ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY WATCHLIST: a curated selection of the best Y2K anti-romance films
Written by Ella
This year, we celebrate Valentines with our campy Anti-Valentine film list. Think glossy 1990s and Y2K chaos which is deeply unserious and deeply fun. Enjoy our selection!
1. JAWBREAKER (DARREN STEIN, 1999)
Sony Pictures
Pastel murder, high school mean girls, and zero emotional depth. Love is fake, popularity is everything, and everyone’s unhinged.
2. CRUEL INTENTIONS (ROGER KUMBLE, 1999)
Mandalay Ent/Kobal/Shutterstock
Sex as a power game, romance as a setup and a heavy dose of mood lighting. Horny, rich, and proudly toxic.
3. JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS (DEBORAH KAPLAN & HARRY ELFORT, 2001)
Universal Pictures
Corporate brainwashing, fake friendships, and manufactured love stories. Bubblegum pop with a side of capitalism slander. Their outfits will become your latest https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU5bOAyDbHc.
4. HEATHERS (MICHAEL LEHMANN, 1988 - BUT Y2K-CODED FOREVER)
High school romance with a body count. Pink blazers, toxic couples, and “I love you” as a threat.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE3_uwJC4NQ
5. THE CRAFT (ANDREW FLEMING, 1996)
Boyfriends are disposable. Female friendship, vengeance, and witchy revenge take center stage. Now repeat after me, “Light as a feather, stiff as a board!”
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxEqB--5ToI
6. DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (MICHAEL PATRICK JANN, 1999)
Pageant smiles hiding pure evil. Romance is irrelevant when you’re competing for the crown.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpkZV4wX92M
7. WILD THINGS (JOHN MCNAUGHTON, 1998)
Everyone is lying, everyone is hot, and love is just another con. Camp thriller perfection.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6DsFyC9l-U
8. BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER (JAMIE BABBIT, 1999)
Satirical, neon, and anti-hetero romance. Love wins—but only after dismantling the system.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUsGJb4ea7E
9. JENNIFER’S BODY (KARYN KUSAMA, 2009)
Boys are snacks, friendship is the real tragedy. Peak Megan Fox horror comedy.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUjZHFNMlOM
10. SHOWGIRLS (PAUL VERHOEVEN, 1995)
Ambition over affection. Romance is an illusion in a world built on exploitation and sequins. You’ll never pronounce Ver-sace the same again.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGvXwCU7i10
11. SECRETARY (STEVEN SHAINBERG, 2002)
Not anti-love, but anti-normal. Power dynamics, control, and desire told with dark humor and zero rom-com energy.
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFma24S-Uvw