We’re just under a week out from Valentine’s Day, and streamers everywhere are taking note. The week is dominated by romances, dramatic and comedic alike. Of course, that’s not all that’s on offer: eager viewers also have a crazy high school comedy, a sun-drenched horror story and a series that takes on fashion history.
What to watch on Netflix
One Day
To kick off your Valentine’s Day week with some romance, One Day takes that kind of Normal People, When Harry Met Sally approach to relationships, tracking its central couple across the years as they grow together, apart and back together again. Leo Woodall (of The White Lotus Season 2 fame) and Ambika Mod star as Dexter and Emma, two individuals who meet for the first time the night that they graduate from university. Each episode takes place one year after the other, finding them in new spots in their lives while they stay inexplicably drawn to each other. One Day premiered Thursday, February 8th.
Players
For another Valentine’s offering, Players has everything you want in a rom com: a charismatic ensemble cast, a protagonist who’s scared of commitment and a look into a weirdly niche career path. The film revolves around Mack (Gina Rodriguez), a sports journalist who has spent her years in New York concocting strategies for “plays” (read: one night stands) with her bestie (Damon Wayans Jr.). But when her newest beau (Tom Ellis) makes her want to abandon her playbook, everything Mack thinks she knows about relationships goes out the window. Will this guy be a home run, or will she strike out? Players premieres Wednesday, February 14th.
What to watch on Hulu
Suncoast
Fresh off its Sundance premiere comes Suncoast, a coming-of-age movie that wrestles with family and death. Nico Parker plays Doris, a teenager weary from the emotional weight of having her brother suffer from brain cancer. Their mother (Laura Linney) has recently moved him into a hospice center, one which happens to be the center of a major right-to-die case, but that troubling development actually gives Doris more space to grow than she’s had for quite some time. Rather than stay mired in grief or become hardened by it like her mother, Doris decides to move forward as much as she can. Suncoast premieres Friday, February 9th. Read Observer’s review.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
Upgraded
As another rom com this week, Upgraded features a fun spin on the international travel and working women angles that the genre so often loves. Camila Mendes stars as Ana, an intern for one of the most powerful women in the art world (Marisa Tomei). Ready to go above and beyond on a chance work trip to London, Ana is happy to get upgraded to first class on her flight across the pond, and she certainly won’t correct an attractive stranger who mistakes her for her boss. As her lie stretches thin, can Ana keep up this new romance all while keeping her job? Upgraded premieres Friday, February 9th.
Bottoms
One of last year’s funniest films lands on streaming this week, and boy does Bottoms pack a punch. Ayo Edebiri, Rachel Sennott, and Emma Seligman make for quite the dream team in this surrealist high school comedy, with Edebiri and Sennott starring as the “gay, untalented and ugly” students Josie and PJ. Determined to hook up with some girls before they graduate, the two buy into a baseless rumor that they went to juvie over the summer and initiate an all-female fight club as a ruse to get close to their crushes. Bottoms streams starting Tuesday, February 13th. Read Observer’s review.
What to watch on Max
Midsommar
As A24 projects continue to make their way to Max, one of the indie studio’s most iconic films is now available. Ari Aster put a pastel spin on horror with Midsommar, a movie centered around a particularly cursed seasonal Swedish festival. Florence Pugh stars as Dani, a woman traumatized by a twisted family tragedy. When her boyfriend (Jack Reynor) begrudgingly brings her along on a research trip to rural Sweden, it seems like a great opportunity to escape from her old life—but that escape isn’t without sacrifices. Midsommar started streaming at the start of the month.
What to watch on Apple TV+
The New Look
Largely taking place in post-WWII Paris, The New Look tracks the formation of some of the most iconic modern fashion houses. Ben Mendelsohn stars as Christian Dior, the visionary fashion designer whose new take on beauty marked a mid-century turning point. While his work shined a new light on Paris and all but reinvented the fashion world, it stood as a threat to the world-renowned Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche). The series is a deep dive into the history of Paris fashion, from its bitter rivalries to its stunning creations. Maisie Williams, John Malkovich, and Glenn Close also star. The New Look premieres Wednesday, February 14th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
