With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, romance is in the air and on our screens.
Watching romance movies is a classic Valentine’s Day activity enjoyed by many. But with so many options out there, what movies are really the best for this most romantic of holidays?
Whether you want to impress your date with your taste in cinema or live vicariously through your TV, these five movies will supply you with all of the Valentine’s Day romance you need.
“The Notebook” (2004)
A romantic drama filled with yearning and love letters, “The Notebook” focuses on the lifelong relationship of Noah (Ryan Gosling) Allie (Rachel McAdams).
Set during the 1940s, Noah falls in love the moment he sees Allie at a local fair. Noah is a poor boy working at a lumber mill, while Allie comes from a family with old wealth lasting generations.
The two fall in love over the summer, and despite constant disapproval from Allie’s parents, she ignores them and stays with her true love. But when Allie is about to leave for college her parents ultimately force her to break up with Noah despite her pleas.
Following Noah and Allie’s separate lives throughout the 1940s, the movie highlights moments they almost crossed paths until they finally do years later when she’s engaged to another man.
“The Notebook” is about choosing what you want and who your heart desires despite expectations others have. The film enthralls audiences with its romantic dialogue and a classic love confession in the rain. This is a well-loved romance film that has stood the test of time.
“Pride and Prejudice” (2005)
Set in the Regency era of the early 1800s, “Pride and Prejudice” is a picturesque period drama and romance. Adapted from a Jane Austen classic, the film focuses on the young Elizabeth Bennet, played by Keira Knightley.
Elizabeth is an intelligent young woman living in the English countryside with her parents and many sisters.
As the second oldest daughter, she faces growing pressure to get married from society and her overbearing mother, Elizabeth rejects the idea because she’s never found a good enough man.
The contemptuous Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) arrives in Hertfordshire and meets Elizabeth at a ball. Romantic tension is apparent between the two.
As the year goes on, Elizabeth watches her friend and sister get married, and she begins to worry it’s too late for her to tie the knot. Elizabeth also crosses paths with Mr. Darcy numerous times, leading her to slowly form a different opinion of him.
The beautiful cinematography and countryside aesthetics bring the “Pride and Prejudice” dreamy romance to life. It’s a perfect film for Valentine’s Day.
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003)
Witty and full of dramatic irony, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is a cult classic rom-com.
Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a cutthroat reporter stuck writing a shallow advice column for a women’s magazine.
She accepts a deal from her editor Lana, choosing to write a story on mistakes women make in the beginning of relationships by inflicting them on a guy of her choosing. In exchange, Kate gets to write about whatever she wants in her column.
Ben Barry (Matthew McConaughey) works at an advertising agency and wants in on working with a world famous diamond company. Judy, the woman in charge of the pitch doesn’t want him stealing her position, so she baits him into a bet. If he can make a woman fall in love with him by the diamond company’s gala, he can be in charge of the project.
Judy picks Andie as the woman Ben has to make fall in love with him, and Andie decides she is going to use Ben for her article. Neither of them know about each other’s ulterior motive for dating each other.
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is one of the funniest early 2000s rom-coms, and McConaughey and Hudson’s on screen chemistry puts the film on the Mount Rushmore of rom-coms.
“10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)
With all of the music and fashion of the early 2000s, “10 Things I Hate About You” is a spunky and witty romantic comedy with original characters, a fantastic cast, and an even better soundtrack.
During Cameron James’ (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) first day of high school in Washington, he falls in love with Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik).
After learning she needs help in French, he decides to ask her out by learning the language and becoming her French tutor.
She tells him she isn’t allowed to date until her older sister does because of her overbearing father. But Bianca’s older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles) has a reputation for being unapproachable and a know-it-all, and really has no desire to date.
Cameron hatches a plan in which Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) will be paid to take Kat out on dates. This allows Cameron to finally go out with Bianca.
The movie ends with a dramatic love confession through poetry, which is where the movie gets its title, and the purchasing of a guitar. “10 Things I Hate About You” is an entertaining, clever, and classic rom-com.
“The Princess Bride” (1987)
“The Princess Pride” is a cult classic from the 1980s that falls under the genre of romantic fantasy and is intentionally meant to be absurd and quirky.
The fairytale-like story follows Buttercup (Robin Wright), a young woman who lost her true love Westley (Cary Elwes) in a shipwreck. After he dies, she falls into a deep depression and is forced to become engaged to the arrogant Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon).
Before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by three crafty men who plan to kill her to start a war with the neighboring kingdom. But a ship with a man in a black mask is pursuing them.
The masked man follows and defeats each of the men that kidnapped Buttercup one by one, until eventually he catches up to her and rescues her.
Featuring an iconic plot twist and intentionally cheesy dialogue, “The Princess Bride” is a fairytale romance with action, love, and plenty of offbeat humor.
