‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018) — ★★★★

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding

For the already-established couple falling even deeper in love, I give you the film often dubbed the best airplane movie of all time. In “Crazy Rich Asians,” economics professor Rachel (Constance Wu) flies to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) for a family friend’s wedding, only to learn that he comes from one of the wealthiest, most famous families in the country. 

“Crazy Rich Asians” succeeds because it deviates from the classic rom-com formula — we skip past the meet-cute stage to focus on grittier, more meaningful elements of romance. The film tackles serious points of contention in a relationship, such as financial inequality and difficult in-laws, in a realistic way that allows viewers to feel the love between Nick and Rachel deepen as the plot progresses. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a rom-com without a grand romantic gesture at the end — one that certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Watching “Crazy Rich Asians” with your significant other this Valentine’s Day might just be the key to get some important conversations started and move your relationship to the next level.

‘She’s the Man’ (2006) — ★★★ ½

Directed by Andy Fickman, Starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum

One of the last entries in the Shakespearean-plays-as-teen-dramas subgenre, “She’s the Man” proves itself as a worthy addition to the canon through its nonstop laughs and infectious lead performance by Amanda Bynes. This is the perfect late-night movie pick for those of you who have been single for as long as you remember.

“She’s the Man” follows Viola (Amanda Bynes), a soccer player at a school that’s just cut the girls’ soccer program. She schemes to impersonate her twin brother Sebastian at his all-boys school to keep playing. Things only get more complicated when hotshot jock Duke (Channing Tatum) falls for Viola without realizing that his soccer teammate Sebastian is Viola in disguise. Even 20 years later, fans rewatch this film over and over because of Bynes’ impeccable comedic timing through the charming messes she finds herself in.

For an iconic early 2000s rom-com, romance takes a backseat. This movie foregrounds Viola’s journey of empowerment and her passion for the sport taken from her. Viola’s personal convictions never waver over the course of the film, and it’s refreshing to see a rom-com that fleshes out its character’s goals beyond finding love. 

A viewing of “She’s the Man” with your favorite sweet treat for company is the perfect way to partake in the Valentine’s Day spirit as a singleton.

‘Down with Love’ (2003) — ★★★★★

Directed by Peyton Reed, Starring Renée Zellweger and Ewan McGregor

Featuring Ewan McGregor fresh off the heels of “Moulin Rouge!” and a post-“Chicago” Renée Zellweger, “Down with Love” is an underrated rom-com gem that deserves to be immortalized — a perfect addition to your situationship lore. 

Here’s how the story goes: Author Barbara Novak’s (Zellweger) first book is a global sensation, a revolutionary feminist manifesto about replacing men with chocolate and rejecting love and commitment in relationships. Ladies’ man journalist Catcher Block (McGregor) thinks she’s a fraud. In an attempt to prove himself right, he sets out to seduce Barbara by pretending to be a sweet, chaste man that she could fall in love with. In classic rom-com fashion, the two expertly navigate their sexual tension until it all comes down to a brilliant twist that I just can’t spoil.

To this day, “Down with Love” breaks the boundaries of what a rom-com can — and should —  be. The entire plot itself is a satirization of 1960s sex comedies. Its plays with physical humor, making use of cleverly placed visual gags and witty double entendres, create a movie that is nothing but pure camp. The film ends with an elaborate song-and-dance number hearkening back to the two leads’ then-recent roles. 

“Down with Love” is a rollicking journey of sights and sounds from start to finish that somehow manages to encapsulate the feeling of a modern-day situationship. Watch it this Valentine’s Day as you reminisce on all the things you did for the plot last year.