Valentine's Day is fast approaching and you're already panicking about organizing THE perfect evening? Don't stress! Whether you're the candlelit dinner type or team couch-blanket-chocolates, finding the right Valentine's Day film can transform an ordinary evening into a truly memorable moment.
The problem? Between ultra-predictable romantic comedies where you can guess the ending from the first scene and explosive action movies your partner absolutely refuses to watch, it's hard to agree. Not to mention those romantic B-movies that make you want to flee to the other end of the sofa rather than get closer…
Good news: I've done the work for you! I've found 5 Valentine's Day movies These will appeal to everyone, even those most resistant to the genre. Gems that blend romance, humor, depth, and originality. Believe me, I watched a ton of stuff to steer you away from duds.
Why is choosing the right movie for Valentine's Day so important?
Seriously, let's talk about this for a minute. A bad movie choice can completely ruin your romantic evening. You know, that awkward moment when one person checks their watch every 10 minutes while the other desperately tries to stay awake?
A good What exactly is a Valentine's Day movie ? It's a film that:
- Creates a truly romantic atmosphere without becoming unbearably saccharine.
- Pleases BOTH people on the sofa (revolutionary, isn't it?)
- Makes you want to get closer rather than check Instagram
- It provides food for thought afterwards (because it's still nicer than going to bed in silence).
- Avoid tired clichés while remaining touching
Now that we're aligned on the objectives, let's dive into my ultra-carefully selected list!
1. Etenal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
A Valentine's Day movie that completely breaks the mold.
Hold on tight, because this Valentine's Day film will blow your mind in the best possible way. We follow Joel, a rather introverted and not exactly extroverted guy played by Jim Carrey (and yes, JIM CARREY in a dramatic role!), who discovers that his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet, absolutely brilliant) has used an experimental medical procedure to completely erase all their shared memories from her mind.
Devastated and furious, Joel decides to do the same. He goes to this somewhat creepy clinic that offers to erase specific memories. Dr. Howard Mierzwiak and his team will literally enter his brain while he sleeps to remove all traces of Clementine.
But here's the brilliant twist: once the process begins and Joel revisits his memories with Clementine before they're permanently erased, he realizes he DOESN'T want to lose them. Not even the arguments, not even the difficult times, not even the painful breakup. Because all those moments, good and bad, made him the person he is today.
The film unfolds in a brilliant temporal interplay between the present, the past, and the very interior of Joel's mind. We journey through their shared memories, which are gradually fading: their first meeting on a freezing Montauk beach, their strange yet touching dates, their explosive arguments, their moments of pure tenderness. And Joel fights desperately to hide Clementine in the recesses of his memory where the medical team won't think to look.
Why is this the perfect Valentine's Day movie for couples who want depth?
Because this film asks THE real question: if you could erase all the pain associated with a relationship, would you do it? Knowing that this pain is an integral part of what you have experienced and learned?
Michel Gondry (the visionary director) and Charlie Kaufman (the genius screenwriter) have created something unique. The film uses low-tech but incredibly creative visual effects to depict the fading of memories: characters gradually disappearing, sets collapsing, books whose pages turn blank before our eyes.
It's visually stunning, emotionally powerful, and intellectually stimulating. The kind of Valentine's Day film which reminds you why you're together, even when things get complicated. Because loving someone means accepting the whole package: the smiles AND the tears.
The little extra: Jim Carrey's performance is a complete revelation. We completely forget the comedic actor and discover a fragile, touching, profoundly human man. And the chemistry with Kate Winslet? Explosive.
The guaranteed post-movie experience: You're going to spend AT LEAST an hour debating "but what would we do?". In terms of depth of conversation, that's way more interesting than figuring out who's taking out the trash tomorrow.
Duration : 1 hour 48 minutes
Available on: Prime Video, Apple TV
Atmosphere : Romantic, dreamlike, profound, original
2. La La Land (201)
Valentine's Day, Hollywood style
If you are looking for a Valentine's Day film Visually stunning, it will make you dream while keeping one foot in reality; La La Land is your golden ticket to Los Angeles.
The story begins in the monstrous traffic jams of LA (right off the bat, we're starting with realism). Mia is an aspiring actress who goes from one failed audition to another while serving coffee to the stars on the Warner Bros. lot. Sebastian is a purist jazz pianist who dreams of opening his own club to preserve what he considers the authentic soul of jazz, but who finds himself playing covers in restaurants to pay his rent.
Their first encounter? A furious honk of the horn in a traffic jam on the highway. Romantic, right? Then they bump into each other again at a pool party where Sebastian is playing in an eighties cover band (imagine his utter embarrassment). Mia gently teases him. He pretends not to recognize her. In short, it's not looking good.
But hey, this is Los Angeles, the city of dreams and second chances. They finally meet for real during a magical evening in the hills above Griffith Park, with the whole city sparkling at their feet. And then, it's a total chemistry.
What follows is a waltz between their two consuming ambitions and their budding love. Mia writes an intensely personal solo show to relaunch her career. Sebastian agrees to join a modern jazz-fusion band (horror to a purist like him) because it pays well and he wants to be able to take Mia out to dinner. They support each other, encourage each other, argue, and dance together on lampposts at dusk in breathtaking choreography.
The film follows their relationship over a full year, structured by seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Each season has its own carefully crafted color palette, designed by Damien Chazelle. And gradually, the tension mounts: can we truly have both our dream career AND the love of our life? Must we choose?
What makes La La Land an unforgettable Valentine's Day movie
First, visually, it's a knockout. Every shot is composed like a painting. The colors are saturated, vibrant, unreal. The opening scene on the highway with "Another Day of Sun" is an incredible technical feat: a single, multi-minute shot with dozens of dancers leaping across the cars. The scene at the planetarium where Mia and Sebastian literally dance among the stars? Pure cinematic magic.
Next, the music. Justin Hurwitz has composed an absolutely sublime soundtrack that blends classic jazz with contemporary melodies. "City of Stars" will be stuck in your head for weeks (and you'll probably hum the chorus in the shower, admit it).
But above all, what makes this Valentine's Day film What's so special about it is its ending. I won't spoil it, but let's just say Chazelle had the guts not to give it the easy, predictable ending. He chose something more mature, more bittersweet, more… real. It's a beautiful meditation on the choices we make, the paths we don't take, and what it truly means to love someone.
Important point: This film celebrates love in all its forms, including the love that transforms you even when it doesn't last forever. And frankly, for Valentine's Day, that's a far deeper message than "they lived happily ever after."
A little tip: Get your tissues ready for the final 10-minute sequence. Even the most hardened viewers will get choked up. And it's a perfect opportunity to cuddle up together.
Duration : 2:08
Available on: Netflix, Prime Video
Atmosphere : Glamorous, musical, romantic, melancholic
3. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
The Valentine's Day movie that will make you laugh out loud
Looking for something lighthearted for your Valentine's Day evening? Want to really laugh while still getting your dose of romance? Crazy, Stupid, Love is exactly what you need. It's probably the Valentine's Day film The funniest on this list, while still remaining surprisingly touching.
The story opens with a bombshell: Emily (Julianne Moore) tells her husband Cal (Steve Carell) that she wants a divorce. And that she slept with a colleague. In the car. On the way to a restaurant. Yes, it starts off strong.
Completely devastated, Cal finds himself thrust into the terrifying world of single middle-aged men. He ends up in a trendy bar where he sobs into his beer, recounting his woes to anyone who will (or won't) listen. It's there that he meets Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling, absolutely hilarious), a professional seducer with impeccable style who has a near 100% success rate.
Jacob takes Cal under his wing and completely transforms him. Out with the New Balance sneakers and high-waisted jeans, in with tailored suits and Italian shoes. Out with the whining, in with the game. The transformation scenes are hilarious, especially when Cal clumsily tries to replicate Jacob's ultra-smooth pickup lines.
Meanwhile, we follow several other stories that intertwine brilliantly:
- Hannah (Emma Stone), a brilliant young lawyer fed up with guys who won't commit, meets Jacob at the same bar. Except that, for once, his pickup lines don't work on her. Intrigued (and secretly charmed), Jacob finds himself doing something he's never done before: falling truly in love.
- Robbie, Cal's 13-year-old son, is hopelessly in love with his babysitter Jessica (17), who herself is secretly in love with… Cal.
- Emily begins to regret her decision and realizes that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
The film juggles all these storylines masterfully, creating increasingly absurd and hilarious situations. There's a scene near the end (which I won't spoil) where ALL the characters end up in the same place and all the secrets are revealed at once. It's absolute comedic chaos, and it's absolutely brilliant.
Why this is the perfect Valentine's Day movie to laugh and think about
Because beneath the humor and gags, the film poses real questions about love: What makes a couple last? How do you rekindle the flame after years? Can you really change for someone? How do you recognize the right person?
Steve Carell is touching as a completely lost guy who has to relearn how to seduce his own wife. Ryan Gosling is hilarious as a womanizer discovering the joys and terrors of commitment. Emma Stone strikes just the right balance between intelligence and vulnerability.
The film celebrates love in all its forms: young love, mature love, lasting love, love just beginning. It's funny without being silly, romantic without being saccharine, and it ends on a truly satisfying note.
The iconic moment: The scene where Ryan Gosling does the Dirty Dancing lift with Emma Stone. If you know the real scene from the original movie, you'll laugh your head off. And if you don't… watch both!
After-film warranty: You'll look at each other, smile, and probably hug. That's exactly the desired effect for a Valentine's Day movie , right?
Duration : 1:58
Available on: Prime Video, Netflix
Atmosphere : Romantic comedy, feel-good, hilarious, touching
4. Amélie (2001)
The quintessential French Valentine's Day film
It's impossible to make a list of Valentine's Day movies Not to mention this French gem that has conquered the world. If you've never seen it (seriously?!), now is THE time to rectify this monumental oversight.
Amélie Poulain is a young woman who works as a waitress in a small café in Montmartre, the Café des Deux Moulins. She had a rather lonely childhood: an anxious mother who kept her at home, a cold and distant father, and no friends. As a result, Amélie developed a vivid imagination and lives somewhat in her own world of simple pleasures.
Her life changed radically the day Lady Diana died (yes, we're setting the scene precisely). Upon hearing the news, Amélie knocked over a perfume bottle, revealing a hiding place in her bathroom wall. Inside, she discovered an old box filled with childhood treasures: photos, toys, and mementos dating back to the 1950s.
Amélie then embarks on a quest to find the owner of this box and return it to him. When she succeeds and sees the emotion of this man rediscovering his childhood memories, she has a revelation: she will dedicate her life to making others happy, to playing the invisible cupid, to orchestrating small daily miracles for the people she meets.
We follow her on her delightful missions: she reunites two old friends she'd lost touch with, helps her depressed father come out of his shell by sending his garden gnome on a journey around the world (the photos he receives are hilarious), brings justice to the local grocer who mistreats his employee, and consoles her lonely painter neighbor…
But here's the rub: Amélie is so busy creating happiness for others that she completely neglects her own love life. Until the day she meets Nino Quincampoix, a boy as quirky as she is who collects discarded ID photos from photo booths and makes albums out of them.
It's love at first sight. But Amélie, terrified of exposing herself emotionally, decides to launch a romantic treasure hunt across Paris rather than simply talking to him. This romantic cat-and-mouse game through Montmartre is absolutely adorable and frustrating at the same time (you just want to shake Amélie and make her finally take the plunge!).
This makes this film a must-see for Valentine's Day.
First, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's visual world is SUBLIME. Paris has never looked so beautiful, with its saturated colors (dominantly green and red), its warm lighting, and its magical little details in every shot. It's like stepping into a storybook for adults.
Then there's Yann Tiersen's iconic soundtrack. The accordion, the piano, the melodies that stay in your head for days… It's THE quintessential romantic music.
But above all, this Valentine's Day film It celebrates the little things that make life beautiful: plunging your hand into a bag of seeds, cracking the crust of crème brûlée with a teaspoon, skipping stones on the Canal Saint-Martin. It's an ode to everyday romance, to the poetry of simple gestures.
The message? Sometimes, to find love, you have to stop hiding behind others and dare to be vulnerable. You have to accept taking risks, taking the plunge, even if it's scary.
The brilliant detail: The narrator describes each character's likes and dislikes. We learn that Amélie likes "plunging her hand into a bag of seeds" and "hates it when her fingers get all wrinkled in the bath." These little details make the characters incredibly human and endearing.
Iconic moment: The scene where Amélie literally melts (really, she turns into a puddle) when Nino touches her. It's one of the most visual and creative depictions of love at first sight in cinema.
Duration : 2:02
Available on: Netflix, Canal+
Atmosphere : Poetic, whimsical, romantic, total feel-good
5. About Time (2013)
The Valentine's Day movie that will make you cry (in a good way)
We conclude this selection with a Valentine's Day film which will turn your world upside down emotionally. Have a full box of tissues ready, you've been warned.
Tim Lake is a rather ordinary and awkward young British man living in Cornwall. On his 21st birthday, his father reveals a completely crazy family secret: all the men in their lineage have the ability to travel through time. Not to the future, and not to change History with a capital H, but they can return to their own past and relive moments of their lives knowing what will happen.
Tim's first reaction? "I'm going to use this power to find a girlfriend!" (priorities, you know). He moves to London, becomes a lawyer, and meets Mary in a completely black restaurant (yes, they really exist). It's love at first sight. They spend a magical evening chatting about everything and nothing.
But when Tim travels back in time to fix another problem, he accidentally creates a new timeline where he never met Mary that night. Total panic ensues. He then has to orchestrate a new encounter, pretending not to know her while knowing exactly what will make her fall for him. It's adorable, funny, and sometimes a little nerve-wracking.
They finally get together for good (phew!), get married, and have children. And Tim continues to use his power to fix the little disasters of everyday life: a failed business meeting, a silly argument, an awkward moment at a party…
But the true heart of the film isn't really the romance with Mary. It's the relationship between Tim and his father (Bill Nighy, absolutely perfect). When his father falls ill, Tim realizes he can go back in time to spend more time with him. He regularly returns to moments from his youth just to play ping-pong with his father, talk, and simply be together.
However, Tim gradually discovers the limits of his power: if he goes too far back in time after the birth of his children, he risks changing who they are (it's science fiction, but the film explains it with relentless logic). He must therefore make a heart-wrenching choice: continue seeing his father or preserve the true existence of his children.
The final part of the film is a beautiful meditation on mortality, the passage of time, and how to live each moment to the fullest. Tim arrives at a magnificent conclusion (which I won't spoil, but which will have you crying your eyes out).
Why this is THE Valentine's Day movie for intense emotions
Because beneath its guise as a light romantic comedy, this film speaks to what really matters: love, family, time, mortality, and how to live a meaningful life.
Richard Curtis (who wrote Love Actually, among other things) has created something special here. It's funny when it needs to be, romantic without being silly, and deeply moving without being manipulative.
The chemistry between Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams is adorable. Their love story feels real, imperfect, full of the little everyday moments that make a relationship work. It's not a fairytale romance; it's the love of real people who make an effort, who sometimes argue, but who always support each other.
But it's really the father-son relationship that will blow you away (in a good way). Bill Nighy plays a caring, cultured, humorous, and wise father who shares with his son not only the secret of time travel, but above all, his philosophy of life.
The film's message: If you lived each day twice, already knowing what would happen the second time, you would appreciate all those little moments you take for granted. But the trick is to learn to appreciate them the first time, without needing to relive them.
Emotional alert: The final scene between Tim and his father. I can't even talk about it without getting teary-eyed. It's one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking scenes in recent cinema about the parent-child relationship.
Guarantee : You're going to cry, cuddle up to your partner, and probably call your parents the next day to tell them you love them. That's the kind of Valentine's Day film which reminds you that love is also family love, and that it is precious.
Duration : 2:03
Available on: Prime Video, Netflix
Atmosphere : Moving, romantic, feel-good, get your tissues ready.
How to choose your Valentine's Day movie from this selection?
Now that you have 5 excellent options, how do you choose? Here's my quick guide:
If you want something profound and original: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is your best bet. It's the Valentine's Day film Perfect for couples who like to dissect and analyze.
If you want glamour and visual beauty: La La Land will blow you away. It's the premium option on this list.
If you want a laugh: Crazy, Stupid, Love will give you an excellent lighthearted evening while maintaining the necessary dose of romance.
If you want charm and poetry: The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain is a timeless classic that works every time.
If you want strong and sincere emotions: About Time will take you on an emotional rollercoaster, but you'll love every second of it.
Our tips for a successful Valentine's Day movie night
Now that you have chosen your Valentine's Day movie : here are some tips to make the evening truly perfect:
Create the atmosphere: Candles (be careful not to set them on fire), soft fairy lights, plush cushions… The environment is just as important as the film.
Prepare some snacks: Homemade popcorn, chocolates, a cheese and charcuterie board, sweets… No need to make it complicated, but having something to nibble on makes everything better.
Turn off the phones: Seriously. No notifications, no scrolling through "less interesting" scenes. Just be present.
Take the time to discuss it afterwards: This is often the best time! Debrief, share what you liked or disliked, connect.
Don't stress about perfection: If you don't really like the film, that's okay! You can change it, discuss it, laugh about your bad choice. The important thing is the time spent together.
In conclusion: which Valentine's Day movie will you choose?
There you have it, 5 absolute gems for your Valentine's Day evening. Whether you're more into intellectual depth, Hollywood glamour, hilarious comedy, French poetry, or intense emotions, there's bound to be one for you. Valentine's Day film This list is for you.
The most important thing? It's not so much the film you choose, but the fact of spending that moment together, disconnected from the outside world, connected to each other. A good film is simply the perfect pretext for creating that moment of intimacy.
So, get comfortable, prepare your favorite snacks, turn off the lights, and let the magic happen. And if your partner happens to fall asleep after 20 minutes, you can always say you tried!
Happy Valentine's Day, and enjoy the movie!
