10 More Underrated Romance Movies To Watch This Valentine’s Day

It’s the time of the year again. Everything is pink or red, love is in the air, and romantic films are ready to be watched. Whether you want to lay back with your partner for a date night or have a girls night in, this list has a movie for you. 

1. ‘Rye Lane’

Rye Lane is one of those modern rom-coms that makes you say “Rom-Coms are back, baby!” Full of energy and unique charm, Rye Lane has so much going for it. There is not even one standout aspect of the film. I could talk about the production design or costume design that brings saturated pops of colour to every frame. Or the compelling lead performances that are sure to capture your heart. Or the screenplay that is clever, hilarious, and incredibly modern. The only thing that I can say is that you need to check out Rye Lane as soon as possible if you have not already. 

2. ‘The Lady Eve’ 

The Lady Eve is a screwball comedy from 1941 that will keep you guessing. The film follows a con artist named Jean, played by Barbara Stanwyck, who sets her sights on the rich Charles, played by Henry Fonda. As they get to know each other more, Jean’s motivations turn from gold-digging to finding true love. Yet when Charles suspects Jean is only after his money, he dumps her. Determined to get him back in her life, Jean uses her swindling skills to get what she wants. Like most screwballs of its time, the female lead is a strong-willed, intelligent woman, and the male lead is a bumbling fool, who softens her. In some ways ahead of their time and in others stuck in the past, but either way, The Lady Eve is a joy to watch. 

3. ‘Your Monster’

Your Monster is a stunning comedic horror romance that sadly went under the radar in late 2024. The film follows Laura Franco, played by Melissa Barrera, who is a soft-spoken actress who was recently broken up with by her boyfriend. Heartbroken and determined to not let this hurt her career, Laura ends up getting her confidenceback when she meets the monster hiding in her closet. Very similar to another 2024 film, Lisa Frankenstein, Your Monster fits perfectly into the modern gothic, romance, comedy films, unshackled from the restraints of genre and filled with energy. Melissa Barrera gives a career best and is given the opportunity to flex her incredible range. For a side of horror with your rom-com, Your Monster is the right choice. 

4. ‘Música’ 

Música is the feature-length directorial debut from former YouTuber Rudy Mancuso. We have received a lot of films from YouTubers lately, like Shelby Oaks and Iron Lung, but Música stands as the most ambitious and successful in my eyes. The film follows Rudy, a man who has synesthesia, navigating the uncertainties of coming of age. Trying to figure out how to juggle his love life, career, family, and his Brazilian culture. The romance comes in the form of a budding relationship between Rudy and Isabella, played by Camila Mendes. A sweet relationship at the centre of a beautifully shot, composed, and acted film. If you liked Rudy Mancuso’s previous videos or want a unique romantic comedy with some spunk, then you should check out Música on Prime Video.  

5. ‘Cluny Brown’ 

Ernst Lubitsch is a director who worked during the Old Hollywood era, best known for his smart, sophisticated comedies. His unique and highly influential films stand out because of their ability to be escapist while also touching on actual social or political issues. Now Cluny Brown may not be as historically important or popular as The Shop Around the Corner and To Be Or Not To Be, but it is his most romantic. Cluny Brown follows Cluny Brown, an amateur plumber who gets sent to the English countryside by her uncle to work as a servant. Along the way, she gets pulled between her attraction to political refugee Adam Belinski and the stable Jonathan Wilson. The film stands as a sweet reminder that you should not have to change yourself or put your own personal ambitions aside to find love, at a time when women were expected to do so. 

6. ‘D.E.B.S’

On the surface, you might look at D.E.B.S and see a cheesy chick flick, but there is so much more there. The central romance comes in the form of a forbidden romance between the team leader of a teenage crime fighting organization named Amy, and an alluring criminal named Lucy. The film was critically panned on release, but has now been reevaluated as a queer, feminist action-comedy cult classic. D.E.B.S really sticks out for being a queer film that does not have suffering at the center of it. Amy and Lucy can not be together because they are on conflicting sides of the law, not because they are women. It is a refreshing entry into the lesbian film canon, for its light tone and happy ending. If you have not seen this female-directed campy classic, I recommend doing so. 

7. ‘Dogfight’

Dogfight is interesting because it is not only a romantic film, but also an anti-war film. Covering themes like toxic masculinity, beauty standards, and the harmful effects of war in a way that works better than it has any right to. The blend between having a male screenwriter and a female director may be the reason. Both of the love interests are fleshed out in a deep and beautiful way. The characters, played by River Phoenix and Lili Taylor, are given an incredible amount of depth for what this movie could look like on the surface, making it one of the best romance films surrounding war time ever. 

8. ‘Ruby Sparks’

Ruby Sparks is the most traditional rom-com on this list, yet that is not a slight. The film is a charming, romantic fantasy film that uncovers what happens when controlling a relationship is put before nurturing it. The film stars Paul Dano as Calvin, a novelist going through writer’s block. After getting advice to write on an old typewriter, Calvin writes about a fiery, manic pixie dream girl named Ruby Sparks, played by Zoe Kazan. Overnight, this fictional character goes from page to reality.  The film’s two leads are a couple in real life, making the chemistry in Ruby Sparks incredibly real and palpable. Full of complex characters and laugh-out-loud moments, Ruby Sparks is sure to make you analyze the harm of reducing a person to an idea. 

9. ‘Love and Basketball’

Gina Prince-Bythewood’s intention with her directorial debut was to make a black When Harry Met Sally. Love and Basketball is about when Monica met Quincy. The two are childhood friends who both want to be professional basketball players. Over the years Monica and Quincy fall for each other, but their own ambitions risk getting in the way. Gina Prince-Bythewood achieved exactly what she set out to do, creating an instantly classic rom-com spanning years. 

10. ‘Wild at Heart’

David Lynch will be remembered for his many contributions to cinema, but I hope we do not forget his most romantic film, Wild at Heart. The film is Lynch’s funniest, sexiest, and above all, most romantic film in his filmography. What really struck me when watching the film for the first time was how, despite all the craziness around it at the center there was a beautiful love story. The relationship between Lula and Sailor sticks out to me because of how they are rarely mad at each other and mostly just have pent-up frustration with the world. They do not take things out on each other and the tropey act three separation is due to not wanting to hurt the other, rather than a silly fight. The most beautiful line in the entire film is delivered by Glinda the Goodwitch, played by Sheryl Lee, who says, “If you are truly wild at heart, you’ll fight for your dreams.” The dream-like sequence is used to drive Nicolas Cage’s character to run towards his desires and live a life with Lula. Wild at Heart is not only an underrated David Lynch film, but an underrated romance. 

Thanks for reading this article! If you liked this list of 10 More Underrated Romance Movies To Watch This Valentine’s Day, make sure to check out our other lists at Feature First.