Valentine's Day is all about celebrating love. What better way to do that than to watch some of the most romantic movies of all time? Old classic romances. Newer modern love stories. Happily ever afters. Tragic and doomed loves. No matter what type of romance you're feeling there's sure to a movie you'll enjoy on this list.
1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
This retelling of Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew, starts off with new kid Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falling for Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik). The only problem with falling for Bianca is that she isn't allowed to date until her "shrew" of a sister Kat (Julia Stiles) does. In order for Cameron to date Bianca, he has to find someone willing to date Kat. Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) is that special someone. His bad boy persona and mysterious reputation make him about the only one who might be able to handle dating Kat. Will Patrick go out with Kat? Will Cameron ever get to date Bianca? With an iconic music number and a poem that is sure to make you cry, 10 Things I Hate About You is a great movie to watch this Valentine's Day.
2. An Affair to Remember
A playboy (Cary Grant) and a nightclub singer (Deborah Kerr), each engaged to wealthy significant others, meet aboard a ship. They quickly realize that they are similar in several ways and spend time together. By the time they reach their destination, the two are in love. But is their love real? They decided to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. If both show, then their love is real and they will be together. If one doesn't show...you'll just have to watch and see.
3. Can't Buy Me Love
Ronald Miller (Patrick Dempsey), a high school nerd pays Cindy (Amanda Peterson), a cheerleader, $1,000 to be his pretend girlfriend for one month in hopes of boosting his popularity. It all soon goes to his head and things take a turn for the worse. Determined to redeem himself and make it up to those he's hurt, Ronald goes back to being himself and taking a stand against the popular kids. But, after all that he's done, how can he win back the heart of the cheerleader he took for granted? Hint: There might a be a lawnmower involved.
4. Casablanca (1942)
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into his...In the role that shot him into stardom, Bogart plays Rick Blaine the owner of a nightclub and gambling house. After running into his ex-lover Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), Rick must decide whether he is going to help the Resistance and Ilsa's husband Victor (Paul Henreid) or choice to live a happy life with the woman he loves. Set during World War II, this film is full Nazis, thieves, and refugees each with their own agenda. With classic quotes and iconic love story, Casablanca continues to be one of the best romantic dramas of all time.
5. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Set in the South during the American Civil War, the film follows Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh), the daughter of a plantation owner as she goes through a series of misfortunes. Over time, Scarlett develops a love/hate relationship with Rhett Butler (Clark Gable). Their tumultuous relationship is considered to be one of the most iconic romances in film history. Despite its almost four-hour runtime, Gone With the Wind will keep you entertained all the way through.
6. It Happened One Night (1934)
This romantic comedy follows Ellie (Claudette Colbert), a young socialite trying to get out from under her father's thumb. She meets a reporter named Peter (Clark Gable) who promises to help her in exchange for an exclusive story. Initially put off by him, Ellie soon finds herself falling for Peter as their adventure continues. This pre-code film was the first ever to win all five major Academy Awards and still continues to dazzle people today.
7. The Notebook
In a nursing home, resident Duke (James Garner) reads a story of love to a fellow resident (Gena Rowlands). Set in the 1940s in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, the story starts with Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) meeting Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) at a carnival. The two soon fall in love with each other. Their love is soon torn apart when Allie's parents decide they are going back to Charleston. Will they be able to find their way back to each other? Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook is an iconic love story about two individuals trying to make their way back to one another and back to the love that they had.
8. Pretty Woman (1990)
Hooker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) is hired by businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to be his escort several business/social functions for one week. Edward soon begins to see Vivian as more than just a hooker and their business relationship begins to develop into something more. The more time the two spend together, the more they realize that they are falling in love. Pretty Woman is all about finding love in the most unexpected of places and with the most unexpected of people. Plus, Richard Gere climbing a fire escape with a bouquet of flowers might be one of the most romantic gestures ever.
9. Roman Holiday (1952)
Roman Holiday follows Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) as she tires of being a royal while being on a tour in Europe. While in Rome, she sneaks out to experience what it's like to be free and to be an average person. She meets Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), a news reporter who doesn't know who she is. However, Joe is assigned to write about the missing princess and it's only a matter of time before she is found out. Beautiful backdrops, a budding romance, and the struggle between duty and love are a few of the things that make this movie a must-see.
10. Sabrina (1954)
The Larrabee brothers are as opposite as can be. Linus (Humphrey Bogart) is all working, running the family business while David (William Holden) is all play, chasing after whatever pretty girls he can find. Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn), the chauffeur's daughter, has liked David for years but he never seems to really notice her. After going away to Paris for two years and coming home, things seem to change. She manages to catch David's eye...only he's supposed to be getting married to seal a family business deal. In an attempt to save the deal, Linus tries to woo Sabrina away from David and then send her back to Paris. However, Linus soon finds himself falling for Sabrina as well. Which brother will she choose? I guess you've got to watch to find out.
11. Shakespeare in Love (1998)
William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is supposed to be writing the next great play but he is all out of ideas. When all hope of inspiration seems lost, he meets Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) who immediately inspires him. Viola loves the theatre and desires nothing more than to act on stage. Because it is forbidden for women to be actors, she dresses as a man and auditions for Shakespeare's play. Shakespeare quickly sees through her disguise and the two begin a love affair that inspires one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, Romeo and Juliet.
12. Titanic (1997)
In 1912, Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) boards the RMS Titanic with her mother and her fiance. According to her mother, her engagement is going to solve her family's financial problems and help them keep their upper class lifestyle. Completely miserable, Rose considers ending her life but jumping from the ship until Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) saves her. The two develop a friendship that quickly turns into an epic love. However, they are thrust back into reality when their ship begins to sink after colliding with an iceberg.