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As Valentine’s Day draws near, it’s the ideal occasion to immerse yourself in the spirit of romance. Beyond the classic indulgences of fine dining, chocolate treats, and luxurious pampering, one of the most delightful ways to celebrate love is through captivating films and television shows.
Choosing the perfect romantic movie or show can be daunting, but we’re here to guide you. Although countless love stories enchant audiences, there’s a unique allure to those featuring love triangles. The tension, rivalry, and suspense of a love triangle offer a captivating dynamic. These tangled tales, albeit often chaotic, are what make them so irresistibly watchable.
From timeless classics cherished by many to contemporary hits that spark conversation, we’ve curated a selection of essential love triangle movies and shows. These picks promise to tug at your heartstrings, provoke passionate debates, and elicit triumphant cheers by the time the credits roll. Here are 14 compelling love triangle titles to stream for an exhilarating and memorable Valentine’s Day experience.
IMDb Rating: 6.7
Renee Zellweger finds herself in a love triangle for the ages (Hugh Grant and Colin Firth?! COME ON!) in this near-perfect romantic comedy. Bridget (Zellweger) resolves to improve her life and keep a diary at the start of the New Year, but when she falls for her philandering boss (Grant) and finds herself picturing a life with upstanding lawyer Mark Darcy (Firth), things get more interesting than she ever imagined. Witty, sexy, and downright hilarious, it’s bound to jump onto your list of faves.
[Stream Bridget Jones’ Diary ] Everett Collection
One standout is Bridget Jones’s Diary, a 2001 romantic comedy inspired by Helen Fielding’s 1996 novel. The film chronicles the journey of Bridget Jones, a 32-year-old single woman in Britain portrayed by Renée Zellweger. As she embarks on self-improvement in the New Year, documenting her experiences in a diary, Bridget finds herself caught between her charming but unreliable boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), and the reserved, steadfast Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
To watch Bridget Jones’s Diary, check your favorite streaming platforms.
where to watch Bridgerton
Love triangles can be complex as is, but when you’ve got one between a Vampire Slayer and two vampires, things are bound to be a whole lot messier (and more entertaining). In 1997-2003 supernatural horror drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is the latest in a long line of young women chosen by fate to take on the world’s evil, supernatural entities. With help from her Watcher, Rupert Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), close friends Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon), and additional allies, Buffy learns to embrace her destiny while reconciling with romantic feelings for vampires Angel (David Boreanaz) and Spike (James Marsters) throughout the series.
where to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer
One of the earliest and most enduring love triangle tales is undoubtedly the 1942 romantic drama film Casablanca. This Academy Award-winning title centers on Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical American expat and nightclub owner in Casablanca, Morocco, and his poignant predicament of whether or not to help his former flame, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), and her fugitive rebel husband Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) escape the Nazi Germans tailing them.
where to watch Casablanca
We’re still burning up over the steamy and spectacularly tangled love triangle from Luca Guadagnino’s 2024 sports romance Challengers. The movie follows tennis star-turned-coach Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) as she tries to help her tennis champion husband Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) break a losing streak that will pit him against Art’s former best friend and Tashi’s ex, the washed-up Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor). Challengers takes viewers through the years of the trio’s marvelously messy relationship from their up-and-coming teen years to their hard realities as adults with a charged history between them.
where to watch Challengers
The WB’s 1998-2003 teen drama series, Dawson’s Creek, is well known for its love triangles, namely the ones between aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), his childhood best friend, tomboy Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), and the mature new girl nextdoor Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), as well as the one between Dawson, Joey, and Dawson’s wisecracking longtime friend Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). The show follows all four of them through the years as they go from teens growing up in the small New England town of Capeside to coming-of-age and chasing their dreams as young adults living away from home.
where to watch Dawson’s Creek
Issa Rae’s critically acclaimed 2016-2021 comedy-drama series Insecure follows the awkward moments, highs, and lows of two African American women and longtime best friends Issa (Issa Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji) as they experience life and love in Los Angeles, California. As the series progresses, Issa finds herself torn between staying with her long-term boyfriend, Lawrence (Jay Ellis), or moving forward with other potential romantic options.
where to watch Insecure
If you like a love triangle with pain, chaos, and plenty of terrible decisions, then you’re sure to enjoy this sultry romantic drama that throws a queer couple’s marriage into disarray as German filmmaker Tomas (Franz Rogowski) cheats on his English printer husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) with a younger woman, a French schoolteacher named Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos). As Tomas begins a passionate affair with Agathe, he has trouble letting go of Martin, thrusting all three into a toxic relationship where no one will come out unscathed.
where to watch Passages
If you’re looking for a love triangle full of heart, humanity, and yearning, then Past Lives is the title for you. Celine Song’s Academy Award-nominated 2023 romantic drama film follows childhood friends Nora Moon (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) from their days as childhood friends in South Korea through Nora’s move with her family to Canada and the different directions their lives take from there over the course of 24 years. In that time, Nora begins a serious relationship with a fellow writer (John Magaro) in America, forcing all of their relationships, pasts, and futures to be questioned during one transformative week together in New York City.
where to watch Past Lives
In Michelle Buteau’s Netflix Original comedy-drama series, stylist Mavis Beaumont (Michelle Buteau) attempts to rebuild her life after a breakup by pursuing a successful career, establishing strong relationships, and radiating self-love. Along the way, Mavis gets embroiled in a messy love triangle between her cheating ex, Jacque (Taylor Selé), and her new Italian lover, Luca (Marouane Zotti).
where to watch Survival of the Thickest
Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there’s a love triangle in The Notebook because the bond between Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) is just that epic, but there is indeed another suitor in the mix. Based on Nicholas Sparks’s 1996 novel of the same name, The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama film that follows the unlikely but passionate romance that occurs between mill worker Noah Calhoun and wealthy heiress Allie Calhoun in the summer of 1940. Due to disapproval from Allie’s parents and Noah’s leaving to serve in World War II, the two drift apart, and Allie gets engaged to another man (James Marsden). But while time has passed, feelings still linger as fate reunites Noah and Allie, calling her current relationship into question.
where to watch The Notebook
One of the most chaotic and messy love triangles in recent media has to be the Conrad-Belly-Jeremiah conundrum of The Summer I Turned Pretty. This Prime Video Original coming-of-age romantic drama series, based on Jenny Han’s novel trilogy, begins with Isabel “Belly” Conklin (Lola Tung) on a life-changing summer different from all her previous years at Cousins Beach with the Fisher family, as she finds herself forming new romantic connections with her longtime crush Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney) and Conrad’s younger brother, Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
where to watch The Summer I Turned Pretty
We simply can’t talk about love triangles without mentioning the iconic “Team Edward” vs “Team Jacob” dilemma throughout The Twilight Saga. It all begins with the 2008 vampire romantic fantasy film Twilight, in which 17-year-old Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves from Phoenix, Arizona, to Forks, Washington, where she finds herself drawn to her mysterious and otherworldly classmate Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). Things, of course, grow complicated with the revelation that Edward is a vampire, forcing him to eventually keep his distance to protect Bella, giving room for Bella’s childhood friend (and… a werewolf, gasp), Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), to shoot his shot throughout the subsequent films. It’s camp, it’s fun, it’s always worth a rewatch for Valentine’s Day and beyond.
where to watch Twilight
This entertaining spin-off of Netflix’s To All the Boys film series follows Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) as she earns a full scholarship to the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS) so she can follow in her late mother’s footsteps and attend school alongside her long-distance boyfriend, Dae Kim (Choi Min-yeong). What ensues is a coming-of-age story full of plenty of drama, fun characters, and multiple messy love triangles. From the Kitty-Dae-Yuri (Gia Kim) triangle to the love square that develops in Season 2 between Kitty, Yuri, Min-Ho (Sang Heon Lee), and new transfer student Stella (Audrey Huynh), there are all sorts of tangled relationships to behold and enjoy, so make sure to tune in and keep up with them as XO, Kitty continues to develop over time.
where to watch XO, Kitty
Maddy Casale is a Chicago-based writer and comedian who covers everything from animated series to Hallmark movies. Follow her on Duolingo @MCasale.