Totally Reel Valentine’s Day Movie Recommendations

A Totally Reel Review

Another Valentine’s Day has come, and no matter your relationship status or favorite movie genres, I’ve got recommendations for all. I’ve categorized them by content and audience:

• The Newly Single Dealing with a Break Up
• Coming of Age and First Love
• Anti-Love Movies for the Cynic
• LGBTQ Romance
• The Friends to Lovers Trope
• Romance Movie Haters
• Spotlight on Platonic Love

The Newly Single Dealing with a Break Up

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was the first movie that came to mind for this theme. We follow Jim Carrey in the aftermath of a breakup and experience the raw pain of moving on. In this universe, technology can erase the memories of your ex and to do so, his brain recounts all of his memories with Kate Winslet, his ex. I won’t say more than that but it’s cathartic and moving for anyone who’s heartbroken this Valentine’s Day. Available on Prime Video.

Two honorable mentions: Begin Again is a beautiful movie that deals with breakup and reconciliation, but romance isn’t at the forefront. It’s a movie about music, human connection, and healing. Available on Netflix. Someone Great is about a young woman, played by Gina Rodriguez of Jane the Virgin, who just got out of a 9 year relationship. She spends one last day with her two best friends in NYC to find closure. I haven’t personally seen it but I’ve only heard good things.

Coming of Age and First Love

If you’re like me, you’re at an age where there’s just enough distance to watch coming of age movies with a new perspective, but you’re still young enough to relate to a lot of the themes of uncertainty and the never-ending process of “growing up.” I watched Spectacular Now for the first time a few months ago and it struck a chord in me. On the surface, it’s about a 17-year-old boy Sutter (Miles Teller) and his romance with Amy (Shailene Woodley). I won’t say much other than that it touches on a lot of themes like learning to be vulnerable and grappling with the novelty of your first serious relationship. Streaming on HBO Max.

Honorable Mention: Call Me By Your Name is another great coming-of-age story. Timothee Chalamet is a teenager who falls for the older Armie Hammer who’s staying at his parent’s summer home. It’s a visually gorgeous movie, has an incredible score, and stellar performances as they each grapple with the consequences of their romance. Streaming on Netflix.

Anti-Love Movies for the Cynic

This category was probably the hardest to find films for, considering it’s the anti-thesis of the rom-com genre. 500 Days of Summer is one of my favorite movies and I’d argue that it can be categorized in this genre. This movie is not a linear girl meets boy, fall in love, and get married plot. It’s complex and layered and each rewatch will yield something new (like how Zoey Deschanel always wears blue to match her eyes). Streaming on HBO Max.

Honorable Mentions: Gone Girl is the ultimate “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” movie. The “Cool Girl” monologue is one of my favorites and to this day I keep thinking of Nick Dunne whenever I see Ben Affleck’s face. Now on HBO Max. And on a similar vein, it’s not a movie, but Why Women Kill is a 2-season TV show on Paramount Plus. I highly recommend the first season if you’ve got some time to spare this Valentine’s Day. It follows 3 couples’ stories, who are all connected by the house they live in — each living in that house in a different era in time. Starring Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Alexandra Daddario, it’s a creative and engaging show for the cynics.

LGBTQ Romance

This movie is not a rom-com, but is in my top 10 movies of all time: Park Chan-Wook’s The Handmaiden. This is a South Korean psychological thriller taking place in Japanese-occupied Korea and features a sensual (aka NOT family friendly) lesbian romance. Trust me when I say those scenes do play a role in the plot. The less you know going in, the better. This is one of the movies I wish I could watch again for the first time.

Honorable Mentions: I have not seen Portrait of a Lady on Fire, but have heard great things about it (on Hulu). I’ve mentioned Call Me By Your Name previously and it works here. Some more traditional rom-coms include Bros and Spoiler Alert, both of which came out in the last few months (and both of which are on Peacock).

The Friends to Lovers Trope

I’m not the biggest fan of romance movies, but this is one trope I actually really love, especially if it’s childhood friends to lovers. Love, Rosie is a very frustrating movie to watch because if Lily Collins and Sam Claflin actually stopped to talk about how they feel about each other, it would’ve been a short movie. Even so, this movie is a guilty pleasure. It’s two hours of us watching them banter, fall in love with other people, and fail to realize that the one they love is right in front of them. Love, Rosie is one of those movies that you’ll either love it or hate it, so judge for yourself. It’s streaming on Paramount Plus.

Honorable Mentions: Perhaps the most famous friends to lovers movie is When Harry Met Sally. Can men and women ever truly be platonic friends? I don’t need to say much more than that. It’s now streaming on HBO Max. One Day is another one that follows Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess through their lives: we only see a glimpse of their lives on the same day each year — the anniversary of the day they first met. It’s available to rent on Prime Video. And finally, adding in some Asian representation — Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong and Randall Park is another childhood friends to lover movie. Like Crazy Rich Asians, the characters are complex and multi-faceted, not just Asian stereotypes. Streaming on Netflix.

Romance Movie Haters

The Mummy with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz is one of my childhood favorites and one of the only movies I’ve rewatched 3 times. Yes, it’s got problematic elements regarding representation of other cultures, but at its core it’s a fun adventure movie that also happens to have a great romance. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have such good chemistry (again, have to acknowledge that there’s one particular scene that’s problematic) and the CGI has held up incredibly well for being 24 years old. Check it out on Hulu.

Honorable Mention: Having recently rewatched the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (the 4th and 5th don’t exist), Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are a great pairing and the wedding scene in the third movie is top tier romance. Plus, the Hans Zimmer score is a bonus to watching those movies. All three are streaming on Disney Plus.

Spotlight on Platonic Love

I’ve always hated that in every single movie, the protagonist ends up paired off with someone as if they need romantic love to be fulfilled. Little Women, specifically the Greta Gerwig adaptation, is so refreshing. It’s a beautiful story of 4 sisters and their enduring bond. Gerwig read through Louisa May Alcott’s letters and took inspiration from her life to slightly alter the ending of the movie from the book. I love the open ending and is commentary on societal pressures women face regarding romantic relationships.

Honorable Mention: I recently watched the movie Close, which is up for an Oscar for Best International Feature Film. It’s an intimate look at the friendship of two 13-year-old boys and shows how growing up and societal pressures can strain emotional bonds. The director Lukas Dhont was at the screening and spoke beautifully about the movie’s themes of toxic masculinity and the resulting emotional isolation men feel as they grow older. Much of it is also based on his own experiences growing up gay. This movie is in theaters now.