A rose-colored tint seems to descend upon the world each February. It is a month of poetry and grand gestures, expensive dinners, and sweet nothings whispered in rooms lit up just right. The air is cold, and lovers hold each other even closer for warmth. This is the time of passion, both new and remembered. For couples, this can be the greatest time of the year, andthere are so many movies that reflect this.
But what about films for people who aren’t in a relationship? The people who may find themselves on their own this Valentine’s Day? After all, movies about perfect love and dream relationships are great, but ones that portray loneliness, the pain of break-ups, and the struggle to move on are by far more interesting. Because self-love is the most important love of all, pour yourself a big glass of wine, eat a pizza, bring your pets near, and enjoy this list of the best movies to watch when you’re single this Valentine’s Day.
Update July 26, 2025: Valentine’s Day is close, so this article has been updated with more movies to watch if you are single this holiday and want a break from traditional romances.
12How To Be Single (2016)
How to Be Single
How to Be Singletitle should be self-explanatory for why it is on the list. The movie follows a group of women in New York City, played by Dakota Johnson, Alison Brie, Leslie Mann, and Rebel Wilson, who have different approaches to being single. Warner Bros. recognized the need for a non-romantic movie during Valentine’s season as they gave the film a prime release date two days before the major holiday.
Why You Should Watch It
The film ended up being a respectable hit, grossing $112 million worldwide against a $38 million budget. While the film might not have gotten the most glowing reviews from critics, its mixed critical reaction and positive audience word of mouth showed that there was something about the movie that had value and spoke to people. What is refreshing is that the movie’s conclusion of the movies gives some of the characters a romantic ending while others are, as the title implies, learning how to live as single and being happy with that decision. It is a movie that shows that there is no one right way to be happy.Stream on Hulu
11The Break-Up (2006)
The Break-Up
Everyone knows the romances that end happily ever after, but what happens when the premise for a romance movie starts with things on the wrong foot and begins with the couple breaking up? That is the premise of the 2006 comedyThe Break-Up, starring Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. The laugh-out-loud comedy shows the relatable, if sometimes exaggerated, actions of a couple separating and how they deal with such actions.
The Break-Updelivers exactly what the title implies. Where lesser films might have had the couple get back together, The Break-Up commits to keeping the two apart and letting them slowly realize that they not only aren’t meant to be together but that they are causing one another more harm together than they would apart.Breaking up is never easy, and sometimes very hard, and can leave people sad and depressed. The Break-Up not only gives a nice comedic spin on the concept but also some emotional catharsis that can be refreshing on a holiday all about romantic love.Stream on Peacock.
10Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)(2020)
Birds of Prey
Birds of Preyis not a romance, and that is the point. This DCEU film might seem like an odd choice, but this movie starts with the Joker dumping Harley Quinn and her needing to find herself and redefine who she is apart from her famous supervillain boyfriend. Along the way, Harley finds herself protecting a young girl from a killer mob boss (Ewan McGregor) and teaming up with three other female heroes: Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).
Birds of Preywas released the week before Valentine’s Day as a sort of alternative to the love-based holiday, as it wanted toexplore the character of Harley Quinnoutside of the romantic relationship she was originally created for in the comics. This all-female-led superhero film features some awesome gritty action and colorful aesthetics and shows that one doesn’t need a romantic partner to be happy but how friends and allies can help someone find out who they truly are.Stream on Max and Netflix.
9Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
At the start of Nicholas Stoller’s 2008 rom-comForgetting Sarah Marshall,Peter Bretter (Jason Segal) believes himself to be perfectly content. His whole world revolves around his girlfriend of five years, actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), and the life they have built for themselves. That is until Sarah comes home one day and abruptly ends the relationship with little explanation. Heartbroken and confused, Petertakes a vacation to Hawaiiin the hopes of moving on with his life. However, things become complicated when he discovers that Sarah is also on the island with her new rock star boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand). Meanwhile, Mila Kunis stars as Peter’s new love interest, Rachel.
Forgetting Sarah Marshallis hardly a ground-breaking piece of prestige cinema. But that’s precisely what makes it great. There’s a warmness and comfort to it that makes it incredibly enjoyable to watch and worthy of repeat viewing. This is largely due to the quality of the joke-heavy script, which was written by Segal himself, and the charming performances of the main cast, whose chemistry is palpable. Hilarious, raunchy, relatable, and full of hope,Forgetting Sarah Marshallis a chaotic love letter to the heartbroken, which makes it the ideal watch for a solitary Valentine’s Night.Stream on Netflix
8High Fidelity (2000)
Based on the novel of the same name by Nick Hornby,High Fidelitytells the story of Rob Gordon (John Cusack), a record store owner who finds himself dumped by his girlfriend, Laura (Iben Hjejle). This causes him to question why he is always being left by those he loves, and leads him to contact his five most important exes to find out what went wrong. In doing so, Rob is forced to confront his own complicity in the dissolution of each relationship, which ultimately results in him finding vindication, guilt, exoneration, and the ability to confront his past to improve his future. The film, which also stars Jack Black, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joan Cusack, Lisa Bonet, and Sara Gilbert, makes use of metafictional techniques, such as direct address, to guide the viewer through Rob’s list of exes.
High Fidelityis a film all about introspection and looking back at one’s role in the breakdown of a relationship. This could be a rather dry or even cheesy basis for a film, but with a clever script filled with witty dialogue sharp observations, and some creative and original direction,High Fidelityis anything but dry or cheesy. It’s hilarious, poignant, and deeply melancholic while also being strangely ahead of its time, given that it was released almost 24 years ago. John Cusack is superb as Rob’s character, while Jack steals the show in the role that brought him to the wider audience’s attention. Featuring tonnes of memorable moments and a soundtrack that most films can only dream of,High Fidelityis a highly entertaining and wonderfully uniqueanti-romance movie.Rent on AppleTV+
Related:Here’s 10 Anti-Romance Movies That Will Put You Off Love Forever
7The Shape of Water (2017)
The Shape of Water
Romantic fantasy filmThe Shape of Watermarks director Guillermo del Toro’s first (and so far only) foray into the romance genre. The film follows Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute woman who works as a cleaner in a secret government facility. One day, while working, she comes across a strange aquatic entity being held in a water tank. The creature (Doug Jones) is regularly tortured by the brutal Strickland (Michael Shannon), who finds difference akin to abomination and seeks to change all that doesn’t align with his twisted worldview. After befriending the creature through dance, sign language, and hard-boiled eggs, Elisa hatches a plan to free her new friend. In the events that ensue, Elisa finds herself falling deeply for the creature, and they begin a relationship.The Shape of Waterwent on to win four Academy Awards,including Best Picture, from 13 nominations.
What makesThe Shape of Waterreally great is how, despite being a romance film, the story is not one solely about romantic love. Instead, del Toro has crafted a film brimming with all kinds of love, including the love of friendship, the love of cinema, and of beauty. It’s ultimately a film about acceptance of what is different and how different does not mean being unworthy of love. Furthermore, with stunning cinematography, impressive production design, and an enchanting score,The Shape of Wateris simply a very well-made film. Del Toro clearly put his all into this film, and you can feel the care and precision in every second of the two-hour runtime. Additionally, every member of the main cast excels in their individual roles, each one delivering committed yet wonderfully understated performances. Beautiful, fantastical, and full of heart,The Shape of Wateris a mythical celebration of the unconventional and that which makes us unique.Stream on Fubo
6Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Charlie Kaufman’s mind-bending story of love forgotten, stars Jim Carrey as Joel, a man who desperately wishes to move on from his ex, Clementine (Kate Winslet). In order to do so, he elects for a procedure that will cause him to forget that he and Clementine ever met. As the procedure unfolds, he is taken through each memory of the relationship in painful detail, the good and the bad. The film makes use of a nonlinear narrative structure and features a supporting cast that includes Kristen Dunst, Mark Ruffolo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson. It was nominated for numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindis a bittersweet examination of what defines a person and the memories that compound to form who a person is. It is a story of love, anger, sorrow, and desperately clinging to something that has been lost. It’s all wonderfully held together by a beautiful script from Kauffman who, arguably,delivers his best work here, and is brought to life by some imaginative direction by Michel Gondry and a pair of stunning performances by the two leads. Both Carrey and Winslet are phenomenal here, with the duo sharing a magnetic chemistry that many wouldn’t have expected from the unlikely pair. Sweet, funny, comforting, and heartbreaking all in one, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a creative and poignant reminder of just how important hard times can be.Stream on Starz
5Begin Again (2013)
Begin Again
John Carney’s films often mix music and romance, from his beloved classicOnceto the teen romance ofSing Street.Even his latest film,Flora and Son, has a slight hint of romance, if not a longing one. YetBegin Againis an interesting film in his filmography. While still centered on musicians, the movie tells the story of Gretta James (Keira Knightly), a singer-songwriter who has just broken up with her rock star boyfriend Dave Kohl (Adam Levine) after he had an affair. One night, while she is performing at a bar, she is discovered by Dan Mulligan (Mark Ruffalo), a record producer who is estranged from his wife and having trouble connecting with his daughter. The two embark on a mission to make Gretta the next big rock star.
Reading that basic synopsis, one would think that Gretta and James will end up together, but they don’t. They remain friends, and both help each other grow as artists and people. James needs to repair the relationship with his daughter and his wife, while Greta needs to move on from his breakup. This is symbolized in the movie’s signature song, “Lost Stars”. Originally written as a romantic love ballad Gretta makes for Dave as a Christmas present, he arranges it as a more commercial rock ballad which people love on it’s own terms. While it might not be what Gretta wanted from the song, she must accept that sometimes people and things change too much to ever go back, be it the original version of the song or her relationship with Dave. Sometimes, the things we love will evolve beyond what they are meant to be.Begin Againis a film about friendship and also discovering oneself.Stream on Prime Video and Showtime.
4(500) Days of Summer (2009)
(500) Days of Summer
Like others on this list, Marc Webb’s(500) Days of Summeris a film all about reflecting on the ups and downs of a recently terminated romantic relationship. Presented in a nonlinear fashion, the film follows Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Tom Hansen, a writer of sappy romantic greetings cards, as he remembers his short-lived relationship with Summer, played by Zooey Deschanel. In Tom’s mind, the relationship was perfect and never should have ended. However, as the film goes on, the cracks begin to show, and the viewer becomes aware of Tom’s warped romanticism and his inability to recognize the faults in his perfect love story. The film was met with mostly positive reviews from critics and made a total of $60 million on a $7.5 million budget.
Though, on the surface,(500) Days of Summerlooks like a typical rom-com, it is far from one. It’s fresher, more original, and more realistic in its approach to relationships. The film doesn’t shy away from the beauty that can come from love, but neither does it sugarcoat the sorrow and the feeling of futility that comes with the realization that someone is falling out of love. Yet, it’s also a joyous and endearing film that ends on an optimistic note, with the potential of new love, of what comes next and hope in the form of the changing of the seasons being its final messages. With charming lead performances,a killer soundtrack, and some nifty direction,(500) Days of Summeris a fun and quirky romance film that’sperfect for people who aren’t normally fans of the genre.Stream on Max
3La La Land (2016)
La La Land
Directed by Damien Chazelle, the romantic musical,La La Land, became a cultural phenomenon when it was first released in 2016. Set in Los Angeles, the film centers on the relationship between a wildly talented and passionate jazz pianist named Seb (Ryan Gosling) and a struggling actress called Mia (Emma Stone). Though their dynamic is initially antagonistic, they soon fall for one other and develop a romantic relationship that sees them supporting each other’s dreams. However, cracks begin to show when the pair discovers that their individual career goals are at odds with what they want from one another.La La Landwas met with critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for a total of twelve Academy Awards.
At first glance,La La Landis a musical about two young artists in love. However, in actuality, it’s much more than that. The film acts as a love letter to a city and the dreams that are grown within it, but it also explores the costs of those dreams, the willingness to escape a Sisyphean existence in favor of comfort and normalcy, and the right time to throw in the towel. By using the relationship between Seb and Mia to examine these questions, a smaller understanding of what love can really look like emerges. Theamazing music and choreographyare just added bonuses, as are the stunning performances of the two leads. Overall,La La Landmakes for a good Valentine’s watch when you’re single, simply because it’s not really a love story at all but more about how some great loves might not always last but they are still impactful.Stream on Netflix
