Valentine’s Day is here and it’s usually the time for couples to act obnoxiously in public by showcasing their love for one another. A great way to avoid that public spectacle while still celebrating the holiday is to stay in and watch a movie or two.
But which ones should you watch? Amazon Prime Video has tons of them, so it can be a bit daunting when choosing from such a deep selection. Luckily, Digital Trends has compiled a short list of great movies to watch on Prime Video this Valentine’s Day.
Upgraded (2024)
What do you get when mix The Devil Wears Prada with a meet-cute on an airplane? You get something like Upgraded, the new rom-com that just debuted on Amazon Prime Video. Riverdale cast member Camila Mendes stars as Ana, a plucky ,yet poor intern who works for a Miranda Priestly-like boss, Claire Dupont (Marisa Tomei). Ana will do anything she can, even endure Claire’s ridiculous demands, to get ahead in the cutthroat world of selling expensive art.
When Ana is forced to accompany Claire on a business trip to London, she winds up in first class on a later flight. That’s where Ana meets and flirts with Will (Shadow and Bone‘s Archie Renaux), who believes that she’s Claire. Ana keeps the deception going because she’s really attracted to Will and the feeling is mutual. Can their burgeoning romance survive when the truth is inevitably exposed?
Notting Hill (1999)
Can we all agree that Julia Roberts is the queen of rom-coms? Pretty Woman is the apex of the genre, and My Best Friend’s Wedding is not too far behind. Notting Hill is up there too, and that’s not just because of Ms. Roberts. The movie concerns movie star Anna Scott, who goes incognito in the titular London district and meets charming bookshop owner Will Thacker, played by High Grant in all of his 1990s glory.
Do Anna and Will fall in love? Yup. Does Anna bond with the “normal people,” which includes Will’s wacky best friend Spike (Rhys Ifans)? You betcha. Is there a highly emotional ending where Will wants Anna to stay? Yes! Notting Hill is predictable, yes, but the pleasure in watching it is seeing the movie hit all those familiar genre beats so well.
The Other Zoey (2023)
Rom-coms are known for their ridiculous plots, and The Other Zoey honors that tradition well. Josephine Langford stars as Zoey Miller, a high school student who is definitely not the girlfriend of soccer star Zach MacLaren (Drew Starkey), whose girlfriend is also named Zoey (Maggie Thurmon).
When Zach suffers a head injury that gives him partial amnesia, he mistakes Zoey for his girlfriend, and his doctors warn her not to upset him with the truth. So Zoey carries on the deception and gets closer to Zach on a lavish vacation. At the same time, Zoey also feels attracted to Zach’s cousin, Miles Maclaren (Renaux again), who shares many of her views about love and life. It’s a complicated triangle, er, rectangle, but it’s a charming one to watch.
