“Want to Watch Something Sweet?: Valentine’s Day Movie Watchlist”

Hannah Smith ’26

Executive Arts & Entertainment Editor

Valentine’s Day may be behind us, but it’s never too late to watch a romantic film with your loved one! Whether that be a witty rom-com or a heartbreaking love story, let this be a guide to your screening experience.

Stuck in a “Groundhog Day” situation, Nyles, played by Andy Samberg (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), and Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti (“The Penguin”), find love and chaos while attending the same wedding over and over again in “Palm Springs” directed by Max Barbakow. 

“Fire Island” directed by Andrew Ahn is an unexpected “Pride and Prejudice” directed by Joe Wright, adaptation centered around a group of queer best friends on vacation. Starring Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”) and Joel Kim Booster (“KPop Demon Hunters”) as the Jane and Elizabeth Bennet characters respectively, “Fire Island” is equally hilarious and heartwarming. It is definitely an underrated gem.

“Singles,” directed by Cameron Crowe (“Almost Famous”), follows a group of 20-something year olds as they navigate life as newly-independent adults and how different love looks in the real world. Set in 1990s Seattle, “Singles” has one of the greatest soundtracks of all time, featuring bands like Pearl Jam, Pixies, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.

If you’re looking for a sweet little romantic comedy, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” directed by Michel Gondry is not the way to go. However, if you’re looking for a film that will rip your heart into a million pieces and try to glue it back together by the end, this is the perfect movie! It follows Clementine and Joel (Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey respectively) through psychedelic memories as they try to erase one another from their minds after breaking up.

“If Beale Street Could Talk” directed by Barry Jenkins is another beautifully told love story that is not for the faint of heart. After her husband is wrongly imprisoned, a young pregnant woman fights to clear his name. Set in 1970s Harlem, the film tackles topics like racism and police corruption while emphasizing the love between the two main characters.

“A Ghost Story” is not your typical romance film, but it expresses love in such a creative and genuine way; it is so deeply moving. Directed by David Lowry and produced by A24, “A Ghost Story” has that quintessential independent, low budget film feel that Lowry accomplishes in his most recent A24 collaboration, “The Green Knight.” It’s simple, yet powerful, managing to tell a heartbreaking story of eternal love with minimal dialogue or flashy effects.

Of course, not everyone wants to watch something too lovey-dovey this time of year. So, if you’re in more of a “love sucks and so does the world” kind of mood, I recommend “Gone Girl” directed by David Fincher or “Malcolm & Marie” directed by Sam Levinson. These movies will keep you as far from a happy relationship as possible. “Gone Girl” is a horror story disguised as a mystery-thriller based on the Gillian Flynn bestselling novel by the same name. A monologue heavy, single-set film, “Malcolm & Marie” is carried by the fiery performances from Zendaya (Marie) and John David Washington (Malcom) who portray a couple whose relationship is very much on the rocks.