The 14 Best Movies to Watch After a Breakup

NETFLIX

Words by Brooke Lamantia

Like Taylor Swift, karma is our boyfriend.

Whether you’re going through a major split or are just a fan of heartbreak, there’s so many movies out there for consumption just when you need them. Looking for a way to satisfy that karmic revenge? Try Kill Bill or Do Revenge. Want to bawl your eyes out? Say hello to Call Me by Your Name or The Worst Person in the World. Or just want a light laugh to keep your mind off things? Legally Blonde is always the answer. Regardless of your coping skills, here are 14 of the best films to watch after a big breakup.

Someone Great

Maybe the most literal option on the list, Someone Great follows Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) after a break-up with her longtime boyfriend. To move on, she enlists her two best friends for one last night out in New York City before her move to the West Coast. Plus, there’s an iconic scene of them dancing to Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” that will cure any heartache.

High Fidelity

Enter Rob (John Cusak), the owner of a failing record shop in Chicago who, amid his current long-time girlfriend leaving him, decides to take us through the story of his “top five all-time breakup list.” It’s an entertaining movie that if you love, you can binge the Hulu version, a television series starring Zoë Kravitz as the protagonist.

La La Land

The 2016 movie starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling follows two people who fall in love as their dreams of making it in Hollywood start to come to fruition. Deciding between their career and each other proves harder than thought, and the final sequence of the film is one I have thought about ever since I first witnessed it.

Call Me By Your Name

Prepare to be emotionally wrecked after this visually stunning love story unfolds. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film follows 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and the older Oliver (Armie Hammer) an American doctoral student who comes to work for Elio’s father. As they spend time together, they quickly grow close and the deep emotional connection is almost as beautiful as the Italian backdrop of the film. Plus, Elio’s father has a monologue about love at the end that I wish I could watch again for the first time.

500 Days of Summer

The Sundance classic starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel follows Gordon-Levitt as he reflects on the time the two shared after being dumped. As a hopeless romantic, he’s heartbroken but manages to rediscover his passion and happiness after looking back at the relationship in the sad, but ultimately sweet, film.

Blue Valentine

Forget the Valentine half of the title because this film anything but a holiday. The 2010 film tells the story of a collapsing marriage between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) while weaving in flashbacks of them falling in love for a painful but beautiful watch.

Kill Bill: Volume I and II

If you’re like Taylor Swift, you’re a fan of karma, and the Kill Bill movies are karma at their finest. Former assassin Uma Thurman wakes from a coma after ex-lover and boss Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. In response, she seeks revenge on everyone who had a part in it, resulting in some of the most iconic fight scenes to ever grace the screen and remind you karma is real.

Legally Blonde

If anything will motivate you that you’re better off single, it’s Elle Woods getting into Harvard Law and absolutely destroying it. When her boyfriend dumps her for being too blonde, she gets back at him and realizes she’s better off without him. Can I get an amen?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Sometimes the best way to get over a breakup is with a good laugh that’s right on the nose and nothing is more so than a 2008 comedy. Starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Bill Hader, Paul Rudd, and more, Forgetting Sarah Marshall will leave you thankful that at least you’re not stuck at the same Hawaiian hotel as your ex and their new boyfriend.

The Worst Person in the World

The Norwegian film took 2021 by storm as a coming-of-age film that follows a woman later in life as she struggles with deciding what she wants. Traversing her love life, family, and career, it’s a beautiful film with some insanely memorable shots, and a lovely reminder that finding yourself is more important than having a partner.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Known for its stunning visuals and impeccable score, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind asks the question, “what if you could forget your ex?” After the breakup of Joel (Jim Carey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet), the two undergo a medical procedure to slowly forget one another.

He’s Just Not That Into You

Sometimes we just need someone to bring us back down to Earth, especially when we’ve spent too much time obsessing over anyone (let alone a man). Consider He’s Just Not That Into You a wake-up call when you feel like you’ve spent too much time on someone who wasn’t even worth it, which is what the friends and lovers in the film do as they try to navigate their way through their different relationships. Starring Scarlett Johansen, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long, Busy Phillips, and more, it’s an ensemble worth watching.

Silver Linings Playbook

One of my all-time favorites, the 2012 romantic drama has it all: an amazing cast, an interesting story, and memorable moments you’ll be left thinking about for years. The film follows Pat (Bradley Cooper) as he re-adjusts to life after his wife left him and he spent time in a mental institution. He then meets the troubled Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who agrees to help him get his wife back if he dances with her in a competition. It’s a heartfelt film that is worth the watch (and every re-watch after).

Do Revenge

When Drea’s (Camila Mendes) boyfriend leaks her sex tape, she teams up with new girl Eleanor (Maya Hawke) to take him down. Filled with lots of juicy twists, the Netflix film spins what you think you know about revenge on its head for a campy, memorable film that will keep your mind off anything else while you watch

This article originally appeared in harpersbazaar.com