11 Films That Will Make You Appreciate Your Single Status


For anyone who doesn't have "official" plans for this Valentine's Day, you are most likely going to spend your Friday night at home with snacks and stream a movie. (No judgement here, I'm hosting a game night.) I mean, the holiday does land on Friday the 13th, why test fate and venture outside.

I've never paid much attention to the television on Valentine's Day, but I can guess every network will be playing some type of romantic comedy as if the people who are at home watching TV need to be reminded that they are in fact NOT in a relationship. Any article you read around this time of the year will suggest that you don't watch a romantic comedy, or anything dealing with romance at all actually.

With the constant stream of articles that highlight how great it is to be single and why we should appreciate our freedom, I thought I'd compile a list of movies to watch on Valentine's Day that will make you happy you don't have a significant other. Films that will make you appreciate you sleep alone at night and answer to no one. (Besides our moms of course.)

Seriously one of her best films. Watch it! Source
1. Enough

This movie came out twelve years ago yet I can still to this day watch it and enjoy every moment. Jennifer Lopez in her prime, married to an abusive husband, who runs away to save herself and her daughter. This movie made me rethink the idea of marriage at the young age of 10, or at least reconsider every moving into the suburbs. (I feel like Lifetime movies always happen in the suburbs.)

Besides being amazing from beginning to end, it's the film that inspired this entire article. If you haven't seen it definitely set aside an hour and a half this weekend and watch this film!

The fight scenes in this film are all too relatable. Source
2. The Break Up

Finally a movie about love gone wrong that doesn't end with the couple getting back together, a lot like real life! The Break Up is a film that depicts what it actually feels like to have to move on from a relationship, especially from the position of having to see one another on a daily basis. Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn finally captured the awkwardness, sadness and inevitable feeling of acceptance that comes with having to let go of someone you once cared about.

3. Monster in Law

Movies like Monster in Law and others that include in-laws (ie The Family Stone and Meet the Fockers) only make me more unwilling to want to be part of my significant other's family. I already have a family of my own, do I really have to grow to tolerate love another person's as well? Having to impress people who you are not in a relationship with and prove yourself worthy just seems like a lot of work, an extracurricular activity I'm just not all that invested in. Being single just cuts out all this unnecessary stress of having to always put your best foot forward.

This scene was everything. Source.
4. Sex and the City the Movie

Say what you want, but I loved the first Sex and the City movie. While my heart shattered into pieces when Mr.Big refused to get out of the car and Steve cheated on Miranda, the fact that Carrie's friends served as her support system throughout the broken engagement just made me realize that friendships are so much more valuable that relationships during certain times in your life.

Boyfriends cheat, lie, and hey, sometimes even steal. Sex and the City the Movie proved that no matter where you are in life, your friends will always be there to support you no matter the circumstances. Love comes and goes, but genuine friendships are truly worth fighting for.

5. Any teen horror movie EVER

Pick any teen horror movie. Friday the 13th. Nightmare on Elm Street. Halloween. One common factor fits all of these films, the people in relationships always die, and usually first. Whether they are out looking for one another or busy having sex, the relationship always leads them into situations where they are more vulnerable to be violently murdered. Remind me to never go camping with a boyfriend, especially not near a lake. Nothing good ever happens near a lake.

Bad things only happen in nice homes. Some of us don't have that problem. Source
6. Any paranormal movie EVER

As a single female living with another single female and both of us being women of color, I sleep pretty comfortably at night. I know that our status of "single" plus our pigmented skin means that during the night any strange noise we hear is definitely not some demon haunting us or paranormal entity trying to grasp our attention. How do I know this? When was the last time a single person, person of color, or broke college student ever starred in a paranormal film. Never

Every time I watch films like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, or The Conjuring I know something like that would never happen to me for multiple reasons. 
» Demons and spirits like attention, and I spend half of my time home alone streaming episodes on my laptop. I'm too busy drooling over Detective Elliot Stabler to notice my keys have been moved. Most of the time I don't know where I left my keys anyways. 
» Paranormal activity happens in homes! Like houses with multiple rooms, not my studio apartment that doesn't have so much as a living room area. 
» Being a twenty something I have this thing called a Twitter account, meaning I'd be live tweeting any paranormal activity happening in my life. I'm not really the suffer in silence type, ya'll know I'd be blogging about it. 
Okayyyyy. Source.
7. All Ryan Gosling films

What in life can make you more happy about being single than watching Ryan Gosling rip off his shirt? Having a boyfriend means you supposedly have eyes only for him, but I mean c'mon, it's Ryan Gosling!

Maybe in some alternate universe he'll break up with Eva Mendes and realize I'm his one true love. Probably not, but maybe

Plus your kids might turn out like this. Source
8. Knocked Up

"Don't have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!"
Okay maybe you won't die from getting pregnant, but your social life definitely will. No chance of getting pregnant when you're at home alone with a Julia Roberts film and a bowl of Cheetos Puffs. One of the few benefits of being on your own, no unplanned surprises. Even though Knocked Up was technically a comedy, I saw it more as a horror movie. She accidentally got pregnant, by a guy she has nothing in common with, his friends are weirdos and her professional career is suffering because of it. Kill me now please.

9. You're Next

While I don't want to spoil this movie because I think it was definitely under appreciated, this film will definitely leave you happy that you are not in a relationship. The film features a family dinner to honor the parent's anniversary, and all the sons and daughters bring their significant others to celebrate as well. Had they not been in that relationship they would have never gotten themselves into that predicament. This movie is definitely gory at times but the story line is so amazing you should definitely power through the blood and just enjoy the message. Trust me, if you are a fan of horror, you won't be disappointed. 
Rachel McAdams can do nothing wrong. Source
10. The Time Traveler's Wife

While The Time Traveler's Wife is a love story, it's one of those tragic love stories that leaves you thinking maybe they'd be happier apart. During one of those nights when your brain just wont turn off, I got to thinking about how lonely it is to be in a relationship. Sure you have someone to call your own but you don't know what real loneliness is (in my opinion) until you experience longing after someone. Nothing is more lonely than being in a relationship at times.

For this reason I included The Time Traveler's Wife on this list, because while it is a story about love, the overall plot made me feel that had I been in the situation, I would have just preferred to be alone with no one to miss in the spaces between seconds.

No. NO. No. Source.  
11. Frozen

The Disney film Frozen taught people young and old one lesson, don't trust anyone. At least that's why I gathered from it, plus these other life lessons which you can read here.

Frozen was the stereotypical love at first sight fairy tale, with an evil twist that reveals Hans was just out to steal Anna's kingdom and manipulated her during their entire two day relationship. People nationwide were stunned when Disney decided to get so real, for once, but at least children today will realize that a cute face and charming personality don't always signify good intentions.

Plus, the fact that Elsa ended the film as a queen with no hint of wanting a relationship was revolutionary compared to other classic Disney princesses. Who needs a man to boss around when you can rule an entire kingdom anyways?

1 comment

  1. Ryan Gosling films & Frozen are the best! Hahaha I never realized that horror movie fact, I think the baby sitters with cheeky boyfriends get hurt MOST! hahaha

    ReplyDelete