All the single ladies and gents, put your hands up. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, some of us singles would rather not witness canoodling couples brandishing flowers, whispering sweet nothings on dates, or worse — making sappy proposals. A quiet night far away from all that, certainly sounds a lot more appealing. But who says you can’t have fun on V-Day if you aren’t in a relationship? If a laid-back evening on the couch with snacks, booze and the TV is more your jam, we’ve compiled a list of the best anti-Valentine’s movies to binge-watch.
Did you know? After Valentine’s Day on 14 February, there’s actually a series of days commemorating the anti-Valentine’s spirit. For example, Slap Day is celebrated on 15 February and Break-up Day is celebrated on 21 February. It doesn’t end there — there are also Flirt Day, Confession Day, and Missing Day between 15 to 21 February. Evidently, there are many fun ways for singles (or even people who are in relationships but scoff at convention) to get in the anti-Valentine’s Day spirit.
While there are plenty of options to celebrate being solo, especially on Valentine’s Day, one of the simplest things to do is plan the ultimate movie marathon at home. If you ask us, the best thing about this idea is that you can relax on your couch in your PJs all day and focus on catching up on all the films you’ve been too busy to watch. Convinced? Read on for our guide to the most entertaining anti-Valentine’s Day movies you’re guaranteed to love.
And, don’t worry, these aren’t clichéd romance flicks or depressing tear-jerkers that’ll have you cringing or rolling your eyes at every predictable trope. So grab that glass of wine or a tub of popcorn and tune in to watch these movies now.
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Here are 15 anti-Valentine’s Day movies for singles to watch
(Main and featured images: Get Out/ IMDb)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur
Jump To / Table of Contents
- How to Be Single
- 500 Days of Summer
- Legally Blonde
- The First Wives Club
- Under the Tuscan Sun
- Get Out
- My Best Friend’s Wedding
- Kramer v/s Kramer
- Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
- The Princess Diaries (2001)
- Gone Girl
- Ghostbusters
- Blue Valentine
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
- The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Directed by: Christian Ditter
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Rebel Wilson and Anders Holm,
Release Date: 12 February 2016
Synopsis: How to be Single follows a young and shy woman, Alice (Johnson), who decides to take a break from a long-time relationship and goes to New York to take up a job. There, she meets her polar opposite Robin (Wilson), who teaches Alice how to embrace the single life.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Marc Webb
Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Geoffrey Arend
Release Date: 7 August 2009
Synopsis: In this offbeat romantic comedy, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a writer for a greeting cards company in Los Angeles. He is a hopeless romantic, who believes in the concept of finding the one true love, and falls for his boss’s new assistant Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). They date and break up in the course of five hundred days. Later, a heartbroken Tom tries to find out what went wrong in the relationship.
Awards won: Nominations for Best Motion Picture in Comedy or Musical category and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in Comedy or Musical category for Gordon-Levitt at the Golden Globes
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Davis, Luke Wilson and Selma Blair
Release Date: 13 July 2001
Synopsis: A romantic comedy, Legally Blonde shows Elle Woods (Witherspoon) as the president of her sorority, a runner-up of a pageant, and a fashion merchandising major. She follows Warner (Davis) to Harvard Law School to pursue him.
Awards won: Nomination—Best motion picture, Best actress in comedy or musical for Witherspoon at the Golden Globes.
Directed by: Hugh Wilson
Cast: Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Stockard Channing, Sarah Jessica Parker, Maggie Smith, Victor Garber and Stephen Collins.
Release Date: 20 September 1996
Synopsis: The First Wives Club revolves around three former college girlfriends — Annie MacDuggan Paradis, Elise Elliot Atchison and Brenda Morelli Cushman (Keaton, Hawn, Midler, respectively) — who reunite after learning about the suicide of their friend Cynthia Swann Griffin (Channing).
Awards won: Nomination—Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score at the Academy Awards, US.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Audrey Wells
Cast: Diane Lane, Raoul Bova and Sandra Oh
Release Date: 26 September 2003
Synopsis: Frances Mayes (Lane), a San Francisco-based writer, flies off to Italy after an unexpected split from her husband. During her visit, Frances purchases a crumbling villa near the small town of Cortona and starts anew amid delightful people.
Awards won: Nomination—Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for Lane at the Golden Globes.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Jordan Peele
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener and Lakeith Stanfield in pivotal roles who are joined by Caleb Landry Jones, Marcus Henderson and Betty Gabriel.
Release Date: 24 February 2017
Synopsis: Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) is a talented young African-American photographer dating Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). He reluctantly agrees to meet her parents over the weekend. But as he gets acquainted with Rose’s family, he learns many disturbing things about them and decides to leave.
Awards won: Best Original Screenplay for Peele at the Academy Awards, US
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: PJ Hogan
Cast: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett and Cameron Diaz
Release Date: 20 June 1997
Synopsis: Best friends Julianne Potter (Roberts) and Michael O’Neal (Mulroney) drew a pact that they would get married to each other if neither of them was engaged by the age of 28. However, Michael informs Julianne about his marriage plans with Kimberly Wallace (Diaz). Only then does Julianne realise that she is in love with him.
Awards won: Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score for James Newton Howard at the Academy Awards, US.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Robert Benton.
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Howard Duff, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, George Coe, JoBeth Williams and Jane Alexander
Release Date: 19 December 1979
Synopsis: Ted Kramer (Hoffman), working as an advertising executive in Manhattan, finds himself coping with single parenthood after his wife Joanna (Streep) decides to leave him and their son Billy (Henry). The situation becomes overwhelming when Joanna takes him to court for custody of their son.
Awards won: Best Picture for Stanley R. Jaffe, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Streep, Best Director for Benton, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Benton at the Academy Awards, US.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Abdellatif Kechiche
Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Salim Kechiouche
Release Date: 25 October 2015
Synopsis: The emotionally raw, contemporary French drama follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a 15-year-old French girl who finds that she is unhappy dating men. She then meets an older woman, Emma (Léa Seydoux) and forms a bond with her. The movie charts their relationship from love to sex to heartbreak and, eventually, back to love.
Awards won: Best Film not in the English Language for Kechiche, Brahim Chioua and Vincent Maraval at the BAFTA Awards.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Garry Marshall
Cast: Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway and Hector Elizondo
Release Date: 3 August 2001
Synopsis: The Princess Diaries is about a high school student Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway), who receives the shock of her life when she learns that she is the heir to the throne of a small European country called Genovia. And, she has to choose between her life in San Francisco or stepping up as a princess.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: David Fincher
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick Harris
Synopsis: Nick Dunne (Affleck) reports that his wife (Pike) is missing on the day of their fifth anniversary. As the investigation progresses, there is building suspicion that Dunne is, in fact, his wife’s killer.
Release Date: 3 October 2014
Awards won: Nomination—Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Pike at Academy Awards, US.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Paul Feig
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon
Release Date: 15 July 2016
Synopsis: Paranormal enthusiasts Erin Gilbert (Wiig) and Abby Yates (McCarthy) team up with Jillian Holtzmann (McKinnon) and Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones) and embark on a strange mission to fight some otherworldly creatures and save humanity.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams and John Doman
Release Date: 29 December 2010
Synopsis: Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Willams) are a conventional married couple with seemingly routine trials and tribulations. The story revolves around the evolution of their relationship through the years.
Awards won: Nomination— Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Williams at Academy Awards, US.
Directed by: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd
Release Date: 18 April 2008
Synopsis: Peter (Segel) is beyond devastated after his break up with his longtime girlfriend Sarah (Bell). He goes on a vacation to forget her, but coincidentally bumps into her and her new boyfriend there.
Image credit: IMDb
Directed by: David Frankel
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Adrian Grenier
Release Date: 30 June 2006
Synopsis: Andrea Sachs (Hathaway) is an unlikely hire as a secretary of the fashion maven Miranda Priestly (Streep). As she navigates through her new job, her personal relationships suffer.
Awards won: Nomination—Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Streep, Best Achievement in Costume Design for Patricia Field at Academy Awards, US.
