No plans for Valentine’s Day? The weather outside is colder than your single heart this year? Nothing better than a movie night in! So grab your fellow single friends, some dark chocolates that come in those heart shaped boxes and buttery popcorn for this lineup of movies devoid of excessive cheesiness.
1. Submarine
My friend’s from home and I watch this movie about once a week when we’re all home. Oliver Tate is the weird kid at school, just trying to get by. One day, popular girl, Jordana Bevan, takes an interest in him and the movie follows the rocky path of their first relationship, something most can relate to. Oliver wants to be the perfect boyfriend, keep his parents together, and not get beat up by anymore kids at school. Sounds kind of lame, but trust me, Oliver’s witty comments, breathtaking scenes and a killer school by Alex Turner make this a must-see light hearted flick.
2. Brooklyn
I’m convinced that if The Revenant had not come out this year, Brooklyn would have been a serious contender for Movie of the Year. Brooklyn is set in 1950’s New York City, Eillis moves there for work. Eillis meets Tony, an Italian guy, and the pair can’t help but fall in love despite their ethnic backgrounds. When Eillis recieves some bad news from home, she goes back and meets Jim who tempts her to stay. Who will she pick? Her decision really comes down to the wire! This movie is about so much more than love; It’s about self-awareness, starting over, and making decisions that could tear you away from loved one’s forever.
3. 6 Years
Mel and Dan have been together for six years. In their last years of college, all of their friends ask them how they’ve managed to make it last, but they love the comfort of their relationship. Unexpected job offers, temptations from co-workers, and the desire for new experiences rock the foundations of this relationship. Easily the movie you can most resonate with on this list because of it’s realism. Also, Ben Rosenfield (Dan) will definitely become your new indie movie crush!
4. Stuck In Love
This is a feel good movie. It follows the lives of the Borgens. Bill is an acclaimed author who has not been able to write a single word since his wife left him; he’s still hung up on her. Samantha, following in her dad Bill’s footsteps has just released her first book. She has trust issues (thanks, Mom), and completely writes off advances from Lou (LOGAN LERMAN) who is not ready to quit without a fight. Did I mention LOGAN LERMAN play Lou??? Rusty is an aspiring writer on the search for new life experiences. He falls in love with Kate, who gets him into some trouble, and the audience follows their first love. This movie is about new and old loves, and how endings have the power to change you.
5. The Spectacular Now
Two words: Miles Teller. Sutter is a high-school senior, who lives his life by that mentality: just glazing by. After a night of serious partying he wakes up on a lawn and meets innocent Aimee who wakes him. To the school’s surprise, Sutter starts dating the “nice girl” in an effort to show her she isn’t as invisible as she thinks. Can Aimee reform Sutter’s wild side, or is this relationship destined to end as quickly as it began?
6. One Day
I cry every time I watch this. Every. Damn. Time. One Day follows the lifelong friendship of Emma and Dexter through vignettes. Each year we see a snippet of where they are in their lives on July 15th. They’ve always been the best of friends, but you can tell their love pushes those boundaries of friendship. Will they ever get a chance at love or just keep missing each other? Trust me, by the end of this movie, you’re going to wish you had a friendship like Emma and Dex’s.
7. That Awkward Moment
If you need some laughs this Valentine’s Day, you’ve found the perfect movie. Miles Teller (yet again!), Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan, form the perfect trifecta of guys capitalizing on being young, single and living in New York City. At the beginning of the movie the three friends make a pact to have fun and avoid commitment, but how long can they hide their sudden serious relationships from the others? You’ll laugh, and you’ll swoon, and that’s all that Valentine’s Day should be about.
Happy watching!