These are the best movies to watch when you've had your heart broken.

There are no two ways about it: getting your heart broken sucks. 

And while there's no magic fix for the pain, and definitely no "skip ahead to the healing" button (rude), there are a few things that can take the sting out of finding yourself suddenly single.

Like therapy. Or getting some fresh air with a walk outside in the sun with your breakup playlist blaring. Or going to one of those angry smash rooms where you pay literal money to take a baseball bat to an old television and throw plates at a wall. We don't judge.

And then, of course, there's the sacred art of couch therapy: curling up with a glass of something and a damn good movie (or three).

But buyer, beware: playing rom-com roulette on your favourite streaming service is a dangerous game. One minute it's all meet-cutes and musical montages, and the next you're ugly crying into your dog's fur because two deeply problematic and toxic characters just reunited in the rain.

Lucky for you, we've taken one for the team. After hours of sobs, snacks and an unhealthy amount of screen time, we've curated the ultimate breakup binge-watch list — the ones to lean on, and the ones to absolutely avoid unless you enjoy a little bit of emotional self-sabotage.

Think of these as cinematic comfort food: warm, satisfying and guaranteed not to text "U up?" at 2am.

Someone Great

Image: Netflix.

A movie you could honestly watch on a loop without questioning your life choices (an elite and very short list), Someone Great stars Gina Rodriguez as Jenny, a music journalist fresh off a breakup and about to leave NYC for her dream job — because sometimes the real romance is between you and your career.

Proving that heartbreak is the perfect time to rally the troops, Jenny teams up with her best gal pals — played by Brittany Snow and DeWanda Wise — for one last tequila-riddled and glitter-filled night on the town. The lesson? Sometimes it's less about finding "the one" and more about losing the wrong one — and realising that you're still, well, someone great without them.

Unlike most romantic comedies that obsess over meet-cutes and magic kisses, Someone Great dives headfirst into the messiness of letting go, all with a killer soundtrack.

The Break-Up

Image: Universal Pictures.

The movie (and the co-star) Jennifer Aniston says "brought her back to life" post-Brad Pitt, The Break-Up focuses on exactly that: the aftermath of a committed couple deciding to part ways. 

Brooke (Aniston), feeling unappreciated and neglected, splits with Gary (Vaughn), but when neither one wants to move out of their luxurious condo, chaos — and petty warfare — ensues. 

Sure, it's sprinkled with the regular rom-com ridiculousness, but at its core, it's a heartbreaking picture of those first few, awkward weeks post-split: the stubborn silences, the unhinged ploys to "show them what they're missing", and the slow, painful realisation that love alone isn't always enough (ugh).

And (spoiler alert) no they don't end up together — but that's kind of the point. Sometimes closure looks like not rekindling the flame, and reclaiming the remote instead.

Bridget Jones's Diary

Image: United International Pictures.

Yes, she gets the guy in the end. But she's also the hottest of messes while she does it. And for someone also in their 30s and feeling like their life got derailed and took a left turn into Crazy Town in the blink of an eye, watching a woman drunkenly belt out Celine Dion in her pyjamas feels like a warm hug from a fellow disaster. 

If you've ever lovingly assembled the perfect Sad Girl Playlist like it was your life's work, or proudly declared that a tub of Ben & Jerry's and a glass of rosé actually does count as dinner, thank you very much, this movie will make you feel seen. And possibly slightly less unhinged.

Legally Blonde

Image: MGM.

Need some inspo for a post-breakup, revenge glow-up? Elle Woods — sorority queen, Gemini vegetarian and straight-up icon — of Legally Blonde is your girl.

What starts as a quest to win back her (admittedly bland, boat-shoe-wearing) ex turns into a full-blown self-empowerment arc, complete with bend-and-snaps, courtroom savagery and one very good perm-related plot twist.

Proof that you can be both smart and fabulous (and you most definitely are, my friend), this is your comfort film for when you need a hit of Main Character Energy.

How To Be Single

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures.

Watch this if you're the girl who ended a long-term relationship and has no idea how to, well, be single (anyone else raising their hands?).

Suddenly, you're navigating dating apps, "good morning" texts from three different emotionally-unavailable men, and spending a terrifying amount of time spent alone with your own thoughts. How fun! 

While How To Be Single might sound bleak, it's anything but. Think of it as a crash-course in heartbreak, healing and accidental self-discovery fuelled by panic and Prosecco, with an all-star cast that includes Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie and Leslie Mann.

This is your comforting reminder that being single isn't a problem but rather a whole, exciting era filled with freedom, friendship and a fair share of self-reflection. Sometimes the chaos is the character arc — and you're just doing it for the plot.

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Image: Focus Features.

A truly beautiful film, but a bit of an emotional minefield, this one should come with a warning label: "Do not consume unless you've upgraded from crying every five minutes to at least every five days". Basically? It's not for the freshly heartbroken or those still texting their ex "just to check in" (we see you). 

The gist? When Joel (Jim Carrey) discovers his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) has undergone a procedure to erase all memories of their relationship, he decides to do the same. Cue a backwards and brain-bending journey through their love in reverse order, from their final fight to first meeting. 

If you've recently ended an on-again, off-again relationship "for real this time", maybe save this one for later. Because the takeaway hits hard: love hurts, healing is messy and every ugly cry really does make you wiser.

The movies you should definitely avoid when you're heartbroken.

Image: New Line Cinema.

Some rom-coms are walking red flags in movie form, and we're not going to ignore them like we did in our last relationship (speaking from experience here, sis). 

Movie night no-nos?  Anything with an "against-all-odds" storyline or a plot that romanticises red flags under the guise of passion. If love looks like chaos, confusion and grand gestures from someone who's already ghosted you three times, it's not romance, it's a pattern. (We're looking at you, The Notebook.)

We also need to talk about The Five-Year Engagement. As much as I love it, it's basically a cinematic spiral of delusion. Two people dragging out a relationship that clearly isn't working until, poof, it's magically fine? Unless your coping mechanism is fantasising about bumping into your ex at Woolies while looking mysteriously hot, maybe give this one a miss.

Other flicks to fast-forward? Anything where the emotionally unavailable lead (read: the dictionary definition of Avoidant Attachment) suddenly transforms because of "the one" — also known as fantasy fiction at its finest. 

Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures.

We're talking Pretty Woman (you are not his makeover project), A Walk to Remember (or his redemption arc), Definitely, Maybe (too many maybes, not enough therapy), 500 Days of Summer (a masterclass in projection) and Friends with Benefits (it's never just sex and we all know it). 

And then there's the ultra-realistic heartbreak club: Marriage Story, La La Land, Blue Valentine… Beautiful? Sure. But unless you really want to spiral into a full-blown existential crisis while clutching a bowl of cereal at 11pm, maybe save these for when you're less… emotionally flammable. 

So while we're all for a good breakup binge-watch, make sure your movie of choice feels like a soft place to land and not another emotional sucker punch.

Or hey, maybe the most comforting thing isn't the movie at all, but knowing that heartbreak is basically a human rite of passage. 

Everyone has been there. Everyone has cried in the shower to Adele. Everyone has interpreted a TikTok Tarot reading as a direct message from the universe. So, if nothing else, take some solace in the fact that you're not crazy, you're not broken, and you are definitely not alone.

Feature image: MGM.