10 Rom-Coms To Binge-Watch During Valentine’s Day

February 11, 2021

Love—isn’t it such an enigmatic emotion? We’ve seen and heard all there is to it, the good, the bad, and even the ugly, yet it remains ever irresistible—even dedicating an entire day just for it. Valentine’s Day this year isn’t immune to the “new normal” either, so let’s fully embrace this home-ridden new year and celebrate it with the universally enjoyed act of visual entertainment. Here are a few shows and movies you can rewatch to relive some of your old teenage memories!

The Messy Good Ol’ Classics

Classics are called classics for a reason; they have this everlasting, ageless appeal. The classics below don’t sugarcoat the turbulent nature of romance and relationships, instead, they cover it up with humour and timelessly charismatic leading ladies.

Bridget Jones Diary

Source: Mental Floss

Renee Zellweger shines in this classic rom-com, portraying the clumsy, idle and lovelorn Bridget Jones as she stumbles through life. Watch as you simultaneously feel bad and laugh at her unlucky endeavours, but also find yourself relating to her all at the same time. This one surely brings us back to our childhood! Bonus points: You can never go wrong with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth!

Funny Girl

Source: IMDb

This 1968 film starring Barbara Streisand is as extravagant as it can get, telling the swirling biography of comedienne Fanny Brice. Her ever-shifting life is wonderfully captured on screen with humorous writing, a graceful and powerful performance, and perfectly sung musicals!

Oh, How Young and Naive

Have you ever had a sudden recollection of your memories and immediately shiver with embarrassment? These films are the visualization of all secondhand embarrassments, it’s entertaining, incredibly funny and ridden with frivolous young love. Be warned, you would either squeal with excitement or cringe in shared humiliation, one or the other, you’re still going to have a hell of a fun time.

Never Have I Ever

Source: New Yorker

Inspired by her own childhood, Mindy Kaling wrote and directed this series. She is the queen of guilty pleasure TV series and movies, perfectly balancing the classic ‘will they, won’t they’ and ‘unlikely match’ trope with intelligent and witty humour. Never Have I Ever doesn’t fall short on this either, telling the story of a young teen just trying to make it through high school, it’s heartfelt, filled with juicy drama, extremely funny and most of all, completely worth a binge.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Source: Into Film

This one is a true teenage gem! It checks all the necessary boxes for any teen comedy: First, a misunderstood and restlessly in love protagonist. Second: Adorable friendships. Third: Drama and misunderstandings. Fourth (and most importantly): a GORGEOUS love interest! This will take you back to the lighthearted, fun and simpler in hindsight times.

It’s Magic

Love, for me, will always be magic, but it shouldn’t live under the false countenance of pure fantasy. These films do just that, with magic, time travelling, dream hopping or not, the romance in these films stem from the very multifaceted, exciting, and heartbreaking layers of love.

About Time

Source: Vistapointe

I think we’ve all had this dream of just redoing it, maybe we could’ve gotten it right the second time, or the third, or the fourth…you get the point. About Time applies this concept and manages to mix time travel and romance seamlessly. The feeling this film will leave you is none like any other, the best way to describe would be melancholic happiness, isn’t that enticing? Follow the film’s protagonist, Tim, as he ventures back and forth in time in hopes of finding love. But as we all know, actions always come with consequences!

Her

Source: Roger Ebert

What’s magic about a guy falling in love with artificial intelligence? Its believability. Oh, this film transports you into a different world, brings to light the intricacies of love and loneliness, and makes you fall in love with it. Spike Jonze’s modern-day technological fairytale is filled with a beautifully written story, a warm and sincere performance by Joaquin Phoenix, ethereal cinematography, and a lot of love. Rewatching this one will surely leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Shall We Court?

The Bridgerton craze doesn’t seem like it will be dying down anytime soon, and we are all for it. While we await the following seasons, there is an abundance of TV shows and movies that will be sure to fulfil your craving for more historical/period dramas. Whether it may be your love of historical garments, the fanciful language, or the primordial landscape, you won’t regret feasting your eyes upon these gems.

Anne with an E

Source: IndieWire

This such a delicate and sweet coming-of-age tale. It follows a young, bright and high-spirited orphan, played by the endearing Amybeth McNulty. She paves her own way in life, encountering obstacles but also discovering the joy of friendships, young love, and family. Truly one the most innocent and touching portrayals of life and love!

Pride and Prejudice

Source: USA Today

Oh, Mr Darcy! A story and romance that has survived over 200 years, and many other movie adaptations is surely worth a watch, no? Trust me, it is. This timeless feature needs to be on anyone’s watch list, and especially so on Valentine’s Day! The film delves into the lives of five sisters as they make their way through marriage, family conflicts, morality, and romance. Watching this film brings us back to our younger selves as we fawned over Mr Darcy and desired to live during the Regency era—all so we can wear pretty dresses and dance all day!

This is “Reality”

The ultimate binge-worthy guilty pleasures, reality TV shows. Trust me on this, once you start, you won’t be able to stop. If you itch for a little excitement and drama but still want to remain non-partisan, these shows are sure to leave you satisfied and oddly emotionally invested.

Indian Matchmaking

Source: Time

Indian Matchmaking isn’t so much like a doctored reality TV show, instead, it presents itself as a documentary about dating. We follow the lives of single people as they seek the help of renowned matchmaking and marriage consultant, Sima Taparia. Other than being incredibly entertaining, it also serves as an insightful introduction to certain customs and traditions in Indian culture.

Love is Blind

Source: Glamour

Well, is love really blind? This show doesn’t really answer the question, but it puts it to the test. And the results, sometimes wholesome, but mostly, messy, uncontrollable drama. It’s intriguing to see all the different sides and layers of love unfold with so many different personalities. Of course, we know that reality TV exaggerates everything but there’s something so irresistibly watchable about it, and this show is not an outlier.

I think we tend to designate the idea of love for just romance, but love belongs to everything and everyone around us. So, for this Valentine’s Day, whether you are in a relationship or single, spread some love to all your loved ones: family, friends, partner, and the works! I hope you enjoy these movies and Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!