Valentine's Day isn't so much a traditional "holiday"—you don't get the day off work, for example—as much as it is a culturally-prescribed reminder of a specific concept you may or may not want to partake in. For other not-really-a-holiday Halloween, it means dressing spooky. For Flag Day, it's, like, a celebration of flags. For Valentine's Day, it's being in a traditionally-recognized version of a romantic relationship, which is a tight thing to be prodded into personally unpacking year after year.
Whether you're downright obsessed with your sweetheart or accidentally invited someone you've been seeing for a week and a half over to watch a movie this week, here are 10 can't-miss Valentines-appropriate movies streaming on Netflix to pick from.
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
This Netflix original from last year exploded onto the scene off the back of great reviews for its whip-smart script and the fact that, unlike 99 percent of rom-coms, its cast isn't painfully white. A sequel's already in development, so consider this your head start on the soon-to-be behemoth that is the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Cinematic Universe
The Incredible Jessica James
One of the best comedies of 2017 has fully flown under the radar since its release, so if you didn't catch it the first time around, make time for this brilliant little indie with a flawless lead performance from the ever-dependable Jessica Williams.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman's exploration of nostalgia's sting is bittersweet viewing for couples, but still makes a case for one of the greatest love stories ever told, simply because it's willing to lean into the messy hurt of it all.
Her
Another well-known Kaufman collaborator, Spike Jonze, made this impressively optimistic treatise on modern love and its place within the technological revolution. Her maybe feels a little toothless now, in an era when Amazon and Facebook's increasingly concerning forays into surveillance are a true worry, but it's still a deeply warm, unconventional story about what brings people, and also not-people, together.
Punch Drunk Love
Probably the greatest of the Adam Sandler "look, I can actually act well sometimes!" experiments, thanks to Paul Thomas Anderson's meticulous direction. This is as close to a rom-com as you're gonna get from this famously esoteric director. Though I'll always make my case that Phantom Thread is a low-key story of love's triumph, too.
Princess Cyd
Understated but absolutely filled to the brim with great performances and angst, Princess Cyd isn't so much a rom-com as it is a sweet and refreshingly blunt story about a young person examining their own sexuality as it relates to growing up.
God's Own Country
This quiet British drama isn't a pedal-to-the-metal love opus, but it's a brilliant little film about how powerful and how freeing it is when you're able to connect with someone, no matter how incapable of connection they may consider themselves at first.
She's Gotta Have It
One of Spike Lee's greatest hits, She's Gotta Have It both subverts longtime rom-com tropes while paying respect to the genres and films Lee so obviously researched and borrowed from. It's really fucking funny, too.
Carol
The film that launched a thousand Twitter memes and got absolutely wrecked with snubs at the Oscars. Do right by it and pay your respects.
Obvious Child
Gillian Robespierre and Jenny Slate's perfect, charming, hilarious, and at times brutal film is one of the decade's best. It highlights not only modern relationships but also the stark realities of abortion, while satirizing the indie comedy scene with more bite and realism than films that try to only take on one of those subjects.
Related Stories for GQNetflixWhat to Watch on NetflixValentine's DayEntertainmentMoviesSexSex and Relationships