An old saying claims, “the best things in life are free.” That usually doesn’t include love. Love is expensive, especially around Valentine’s Day, which usually involves spending lots of money on lavish dinners, expensive flowers, and rich candy.
Sometimes, though, “love don’t cost a thing,” and that’s especially true for the Valentine’s Day movies on this list, which are available to stream for free. Yes, that’s right, free, and that’s thanks to streamers Tubi and YouTube. So put your wallet away and settle in for a night of romance, melodrama, and, yes, magic.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
There are rom-coms, and then there’s Sleepless in Seattle. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in the classic 1993 romantic comedy from Nora Ephron, who also wrote When Harry Met Sally and directed You’ve Got Mail. Here’s the plot in a nutshell: Recently widowed Sam (Hanks) is the sudden object of romantic interest by women nationwide thanks to his son’s late-night phone call to a national radio show on Christmas Eve. One of those women is Annie (Ryan), who finds herself pursuing Sam from afar even though she herself is engaged.
Some movies never go out of style, and Sleepless in Seattle is one of them. It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day movie since its climax is set on the holiday at the Empire State Building. You can’t get more romantic than that.
Sleepless in Seattle is streaming on Tubi.
The Illusionist (2006)
The Illusionist might not seem like an appropriate movie to watch on Valentine’s Day. But look a little closer, and you’ll discover a surprisingly passionate movie about love and magic, and not necessarily in that order. When they were young, Eduard Abramovich (Edward Norton) and Duchess Sophie Von Teschen (Jessica Biel) had a passion for each other that her parents forbade.
Upon adulthood, Edward reinvented himself as Eisenheim The Illusionist and reunited with Sophie before she could be married to the malevolent Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). When Sophie is murdered, Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (The Holdovers star Paul Giamatti) is unnerved when Eisenheim appears to be able to summon Sophie’s spirit at will. The Illusionist is for those souls who want some fantasy with their romance.
The Illusionist is streaming on YouTube.
The Vow (2012)
It wouldn’t be a Valentine’s Day without a cheesy Nicolas Sparks adaptation. Not all of them are good, but The Vow is better than most. In The Vow, newlyweds Leo (Magic Mike’s Last Dance’s Channing Tatum) and Paige (Spotlight‘s Rachel McAdams) suffer a tragedy that tests their young love. After a devastating car accident leaves Paige unconscious, she wakes up in the hospital with severe memory loss and no recollection of Leo.
What’s worse, Paige cannot remember why she stopped talking to her parents (respected thespians Sam Neill and Jessica Lange) and left her fiancé (Scott Speedman). Leo has to pick up the pieces and somehow win back his wife’s love. It’s saccharine and slightly stupid, but The Vow is also shamelessly effective. Darn you, Channing and Rachel!
Stream The Vow on Tubi.
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