Tina Turner once said, ‘What's love got to do…. Got to do with it?’ Honestly, I'm still not sure what she meant but regardless we all love a bit of love, don't we?
It's easy these days to be cynical about Valentine's day. It's easy to point fingers at businesses that use the day to sell overpriced cards, flowers, chocolates and a million varieties of novelty gifts. But, it's nice to be loved and for one day we can all just put the world to one side and embrace the occasion.
With this in mind, we have scoured the best streaming services and come up with some great movies and TV shows that we feel encapsulate the spirit of the day. Some sweet, some sexy, some confusing and problematic, but all great viewing. So sit back, give someone you love a cuddle and enjoy.
Want to avoid the romance? Try our anti-Valentine's list.
Shotgun Wedding
What says a romantic night in more than a high-budget, high-quality Rom-Com starring a bunch of beautiful people getting married on a paradise island location?... nothing. Shotgun Wedding takes that premise and adds a Die Hard level of action and adventure to the mix to create the perfect sofa movie.
Darcy (Jennifer Lopez) and Tom (Josh Duhamel) gather their lovable but opinionated families for the ultimate destination wedding, just as the couple begins to get cold feet. And if that wasn't enough of a threat to the celebration, suddenly everyone's lives are in danger when the entire party is taken hostage. Til Death Do Us Part takes on a whole new meaning in this hilarious, adrenaline-fueled adventure as Darcy and Tom must save their loved ones – if they don't kill each other first.
With an amazing performance (as always) from a simply age-defying Jennifer Lopez, a fantastic supporting cast including the magnificent Jennifer Coolidge, and plenty of action and laughs, Shotgun Wedding delivers a solid dose of action on top of a really nice love story of a couple just trying to make it to the altar.
Shotgun Wedding is available now on Amazon Prime Video
You
Based on Caroline Kepnes' best-selling novel of the same name, You is a 21st-century love story that asks, what would you do for love? When a brilliant bookstore manager crosses paths with an aspiring writer, his answer becomes clear: anything. Using the internet and social media as his tools to gather the most intimate of details and get close to her, a charming and awkward crush quickly becomes an obsession, as he quietly and strategically removes every obstacle – and person – in his way.
Since dropping onto Netflix back in 2018, You has been a constant hit with a huge fanbase obsessed with Penn Badgley’s ‘Joe Goldberg’ and his passions.
The long-awaited Season 4 finds our protagonist in London with a whole new cast and no doubt a whole new level of ‘oh so wrong’, sexy obsession. We are also super excited to see amazing British acting talents such as Charlotte Ritchie and Sean Pertwee join the cast and can't wait to see what develops there.
Expect drama, chills and nothing more than beautiful people doing things they really shouldn't be.
Season 4 of YOU is available now on Netflix
Emily In Paris
Whether you love it or loathe it, Emily In Paris has for its three seasons delivered a huge for Netflix and a growing and obsessive fanbase.
The story follows Emily Cooper (Lily Collins) a twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, who unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company. Emily's new life in Paris is filled with intoxicating adventures and surprising challenges as she juggles winning over her work colleagues, making friends, and navigating new romances.
It's a beautiful show full of beautiful people doing lovely things in glamorous locations and is the ultimate escape from the reality of modern life. The cast is fantastic, the cinematography is hyper-saturated, almost dreamlike, and the story never takes itself too seriously.
So if you are looking for a relaxing night surrounded by the sights and sounds of a wonderfully realised Paris then ‘Emily In Paris’ delivers what many feel is the ultimate feel-good, romantic comedy.
Emily in Paris is available now on Netflix
Welcome To Chippendales
In 2022, writer Robert Siegal brought the hugely problematic, raunchy, adult and thoroughly entertaining Pam & Tommy to Disney Plus. It caused outrage and raised a few eyebrows from those still believing that Disney was ‘just for kids’. With Welcome to Chippendales, Siegal is back with yet another tale of sex, crime and depravity.
Based on the true story of Indian American entrepreneur Somen ‘Steve’ Banerjee (Kumail Nanjiani), who started the stripper troupe The Chippendales, the show has shaken up Disney once again and has brought in just as many complaints as his last one.
Welcome To Chippendales boasts a fantastic cast, beautiful cinematography, and a perfect period-based soundtrack, with all the glitz and glamour you would imagine from a show of its type running under the Disney banner. It has a more than generous amount of toned naked flesh alongside a great underlying story of greed, suspicion and murder… so there’s something for everybody!
It’s sexy, brash, rude and raunchy in all the right ways and perfect viewing if you love a bit of 70s nostalgia and a glimpse into a very adult world.
Welcome to Chippendales is available now on Disney+
