If you want some alone time but your schedule doesn’t allow you to dedicate a full day of pampering, the best way to spend your Valentine’s Day is with movies and TV episodes! This list has some of my personal favorites and others highly recommended by a lot of the women I know. And though these are a great way to spend time alone, they’re fun to watch with just about anyone.
Feel-Good Movies
These movies all take turns you wouldn’t expect. Of course, since it’s part of the genre, you can see it coming, but the plot isn’t set up where there’s an instant attraction.
Friends with Benefits or No Strings Attached
Fun stories of people who have sex and assume they can avoid developing feelings for each other.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
An entertaining set up where both people in the relationship have hidden agendas, with neither starting out attracted to the other. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star, so there’s plenty of eye candy ;)
50 First Dates
This is an adorable story that does have some sadness in it. A man has an instant attraction to a woman in a restaurant, and is confused when she doesn’t remember him the next day after they really hit it off. For the rest of the movie, he (Adam Sandler) tries to rise to the challenge of making this woman (Drew Barrymore) who’s memory resets each day, fall in love with him.
The Proposal
Successful Canadian businesswoman, played by Sandra Bullock, black mails her assistant (Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her so she can stay in America. When the two take a trip to Alaska to meet his family, things get a bit mixed up.
Young Love
13 Going on 30
Jennifer Garnder plays Jenna Fink who wishes that she could skip from being 13 to being 30 only for her wish to come true. She wakes up in a life she doesn’t recognize for herself and tries to make sense of who is. A sweet story where Garner captures the behavior of a 13-year-old shoved into an adult life. Also cute for how it deals with childhood crushes in the form of Mark Ruffalo.
Never Been Kissed
Not super young love, but it shows the idea that it’s okay to be inexperienced. You’ll laugh along as Josie (Drew Barrymore) suffers through high school (again) in order to do an undercover news story. It has the fun of a high school movie, but with the added quirk of Josie’s secret. Can we talk about her first day of school outfit?
Truly Comedic Movies
Clueless
Think Mean Girls, but better. Honestly. It’s the problems of cliques, with the entertainment we can now draw from laughing at the 90s.
Bridesmaids
There are few movies that make me laugh as hard as this one. It’s stupid funny, which is often perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day
This list wouldn’t be complete without the movie Valentine’s Day. I simply like it because it includes so many storylines without making it too difficult to follow each one.
Friends (spoilers for full series):
These are fun to watch because there’s a lot of comedy in each episode as well. Here are some of my favorite romantic Friends episodes:
- Season 1 Episode 5: Ross and Rachel have a “date” at the laundromat, Joey convinces Monica to go on what she thinks is a double date, Chandler and Phoebe break up with each of their partners together.
- Season 2 Episode 14: Part of this episode features a prom video from Monica, Rachel, and Ross’s past: hysterical and romantic.
- Season 2 Episode 15: Ross and Rachel’s first date, which could hardly be sweeter in my opinion.
- Season 9 Episodes 23, 24: Everyone goes to Barbados, overall a really fun episode.
Grey’s Anatomy (spoilers up to season 8):
You have to be careful with this show, because it will break your heart. It’s no secret that Shonda Rhimes (the show’s creator) has no qualms about killing off even main characters in her shows. This show is known for its drama and romance, but the episodes I’m recommending show the main couples (especially Meredith and Derek) ending the episode happily. These are just my top few episodes, not all the super romantic ones.
- Season 4 Episode 17: Meredith builds the house of candles after she and Derek have a success in their clinical trial. This is the second part of a 2-part episode, so think about watching episode 16 as well.
- Season 5 Episode 19: Titled Elevator Love Letter, this episode is when Derek proposes to Meredith.
- Season 5 Episode 23: Meredith and Derek get married on a post it note, which sounds lame but is incredibly sweet.
- Season 8 Episode 13: This episode imagines an alternate universe if Meredith’s mother hadn’t gotten Alzheimers and other such changes. It’s really sweet to see how things end up “right” for what viewers are used to in the end.
New Girl (spoilers up to season 2):
This show never fails to disappoint me. The best episode to rewatch in the series so far (I’m starting season 4) is the one where they all reminisce about losing their virginities. You can’t help but laugh out loud, especially at Schmidt’s story. It captures the awkwardness romance can have, and the way it can sometimes come easily. Season 2 episode 23; it’s fantastic.
Hope you found something to watch, or several things to binge watch, and happy Valentine’s Day!