Are you searching for ways to spend Valentine’s season? With the pandemic, we have to stay inside to keep the ones we love safe. For this holiday, there’s no better way to spend it than by watching a good romantic movie. Regardless of whether you spend it with a lover, friend, pet, or by yourself, you’ll find just the film for you.
The possibilities for Valentine’s season movies are endless. Grab your remote, blanket, some snacks, and press play!
- The Notebook (2004)
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I don’t want to give out any spoilers, but you’ll need a box of tissues for this emotional ride. The Notebook is based on Nicholas Spark’s novel of the same name and takes place in North Carolina after WWII. Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun meet one summer that, of course, changes their lives, and the film chronicles the many obstacles they have to surpass together. If this Valentine’s you want to watch a movie that carries themes such as social differences, dividing life paths, and sickness, this is the film for you.
- 50 First Dates (2004)
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This sweet film is romantic and brimming with emotion. 50 First Dates focuses on Henry Roth and Lucy Whitmore’s romance. It all begins with Henry meeting Lucy and instantly falling for her. He takes her on a date, but the next day Lucy doesn’t remember him. Henry has to get creative while dating Lucy because she has short-term memory loss, which makes her forget who he is and how they fell in love. Henry is a genuine and caring protagonist who would do anything for Lucy. It’s beautiful seeing that a man like Henry would do anything for Lucy. The film demonstrates true love to the fullest, portraying it in a new light.
- If I Stay (2014)
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If I Stay is built upon the following cliché: “In the blink of an eye, everything changes.” The film is based on Gayle Forman’s novel of the same name, a tale of tragedy that takes Mia Hall on a journey to make a complex decision. Everything changes due to a car wreck and Mia, depressed, has to decide whether to stay or leave. She meets Adam and her life drastically changes. He becomes the love of her life and, with him, she discovers new things and different ways of seeing her circumstances. Adam becomes one of the reasons why Mia contemplates staying.
- Letters to Juliet (2010)
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Letters to Juliet is a wonderful, romantic comedy about love being lost and found. The film is about unhappy women, with all sorts of problems, who write letters and leave them under Juliet’s balcony to be answered. The letters are answered by Juliet’s secretaries. Sophie, who dreams of becoming a writer, finds a letter from 1957 and decides to write back. This answer leads her to huge, life-altering decisions. If you like intriguing films about finding love and rekindling what once used to be, then this is the one for you.
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is based on Jenny Han’s book of the same name. Lara Jean Covey is a shy, quiet sixteen-year-old girl who has never openly admitted her crushes. She writes letters to each boy about how she feels but she keeps those letters hidden in the hatbox that her mother gave her. Her most passionate feelings towards boys are written in those letters, but they are meant for her to keep. One day, when her love letters are sent out to her past crushes, her life is turned around. This wholesome film is about the changes that Lara Jean lives; she feels like her life is ending after those letters are sent, but what she doesn’t know is that her love story is just beginning.
- To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
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It wouldn’t be fair to write about the first film and not add in the sequel. The To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy is the perfect romance movie marathon for Valentine’s. The second installment, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, is about Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky making their initially fake relationship an official one. However, she receives an answer from one of her old crushes, John Ambrose. Lara Jean and John Ambrose volunteer at the same retirement home and start catching up with each other. In this film, Lara and Peter’s relationship faces new struggles but strengthens further.
- To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
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With the third and final film being released on February 12th, two days before Valentine’s Day, I had to add it. To All the Boys: Always and Forever is where Lara Jean and Peter face big changes in life, now that they are going to college. Lara Jean is now considering her future both with and without Peter. It’s a very wonderful movie about opening up to life’s opportunities.
- Everything, Everything (2017)
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This film’s message revolves around love being a risk worth taking. Everything, Everything is about an 18-year-old girl named Maddy who, due to an illness, can’t leave her house or touch anything outside of it. She is brilliant and curious, and dreams about seeing the world. She meets Olly, the boy next door, and they create a bond that leads them to risk everything.
- The Sun Is Also a Star (2019)
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The film’s plot is based on the novel written by Nicolas Yoon. In The Sun Is Also a Star, Natasha Kingsley is a Jamaican-born girl who meets Daniel Bae, a Korean American student, one day in Manhattan. The movie starts with Natasha in Manhattan fighting against her family’s deportation, which is the next day. Even though he wants to become a poet, Daniel is in Manhattan for an interview at Dartmouth because his parents want him to be a doctor. They meet when Daniel saves Natasha from an oncoming car that would have injured her. They decide to go get some coffee and they end up bonding while talking about their lives and soon end up spending the day together traveling around the city.
- The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
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Based on John Green’s novel of the same name, The Fault in Our Stars depicts a lovely romance between Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old cancer patient, and Augustus Waters. They meet at a cancer patient support group and instantly connect. They bond over many things and even read each other’s favorite books. Hazel feels that Augustus understands her, and for her, that is all she needs. After some time, Gus and Hazel face many obstacles. This movie is a production made for crying. It is such an emotional film and a wonderful love story to watch.
- Me Before You (2016)
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Me Before You is a romantic drama film about Will Traynor, a man who is paralyzed from the neck down due to an accident and must permanently use a motorized wheelchair. Louisa Clack, also known as Lou, is a cheerful, outgoing woman who works and lives with her family. She is hired as Will Traynor’s companion and they begin to create a bond until becoming close friends. Will wants Lou to live her life to the fullest. It’s a tragic yet heartwarming story that you definitely need to watch.
Whether you are spending this holiday with someone or by yourself, you can never go wrong with a good movie. Remember that you don’t have to wait until Valentine’s season to show appreciation for the people you love. Also, if you haven’t told someone how much they mean to you, you should totally do it. May these movies inspire you to express your love!