Valentine’s Day is here, which means you’re probably either planning a romantic evening with your significant other, or counting down the days until Half Price Chocolate Day (February 15). Not having a special someone on Valentine’s Day might seem a little depressing, but there are plenty of ways to celebrate love without that one particular guy or girl on your arm. Before you crack open a bottle of wine and commit yourself to your one true love (Netflix) for the night, consider having a movie night with some of your best friends to take your mind off your lull in the relationship department. As much as we love classic chick flicks like Dirty Dancing and The Notebook, torrid love stories only serve to remind you that you don’t currently have anyone to lift you over their head or kiss you in the rain. While the five following films may not seem like the typical V-Day Movie Marathon lineup, they’re sure to win your love in a number of different ways.
1. Die Hard (1988)
It’s not just a Christmas movie! Arguably one of the best action films of all time, Die Hard follows New York Police Detective John McClane as he faces off with German terrorist Hans Gruber and his heavily armed henchmen. This classic film is so full of gunfights, explosions, and catchy one-liners that you’ll forget all about those corny RomComs that always make you cry. As an added bonus, you’ll get to see a young Bruce Willis running around in a tight shirt for two hours.
2. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard employ a variety of horror movie tropes in this surprisingly intelligent horror/comedy film. The story follows five college friends as they travel to a remote cabin in the woods, unwillingly walking into a horrific ritual that has been performed annually since the dawn of time. If you’re looking for a movie to truly scare your pants off, this might not be for you; however, if you’re looking for an entertaining way to spend an hour and a half, this movie has just as many jokes as it does scares. Oh, and spoiler alert: the platonic friends are the ones who survive the longest.
3. Mulan (1998)
You didn’t think you’d really get through this list without a dose of Disney, did you? Mulan is the original butt-kicking Disney chick, and her story revolves around her perseverance, bravery, and devotion to her family and country. While we love the chemistry between Mulan and Captain Li Shang, Mulan is a little too busy saving China for Shang to be her first priority. Mulan’s journey from oddball to hero is downright inspiring, and the friends she meets along the way provide plenty of comic relief. Feel free to stand on the couch and belt along to “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (we know you know all the words).
4. Fast Five (2011)
It’s the fifth installment of The Fast and the Furious series, but you don’t even need to watch the first four movies to enjoy this action-packed adventure (though you definitely should). All you need to know is that, within the first fifteen minutes of the movie, Brian O’Conner and Dom Toretto fight off a handful of henchmen and drive cars off of a moving train. Dom, Brian, and the rest of the crew put together one last heist to steal $100 million in cash and then disappear entirely. While the F&F series has always been about fast cars and crazy tricks, there’s definitely an underlying theme of family and how the ones we love are more important than any amount of money or super tricked out car. The stunts are insane and sometimes physically impossible, but that really just adds to the overall charm of the movie.
5. About Time (2013)
At the age of 21, Englishman Tim Lake finds out from his father that all of the men in his family can travel through time. After testing out his new gift, Tim decides to use his time traveling abilities to improve his non-existent love life. Though the plot of the film is initiated by Tim’s longing to find love, the story is about so much more than finding and wooing the girl of his dreams: we follow Tim as he grows into an adult and learns about life, loss, and living every day to the fullest. There’s also a heavy focus on Tim’s relationship with his family, including his devotion to his father and his efforts to help his younger sister find stability. The whole movie is visually stunning and truly explores what it means to love your life as it is, whether you’re able to change it or not.
The only person who can make you feel bad about being single on Valentine’s Day is you, so don’t sit around and wallow by yourself! Get some of your other single friends together and have the most unexpected Valentine’s Day Movie Marathon of all time (you can save the really sappy movies for when you’re a little more emotionally stable). Most importantly, don’t forget to take the time to be thankful for all of the other forms of love that you have in your life! It’s sure to brighten up your Valentine’s Day immensely.