Seeing as how many fun places might be closed this Valentines’ Day, what better way than to spend it close and cozy to your Valentine watching a film? However, selecting a good film to watch can be pretty challenging, especially if ‘not thinking about anything else other than your Valentine’ is on the to-do list for the day. Here’s a small list of recommendations that can not only make your chilling at home more pleasant but also the movies listed can bring the day of lovers to life. 

–Happy Death Day:

Perhaps one of the new modern classics, Happy Death Day may be a pure horror film, but all the more to cling onto your date, right? This film not only has a very unique plot, but it also has great effects, interesting dialogue, a great set of characters, and a very surprising ending. If horror is your thing, look no further than this film for you and your lover to have a great excuse to hold each other tight. Do be aware though that this film is rated R, so viewer discretion is advised. 

–Philadelphia Story

This film may be from the early 40s, but that hasn’t stopped it from being an all-time classic. Starring Jimmy Stuart, Katharine Hepburn, and Cary Grant, this film follows a small team of journalists who are viewing the biggest wedding in Philadelphia, when all sorts of drama breaks loose. Old boyfriends are jealous, the bride cannot choose who she loves, and everyone’s losing their minds in this incredible romantic comedy. This film is perfect for the couple who wants to see one of the first rom/coms and have a few great laughs with each other all night. 

–West Side Story

Being a Romeo and Juliet adaptation and even shown in some English classes, West Side Story is an incredible tale of love. Two lovers from opposite street gangs want nothing more than to be together with each other but their friends simply won’t allow it. This film not only helps viewers understand the tale of Romeo and Juliet a lot easier, but this is also a musical in the style of the film, so be prepared to have iconic songs like “America” and “Tonight” in your head all night long. It’s also perfect for the musical nerds who enjoy songs of love and emotion.

–Shrek

Yes, this is a romantic story and not just some massive meme that everyone beats to death. Shrek surprisingly follows all of the tropes of comedy incredibly well and has a great message of how there’s someone out there for everyone and being yourself is the best you can be. The soundtrack on this film is also incredibly catchy with hits like “All-Star” and “I’m A Believer”. This is an incredible romantic comedy and is the PERFECT film for any couple who’s looking for a casual and hilarious night with their date. 

–The Notebook  

Being another incredibly emotional film, The Notebook tells the story of an old guy reading a notebook to an old woman that contains the story of Noah and Allie and their big love in a small town. With Allie being a rich woman, her parents don’t approve of a farm boy like Noah and he’s also called off the serve in World War II. During his time away, Allie becomes involved with another man and Noah returns to Allie’s surprise just before she’s about to be married. Old feelings are brought up and emotions run very high of the “will they, won’t they.” Turns out in the end, the notebook is the old couple’s love story and he reads it to her every day due to her Alzheimer’s, sharing their love story every day. This film is perfect for the couple who wants a standard romantic vanilla film that’ll make them feel joyful to be in love and what you have with your date is special. 

–In the Mood for Love

This foreign film from China goes onto the route of cheating and being faithful to their spouses. Set in the 1960s, Chow Mo-wan and his wife move to Hong Kong and soon enough, Chow’s wife seems to always be away on business. He then comes across a woman named Su Li-Zhen who also seems to have the same problem of her husband being away a lot on business. Both of them suspect that their spouses are cheating and begin to fall for each other, but are met with struggles of trying to be faithful to their original love. 

–When Harry Met Sally 

This film is one of the more adult films as it deals with the topics of marriage and dating in New York. The plot follows a man named Harry who hitches a ride with a woman named Sally to New York and Harry tries to make moves, but it doesn’t work out because both of them already have a relationship going on. A few years go by and they randomly meet again after a long time and they start to become friends with each other due to their shared loss of recent relationships. Then the rest of the film focuses on the “will they, won’t they” aspect. This film is incredibly well written and the dialogue is incredibly funny and witty as well as the characters are incredibly well written. If you’re looking for a great example of how relationships aren’t perfect and incredibly complicated (and you want to have a good laugh), then this film is perfect for you. This film is also rated R, so be careful with this one. 

–Roman Holiday

A film from the 1950s, this film is about lovers who can’t be. Audrey Hepburn is an Italian princess who goes on a journey in Rome disguised as a regular person. This works up until Gregory Peck, a journalist, figures out her identity, and he and his cameraman go on the journey with her through her little holiday, and Gregory and Audrey start to fall in love with each other. However, they figure out that they can’t be together because the whole Audrey Hepburn’s character is a princess thing. This film is perfect for those who like the forbidden love aspect of the film and the “mouth of truth” scene is unforgettable. 

–A Star is Born 

A film touching on the subject of being a famous singer and the problems that come with it, A Star is Born focuses on the story of Jackson Maine, a country-rock singer who’s got a big drug and alcohol problem. One night, his limo pulls up to a small bar where he meets Ally, a singer who’s just casually singing from time to time, and they talk. It gets to a point where Jackson wants to have Ally on stage, she agrees and the two fall in love and get married. Though Jackson’s drug and alcohol problem doesn’t get any better, Ally keeps rising in fame and Jackson keeps falling in fame. The film ends with Jackson’s death and Ally’s fame getting cemented. This film is perfect for those who want to see what loving a rockstar is like and it also has a great soundtrack with hits such as “Shallow” and “I’ll Never Love Again.” This is also a rated R film, so watch with viewer discretion.

–Crazy Rich Asians

Being another modern classic, this film has stuck with most viewers as being an incredibly heartwarming and beautifully shot film. The story follows a woman named Rachel Chu who goes with her boyfriend, Nick to one of his best friend’s weddings. However, upon arriving, Rachel quickly discovers that Nick is not only crazy rich, but he’s one of the most eligible bachelors around in his hometown of Singapore. Rachel then must fight through lots of jealous and unhappy people to prove that she can be with Nick, but the toughest challenge is getting through Nick’s mother. This film won an award for best comedy and the best scene of all has got to be the wedding scene. If you’re in the mood to watch a very beautifully written and shot film, this film will warm you and your date’s hearts.