Top 20 Romantic Comedies for Valentine’s Day

By Brigid Amoroso

Staff Writer

The romantic comedy genre is packed with heartwarming and emotional stories. While it was difficult to narrow it down to just 20, here are our picks for the best rom-coms to celebrate Valentine’s Day in 2026. Whether you are celebrating with a partner, a group of friends, family, or just treating yourself, these movies are sure to make your day a little bit sweeter. Grab some chocolate and popcorn—maybe even some tissues—and enjoy the show.

P.S. Stay until the very end to see our honorable mentions.

20. “Clueless” (July 19, 1995) Trailer

In this modern retelling of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) is a popular, wealthy high school student in Beverly Hills. When new student Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy) arrives, Cher decides to give her a makeover. As Tai’s popularity grows, Cher becomes jealous—especially when Tai admits she likes Josh Lucas (Paul Rudd), the guy Cher is just realizing she loves herself.

19. “But I’m a Cheerleader” (August 11, 2000)

Megan Bloomfield (Natasha Lyonne) is a senior cheerleader who realizes she doesn’t enjoy kissing her football-player boyfriend. Her parents and friends suspect she is a lesbian and send her to a conversion therapy camp. There, she meets Graham Eaton (Clea DuVall), who helps Megan accept her true sexuality.

18. “When Harry Met Sally…” (July 21, 1989)

Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) graduate college together and move to New York City. Over the years, they repeatedly run into each other and eventually build a close friendship. At a New Year’s Eve party, they share an awkward kiss but decide to remain friends. One night, however, the two accidentally have sex, fundamentally changing the trajectory of their relationship.

17. “50 First Dates” (February 13, 2004)

Marine veterinarian Dr. Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) usually only dates tourists to avoid commitment. When he meets local Lucy Whitmore (Drew Barrymore) at a cafe, they share a connection and agree to meet the next day. However, when they meet again, Lucy has no memory of him. The restaurant owner explains that Lucy suffered a car accident that left her with amnesia; she remembers everything up until the crash but forgets each new day every night. Henry sets out to win her over again every single morning.

16. “Someone Great” (April 19, 2019)

While not a traditional romantic comedy, this film follows the aftermath of a major breakup. Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) was recently dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Nate (Lakeith Stanfield), just before her move to San Francisco to work for Rolling Stone. She and her best friends, Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow), gear up for one last night out in New York City.

15. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (January 27, 2003)

Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) writes “How-to” articles for a women’s magazine in New York. Bored with her usual assignments, she decides to write “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” chronicling the common mistakes women make to drive away men. Meanwhile, advertising executive Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) bets his coworkers he can make any woman fall in love with him. His coworkers choose Andie, knowing the secret premise of her article.

14. “Set It Up” (June 15, 2018)

Harper Moore (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie Young (Glen Powell) are assistants working in the same building for powerful, demanding bosses, Kristen (Lucy Liu) and Rick (Taye Diggs). Both are always the first to arrive and the last to leave. Late one night, they hatch a plan to set their bosses up with each other so they can finally have lives of their own.

13. “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (June 20, 1997)

Jules Potter (Julia Roberts) and Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney) made a pact that if they were both unmarried by the age of 28, they would marry each other. Michael, however, tells Jules that he is engaged to Kimmy Wallace (Cameron Diaz) and they are getting married in four days. Jules realizes that she is actually in love with Michael and schemes to ruin the wedding.

12. “Valentine’s Day” (February 12, 2010)

Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) is a florist in Los Angeles working on his busiest day of the year, Valentine’s Day. This movie takes place over the course of just one day with an ensemble of characters from old to young with intertwining storylines about love and relationships.

11. “27 Dresses” (January 9, 2008)

Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl) has been a bridesmaid in 27 weddings. While attending two weddings in one day, Jane meets writer Kevin Doyle (James Marsden), who begins writing a piece about her without her knowledge. Jane is single but has unrequited feelings for her boss, George. Her younger sister, Tess, begins dating George when she returns from a trip to Europe. The two quickly become engaged and Jane must put aside her own emotions to help plan the wedding.

10. “Always Be My Maybe” (May 29, 2019)

Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) were childhood friends and neighbors. Later, when Marcus’ mother passes away, the two hook up and eventually fall out of touch. Now, almost two decades later, Sasha is a successful celebrity chef, and Marcus is a struggling artist. The two are reunited, but both happen to be in relationships.

9. “13 Going On 30” (April 23, 2004)

On Jenna Rink’s (Jennifer Garner) 13th birthday, she makes a wish that overnight transforms her into a “30, flirty, and thriving” adult living in New York City and working as a fashion designer. After the initial shock, she sets out to find her childhood best friend, Matty Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo), only to discover he is engaged and moving to Chicago.

8. “Red, White & Royal Blue” (July 22, 2023)

Based on the novel of the same name, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) is the son of the president of the United States. He is invited to the wedding of Prince Philip, Duke of Cambridge, who is the older brother of Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). Henry and Alex despise each other, but when Henry sees Alex kissing a girl at a party, he abruptly tries to leave. Alex chases after him and they kiss. The two begin dating in secret to protect their families and reputations.

7. “The Wedding Planner” (January 26, 2001)

Mary Fiore (Jennifer Lopez) is an exceptional wedding planner; however, she is not yet married. Her father encourages her to marry a man named Massimo, but Mary is uninterested. While she is talking on the phone, her heel gets stuck in a manhole cover, and she is saved from a near-collision by Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey). The two enjoy an outdoor movie and almost kiss, but they are interrupted by rain. Mary is later hired to plan a wedding for Fran Donolly and her fiancé, who she discovers is the man she almost kissed.

6. “She’s the Man” (March 17, 2006)

Based on the Shakespeare play “Twelfth Night,” Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) is on the high school girls’ soccer team when the team is suddenly cut. Her brother, Sebastian, has recently enrolled in a boarding school but asks Viola to cover for him while he plays with his band in London. In covering for him, Viola decides to disguise herself as Sebastian so that she may play for the boys’ soccer team at his boarding school.

5. “Eternity” (November 25, 2025)

Larry (Miles Teller) and Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) have been married for 65 years. When Larry unexpectedly dies, he wakes in the afterlife and must choose an eternity to live in without Joan. One week later, Joan joins him in the afterlife; however, she is also reunited with her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died in the Korean War. With only a week to pick a permanent eternity, Joan must also choose which man to spend it with.

4. “Love, Simon” (March 16, 2018)

Based on the book “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,” Simon Spier (Nick Robinson) is a closeted gay teen. He has a supportive family and group of friends, one of whom informs him that a classmate made an online confession that he, too, was gay. The classmate refers to himself only as “Blue.” Blue and Simon begin to email back and forth, creating an intimate connection while Simon searches the school for this mysterious person.

3. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (August 2, 2002)

Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) belongs to a large, close-knit, and overbearing Greek family. She first meets Ian Miller (John Corbett) while working at her father’s restaurant, Dancing Zorba’s. The two start seeing each other in secret because her family wouldn’t approve of Toula dating someone who isn’t Greek. After being discovered by her family, she continues to date Ian against their wishes, and he eventually proposes.

2. “Crazy Rich Asians” (August 15, 2018)

Based on the novel of the same name, Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), are flying to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. On the flight, Nick tells her that his family is wealthy. Only upon arriving in Singapore and meeting his family does she realize how extremely wealthy they are. When Rachel meets Nick’s mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), she expresses her disapproval. Nick and Rachel struggle with the reality that his family will never approve of their relationship.

“10 Things I Hate About You” (March 31, 1999)

Based on the Shakespeare play “The Taming of the Shrew,” sisters Kat (Julia Stiles) and Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) Stratford are forbidden to date by their overprotective father. Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a new kid at school, falls madly in love with Bianca. When Bianca asks her father to change his mind about her dating, he decides that if Kat dates, then Bianca can date as well. To get to Bianca, Cameron bribes the school’s bad boy, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), to date Kat.

Honorable Mentions:

“The Half of It” (May 1, 2020)