Valentine’s Day movies 2021: the best romantic films to stream for date night - from The Notebook to Lost In Translation

Valentine’s Day will be a cosy, at-home affair this year – here are 19 of the best romantic movies for your lockdown date night
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

None of us are going to be going out this Valentine's Day, whether we’re paired up with a significant other or not – that means date night is going to have to consist of an evening in.

Thankfully, in the age of streaming and on demand content, there are plenty of romantically charged movies sure to spice an evening at the touch of a button.

Read More
The best supermarket Valentine's Day meal deals - from Tesco to M&S
(Photos: IFC Films/Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures/Amazon Studios/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/United International Pictures/TriStar Pictures/20th Century Fox)(Photos: IFC Films/Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures/Amazon Studios/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/United International Pictures/TriStar Pictures/20th Century Fox)
(Photos: IFC Films/Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures/Amazon Studios/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/United International Pictures/TriStar Pictures/20th Century Fox)
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Here are 19 films perfect for a Valentine’s evening in that are readily available to stream in the UK – from light-hearted romps to classic movies to artistic flicks, you’ll almost certainly find a film to your taste.

The Notebook

What is it? A modern classic, this love story stars Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as Allie and Noah; he a poor yet passionate young man, she a rich young woman,

The fall in love in 1940s South Carolina, giving Allie a sense of freedom, but the course of their love affair is anything but smooth; they are soon separated because of their social differences, and it will no doubt have you in tears by the end.

Where can I watch it? Netflix

Pride & Prejudice

What is it? In this 2005 adaptation of Jane Austin's novel, sparks fly when the spirited Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) meets single, rich, and proud Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr. Darcy reluctantly finds himself falling in love with a woman beneath his class, and will his overly reserved nature threaten the fledgling relationship? Can each overcome their own “Pride & Prejudice”?

Where can I watch it? Netflix

Sleepless in Seattle

What is it? Another classic. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star as Sam Baldwin and Annie Reed who embark on unusual quests to find love when a recently widowed man's son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

This will-they-won't-they story will have you wishing these two characters to meet.

Where can I watch it? Now TV

Pretty Woman

What is it? In this romantic flick, a sex worker and a wealthy businessman fall in love with one another when a man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Richard Gere and Julia Roberts star as the unusual pair in this classic from 1990.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime

Notting Hill

What is it? Julia Roberts strikes again in another classic nineties love story. This time she stars as American actress Anna Scott – the most famous film star in the world – who changes the life of simple man William Thacker (Hugh Grant) when she visits his bookshop and steals his heart.

Where can I watch it? Netflix/Now TV

Titanic

What is it? Maybe an unconventional choice for Valentine's Day, but this romantic story is a tale as old as time. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jack, a kind but poor artist who falls in love with Kate Winslet’s aristocratic Rose.

Of course, it all takes place aboard the luxurious, ill-fated RMS Titanic, so expect tears. Lots of tears.

Where can I watch it? Now TV

Ghost

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What is it? Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) is a banker, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) an artist, and the two are madly in love. But when Sam is murdered he must seek the help of a reluctant psychic to set things right and protect Molly from impending danger.

You'll be sure to shed a few tears with this one.

Where can I watch it? Now TV

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

What is it? One of the most iconic movies of the 20th century, Breakfast at Tiffany’s stars Audrey Hepburn in her most celebrated role, Holly Golightly.

When Paul Varjak (George Peppard) meets Holly for the first time, he is intrigued by her lively personality and her unusual lifestyle, and his fascination with her begins to grow. However, Holly is not who she appears, and she is reluctant to accept Paul’s love for her.

Where can I watch it? Now TV

Clueless

What is it? This seemingly frothy flick has a strong literary foundation, as it is based on Jane Austen’s novel, Emma; glamorous high school girl Cher decides to attempt to find a boyfriend for herself and her new friend Tai to gain popularity, but in doing so makes some serious errors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Full of witty lines and outrageous 90s fashion, this film will have you laughing from start to finish.

Where can I watch it? Netflix/Amazon Prime/Now TV

About Time

What is it? Combining Richard Curtis’s unique style, and elements of science fiction, About Time is a heart-warming comedy about making the most of the life you have.

Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) is looking for love, but has not yet had any success. His father (Bill Nighy) reveals that the men in his family have the ability to travel in time, so Tim decides to use this power to find a girlfriend.

Where can I watch it? Netflix/Amazon Prime/Now TV

Ten Things I Hate About You

What is it? A modernisation of William Shakespeare's late-16th-century comedy The Taming of the Shrew, retold in a late-1990s American high school setting.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In the story, new student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is smitten with Bianca and, in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating, attempts to get bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date her ill-tempered sister.

Where can I watch it? Disney+

Romeo + Juliet

What is it? Shakespeare's most famous play about two teenagers who fall in love despite their being members of feuding families is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona (though still retaining its original dialogue) in Baz Luhrmann’s stylish adaptation.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime

Lost In Translation

What is it? A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo, in Sofia Coppola's atypical film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

Far from just another rom-com, critics and scholars have analysed the film for years, and its exploration of themes of alienation and disconnection against a backdrop of cultural displacement in Japan.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What is it? A young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity in this film that was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime

Knocked Up

What is it? One of the stronger entries from the canon of comedy’s Judd Apatow, Knocked Up tells the story of fun-loving party animal Ben Stone (Seth Rogen).

He’s forced to put the breaks on his carefree existence when a one-night stand shows up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she's pregnant with his child.

Where can I watch it? Netflix

The Wedding Singer

What is it? This 1998 Adam Sandler classic tells the story of Robbie, a singer, and Julia, a waitress, who are both engaged, but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What is it? Devastated Peter (Jason Segel) takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah.

Little does he know, Sarah's travelling to the same resort as her ex - and she's bringing along her new boyfriend. A modern screwball classic.

Where can I watch it? Netflix/Amazon Prime/Now TV

The Big Sick

What is it? Grab tissues before sitting down to this sentimental comedy, in which comedian Kumail Nanjiani (playing himself in a retelling of he and his off-screen partner’s real life relationship) and student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash.

When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

Where can I watch it? Amazon Prime/BBC iPlayer

My Best Friend's Wedding

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

What is it? Julia Roberts stakes a claim to rom-com domination in this 1997 romance.

When a woman's long-time friend reveals he's engaged, she realises she loves him herself and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.

Where can I watch it? Netflix/Amazon Prime

Related topics: