4 Unconventional Movies To Watch on Valentine's Day!

There’s no formal recipe for the perfect Valentine’s Day movie. Some couples enjoy a rip-roaring comedy, others prefer sentimental happy endings, and some like to rage at a good breakup plot -- Elle Woods did it first, so I’m certainly not ashamed.

To celebrate February 14th, here are some films that you might find more enjoyable than the 6 rom-com classics you cycle through every year. Cheers to this year’s devotion, lovebirds!

1. Obvious Child (2014, dir. Gillian Robespierre)

PERFECT FOR: Romantic comedy lovers, aspiring comedians, and people who can’t get enough of neighborhood gossip. 

For fans of stand-up and "Saturday Night Live", Obvious Child stars the witty Jenny Slate as blooming adult Donna, who finds herself suddenly unemployed and pregnant. Donna juggles attempts at finding herself a new job while working up the courage to tell her unborn child’s father, played by Jake Lacy (who played Pete in “The Office” -- or Plop, depending on whether you’re Andy Bernard or not), and finds her groove along the way. Plus, it’s an A24 flick, so it’ll satisfy that indie hole in your soul. 

Obvious Child is available to stream on Hulu and Showtime.

2. The Ultimate Playlist of Noise (2021, dir. Bennett Lasseter)

PERFECT FOR: Music fanatics, people who cry easily, and those who think Daniel from "Euphoria" is hot in a guilty way. 

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise is a tender, good-hearted film about a young man, Marcus, who learns he will soon undergo surgery that will leave him completely deaf. Desperately searching for an answer, Marcus sets off on a roadtrip with Wendy, a young musician looking for her big break, and they attempt to create the perfect playlist of noises Marcus loves the most. Keean Johnson (of “Euphoria'' fame) and Madeline Brewer (“Orange is the New Black”, “The Handmaid’s Tale”) create a bright, dynamic duo that will leave you wanting more. 

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise is available to stream on Hulu.

3. Three Men and a Cradle / 3 Hommes et un Couffin (1985, dir. Colline Serreau) 

PERFECT FOR: Total softies, people who see babies and need to pinch their cheeks, and French speakers. Ooh la la!

As Bong Joon Ho so gracefully said, do not let the “one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles” stop you from watching this classic French comedy. Pierre, Michel, and Jacques are three bachelors living for money and women when they suddenly find themselves in charge of an almost newborn baby, with no instructions or a single clue as to how to care for the child. Against all odds, they fall head over heels for this baby girl and gain a greater appreciation for life itself. While this is not a romance movie, it certainly will pull at all of your heartstrings. 

3 Hommes et un Couffin is not currently available to stream in the U.S., but you can purchase a copy on Amazon OR catch the American version, Three Men and a Baby, on Disney+.

4. Shiva Baby (2020, dir. Emma Seligman)

PERFECT FOR: Horror movie lovers, bisexual girls who love to lie, and those who have a playlist specifically dedicated tofeminism. 

Shiva Baby is one of those films that holds you from the very first second and refuses to let you go. It’s not a horror film in the classical sense, but the anticipatory terror is enough for those looking to get rid of Valentine’s Day-induced nausea. Rachel Sennott stars as the brash Danielle, who is trapped at a Shiva with her disapproving mother, well-meaning father, extremely successful ex-girlfriend, her sugar daddy, and his beautiful wife and child. The plot alone is enough to make your head spin, and the movie certainly does it justice. 

Shiva Baby is available to stream on Hulu.

Happy Valentine's Day!