The Ultimate Streaming Guide to Valentine’s Day
By Brian Bowe
Lovers and loners, rejoice! We’ve picked out a bunch of Valentine’s Day movies that you can either watch solo or with your other half. With Valentine’s Day comes a lot of questions: where to eat? What flowers to get? Should I even bother with a card? Be honest, does my breath stink? However, one thing that we all agree on is that a successful Valentine’s Day culminates with a cosy movie classic, best viewed from a cushioned couch with popcorn and chocolates within reach. This year we’ve even thrown in a few anti-Valentine’s Day movie picks for the cynics among us, those who denounce the Hallmark holiday as an ooey-gooey cringefest — too right, I say! So here’s our list of what to watch this Valentine’s Day season.
Netflix
Pretty Woman
Edward (Richard Gere), a rich entrepreneur, hires Vivian (Julia Roberts), a prostitute, to accompany him to a few social events. Trouble ensues when he falls in love with her and they try to bridge the gap between their worlds.
The film that catapulted Roberts into superstardom, Pretty Woman is a bonafide rom-com classic! Beyond its saucy set-up, the movie is quite chaste on rewatch, especially by today’s standards; there’s not much sex, and four-letter words are kept to a minimum. Gere works his usual squinty charm, but this film is Roberts’ from start to finish, her gangly-limbed charisma on full display.
Bridesmaids
When lovesick and jobless Annie’s (Kristen Wiig) life falls apart, she becomes the bridesmaid for Lillian (Maya Rudolph), her long-time best pal. She is determined to make Lillian’s wedding ideal along with the other bridesmaids.
Back in 2011, Bridesmaids was rather cynically sold as a female Hangover. Of course, it’s much much more. For one, it’s actually funny — no small thanks due to the comedy power couple of Wiig and Rudolph. Watching Bridesmaids now is refreshing, it balances comedy and drama so well. It’s easy to forget how prevalent gross-out humour was back in the 2010’s. Another reason to watch this comedy classic is for Chris O’Dowd. The Irish actor plays Officer Nathan Rhodes, which, although a relatively small part, set him up towards a healthy career across the Atlantic after a successful run of Irish/UK television work.
Marriage Story
A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a gruelling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes.
Welcome to our anti-Valentine picks. Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story gives us a poignant and oft-humorous exploration of the complexities of long-term relationships and, ultimately, in this case, divorce. Baumbach delicately balances the characters’ perspectives, delivering powerful moments with echoes of Woody Allen. The film features many standout performances, from Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, and Julie Hagerty, most known for her work in 1980’s cult comedy classic Airplane.
Disney
Rye Lane
Following two youngsters (Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson) reeling from bad break-ups who connect over a particularly eventful day in South London.
British director Raine Allen-Miller’s debut film Rye Lane is one of those films that snuck under the radar last year and won the hearts of whoever was lucky enough to catch it. Definitely one to watch this Valentine’s season, the film successfully blends the structure of Richard Linklater’s iconic Before trilogy with a fresh, bold visual style. It’s wickedly playful at times and delivers a few laugh-out-loud moments. The film’s lively soundtrack is one you’ll be looking up on Spotify as soon as the credits roll.
Gone Girl
Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) discovers that the entire media focus has shifted on him when his wife, Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike), mysteriously disappears on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary.
A perfect film for those looking to avoid that warm gooey feeling that comes with Valentine’s. David Fincher’s Gone Girl is a perfect psychological thriller, captivating us with its dark, shadowy style, along with strong performances from both Affleck and Pike, in a role which has gone on to define her career, for better or worse. As the mystery unfolds, we delve into the complexities of a crumbling marriage and the media frenzy surrounding a disappearance. While the film’s twists and turns may divide audiences, the director’s singular, meticulous approach makes for a gripping viewing experience.
Prime Video
Dirty Dancing
While holidaying with her parents at a resort, Frances (Jennifer Grey) is smitten with the resort’s rebellious dance instructor (Patrick Swayze). However, her father opposes the relationship (boo!), creating ripples in her family.
No rom-com listicle would be complete without mentioning everyone’s favourite ‘80’s hunk, Patrick Swayze. Here, he’s at the peak of his powers and works his magic. This is the original feel-good dance film, many came after but they felt like cheap imitations, and the less we say about the sequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, and the woeful Abigail Breslin-starring remake from 2017, the better! The original Dirty Dancing is a timeless summer love story that will keep you warm in the winter months.
Bones And All
A young woman (Taylor Russell) embarks on a 1000 mile odyssey through America where she meets a disenfranchised drifter (Timothée Chalamet). But all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether love can survive their otherness.
We’re ending this list in the best way possible, by encouraging you to watch Luca Guadagnino’s gory cannibal love story, starring Hollywood pretty boy Timothée Chalamet. Though, if you’re coming for Chalamet, you should stay for Taylor Russell, who puts in a star-making performance. If you’re coming into this expecting something in the same register as Guadagnino’s lush and gentle masterpiece Call Me By Your Name from 2017, be warned — this is a blood-soaked Bonnie and Clyde, with flesh, guts and, you guessed it, bones and all!
