There’s no way around it – going through a breakup is tough. Even if things end on good terms, feelings can take a while to subside, and you might be filled with heartbreak and regret for a while. Luckily, some fantastic TV shows and movies to keep you company throughout these lonely moments. Like a good breakup song, they can help you grieve and move towards that healthy space where you can finally get over your ex – even if it feels like you’ll never get over them.
1. Someone Great
You and Gina Rodriguez can get over that breakup grief together in this “last hurrah” flick that celebrates female friendships rather than focusing too much on the guy. In the film, Jenny, played by Gina Rodriguez, is dumped by her boyfriend of almost a decade. It happens right before she’s about to leave NYC for San Francisco to take a job. Jenny doesn’t want to leave her favorite city or her friends as a mess, so she suggests day-drinking and shenanigans, culminating in a pop-up music festival. In the movie, we learn about her besties and the relationship issues they’re dealing with. It’s the perfect balance of heartfelt conversations, comedic moments, and flashbacks, making it the most comforting breakup movie ever.
2. Love Life
There are multiple seasons of this anthology series, which is a reminder that often, heartbreak leads to happy endings. Love Life focuses on different characters in each season. The first one stars Anna Kendrick as Darby, while Season 2 puts a spotlight on Marcus, played by William Jackson Harper. Each episode is a peek into the important relationships in Marcus and Darby’s life. It goes through all their heartbreaks as their relationships start and end over the course of years. As you watch Marcus and Darby move on and figure out what they want, so will you. This show is a great reminder that heartbreak isn’t permanent.
3. Birds of Prey
There’s nothing like a healthy dose of girl power to get you through those tough, post-breakup moments. For those moments when you want to break everything, this film of messy and violent women will get you through it all. The film’s star, Harley Quinn, is trying to figure out her identity outside of her relationship with the Joker. To publicly declare their split, she blows up a chemical factory and has a target on her back from everyone she’s wronged over the years. Harley finally teams up with a group that includes Helena Bertinelli, Dinah Lance, and Renee Montoya, proving that you can most definitely be single and be a baddie.
4. Dollface
Released in 2019, this show is another classic breakup tale. Jules’s boyfriend of five years leaves her, making her feel abandoned and lonely. However, this time of self-reflection leads her to realize that she was so focused on the relationship that she neglected her friends, who had moved on without her in the past few years. The show “Dollface” is about her journey to reconnect with her friends. Surreal scene breaks are used to illustrate society’s expectations of women, and this aspect of the show helps it truly stand out. It’s one of the most refreshing takes on female friendship that we’ve seen so far, giving watchers a laugh and reminding them that romantic relationships aren’t the only bonds that matter.
5. Like Crazy
A must-watch for long-distance relationships, Like Crazy shares the story of a couple forced into a long-distance relationship just months after they start dating. When Anna overstays her student visa, she’s banned from the country, making it impossible to see Jacob after she takes a brief trip home. They understandably want the relationship to list, but distance puts a strain on things. Eventually, they develop separate lives and while the on-and-off moments can be painful to watch since problems happen due to the circumstance, it’s a little comforting to know that things can sometimes end without it being anybody’s fault.
6. High Fidelity
While the original movie is full of talent, we can’t help but fall for Zoe Kravitz’s swoon-worthy performance in this 10-episode show which takes us through the worst breakup of her character Rob’s life. Having trouble moving on from this breakup, Rob reaches out to her five greatest heartbreaks to see what went wrong in each of her relationships. She realizes that although they’re not all her fault, she has a history of self-sabotage and is scared of commitment. This character is rough and jaded after rejection but still has her vulnerability. It can help lead your own moments of self-reflection, but don’t call your ex!
7. (500) Days of Summer
The structure of this movie is meant to be a lesson on how people see themselves as the hero or main character in their love story. It’s the story of Tom and Summer – they meet, grow close, break up, and have a brief moment of reconnecting. In the movie, we only see Tom’s point of view and things that are important to him, but the film is a validation of bitter feelings towards someone else, even if they don’t deserve them. This movie is a perfect choice if you’ve just recently broken up and are still feeling a little bitter.
8. Blue Valentine
Really need to cry it out? This movie isn’t hopeful, but if you need an emotional release and a dedicated movie to bawl your eyes out that isn’t “The Notebook,” consider this movie with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Wiliams that feels very real. The storyline is about a married couple that loses the spark they once had. While the film shows them arguing all the time, we also see scenes of these people when they’re young and in love, helping us understand the chemistry. With these heartfelt moments between the tense ones, it’s incredibly relatable. Sometimes, even if there’s no chemistry anymore, the thought of being all by yourself is worse than being stuck in an unhappy relationship.