Top 10 Movies for Valentine’s Day

I know some of you hate Valentine’s Day and some of you love it. It really is an odd love/hate relationship with a holiday that’s supposed to be all about love. It’s often referred to as a Hallmark holiday created for commercial purposes. I can see that point, but I don’t want to become a cynic when it comes to love. So you know what I do to combat that? The Girl and I watch all sorts of feel-good, romantic movies that restore my faith in happily-ever-after.

I mean how can you watch any of the following movies and not walk away feeling happy. Works for us, so I’ve compiled our favorites that we pick from around Valentine’s Day. We watch, we cry, we love love all over again. It’s awesome. Here are our top 10 Valentine’s Day movies in no particular order:

The Notebook: Sigh. That “It wasn’t over. It still isn’t over,” scene in the rain on the dock? Oh man I could re-watch that a million times over and never get sick of it. Not only is this one of the sweetest love stories ever told, but the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams is the best ever.

When Harry Met Sally: It’s funny, it’s smart and it’s incredibly well acted. All rolled together, it’s one of the most-loved romantic comedies of all time. I’m going to go out on a limb (because this could probably be disputed for days) and say it’s my favorite Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal roles ever.

The English Patient: I’m trying not to pick a favorite favorite from this list because there are some really awesome ones, but if I had to, this might be the one. It’s no surprise to me that this movie won the Oscar for Best Picture. It’s one of the few movies I’ve seen that I would call beautiful. I’ll just sit there for awhile after the credits roll just taking it all in. Love it!

Sleepless in Seattle: This list would not be complete without a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan rom-com. And this one is their best in my opinion. It’s such a classic cheesy love story and they don’t try to hide that fact or pretend it’s anything but. It’s not really complex or heavy, and that’s what I love about it. The Hanks and Ryan combo is genius because they have such great chemistry, too.  The Girl and I have watched this one more times than I have fingers to count on.

An Affair to Remember: Long before Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks magical meeting on top of the Empire State Building, the iconic landmark was the setting for this Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr love story. It’s like a deeper, less cheesy version of Sleepless in Seattle, and I cry every. single. time.

Pride and Prejudice: Of course my list would include a little Jane Austin. Every Valentine’s Day needs a Mr. Darcy. There’s a reason this Jane Austin novel is a classic, but I still can’t decide which movie version is my favorite. This one is great, but Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is too perfect. It’s a tough call. Maybe we’ll just watch them both!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s: This is Aubrey Hepburn at her finest. One of the first romantic comedies I ever watched and it still continues to be one of my favorites. There might have even been a time there when I wanted to change my name to Holly Golightly!

Crazy Stupid Love: Sure the fact that this movie has Ryan Gosling in it and he’s looking hotter than ever might be one of the reasons I love this movie so much. But really, it’s just one of the reasons. There are a million more. The acting is awesome, the writing is perfect and the entire story line is so real that is makes me want to cheer when it’s over. This also might be my favorite Steve Carrel performance too. And that’s saying a lot. And don’t even get me started on the Dirty Dancing lift scene. Awesome.

Say Anything: I’ll watch this movie over and over again just in anticipation of the “In Your Eyes” stereo scene. Not to mention it has some of the most classic one liners ever.  It’s for sure one of the great 80’s movies, and it just so happens to fit perfectly with the Valentine’s Day love theme.

Notting Hill: “After all… I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” Probably the best line Julia Roberts has ever delivered in a movie. This movie is just as clever and funny as it is romantic. And if you’ve seen this movie, I bet it will come as no surprise that I want that bench, engraved exactly like it is in the movie, overlooking my garden. Then I could die happy.

So there are my {our} Valentine’s Day favorites. Did we miss any of the great ones?

What are your favorites?

~Mavis and the Girl