(WHBF) – Romantic comedies aren’t just for dinner-and-a-movie dates. They’re also great for a popcorn-and-the-couch evening.
Here are 22 movies you can stream on Valentine’s Day 2022 that span the last few decades. The list is a mix of classics and too-seldom-seen sleepers. Pour a glass of wine, grab the remote and enjoy.
10 Things I Hate About You (PG-13, 1999): Starring Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger, this movie is about a popular teenage girl who can’t go out on a date until her cranky older sister does. Sound familiar? It’s a reworking of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” Streaming on Prime Video.
500 Days of Summer (PG-13 – 2009): The movie jumps back and forth in time as it hits the highlights of a friendship that blossoms into …. love? The indie movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the man who believes destiny is in control and Zoey Deschanel, whose character doesn’t believe in love. Streaming availability includes Prime Video.
About Time (PG-13, 2013): Domhnall Gleeson stars as the man who is part of an unusual legacy: The men in his family can time travel. But using this device to make his life happier and skip the sorrow that comes with living turns out to be quite a challenge. Rachel McAdams plays his insecure love interest. Streaming on Netflix.
The Apartment: This 1960 Billy Wilder classic is darkly comedic. It’s all about a hapless fellow (Jack Lemmon) who lends his apartment to executives with his company so they can carry on their non-work-related affairs. Shirley MacLaine is an utter delight, and their chemistry is magical. Streaming availability includes Prime Video.
The Best Man (R, 1999): When he travels to a wedding to be the best man, a Chicago writer becomes embroiled in changing relationships – including his own. Taye Diggs and Nia Long are part of this wonderful ensemble. Streaming availability includes Peacock and Prime Video.
Clueless: (PG-13): Its 1995 release date doesn’t mean this comedy has grown old, especially considering it’s really a retelling of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel “Emma.” Alicia Silverstone is a high school student in Beverly Hills whose smarts help her navigate the sometimes-turbulent waters of her school, friends and family. Streaming availability includes Hulu and Prime Video.
Crazy Rich Asians: (PG-13, 2018): Constance Wu plays a young woman who goes to Singapore to attend a wedding with her boyfriend (Henry Golding). He hasn’t told her everything he should about himself or his family, and she finds herself in a social world she never imagined. Awkwafina is part of the troupe of enjoyable performers. Streaming availability includes HBO Max and Netflix.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R, 2008): Jason Segal plays a heartbroken man who takes a vacation to Oahu after his girlfriend dumps him. Naturally, that’s where his girlfriend and her new boyfriend – an absolutely hilarious Russell Brand – are staying, too. Streaming availability includes Prime Video and IMDb TV.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (R, 1994): This is one of Hugh Grant’s best performances as a British man who falls for an American woman (Andie MacDowel) at first sight when he meets her at a wedding. The movie follows the couple’s story while they attend three more weddings and, of course, a funeral. Streaming on Prime Video.
His Girl Friday: This charming 1940 Howard Hawks movie deserves its place among iconic romantic comedies and movies overall. It’s one of those remakes (the original is “The Front Page”) that’s better than the original. Cary Grant is the newspaper editor who wants to stop the wedding of his ex-wife (Rosalind Russell). It has some of the most clever dialogue you’ll ever hear. Streaming availability includes IMDb TV and Prime Video.
I’ll See You in My Dreams (PG-13, 2015): The friends of a widow (Blythe Danner) coax her to move to a retirement community. This is a wonderful movie for all ages, but older viewers will especially engage with Danner’s character, who discovers love continues even as we age. Streaming on Prime Video.
Lars and the Real Girl (PG-13, 2007): Ryan Gosling stars as an endearing young man who comes to believe a life-sized doll is his girlfriend – he even introduces her to his shocked family and friends. When they are advised to play along with his delusion, all kinds of comic situations develop. Streaming on Prime Video and Cinemax.
Long Weekend (R, 2021): This isn’t the movie you might think it is when you watch the trailer. It has a clever twist that also makes it a candidate for an entirely different genre of film. A struggling writer meets cute with a mysterious woman who shares an unbelievable secret with him. Should he try to push past his doubts and his misgivings and do what his heart tells him? Streaming on STARZ.
Moonstruck (PG, 1987): Cher, who won the Academy Award for this performance, steals every scene as a young widow who plans to remarry. The problem? She falls for the estranged brother (Nicolas Cage) of her soon-to-be husband. To bring the movie to perfection is Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” in the soundtrack. Streaming on HBO Max.
The Notebook (PG-13, 2004): The movie centers on a couple (James Garner and Gena Rowlands) in a nursing home, where the husband reads a story out of a notebook to his wife. We see that tale unfold in the 1930s, as a wealthy girl (Rachel McAdams) falls for a boy (Ryan Gosling) from the working class. Streaming on HBO MAx, Prime Video, TBS, TNT, Amazon.
Palm Springs (R, 2020): This is a close relative of “Groundhog Day.” Two guests at a wedding become trapped in a time loop, living the same day over and over. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti must work together to figure out how to escape the time trap … if they really want to. JK Simmons is a hoot as a character in a smaller but pivotal role. Streaming on Hulu.
Pride and Prejudice (PG, 2005): Why has this movie been made so many times? So audiences can fall in love with Jane Austen’s timeless story over and over again. In this version, Keira Knightley and her sisters find their lives changed when Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) and Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) move in to their neighborhood. It’s a beautiful movie with a wonderful cast. Streaming on HBO Max, Prime Video and Amazon.
Say Anything (PG-13, 1989): High-school student Lloyd (John Cusack) falls for the class valedictorian (Ione Skye). Cameron Crowe’s touching story is memorable for many reasons, including the iconic scene in which Cusack lifts a boom box playing Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes.” It may have ‘80s vibes, but its themes about growing up and falling in love are timeless. Streaming on Cinemax.
A Very Long Engagement (R, 2004): Audrey Tatou stars as a French woman who refuses to stop searching for the whereabouts of her lover, a French soldier who is still missing at the end of World War I. This has a lot of drama, to be sure, but is also comical in many aspects. The movie is in French with English subtitles. Streaming on Prime Video and Amazon.
Waiting to Exhale (R, 1995): The love lives of four women unfold in a year’s time in this story on the popular Terry McMillan novel. The cast, who all turn in great performances, include the late Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon. Streaming on HBO Max, Prime Video and Amazon.
When Harry Met Sally (R, 1989): Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) are friends who fear intimacy would ruin their relationship. The dialogue is as smart and sassy as its lead characters. You may recognize one of its iconic scenes, which takes place in a restaurant where another who overhears Ryan’s character moaning and says, “I’ll have what she’s having.” Streaming on HBO Max, Prime Video and Amazon.
While You Were Sleeping (PG, 1995): Sandra Bullock stars as Lucy, a tollbooth worker in Chicago. After she rescues a customer and accompanies him to the hospital, she is mistaken for his fiancée. Soon, his parents also think their son is engaged to her. The problem is the man is in a coma, and Lucy can’t stop things from spiraling out of control. Streaming on Prime Video and Amazon.
Linda Cook, of Nexstar’s WHBF, is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, the Critics Choice Association and is a www.rottentomatoes.com critic. She has been a broadcast and print film critic since 1987.