FILM BUZZLIST: TOP 5 MOVIES TO WATCH ON VALENTINE'S DAY

From Classic Love Stories to Indie Comedies, Something for Everyone on Lovers' Holiday

By: Rachel Heine

February 14, 2012

Like it or not, Valentine's Day rolls around every year to the thrill, anxiety, and disappointment of singles and lovers alike. From blissfully in love couples to those content being on their own, everyone celebrates differently. Restaurants will be overbooked and bars packed to the brim, but not everyone wants to go out. Whether you like the typical flowers and chocolate, a DIY alternative gift, or to hit up the local pub with your fellow unattached friends, everyone can enjoy a good movie on this sugary sweet day. Here are Buzzine's top picks for all types on Valentine's Day.

For The New Couple: The Princess Bride

Let’s face it: dating someone new usually involves judging his or her personal tastes. Slyly testing your mysterious paramour’s knowledge of your favorite films is a natural step forward, and Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse. Can you both quote the 1987 adventure-romance at lightning speed? Do you both lament the loss of Peter Falk and peal with laughter at every outrageous turn? The Rob Reiner film is such a staple that anyone can enjoy watching it together. If, for some reason, your date isn’t a complete dolt and has never seen The Princess Bride before, you can be the one to open their poor, unexperienced eyes to Westley, Buttercup, and everyone's favorite heroic Spaniard, Inigo Montoya.

Honorable Mentions: High Fidelity, Annie Hall, Groundhog Day

For The Solid Couple: Casablanca

Everyone knows these love birds. Married, engaged, or simply great together, this couple is the one that is still head-over-heels for each other after the honeymoon phase is long over. The dust has settled, infatuation has shifted, and these crazy kids still have the butterflies -- to the disgust of all theri friends. With the awkwardness of early dating behind them, this couple can enjoy a truly romantic film without anxiety. Casablanca is a film just as classic as the pair watching it. Starring timeless movie stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the 1947 drama is considered one of the best movies of all time, and perfect for a night in with the one you love.

Honorable Mentions: Some Like It Hot, When Harry Met Sally, It's Complicated

For The Non-Traditional Couple: Fatal Attraction

Societal norms, though they’ve come a long way, tell us that women love romantic movies and men hate them. Anyone with half a brain knows that is hardly the case, and some couples relish a darker flick on their nights in. Rather than a by-the-numbers rom-com, take a walk on the wild side with Fatal Attraction. Love turns sour when a one-night-stand of infidelity leads to a crazed stalker, violent confrontations, and a poor, murdered family pet. Anyone with a slightly twisted sense of humor will enjoy this spin on Valentine’s Day.

Honorable Mentions: Heathers, True Romance, Shawn of the Dead

For the Heartbroken: (500) Days of Summer

It’s an unfortunate fact that Valentine’s Day carries a special weight for anyone feeling especially unlucky in love. If you just went through a breakup, can’t seem to find “the one,” or are just feeling plain lonely, sometimes it’s good to watch a movie about what you’re going through. (500) Days of Summer follows Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) through the non-linear story of how he fell in and out of love with a girl named Summer (Zooey Deschanel). Though it has all the trappings of a romantic comedy, (500) Days of Summer is famously “not a love story. It’s a story about love.” Movies like this remind us that, though it may hurt now, eventually you'll come out on the other side.

Honorable Mentions: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Closer, Like Crazy

For A Night In With Friends: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to just be about romantic love. Some people are more than happy to be unattached, free from the pressure and drama that comes with long-term relationships. If you’ve got a collection of friends on the same wavelength as you, get together with some two-buck Chuck and drug store chocolates, and settle down with Jason Segel. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was the first film penned by the bear-like funny guy, and it has enough humor and heart to appeal to guys and girls. After all, who can’t relate to an uncomfortable, naked break up?

Honorable Mentions: 10 Things I Hate About You, Sideways, The Wedding Singer

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