Flowers, chocolates, cuddles…. maybe a little Netflix and Chill? It’s Valentine’s Day, and that means it’s time for all the romance you can handle, and if you like your romance with a side of cinema, then we’ve got you covered with the best Valentine’s Day movies to watch on Netflix. From romantic comedies to heartbreaking dramas, soul-affirming tales of love, erotic intrigues and everything in between.
For more recommendations, browse our list of The Best Movies on Netflix Right Now and the Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now.
The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Run Time: 2 hr 4 min | Director: Mike Newell
Cast: Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Glen Powell, Jessica Brown Findlay
I know, that movie title is a mouthful. But The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society is not without its charms. Set in 1946, Guernsey follows writer Juliet (Lily James) as she travels to meet a book club on the island of Guernsey. She’s been corresponding with a person named Dawsey (Michiel Huisman) and when she arrives to meet the club and Dawsey, she quickly falls for the small-town charms, as well as Dawsey. With elements of World War II, Guernsey will scratch the itch of those looking for a British period piece with both romance and a touch of tragedy, but ultimately ends on a high. — Therese Lacson
Watch on Netflix
365 Days (2020)
Run Time: 1 hr 56 min | Director: Barbara Białowąs, Tomasz Mandes
Cast: Anna-Maria Sieklucka, Michele Morrone, Bronisław Wrocławski
It’s not high brow and the plot is a total mess, but if you’re looking for an erotic and steamy fllick for V-Day you can’t do much better than 365 Days. The Polish erotic drama is of the 50 Shades of Grey variety, don’t take it too seriously and don’t look too closely. A mafia romance, we follow Massimo (Michele Morrone) and Laura (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) as Massimo is captivated by Laura’s beauty and captures her, offering her 365 days to fall in love with him. While consent and logic walk the line in this movie, there’s no question that Morrone and Sieklucka dive head first into their performances and the scenes… whew they are steamy. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy this one as the guilty pleasure it was meant to be. — Therese Lacson
Watch on Netflix
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Run Time: 1 hr 39 min | Director: Susan Johnson
Cast: Lana Condor, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Noah Centineo
If you’re looking for a fun, sweet, YA romance to brighten your day, you won’t do much better on Netflix than To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Based off the novel by Jenny Han, the story follows Lara Jean (Lana Condor), a teenager whose worst nightmares are realized when five letters she wrote to her secret crushes are sent out without her knowledge. When she’s confronted by her old crush Peter (Noah Centineo), she’s afraid it could get in the way of her current crush Josh (Israel Broussard), so Lara Jean and Peter resolve to fake a relationship so they can get with who they really want to be with. Naturally, pretending to be together starts to create real feelings between the two. The film is a joy from start to finish, letting you relive a time when who “liked” you was the most important thing in the world, but without any of the trauma high school entails. – Matt Goldberg
Watch on Netflix
Someone Great (2019)
Run Time: 1 hr 2 min | Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Cast: Gina Rodriguez, LaKeith Stanfield, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise
Thriving in a zone somewhere between a love story and a wild-night-out comedy, Someone Great is one of Netflix’s better recently rom-com efforts, centered on a young woman (Gina Rodriguez), who heads out for one last crazy night with her BFFs before leaving town for a new job. Oh, and she just got dumped by her boyfriend of seven years. The boyfriend in question is played LaKeith Stanfield in peak charming mode, and the chemistry between the two is a knockout, keeping you wrapped up in their love even though you know it’s over. There’s plenty of raunchy comedy to go around in this one, but the dynamic between Rodriguez and Stanfield gives the film its heart and its spark. — Haleigh Foutch
Watch on Netflix
Alex Strangelove (2018)
Run Time: 1 hr 39 min | Director: Craig Johnson
Cast: Daniel Doheny, Madeline Weinstein, Antonio Marziale, Daniel Zolghadri
There’s something really endearing about the fact Alex Strangelove is an R-rated movie that definitely didn’t need to be rated R. This John Hughes-ian story says “fuck” just a few too many times and is incredibly awkward about sex, as is to be expected from any virginity-crazed kids in their last days of high school. And that’s basically this movie’s story, but with a charming twist: Class president Alex Truelove (affable Daniel Doheny, who is somehow not related to Jay Baruchel) has set a date to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein, who adds wonderful, almost tragic layers to a thin role). But things go awry when Alex meets—and then cannot stop thinking about—an out-and-proud gay high school graduate named Elliot. Things come together a little too perfectly in the climax, but in these times we live in, a movie this concerned with accepting the things that make you different deserves nothing less than a happy ending. — Vinnie Mancuso
Watch on Netflix
Set It Up (2018)
Run Time: 1 hr 45 min | Director: Claire Scanlon
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, and Taye Diggs
If you’re looking for a charming romantic comedy, but don’t want to rewatch something from a previous decade for the umpteenth time, you should definitely give Claire Scanlon’s charming Set It Up a look. The plot follows two beleaguered assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) who decided to set up their bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs, respectively) in order to just get some precious free time away from their demanding jobs. However, with all their scheming, they start to fall for each other. You can see the romcom beats coming from a mile away, but they’re done so well and so effectively that you won’t mind. Plus, the film sizzles thanks to the outstanding performances from the dazzling Deutch and Powell, who should be the streaming generation’s Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. – Matt Goldberg
Watch on Netflix
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Run Time: 1 hr 25 min | Director: Jim Strouse
Cast: Jessica Williams, Chris O’Down, Lakeith Stanfield, Noel Wells
Jessica Williams still hasn’t got the breakout she deserves since her tenure on The Daily Show, but the indie romcom The Incredible Jessica James is the first time since then we’ve got to see her step into a lead role, and she just lights up the screen. Now, the character of Jessica James may not be quite as incredible as the title leads you to believe — she’s actually pretty selfish and naive — but she’s passionate, raw and ambitious, and Williams makes you love her in spite of her faults. A supporting performance from the constantly charming Chris O’Dowd certainly doesn’t hurt, and the two have electric chemistry as they try to navigate the waters of heartbreak together toward something healthy and new. Sexy, funny and decidedly modern, The Incredible Jessica James is a refreshing spin on the romcom that doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. — Haleigh Foutch
Watch on Netflix
Ibiza: Love Drunk (2018)
Run Time: 1 hr 34 min | Director: Alex Richanbach
Cast: Gillian Jacbos, Richard Madden, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson, Michaela Watkins
While Ibiza: Love Drunk wasn’t exactly the big winner of Netflix’s Summer of Love in 2019, the wayward comedy has one undeniable quality — killer chemistry between the leads. Bodyguard fans looking to get their Richard Madden fill need look no further, unless you really can’t stomach a bad set of highlights. Then you should definitely keep looking. Gillian Jacobs stars as Harper, a young professional who lands her first work trip abroad, but when her best friends tag along for the trip she ditches work to hook up with a hot DJ. Ibiza only works so-so as a rambunctious road comedy, but Jacobs and Madden have a lovely spark and their moments make for easy, breezy romantic watching with a hint of the schmexy stuff. — Haleigh Foutch
Watch on Netflix
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Michelle Buteau, James Saito, Daniel Dae Kim
Netflix brought the romcom back in a big way with 2018’s Set It Up, and the streaming service’s 2019 effort Always Be My Maybe is similarly charming and delightful. Co-written by and starring Randall Park and Ali Wong, the film follows a pair of teenaged best friends who have since drifted apart and are pushed together once more in adulthood, even though their lives have followed very different paths. Park and Wong are dynamite together, and the film takes time to breathe with some well-paced dramatic sequences. It’s also not lacking in scene-stealers, as Michelle Buteau is a hoot and Keanu Reeves once again proves his talent knows no bounds. – Adam Chitwood
Watch on Netflix
Marriage Story (2019)
Run Time: 2 hr 16 min | Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta
Okay so maybe Marriage Story isn’t the most romantic movie ever made, and tread lightly when/if deciding to watch this one on Valentine’s Day, but at heart this truly is a love story. No, they don’t end up together in the end, but writer/director Noah Baumbach never lets you forget the love that existed (and still will, to some degree) between Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson‘s characters as we witness their divorce proceedings. This is a movie about how the process of divorce can remove agency from the individuals at its center, and how sometimes relationships just aren’t meant to last, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t worthwhile for a time. If you’ve got a really solid relationship and/or have lived through a divorce, this one might be a solid fit. – Adam Chitwood
Watch on Netflix
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Run Time: 2 hr 3 min | Director: David Dobkin
Cast: Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan, Dan Stevens, and Demi Lovato
I did not go into Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga expecting one of the most touching and romantic movies of the year, but one should never underestimate the power of Rachel McAdams. The Mean Girls and Game Night star proves once again that she’s one of the most underrated comedic actors of her generation with the goofy-yet-poignant Netflix Original comedy, starring alongside Will Ferrell as a pair of Icelandic singers with dreams of winning the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, but the big surprises here are the fabulously catchy original songs and the surprising tenderness between the laughs that might just leave you with a tear in your eye and warmth in your heart. That’s not just because of the love story, but that’s sure a big part of it. Bonus: Dan Stevens giving the comedic performance of his career, which is also (you’re probably noticing a theme here) surprisingly touching. — Haleigh Foutch
Watch on Netflix
Let It Snow (2019)
Run Time: 1 hr 33 min | Director: Luke Snellin
Cast: Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Liv Hewson, Odeya Rush
If you’re in the mood for some seasonal romance, Netflix delivered a bit of a Love Actually for the teen set with Let It Snow, a breezy holiday rom-com that finds a series of overlapping love stories on one fateful Christmas-season snow day. It’s a sweet film from top-to-tail, as interested in the dramas of teen friendship and domestic struggles as it the blossoming romances, and it’s filled with delightful performances from a knockout cast of young up-and-comers. A lot of the Netflix Christmas romances follow in the Hallmark channel vein, and absolutely no judgment if that’s your preferred thing, but for those who want an old-fashioned feel-good holiday romance, Let It Snow is just the ticket. — Haleigh Foutch
Watch on Netflix
The Half of It (2020)
Run Time: 1 hr 44 min | Director: Alice Wu
Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Wolfgang Novogratz, Collin Chou
Written and directed by Alice Wu (Saving Face), The Half of It follows Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a bright, ambitious, and quiet teen who agrees to help a jock (Daniel Diemer) woo his crush (Alexxis Lemire) by writing love letters for him — for a price. Cleverly playing with the Cyrano de Bergerac tropes, turning the classic story on its head, The Half of It subverts expectations by crafting a grounded queer story. With a genuine script centered on an immigrant family, The Half of It is entertaining while embracing moving themes that are often overlooked. – Yael Tygiel
Watch on Netflix
Purple Hearts (2022)
Run Time: 2 hrs 2 min | Director: Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
Cast: Sofia Carson, Nicholas Galitzine, Chosen Jacobs
Sofia Carson stars opposite Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella) inPurple Hearts, from director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Dead To Me). Purple Hearts is a heartwarming romance about an ailing singer-songwriter (Carson) who, for medical benefits, weds a stranger (Galitzine). Written by Liz W. Garcia and Kyle Jarrow, Purple Hearts is an absorbing love story that blends tragedy, hopefulness, faith, and music to craft an unapologetic drama. Featuring an original song from Carson and a stunning cast that includes Chosen Jacobs and John Harlan Kim (9-1-1), Purple Hearts tugs delicately at the heartstrings. – Yael Tygiel
Watch on Netflix
