Valentine’s Day 2023 is right around the corner, and while you still may need to snag some last-minute V-Day gifts, the next item on your agenda is to figure out what to do on the most romantic night of the year. Whether your spending it with your Galentine’s or your significant other, why not cuddle up on the couch together and watch a timeless (or silly) love story?
Streaming services like HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix have hundreds of romantic movies available to watch now that’ll get you in the mood for Cupid’s visit. But with so many options, it can be intimidating to finally settle on that feature film. As our Valentine’s Day gift to you, we’ve curated the hottest new releases, along with unforgettable classics for your viewing pleasure — all available to stream on the upcoming holiday.
These films will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love all over again. Plus, they feature heart-stopping performances from Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Issa Rae, Timothee Chalamet, Matthew McConaughey, Constance Wu, and more swoon-worthy actors and actresses.
Don’t waste any time trying to figure out what to watch this Valentine’s Day with your partner or friends. Instead, light some candles, grab some good snacks and check out our streaming guide for the best romantic movies to watch that will make every day as romantic as Valentine’s Day.
A divorced couple, played by dream team Julia Roberts and George Clooney, must work together to stop their daughters wedding. Sparks fly in this rom-com with an all-star cast.
Rom-com vets Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel play a bride and groom that suddenly go on the offense when their wedding party is taken hostage. They are trying to save their family and friends, but can they save their relationship after this mess?
DC’s favorite couple, Harley and Ivy are spending their very first Valentine’s Day together as a couple in this HBO special. Get ready to laugh when you watch this adult-friendly cartoon.
Make Valentine’s night a spicy one by going to the theaters to watch the final installment of Magic Mike. Starring Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek, it’s going to be a steamy finale.
Comedy-duo Charlie Day and Jenny Slate star in I Want You Back, an Amazon Prime Original Movie. In the funny film, the pair are both dumped on the same day and work together to win their exes back.
Rom-com lovers, rejoice! Jennifer Lopez’s film tells the story of a heartbroken pop superstar who makes a spontaneous decision to marry a total stranger (played by Owen Wilson) on TV. What soon ensues is an unlikely and spark-filled romance between two people from completely different worlds. Marry Me is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
Boundaries are pushed, explored (and often enjoyed) after an inexperienced college student (played by Dakota Johnson) strikes up a daring and complicated affair with a controlling businessman (played by Jamie Dornan) whose identity is rooted in the sexual explorations of “pain and pleasure.”
Sylvie’s Love is a romance movie that takes place between 1957 and 1962. It’s about a young woman who has a summer fling with a saxophone player in Harlem. When they reconnect five years later, they begin to realize the years have not faded their passion. It stars Tessa Thompson (Dear White People, Avengers: Endgame) and Kerry Washington’s real-life valentine, her husband Nnamdi Asomugha (Crown Heights). The film currently holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, which calls it “a romance for the ages.”
Need more Jennifer Lopez? The Wedding Planner is a classic rom-com you can watch and rewatch. Lopez and Matthew McConaughey star in the film about a wedding planner who falls in love with one of her clients. Head over to Paramount+ to watch the happily ever after ending.
Before developing a superhuman physique for Marvel’s The Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani was adored for his casual sensibility that he played to perfection in The Big Sick. It was a no-brainer casting, considering Nanjiani wrote it with his wife Emily Gordon, which led to both receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The film is loosely based on their real-life romance. In it, Kumail’s girlfriend (Zoe Kazan) falls deeply ill right as he was planning to break up with her. It’s available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for those with a membership.
Juliet, Naked is the latest film adapted from a Nick Hornby novel (High Fidelity, About a Boy). It’s a comedy about a woman who has an unlikely romance with the singer-songwriter her boyfriend has long obsessed over. It has an all-star cast with dynamite chemistry in Rose Bryne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd. The film is also produced by Judd Apatow, who has made his fair share of romantic comedy hits.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a dramatic film about a forbidden romance between an aristocrat and painter in late 18th century France. The French-language film won Best Screenplay at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, becoming the second best-reviewed film of 2019 according to Metacritic. This is a must-see romance that will leave you breathless.
If Beale Street Could Talk is Berry Jenkins’ follow-up to his Best Picture-winning romantic drama Moonlight. It received similar critical acclaim, posting a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film follows a young woman who attempts to clear the name of her lover from false accusations before the birth of their child. It stars KiKi Layne, Stephan James and Regina King.
This sexy, LGBTQ drama is centered on a teenage boy who becomes fascinated with the American student who’s spending the summer with his family in Northern Italy. What unfolds is a captivating tale that explores the fun of summer love, romance and self-discovery.
Jane Austen’s beloved period drama is brought to life through this film, which stars Keira Knightley as the stubborn and outspoken Elizabeth (one of five sisters) who starts up a fiery and complicated courtship with the arrogant, and wealthy, bachelor Mr. Darcy, played by Matthew Macfadyen.
This sweet romantic flick — starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield — follows the story of a young woman as she discovers a photo from her late mother’s past and is sent on a search for answers that sees her enjoy an unexpected love affair along the way, too.
Through an old woman’s age and memory loss, her elderly husband reads a love story from a faded notebook that brings to life the story about a couple separated by World War II, and then passionately reunited years later. The cult-favorite romance film stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, and is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.
Watch this extravagant 2018 romantic comedy that became a full-blown phenomenon. This novel adaption about a woman who travels to Singapore with her boyfriend and discovers his family is obscenely wealthy grossed $238.5 million against a $30 million budget. Constance Wu (Fresh off the Boat) and Henry Golding (Last Christmas) star with hilarious supporting roles from Ken Jeong and Awkwafina.
10 Things I Hate About You is a modernization of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and was a breakout role for Julia Stiles, the late Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When Bianca is told she can’t have a boyfriend until her older, abrasive sister Kat (Stiles) does. Her and her love interest Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) attempt to set Kat up with the handsome bad boy Patrick (Ledger). It’s a crazy plan, and it just might work. Emphasis on “might.”
What can we say about The Princess Bride? Not only is it one of the most popular romantic adventure movies, but it’s also one of the greatest films of all time. It stars Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as the two romantic leads with unforgettable performances from Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya and Wallace Shawn as Vizzini. Skip on a chance to stream this movie? Inconceivable!