The 10 best movies to watch if you're doing Valentine's Day solo
Valentine's Day can be a tough one for the newly or perpetually single, but it doesn't have to be.
Now free of the district-mandated cards passed around in grade school, most of us don't even have to interact with the holiday beyond some excellent chocolate sales at the local pharmacy (embrace these, by all means). But if you do start to feel some feels, that's okay, and the best way to indulge yourself is with some carefully curated movies about women kicking ass (and the aforementioned sale chocolates).
So, because we care, here are the best movies to watch on Valentine's Day solo. Or honestly, any day. These are good movies!
Little Manhattan
This adorable indie features a young Josh Hutcherson (no seriously, he's a child) as 11-year-old Gabe (well, 10 and three-quarters), an Upper West Side kid in Manhattan who gets hit full-force with his first crush during summer vacation. For two magical, torturous weeks, Gabe grows close to classmate and karate buddy Rosemary Telesco (Charlie Ray) and experiences all the wonder and heartbreak of first love.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Girls Trip
You need solidarity to be single on Valentine's Day, so gather your own posse and delight in this summer 2017 film about girlfriends putting each other and themselves before – well, everything. By now you've either seen or heard of Tiffany Haddish's comedy tour de force, and believe us, it never gets old.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Legally Blonde
This 17-year-old movie about a party girl who goes to law school to win over a man and then go on to kick butt at law and eventually reject said man is basically flawless from start to finish. We're still reeling from the ammonium thioglycolate revelation and basking in Elle (Reese Witherspoon) and Veronica's (Selma Blair) friendship. Oh, and remember when she called out a creepy professor? More movies need to be this.
What, like it's hard?
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Queen
This powerful Bollywood movie from 2014 tells the story of Rani (Kangana Ranaut), jilted on her wedding day and then choosing to go on her European honeymoon alone. The inspirational women of movies tend to be warriors, spies, or leaders – yet in so much of the world they manifest as ordinary women making lemonade out of lemons and learning to stay strong through heartbreak and hardship. In that respect, Rani is a true queen.
Where to watch: Netflix (this trailer doesn't have subtitles, but the movie does)
Magic Mike XXL
If you're feeling ballsy (😏 ) you can do a double feature of what we have dubbed the Magic Mike Cinematic Universe (MMCU), but all you really need from the first one is Channing Tatum's introductory performance of "Pony." It does, in its best moments, set up the second one, which amplifies just how wild and enjoyable Magic Mike could be. XXL has Donald Glover singing Bruno Mars, Joe Manganiello pouring water on himself for no reason, and yes – more "Pony." God bless this movie.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Lola Versus
Perhaps more aptly titled How to Be Single (more on that later), this 2012 film planted Greta Gerwig in the minds of many indie buffs. After Lola gets dumped by her fiancée (a hunky Joel Kinnaman) and hopelessly reenters the dating pool with hopes of finding an anchor like the one she always had. But being single is not a disease to be cured, and as Lola learns who she is without a partner, she comes to realize that she quite likes that person and wants to put her first.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Ocean's Eleven
There's barely any romance in Steven Soderbergh's sleek, star-studded heist, though there is arguably Rusty's (Brad Pitt) unwavering love of food. Think of all the time you'd waste in a relationship, all the time you could be devoting to robbing Andy Garcia! Anyway, enjoy this prequel to Ocean's 8.
Where to watch: Hulu
How To Be Single
As the self-help title implies, How to Be Single is an adventure in singledom tailored for people who are used to being in relationships. It spends a lot of time with Alice (Dakota Johnson), finding herself after a breakup, and maybe not enough time with perpetual GDI Robin (Rebel Welson) and her life slaying the game. Still, it's a frank look at many kinds of dating and situationships that don't necessarily work out but still become part of who we are and what we've lived through.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Whip It
Bliss (Ellen Page) rebels against the traditional femininity foisted upon her by her mother and finds herself on a roller derby team with the likes of Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Bloody Holly (Zoë Bell), and more (she takes on the name Babe Ruthless). Bliss bonds with these messy, magnificent women, discovers a natural talent for skating, and even symbolically burns a fuckboy's jacket.
Where to watch: Rent or purchase (Amazon, iTunes, YouTube)
Bring It On
Honestly who even has time to think about Valentine's Day when you have to kick butt in a cheerleading competition? This is a cheerocracy, after all. Fun fact: This is also a great movie for literally any other holiday.
Where to watch: Netflix
Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.
