest movie I have ever seen. Olive Penderghast (Emma Stone) has never even been on a date, but the rumors spreading around her school beg to differ. Everyone believes these rumors, giving Olive a new reputation.
Initially, she leans into this new persona. However, it weighs on her after a while. With no one to turn to, she starts reconnecting with a crush from her childhood (Penn Badgley), sparking a new romance. If you want a hilarious Valentine’s Day watch, this is the perfect movie for you.
- Mamma Mia!
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In the number one spot is my all-time favorite movie: Mamma Mia! This movie is the perfect mix of nostalgia, excitement, dancing, and romance. This movie features Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who was raised by a single mom (Meryl Streep) in Greece. In an attempt to find her father, she invites the three potential dads to her wedding, but the three of them show up, all believing they are her real dad.
This movie places importance on loving family and just having fun. Mamma Mia! is the perfect movie to watch if you want to laugh, cry, dance, and sing all at once!
There is no way to go wrong with any of these 10 movies (or any rom-coms, for that matter). Hopefully, these recommendations make your Valentine’s movie night amazing!
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