22 of the Most Beautiful Romance Movies to Watch on Valentine’s Day
From all-time favourites to underrated gems, get your dose of swoon-worthy love stories.
There's a common misconception that the "perfect" Valentine's Day is spent being wined and dined by your partner at a fancy restaurant. While that sounds like a wonderful experience, there are a myriad of less-expensive ways to spend the day with your partner, best friend or even by yourself (yes, self-love is just as important) that are equally as amazing – if not better.
Exhibit A: order home delivery or whip up a meal, grab the wine, and make yourself comfortable on the couch as you watch these heartfelt romantic movies.
1. Always Be My Maybe
Where can I watch it? Netflix
15 years ago a young Sasha (Ali Wong) met a young Marcus (Randall Park) – sparks flew, memories were made, but things changed, and they did too. Fast forward to know and Sasha’s a renowned chef, and Marcus a hometown musician, the pair meet again and reignite the spark that went out all those years ago. The only thing stopping them from making it work, is the difference in their lifestyles.
2. When Harry Met Sally
Where can I watch it? Stan
Unquestionably one of the greatest rom-coms of all time, When Harry Met Sally will serve you pure joy time and time again. The story navigates the ups and downs of a friendship-turned-romance and is laced with memorable quotes. The conversation-driven approach to romance and wryly entertaining tone means it still holds up 32 years later.
3. The People We Meet on Vacation
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Based on the writer Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, this sun-soaked romantic comedy follows lifelong pals Poppy (Emily Bader) and Alex (Tom Blyth), two polar opposites whose annual summer getaways become the backdrop for an unexpected connection. After years of spontaneous road trips, beach hangs and mishaps abroad – from New Orleans to Barcelona – the pair reunite after a falling-out to confront what’s been simmering between them all along. It’s heartfelt, funny and kind of perfect for anyone who’s ever fallen in love on holiday (or wants to).
4. Romeo + Juliet
Where can I watch it? Disney+
It's not Valentine's Day without a dose of '90s Leo. This tragic romance is the perfect movie to watch with a glass of red. Written by Baz Luhrmann and featuring another favourite Claire Danes, we're big fans of this twist on a Shakespeare classic.
5. Brokeback Mountain
Where can I watch it? Apple TV+
A heart wrenching tale of forbidden love, Brokeback Mountain is set in 1963, and tells the tale of southern men Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) who have been hired as sheepherders in Wyoming. A long night of working and drinking leads to Jack making a drunken pass at Ennis, which starts a love affair between these two men over the next 20 years.
6. Love Simon
Where can I watch it? Disney+
17-year-old Simon Spier has a secret, one that he’s kept from his family and friends for his entire life, and while juggling the trials and tribulations of high school, he’s struggling to hide it any longer. Simon’s gay – and the only other person who knows (for now), is an anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. A hilarious and heartfelt coming of age story Love Simon normalises the taboo topic of sexuality, and shows a person's sexual identity does not define them.
7. The Big Sick
Where can I watch it? Stan
Pakistani comic Kumail meets American graduate student Emily after one of his stand-up shows. A date turns into a sleepover, and a sleepover turns into the start of a blossoming relationship. But as their feelings deepen, Kumail can’t stop thinking about what his Muslim parents will make of their relationship. It’s not until Emily tragically falls into a coma, Kumail finds himself developing an unbreakable bond with Emily's mother and father, challenging Kumail’s perception of his own parents.
8. Me Before You
Where can I watch it? Prime Video
26-year-old Louise Clake (Emilia Clarke) is young, quirky, and intelligent. Changing jobs on the regular to help her family make ends meet, her bubbly charm is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Clafkin) – a wealthy young banker who was left paralysed after an accident. Will’s cynical outlook on life is challenged when Louise shows him that life is worth living, leading their lives and hearts to change in ways neither one could have ever imagined.
9. Never Been Kissed
Where can I watch it? Stan
Another iconic movie on the cusp of the twenty-first century, Never Been Kissed stars Drew Barrymore in her prime as an undercover high school student for a project at the newspaper she works at. She's instantly triggered by her previous school experience and struggles to fit in amongst her new classmates. As well as that, she's falling in love with her teacher who doesn't realise she's actually twenty-five.
10. Notting Hill
Where can I watch it? Disney+
If you've been to London and not wandered the streets of Notting Hill looking for Hugh Grant's bookshop, you're doing it wrong. When a famous American actress played by Julia Roberts, arrives in town and stumbles across his bookshop, William (Grant) immediately falls in love and they exchange a few awkward dates before living happily ever after, of course.
11. The Notebook
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams – what a pair. It was a box office hit fifteen years ago and is just as relevant today as it was then. It might even inspire you to recreate that iconic kiss in the rain on Valentine's Day.
12. Eternity
Where can I watch it? Apple TV+
This romantic fantasy comedy asks the big question: what if love — and heartbreak — didn’t end at death? When Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) and her longtime husband Larry (Miles Teller) pass away, they find themselves at a cosmic junction where souls decide how — and with whom — to spend eternity. But there’s a twist: Joan’s first love, Luke (Callum Turner), is also waiting for her there. Full of afterlife whimsy and emotional crossroads, Eternity is both a funny and poignant look at choice, memories, and what really matters in love.
13. To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Where can I watch it? Netflix
There are three in this series now, so you know what that means: movie marathon! The To All The Boys trilogy is a lovely, big-hearted teen romantic comedy, about Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), who start off in a fake relationship that grows into something more. It’s adorable and very, very sweet, but these are also well-written and directed films.
14. Titanic
Where can I watch it? Apple TV
Featuring another appearance by Leonardo DiCaprio, Titanic is synonymous with romance, love, and unfortunately, loss. The real question is: could that have fit both of them after the Titanic hit the iceberg? The jury's still out.
15. Carol
Where can I watch it? Stan
Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara lead this emotional melodrama set in the 1950s. The heartfelt film tells the story of a divorcing woman (Blanchett) who falls in love with a department store assistant (Mara), capturing the torments of life for gay women in the '50s while also delving into the romance of their relationship.
16. Pretty Woman
Where can I watch it? Apple TV
We couldn't have a Valentine's Day movie list without including Pretty Woman. After Richard Gere's character hires Vivian (Julia Roberts) as an escort for a week, the pair begin to catch real feelings for each other. It'd be a big mistake to miss this one. Huge.
17. 10 Things I Hate About You
Where can I watch it? Apple TV and Disney+
Speaking of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, he's featured again in this cult classic. He stars beside legend of the screen Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in this hilarious take on high-school dating and drama. It's worth a watch just for the hair and outfit inspo.
18. 500 Days of Summer
Where can I watch it? Disney+
Name us a better cute romantic duo than Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. We'll wait. Travel back to the simpler times of 2009 in this romantic comedy that's as quirky and melancholy as you'd expect from the pair.
19. P.S. I Love You
Where can I watch it? Apple TV+
After Holly (Hilary Swank)'s husband passes away (Gerard Butler), she's expectedly grief-stricken. The plot twist is that he's actually left her secret messages all over the house to discover, which send her on a series of adventures. Have your tissues handy for this one.
20. Casablanca
Where can I watch it? SBS On Demand
No Valentine’s list is complete without this timeless classic. Set in war-torn Morocco, Casablanca follows cynical café owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) who’s thrown into turmoil when his former lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) walks back into his life with her resistance-fighting husband in tow (“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”) What follows is one of film’s most unforgettable love stories — a tale of sacrifice, longing and choosing what’s right over what’s easy — that has resonated for generations.
21. Moonstruck
Where can I watch it? Binge
This ’80s classic romantic comedy is old-school flair meets sizzling chemistry. Like, proper chemistry. Cher (the Cher) stars as Loretta, a widowed Brooklyn bookkeeper who’s resigned to an arranged engagement — until she falls for her fiancé’s passionate, unpredictable younger brother (Nicolas Cage, of course). Equal parts quirky and unabashedly romantic, Moonstruck celebrates the messy, magical surprise of love that hits when you least expect it — complete with family chaos, Italian-American warmth and memorable lines that still hit home.
22. The Wedding Planner
Where can I watch it? SBS
Before modern rom-com reinventions, there was The Wedding Planner — the early-2000s classic that defines “meet-cute meets mayhem.” Jennifer Lopez plays Mary, the go-get-em San Francisco wedding planner who finds herself hopelessly attracted to Steve (Matthew McConaughey), a charming paediatrician she rescues in a literal dumpster-related disaster. With scrambled schedules and heart-melting moments galore, this is a must-watch if you love flicks about love and all the good trouble it gets you into.
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