For decades, dinner and a movie has served as the ever-reliable date night for couples, proving time and again the old adage: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Whether you’re single, in a relationship or using Facebook’s most amusing and mysterious relationship status, “it’s complicated,” it’s a safe bet that no matter your circumstance, you may find yourself wanting to sit back, relax and watch a movie this Valentine’s Day.
That’s why we have compiled below a list of some of the best movies to watch based on your physical and mental whereabouts.
If you’re out and about:
Track down your nearest movie theater and buy tickets to Fifty Shades Darker, the second movie based on E.L. James’ Fifty Shades books. This sexy drama picks up with Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan) trying to win back the affections of Anastasia Steele (played by Dakota Johnson). As the pair makes amends and navigates their newly rekindled relationship, ghosts from the past reappear to steer them off-course.
If you’re a Netflix junkie:
Just in time for a day so famously and critically written off as a Hallmark holiday, Netflix just released an movie called Girlfriend’s Day. As if the movie’s apt arrival isn’t enough, the comedy’s main character, Ray Wentworth (played by Bob Odenkirk), works as a struggling romance card writer determined to come up with the best card for a newly declared holiday, Girlfriend’s Day.
If that doesn’t pique your interest, Magic Mike (2012) is among the long list of Netflix’s February releases.
No Netflix? No problem:
Lifetime and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries have a wide range of movies lined up starting as early as Feb. 13.
Lifetime Schedule:
You Again
Feb. 13, 4 p.m.
Kristen Bell’s character, Marni, was bullied by her brother’s fiancé Joanna (played by Odette Annable) in high school, prompting Marni to show her brother what his soon-to-be wife is really like.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
Feb. 13, 6 p.m.
Matthew McConaughey plays the womanizing brother-of-the-groom who is confronted with his past pursuits—Jennifer Garner and Emma Stone among them.
Valentine’s Day
Feb. 13, 8 and 12:02 a.m.
Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway, Taylor Swift and countless other celebs show up in interconnected relationships in this movie set in Los Angeles, appealing to a wide range of real-life make-up, break-up and emotional roller coaster moments.
Hallmark Schedule:
Honeymoon for One
Feb. 14, 1 p.m.
Eve Parker (played by Nicolette Sheridan) is an advertising executive who calls off her engagement. Rather than mourning love lost, Parker embarks on a solo trip to Ireland on what would have been her honeymoon.
Kiss at Pine Lake
Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
Zoe (played by Mia Kirshner) and Luke (played by Barry Watson) shared a summer romance at Camp Pine Lake—a camp that, 15 years later, Luke now owns. With the camp in danger of being shut down due to safety concerns, Zoe, representing the firm she works for, comes to convince Luke to sell the property, a difficult feat considering the pair’s old flame.
Cloudy with a Chance of Love
Feb. 14, 9 p.m.
Deb (played by Katie Leclerc) meets Quentin (Michael Rady) while working toward her Ph.D. in meteorology. Quentin, a news director, convinces Deb to work as an on-air weather reporter, forcing Deb to juggle school, a career and a growing love interest.