40 Rom-Coms on Netflix That'll Make You Laugh and Cry (and Maybe Both)
During the summer of 2018, Netflix distributed 11 romantic comedies—yes, 11—branding the moment the “Summer of Love.” The release flurry was a calculated gamble for the streaming giant. Film industry shifts, such as a decline in mid-budget movies (where Hollywood rom-coms generally sit) and the migration of the genre to TV, meant rom-com audiences were generally up for grabs.
With the help of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Kissing Booth, Netflix’s summer of love soon ushered in a rom-com revival. Over 80 million subscribers watched one of the 11 films and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before became Netflix’s most viewed original film ever at the time.
Netflix has since repeated the formula—lower budget films with little-known actors, appealing to younger streamers—again and again and again. The summer of love is now love forever. Not to mention, it's also created rom-com shows, staying true to its binge model for hopeless romantics. The streaming service has made itself a home for the rom-com genre, both in its originals and in hosting rom-com classics of the pre-streaming days. If you're looking for the a good laugh, a good cry, or a little bit of both, Netflix is the best platform for it.
While this success is good news for casual rom-com fans, it’s made it more difficult to sift through the streaming site for rom-coms not produced by the Netflix factory. So we've sorted through the new, the classic, the Netflix-produced, and the old guard. Here are the 40 best rom-coms to stream now.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
It's the reason for the Netflix rom-com revolution, and for good reason. The film abides by rom-com conventions but manages to feel younger and fresher. TATBILB also introduced Netflix's genre stars: Noah Centineo and Lana Condor.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
One salutary result of the revolution is Netflix's willingness to break up the traditional white-girl-meets-white-boy variety of the genre. Comedians Ali Wong and Randall Park don't reinvent the rom-com form, but they make it more widely watchable again.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Three friends set off on a road trip with romantic detours, awkwardness, and more than a few hilarious moments. It's also got a banging soundtrack.
The Half of It (2020)
Though set up as a classic falling-in-love-with-the-friend flick, the film twists in more realistic and heart-wrenching ways. It's also a loose modern retelling of the famous play Cyrano de Bergerac.
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Maybe not the most unexpected rom-com entry (let's be honest, the genre doesn't often move beyond expectancy), but, nonetheless, a fun, quick film featuring some amazing actors. It follows Jessica, an aspiring playwright, who's recovering from a recent breakup. She meets, Boone, who's also had a recent breakup. Together, they try to make sense of their lives.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Silver Linings won't rewrite the rom-com plot playbook, but it will execute the hell out of its gameplan—and its genre-straddling tone. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play off each other well in a film about a man struggling with bipolar disorder and a young widow who enter a dance competition together.
The Kissing Booth (2018)
Another major entry in Netflix’s summer of love, The Kissing Booth is a solid bet for rom-com night. It skews pretty young, though, so don't expect anything particularly serious. It's also one of Jacob Elordi's first major roles, in addition to Euphoria.
Stream it Here
Love in a Puff (2010)
A Hong Kong film about two lovers who meet over during a smoke break, Love in a Puff is down to earth in the most shoe-stomping-out-a-ciggie way possible. It's the first in a trilogy, too, if you really enjoy it.
Set It Up (2018)
Hoping to get their bosses of their backs, two assistants conspire to play matchmaker. It's a formula film done right. Not to mention, it's the first lead rom-com role for Glen Powell.
Someone Great (2019)
More of an anti-rom com, the film follows a woman fresh off a breakout and on her last night in NYC before a big move. Relationships are great, but never forget your friends.
Ali’s Wedding (2017)
An arranged marriage. A secret love. Family expectations. Hilarity. Chaos. It's simply universal. A Muslim cleric has to choose between the girl he loves...and following his duty to the woman he's arranged to marry.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
Another Julia Roberts '90s genre entry is the polarizing My Best Friend's Wedding, which you’ll either love or hate and feel absolutely nothing in between. Consider it a relationship test for you and your partner’s cinema opinions.
Catching Feelings (2017)
Maybe slow-moving for some, but this South African romance/drama/unexpected comedy is worth the watch for something new in the genre.
The Heartbreak Club (2021)
Translated as The Heartbreak Club, this Indonesian musical rom-com is fun and colorful and will help shakeup your monotonous watchlist.
PK (2014)
PK is simply delightful. A story about an alien making his way on earth acts also as a social satire. During his journey, he learns about the highs and lows of human emotion, especially love.
The Lovebirds (2020)
Finally, some action romantic comedy. Though Kumail Nanjiani's finest rom-com will forever be The Big Sick, Lovebirds makes for some easy date-night viewing.
I Am Not an Easy Man (2018)
A French cosmic revenge film featuring a chauvinist and a world suddenly run only by women. A little too on the nose occasionally, but still a sharp social comedy.
Let It Snow (2019)
The holiday rom-com is a pretty stuffed sub-genre. Still, Let It Snow embraces the conventions and delivers a fun ride. A group of high school students are brought together due to a Midwestern snowstorm, which causes their personal lives and relationships to collide.
Dash & Lily (2020)
It's actually a TV series rather than a movie, but we're counting it since it's a solid rom-com. One of the better rom-coms Netflix has put out, Dash and Lily follows two teens who communicate via a notebook they pass around New York City.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023)
A reimagining of the original live-action film, which itself is an adaptation of a comic book, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off includes many of the same actors of the live-action and melds together exciting animation with dedicated acting.
Love & Anarchy (2020)
This Swedish series follows two employees of a publishing house who decide to undergo a series of flirtatious dares. While fun at first, the playful tasks threaten to upend both their lives as they increase in intensity.
Lovesick (2014–2018)
Along with his two friends, a man goes back through all of his exes to notify them that he's got chlamydia. But through the strange and hilarious journey, he ends up learning more about his past relationships and himself.
Business Proposal (2022)
This Korean TV series follows a woman who's set up on a blind date by her friend...but the man she's supposed to meet is actually her boss. On the other hand, he's the son of a business magnate who caves to the familial pressure of getting married by deciding to marry the first woman he goes on a blind date on.
Easy (2016–2019)
This anthology series features a series of guest stars who play various characters navigating love and relationships in Chicago. It's not always as lighthearted as a simple rom-com movie, but you'll likely still come away believing in the power of love.
XO, Kitty (2023–Present)
This spin-off of All the Boys I've Loved Before follows Kitty, a high school student who travels to a South Korean high school on a scholarship and finds herself involved in romance just about everywhere she goes.
Emily in Paris (2020–Present)
Although the show initially faced some derision for its premise of an American expat bumbling her way through France, the show has a solid fanbase keeping it going. Now on its fourth season, Emily in Paris follows, well, a social media manager who works in Paris and ends up finding love.
Holidate (2020)
Are all Christmas movies in some way rom-coms? Are they a subcategory of the genre, or their own thing? Regardless, we're putting Holidate on this list no matter what time of year it is.
Love, Guaranteed (2020)
Rachel Leigh Cook and Damon Wayans Jr. star in this fun film about a lawyer who takes on a client determined to sue a dating app he swears has yet to find him a match. But their case is in jeopardy as soon as they realize they're falling for each other.
Someone Borrowed (2022)
To fulfill his mother's dying wish and avoid getting kicked out of her will, a man hires an actress to pretend to be his fiancée. Of course, any rom-com enthusiast knows what happens when you pretend to be in love...
No Hard Feelings (2023)
Jennifer Lawrence stars alongside newcomer Andrew Barth Feldman in this hilarious rom-com about a struggling woman who takes on a strange job: date a shy teenager to give him confidence before college. While it doesn't follow the usual rom-com formula (boy meets girl, they fall in love), it's still a fun story about romance and comedy.
Tall Girl (2019)
A high school student who often doubts herself due to her height (she's 6'1'') decides to pursue her crush on a foreign exchange student and gets sucked into a love triangle.
The Perfect Date (2019)
To make money for college, a high school student creates an app where he gets paid for going on dates. There's a wrench in his plans, however, when he ends up falling for someone.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
It's the classic small town romance in this Korean drama about a dentist who opens up a practice in a seaside town and ends up falling for a handyman.
Falling Inn Love (2019)
A San Francisco exec is determined to renovate a struggling New Zealand inn. But as she starts to flip the place she also manages to find love.
Crash Course in Romance (2023)
A mother becomes entangled in private school drama when she tries her best to get her daughter into a celebrity math tutor's class. But it turns out she and the tutor end up hitting it off.
Love to Hate You (2023)
A lawyer takes a job at an all-male firm despite her general distrust of men. When an A-list actor, one of the firm's clients, is embroiled in scandal, she decides to gain enough evidence of his misdeeds to bring him down.
A Perfect Pairing (2022)
Victoria Justice stars alongside Adam Demos in this rom-com about a wine exec who decides to start her own company and flies to Australia to procure a potential client. She then ends up working on a sheep farm, which introduces her to the client's employees.
A Tourist's Guide to Love (2023)
A travel exec gets out a relationship and decides to go to Vietnam for an undercover look at the tourist industry in Vietnam. In the process, she ends up falling for her tour guide.
Plus One (2019)
Two single friends from college team up to be each other's plus one throughout a summer of weddings. But the season of love isn't just for those standing at the altar.
Love and Leashes (2022)
For a kinkier rom-com, Love and Leashes follows two coworkers who agree to have a consensual BDSM relationship. The two develop a romantic bond, but not in the traditional sense.
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