5 fantastic romantic films to stream on Netflix before Valentine's Day

We like to balance things out a bit here at Netflix Life. Sure, we give you some ideas about what to watch if you do not like Valentine's Day, but there are also a vast number of movies to see if you do love the holiday. Either way, you are a winner.

The films that follow are not everything you might expect in a romance. Some have other relationships that make the flick worth watching. One is a slightly different take on your regular Valentine's viewing.

All are must-sees. And not just in February every year. You can watch them anytime and fall in love all over again.

Five Netflix romances to stream before Valentine's Day

Notting Hill

Is this film a bit too saccharine at times? Sure, but it's also lovingly made, and there are great relationships involved beyond just the excellence between Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. At the time the movie was made, Grant could probably pair with anyone and it would be great, but Roberts certainly brings her normal brilliance.

Plus, seeing Hugh Bonneville play a bit of a goof is refreshing. The last third of the film allows for enough intensity for the payoff at the end to be worth it.

Always Be My Maybe

The plotline seems simple enough. Two childhood friends meet each other as adults and the relationship evolves. The trick with this flick is that leads Ali Wong and Randall Park are totally bought into their roles and make the characters triumphantly believable. There are enough twists to keep you guessing about will-they-or-won't-they, and you'll find a movie you'll remember for years.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

D.H. Lawrence's book was banned for decades because governments found the book to be a bit filthy. While now, we see almost as much sexual tension on daytime TV; the difference is Lawrence brought art to to the subject of sex. This adaptation by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre is well-crafted and the pace is perfect to build the tension of everything involved.

Irish Wish

To be fair, this film has a lot of clichés that you have seen, but that doesn't mean the film is not worth watching. Lindsay Lohan is refreshing as the lead who travels to Ireland to be a bridesmaid at a wedding. She makes a wish to find true love, but then wakes up as the bride-to-be. Does it sounds overly silly, sure? But Lohan is great and so are the views of the Irish countryside.

Carol

This film is a perfect mirror of what the truth of relationships is. They are not always easy, and people don't always view them the same. That does not make them have less value, though.

Cate Blanchett stars as Carol, a seemingly normal housewife who meets photographer Therese (Rooney Mara) while doing some Christmas shopping, and an immediate spark is felt. They find something in each other that they could never find in men. It is tender and difficult and wonderful.