Being single on Valentine’s Day can feel like the biggest deal in the world. And it is kind of rough! As much as you want to tell yourself that it’s just a dumb holiday (which it totally is!!!), it’s hard to ignore when it’s *literally* everywhere. It’s even harder when all your friends are coupled up or ~in love~. What’s a girl to do when she’s single on V-day?!
Simple answer: you could have a movie marathon! Complete with your BFFs, Ben & Jerry’s and all the wine you can drink until you fall asleep. Who needs a man when you can spend a comfy night alone (let’s face the facts — everyone sucks anyways)?! All you need are some yummy snacks and a couple great flicks. Whether you’re in the mood for a revenge tale, a scary flick or a romantic comedy that just might give you hope that not everyone is a total trash person, we’ve got some recs for you —
18. John Tucker Must Die
This one is perfect for the scorned ex-girlfriend inside all of us. The movie centers on a group of girls who all find out they’re dating the same jerk and decide to use the new girl in school as bait to break his heart. But, whoops, John Tucker (Jese Metcalfe) actually falls in love with bait-girl and decides to forsake his playboy ways. There’s revenge, there’s romance, and there’s a young floppy-haired Penn Badgely, making this the ultimate move for the #foreversingle ladies out there.
17. Saw
Are you single this Valentine’s Day because your ex is a complete and total assh*le? Then this is the movie for you. Screw all the romantic mumbo-jumbo and go straight for a horror flick. Not only will it make you forget the holiday, but it’s also probably full of things you wish you could do to your ex. …Just kidding(?)!
Why spend the night crying over chick flicks when you can spend it fantasizing about the most brutal type of revenge there is!
16. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
If you’re single on Valentine’s Day, why not grab your other single ladies and watch a movie that celebrates girl power?! The girls in this film are BFF’s that find themselves separated for the summer, but connected through a mysterious pair of pants that fits all of their different body types. It’s the ultimate ode to growing up and appreciating your female friends. Forget the boys all together this V-day and celebrate your love for your gals.
15. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This is a great movie for anyone needing some inspiration post-breakup. When Peter’s (Jason Segal) girlfriend dumps him because he essentially gave up on being a person, he takes a Hawaiian vacation to clear his head. Unfortunately, his ex and her new guy are there, too. Fortunately, he meets a hot hotel worker and falls in love. It’s a great — and hilarious! — story about moving on after a breakup and how sometimes you need some sadness to find something better. Get some Valentine’s Day laughs in instead of tears!
14. The Devil Wears Prada
Remind yourself that you’re the HBIC like Miranda (Meryl Streep) this Valentine’s Day with this classic. Sure, you’re single, but that means you have more time to focus on your career and becoming the #bossbitch you know you’re destined to be. Plus drooling over all the amazing outfits in the film will probably send you on an online shopping trip and there is nothing better than retail therapy.
13. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
Grab your BFF and celebrate your glow up since high school with this hilarious film. Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) were total outcasts in high school, but see their high school reunion as a way to prove how great they’ve done since. They haven’t really done that great though, so what’s wrong with a good lie! Especially since all their classmates were total jerks. Not heavy on romance, just heavy on laughs and inspiration on faking it ’til you’re making it.
12. Magic Mike
Being single on Valentine’s Day means you probably aren’t gettin’ any on February 14th, so this is a good film to satiate your need for half-naked guys. A movie all about male strippers is just what you need to get yourself out of Valentine’s Day-related funk. The film is funny, sexy, and did I mention the half-naked guys? Okay,
cool!!
11. Can’t Buy Me Love
Anyone who’s pining after someone so out of their league could use a little wish-fulfillment on Valentine’s Day. This ’80s classic brings the geek and the popular girl together basically through blackmail, but then they actually fall in love! You may be single now but all you have to do is buy your crush something expensive so they don’t get in trouble with their parents and you’re in! …Or something like that.
10. The 40-year-old Virgin
Yeah, you’re single, but it could always be worse. You could literally be a 40-year-old virgin. (So sorry to any IRL 40-year-old virgins who are reading this RN!) This Steve Carrell classic will make you feel just a wee bit better about your current dating situation. The film focuses on an awkward and unlucky-in-love guy who never managed to stick to a relationship or lose his virginity. Luckily when his friends find out, they help him get rid of his V-card and find a woman who likes him for who he his. It’s a pretty heartwarming tale under all the sex jokes, and will definitely lift your spirits.
9. Wild
Independent women for the win. When Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself newly divorced with a life that’s falling apart, she vows to hike the Pacific Coast Trail on a journey to find herself. Along the trail she reflects on the death of her mother and the bad choices she made, leading to a stronger Cheryl by the end of it all. The film has the perfect message for any girl single on v-day: you’re a strong independent woman who don’t need no man.
8. 13 Going On 30
Sometimes you just need a feel-good rom-com to brighten your spirits when you’re feeling low. While most girls in their 20s aren’t begging to be in their 30s anytime soon, this film is a great reminder that you don’t want to grow up too fast. Life is going to be hard, people are going to mean, and you may not always get the guy. But in the end, it’ll all work out. And if you’re lucky, you end up with Mark Ruffalo.
7. 10 Things I Hate About You
This is the best movie for a single girl who’s contemplating getting back with their ex. You hate them; you love them; you can’t seem to make it work or stay apart. We get it; sometimes someone else is just magnetic whether they’re perfect for you or not. This movie is all about hating someone so much that you might actually just love them. Plus, spending V-day with a young Heath Ledger?! We’ll take it.
6. Legally Blonde
Did you just get dumped and you don’t know how to deal? Then this is the Valentine’s Day movie for you. After Elle (Reese Witherspoon) is dumped by her jerk of an ex, she decides to go to law school and get serious about her life (also win the bastard back but that’s beside the point). It’s a totally empowering movie about moving on after a breakup and becoming even more badass than you were before. Elle became the top lawyer in her class, overshadowing her ex WHO GOT WAITLISTED, by the way. If that’s not the best way to get revenge I don’t know what is.
5. Hitch
This is the best film for the single cynic who just doesn’t believe in love. Hitch (Will Smith) makes his living setting up pathetic dudes with the girls of their dreams and getting the relationships to work. When he meets Sara (Eva Mendes), a true cynic when it comes to romance, he finds himself falling for her. It’s not your average rom-com, providing a little something different for those who don’t want a cookie-cutter flick. But at the end of the day, the guy and the girl fall in love and sometimes that’s all you need in a good movie.
4. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
If it has Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, it’s going to be great romantic comedy. That’s just a fact. Andie (Hudson) sets out to lose a guy in 10 days for an article, while her chosen guy Benjamin (McConaughey) is trying to get a girl to fall in love with him in 10 days for a diamonds campaign. Hijinks! There’s love; there’s fighting, there’s one of the best rom-com pairings of all time. It’s basically a must-watch for anyone — single or not — on Valentine’s Day.
3. Thelma and Louise
Single because men are dogs and you hate them all? Then I’ve got a movie for you! A girls trip for pals Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) turns into running from the law when Louise shoots a man who tries to rape her friend. From a buddy comedy to two ladies on to the run, it’s basically got everything you’d want in a girl-power movie. Including one of Brad Pitt‘s first film roles as, you guessed it, the man they shot dead. This feminist film is perfect for a Valentine’s Day free from men. Because they really are the worst.
2. Bridesmaids
Being single on Valentine’s Day can be a little depressing, so you’re going to need a funny movie to lift your spirits. There are few movies funnier than Bridesmaids, starring some of the funniest women of all time: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Maya Rudolph, just to name a few. While it is focusing on a wedding, it really isn’t all about romance. Bridesmaids, if you SOMEHOW haven’t seen it is about female friendship and how important those bonds are. Because you may not have a man this year, but who cares? Because you’ll always have your girls.
1. The Notebook
Duh, of course, this is going to be on this list. Sometimes when you’re single on Valentine’s Day and it’s making you sad, you need a good cry. There’s no reason to feel bad about feeling bad — or watching romantic movies that may actually make you feel worse. The saga of Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) is the ultimate romantic fantasy and the end is guarenteed to make you a bit weepy. Being single isn’t a big deal, but it can feel like it when there is ~love~ everywhere else. So lean into the feeling and have a good sob over one of the most romantic movies of all time.