Fall in love with one of the many swoonworthy movies on this list.

The 21 best romantic movies on Netflix

Fall in love with one of the many swoonworthy movies on this list.

By Ilana Gordon,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

and James Mercadante

on January 14, 2026 5:43 a.m. ET

LaKeith Stanfield as Nate Davis and Gina Rodriguez as Jenny Young in 'Someone Great'; Emma Corrin as Lady Constance Chatterley and Jack O'Connell as Oliver Mellors in 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'; Robert Redford as Louis Walters and Jane Fonda as Addie Moore in 'Our Souls at Night'. Credit:

Netflix (2); Kerry Brown/Netflix

Bears hibernate in the winter; humans watch Netflix. Evolution recommends humans partner up during the cold months, but if that's not an option or preference, there's always the movies. Netflix has a robust category of romance films, from non-English language rom-coms to period pieces to whimsical coming-of-age romps.

Winter is also the season of increased screen time, so if you're looking to reduce scrolling and optimize your selection process, read on for EW's list of the 21 best romantic movies on Netflix.**

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Jack Nicholson as Melvin Udall and Helen Hunt as Carol Connelly in 'As Good As It Gets'.

Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

*As Good As It Gets* is not interested in being your prototypical romantic comedy. The film scorns genre tropes and easy-to-digest characters in favor of following a selfish, misanthropic writer (Jack Nicholson), a struggling waitress (Helen Hunt), and a gay painter (Greg Kinnear), all of whom end up in each other’s lives after a series of unfortunate events. Released in the late ‘90s and offering a progressive — at the time — exploration into topics like sexuality and mental health, the film is well-regarded for its smart dialogue and winning performances. (Nicholson and Hunt both took home best acting Oscars for their work.) *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *As Good As It Gets*: Netflix

**Director: **James L. Brooks

**Cast: **Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear, Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Ali Wong as Sasha Tran and Keanu Reeves as himself in 'Always Be My Maybe'. Doane Gregory/Netflix

Two old childhood friends reconnect in *Always Be My Maybe*, starring Ali Wong and Randall Park. As teens, the pair considered a romantic relationship, but it didn't work out. As adults, she's become a famous chef while he's still stuck in a small-time band and working for his dad's business.

Now, they'll have to try and see if love is their destiny once again while facing her fame and his insecurities. The movie also features plenty of quirky moments, including Keanu Reeves playing an odd version of himself as a love interest for Wong's character. And, as an added bonus, there's also Wong's amazing wardrobe. —*Lia Beck*

Where to watch *Always Be My Maybe*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Nahnatchka Khan

**Cast: **Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves, Daniel Dae Kim, James Saito

Blue Jay (2017)

Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in 'Blue Jay'. Everett Collection

Twenty years after breaking up, former high-school sweethearts Jim (Mark Duplass, who also wrote the script) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson) bump into each other in their California hometown and end up spending the day — and night — together. As they update each other on what's transpired in their lives in the years since they last spoke, Jim and Amanda reminisce together about the people they used to be while attempting to understand the people they have become. A slice of life film that offers a glimpse into the optimism of youthful infatuation, and the bitter realities of aging, living, and loving, *Blue Jay's *simple story is still meaty enough for its two leads to dig their performative talons into. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Blue Jay*: Netflix

**Director: **Alex Lehmann

**Cast: **Mark Duplass, Sarah Paulson

Bones and All (2022)

Taylor Russell as Maren and Timothée Chalamet as Lee in 'Bones and All'.

Yannis Drakoulidis/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

If you took *Call Me by Your Name *(2017), set it in Ronald Reagan's America, and focused it on two young cannibals falling in love, you'd get *Bones and All*. A romantic horror film from Luca Guadagnino, *Bones* stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet as young adults living on the outskirts of society and trying to cope with their hunger for flesh and, eventually, each other.

After the two join forces and travel across America in the late-1980s in search of Maren's (Russell) mother who abandoned her when she was small, these two "eaters" struggle to confront their pasts, their family ties, and their urges. EW's critic describes the film as "two crazy kids with hope in their hearts and a femur bone, perhaps, in their throats, running as fast they can." *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Bones and All*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Luca Guadagnino

**Cast: **Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland, Chloë Sevigny

Frances Ha (2012)

Adam Driver as Lev and Greta Gerwig as Frances in 'Frances Ha'. IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

One of the best-known additions to the mumblecore movement that briefly invaded independent cinema during the mid-2010s, *Frances Ha* is also one of the most charming. Directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written by the film's star, Greta Gerwig, *Frances Ha* chronicles a difficult period in 27-year-old aspiring dancer Frances Halladay's life. Struggling with the dissolution of one of her closest friendships, financial challenges, and difficulties with her chosen career, Frances is both unmoored and undeterred.

A late-20s coming-of-age story released in 2012, *Frances Ha* contains some vague similarities to HBO's *Girls* (Adam Driver, for one), which premiered that same year, but the film offers such a high level of style, point of view, and performance as to distinguish itself from the rest of the genre. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Frances Ha*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Noah Baumbach

**Cast: **Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver, Mickey Sumner, Michael Zegen, Michael Esper

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society (2018)

Glen Powell as Mark Reynolds and Lily James as Juliet Ashton in 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society'. Studiocanal/Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

Fans of period romances will fall head over heels for the Netflix original* The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society*. The 2018 film stars Lily James as a writer who gets to know the residents of Guernsey, an island that had recently been under German occupation during World War II. As for the romantic aspect, the lead character is torn between two men: her American fiancé (Glen Powell) and a new man from Guernsey (Michiel Huisman). EW's review of Mike Newell's film calls it "as snug and sweet and congenitally British as a tea cozy." *—L.B.*

Where to watch *The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Mike Newell

**Cast: **Lily James, Michael Huisman, Glen Powell, Jessica Brown Findlay

The Half of It (2020)

Leah Lewis as Ellie Chu and Daniel Diemer as Paul Munsky in 'The Half of It'. KC Bailey/Netflix/Everett

Securing Tribeca's Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature, Alice Wu's queer revision of *Cyrano de Bergerac *introduces viewers to Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), a booksmart outcast whose writing skills become a lucrative business with her peers as customers. When she starts drafting love letters for himbo jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer, a.k.a. Will Poulter's doppelgänger) to popular girl Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire) — whom Ellie secretly harbors feelings for — the unlikely pair forge a connection far more profound than any high school crush.

Through atmospheric camerawork, whip-smart dialogue, and a sea of film references for cinephiles to bathe in, *The Half of It** *spins a coming-of-age love story that bleeds wisdom beyond its years. *—James Mercadante*

Where to watch *The Half of It*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Alice Wu

**Cast:** Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Chris O'Dowd as Boone and Jessica Williams as Jessica James in 'The Incredible Jessica James'. Netflix

Jessica Williams took the world by storm when she became the youngest correspondent on *The Daily Show*. And after leaving the program in 2016, Williams honed in on film — starting by taking on the roles of Executive Producer and lead actor in the rom-com *The Incredible Jessica James. *The role of Jessica James was created especially for Williams by writer-director Jim Strouse, and the character is perfectly customized to flaunt her many comedic and performative strengths.

In the film, Jessica is an aspiring playwright and employee at a children's theater workshop who just broke up with her boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield). After her friend Tasha (Noël Wells) sets her up on a date with Boone (Chris O'Dowd), Jessica must decide if their romance is worth pursuing, and what she wants her love life and work life to look like going forward. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Incredible Jessica James*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Jim Strouse

**Cast: **Jessica Williams, LaKeith Stanfield, Noël Wells, Chris O'Dowd

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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024)

Camille Rutherford as Agathe Robinson in 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life'.

Icon Film Distribution

Those in search of a recent romantic comedy that feels like it could have been made during the early ‘90s should look no further than *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life*. This bilingual film follows Agathe Robinson, a French bookseller and aspiring novelist, as she joins a writing retreat in England sponsored by Jane Austen’s descendants. While attempting to write her book, Agathe wrestles with her feelings for two different men and tries to process her grief surrounding her parents’ accidental death.

A film that feels like a French riff on classics like *Notting Hill* (1999) and *Bridget Jones’ Diary *(2001), *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life* is the perfect comfort watch for bibliophiles, Anglophiles, and anyone else who enjoys a good, old-fashioned romantic comedy. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life*: Netflix

**Director:** Laura Piani

**Cast: **Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, Charlie Anson, Annabelle Lengronne, Liz Crowther

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)

Emma Corrin as Lady Constance Chatterley and Jack O'Connell as Oliver Mellors in 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'. Netflix

If* Fifty Shades of Grey *and *Bridgerton* welcomed a child, its name would be *Lady Chatterley's Lover*. Enduring decades of bans for its salacious content, D.H. Lawrence's 1928 avant-garde novel gets a fresh adaptation under the heedful eye of Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who deftly explores the depths of female desire. In this soft-core romance about emotional and bodily fulfillment, an unhappily married aristocrat (Emma Corrin) defies gender roles by acting on her own urges — starting a clandestine affair with the gamekeeper (Jack O'Connell) of her husband's (Matthew Duckett) estate.

While EW's critic observes a lack of dramatic conflict in the film, they highlight that "what's left is just an unabashedly heady romance, rich in pretty costumes — when they're wearing them — and lush, lusty atmosphere." *—J.M.*

Where to watch *Lady Chatterley's Lover*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre

**Cast:** Emma Corrin, Jack O'Connell, Matthew Duckett, Faye Marsay, Ella Hunt

The Lovebirds (2020)

Issa Rae as Leilani Brooks and Kumail Nanjiani as Jibran in 'The Lovebirds'.

After four years of dating, Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) are prepared to call it quits — until the couple finds themselves involved in a murder that requires them to put their break up aside and go on the run. Too concerned about racial profiling to involve the police, Jibran and Leilani must hunt down the identity of the man who was murdered so they can find out who killed him and clear their own names.

Directed by Michael Showalter (*Wet Hot American Summer*), *The Lovebirds* is a romantic evening gone wrong in the style of films like 2010's *Date Night* and 2018's *Game Night*. Boasting a high ratio of jokes per minute and a pair of lead actors who know how to wield their witticisms like machetes, Nanjiani and Rae's on screen bickering and loving needling will have you rooting for their relationship, even as it's falling apart. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lovebirds*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Michael Showalter

**Cast: **Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Anna Camp, Paul Sparks

Match Point (2005)

Scarlett Johansson as Nola Rice and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton in 'Match Point'. Clive Coote

Woody Allen’s work usually centers around the neuroticisms of wealthy New Yorkers, but in *Match Point*, he deviates in almost every regard. A psychological romantic thriller, the film is the story of Chris (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a former professional tennis player turned social climber who marries a wealthy woman (Emily Mortimer), only to enter into an affair with an aspiring American actress (Scarlett Johansson).

When Chris’ lust threatens to derail his marriage and financial stability, the former tennis star struggles to keep his life from combusting. Those looking for Allen’s traditional comedic stylings are sure to be disappointed, but the film is a tight, taut thriller that EW’s critic calls a “serious and lusciously entertaining adultery drama driven by a lust that turns into authentic compulsion.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Match Point*: Netflix

**Director:** Woody Allen

**Cast: **Brian Cox, Matthew Goode, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Kara Hayward as Suzy Bishop and Jared Gilman as Sam in 'Moonrise Kingdom'. Focus Features

Wes Anderson knows whimsy, and in *Moonrise Kingdom*, the director constructs a beautiful elegy to young love. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, this coming-of-age dramedy follows two 12-year-old misfits as they become pen pals and agree to run away together. Visually constructed using Anderson’s pastel palette and cast with some of his favorite stock players, the film combines dreamy, youthful fantasy with religious allegory, and ends up with a story that feels both edgy and innocent. Edward Norton is a treat in his role as the scoutmaster in charge of a local summer camp, but it’s the performances by the film’s child actors — Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, both industry novices — that make *Moonrise Kingdom* one of Anderson’s most compelling projects. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Moonrise Kingdom*: Netflix

**Director: **Wes Anderson

**Cast:** Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton

Our Souls at Night (2017)

Robert Redford as Louis Walters and Jane Fonda as Addie Moore in 'Our Souls at Night'. Kerry Brown/Netflix

Some partnerships just keep getting better with age, and the onscreen relationship between Robert Redford and Jane Fonda — now in its fourth iteration — is one of those unions. In the Netflix original movie *Our Souls at Night*, Redford and Fonda play longtime neighbors and widowers Louis and Addie, who find comfort in spending their nights together as platonic friends. Aware that their unorthodox relationship and sleeping arrangement is eliciting side eyes from the town and their adult children, the pair must eventually choose between their growing emotional dependence on each other and the needs of their respective families.

With a cast of only seven actors, the strength of *Our Souls at Night* lies mainly in the steady hands of its two leads, who make falling in love look just as appealing as they did half a century ago in *Barefoot in the Park*. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Our Souls at Night*: Netflix

**Director: **Ritesh Batra

**Cast: **Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Judy Greer, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern

Set It Up (2018)

Zoey Deutch as Harper Moore and Glen Powell as Charlie Young in 'Set It Up'. Netflix

If you found Glen Powell to be perfect boyfriend material in *Anyone but You* (2023), wait until you see him paired with the dynamic Zoey Deutch in *Set It Up*. When two stress-ridden assistants from adjoining companies, Harper (Deutch) and Charlie (Powell), conspire to set up their Type-A bosses (Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu) in hopes of freeing themselves from the nonstop office grind, it sparks an enemies-to-lovers fling between the two matchmakers that's as satisfying as a sublime slice of pizza. *Set It Up *ranks among Netflix's finest rom-coms, injecting the genre's familiar elements with an extra dose of heart — all fueled by the palpable chemistry between Powell and Deutch. *—J.M.*

Where to watch *Set It Up*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Claire Scanlon

**Cast:** Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Joan Smalls**

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

John Canada Terrell as Greer Childs, Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon, and Tommy Redmond Hicks as Jamie Overstreet in 'She's Gotta Have It'.

Island Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Spike Lee’s first feature film as a writer and director, *She’s Gotta Have It* presents intertwining romances as lead character Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) decides which of the three men she’s dating (Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell) she wants to have a monogamous relationship with. Luxuriating in Lee’s creative sensibility and shot in crisp black and white, Nola’s journey towards picking a partner is funny, thought-provoking, and unique in every respect.

In a review of Netflix’s 2017 *She’s Gotta Have It *adaptation (also directed by Lee), EW’s critic describes the original movie, writing, “*She’s Gotta Have It *was Spike Lee’s first feature film, and few movies feel so joyfully first.” A dramedy that questions sexual, relationship, and gender norms of the time, *She’s Gotta Have It *is notable for its subject matter, aesthetic, and for launching Lee’s storied Hollywood career. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *She’s Gotta Have It*: Netflix

**Director:** Spike Lee

**Cast: **Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell

Sliding Doors (1998)

Gwyneth Paltrow as Helen Quilley and John Hannah as James Hammerton in 'Sliding Doors'.

Miramax/Everett

If *The Butterfly Effect *was a romantic comedy, it would be *Sliding Doors*. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as Helen Quilley, a London publicist whose life after being fired unfolds in parallel storylines: One details what happens to Helen after she catches a train home, the other tells the story of what happens after she misses the train.

As Helen’s two paths deviate and coincide throughout the film, her love life and career trajectory unfold in separate arcs, an effective narrative illustration of how the small moments in our lives can have the biggest impacts on our future outcomes. Alternatively funny, tragic, and ultimately very, very British, EW’s critic writes, “writer-director Peter Howitt demonstrates a lovely feel for the dreamy poetry of what-ifs — a deeply satisfying formula for romances and melodramas, from *It’s a Wonderful Life *to *Brief Encounter*.” *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Sliding Doors*: Netflix

**Directors: **Peter Howitt

**Cast: **Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Someone Great (2019)

LaKeith Stanfield as Nate Davis and Gina Rodriguez as Jenny Young in 'Someone Great'. Sarah Shatz/Netflix

Heartbreak just hits different in Netflix's *Someone Great*, a film about Jenny (Gina Rodriguez), a music journalist who goes through a breakup after accepting her dream job in San Francisco and learning her boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield) doesn't want to come along. Emotionally buttressed by her best friends Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow), Jenny decides to make the most of her last night in New York City, and along the way encounters an eclectic supporting cast including Rosario Dawson, RuPaul, and Alex Moffat.

In addition to being a solid modern rom-com, *Someone Great* also has great significance in Swiftie lore: Taylor's 2014 song "Clean" off the *1989* album was one of the inspirations for the film's story, and Swift wrote *Lover's* "Death by a Thousand Cuts" after seeing the movie. Deeply relatable for anyone who's been blindsided or suffered a broken heart, *Someone Great *is about endings, beginnings, and finding the joy in both. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Someone Great*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

**Cast: **Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, Brittany Snow, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson

This Is 40 (2012)

Leslie Mann as Debbie and Paul Rudd as Pete in 'This Is 40'.

Universal Pictures/Everett Collection

Judd Apatow expands the *Knocked Up* universe with *This Is 40*. Set five years after Ben and Alison’s whirlwind courtship and pregnancy, *This Is 40* follows Alison’s sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and her husband Pete (Paul Rudd) as they explore what it means to be partners and parents in their 40s.

*Knocked Up* was about the beginning of a relationship, but *This Is 40* explores the gnarly portion in the middle of a marriage when you know everything about your partner, and have to figure out how to love them anyway. The film doesn’t offer the same laugh out loud gags as its predecessor, but EW’s critic writes “it’s ticklishly honest and droll about all the things being a parent can do to a relationship. And why it’s still worth it.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *This Is 40*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Judd Apatow

**Cast: **Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks

Titanic (1997)

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson and Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater in 'Titanic'.

CBS via Getty Images

The tragic implosion of the Titan submersible in 2023 proves, yet again, that the allure of the Titanic cannot be denied. The same can be said for James Cameron’s cinematic adaptation of the event, an over three-hour epic that layers a fictional love story on top of a historical catastrophe, tracing the ship’s trajectory from world-class vessel to its final resting place at the bottom of the North Atlantic.

Enriched by real-life characters and true accounts, Cameron’s *Titanic* made Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet household names, revolutionized modern filmmaking, and created a banger of a Celine Dion ballad. A tale of love and loss, classism and delusion, *Titanic* is more than worthy of the 11 Academy Awards it took home. *—I.G. *

Where to watch *Titanic*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A

**Director: **James Cameron

**Cast: **Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Lana Condor as Lara Jean Song-Covey and Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose in 'To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You'. Bettina Strauss/Netflix

Navigating high school is painful enough without all of your crushes finding out you like them — at the same time. A modern rom-com that EW's critic calls "breezy and charming," *To All the Boys I've Loved Before* follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) as her worst fears are realized when the love letters she never meant to send find their way to the boys who inspired them.

Cornered by love, Lara Jean negotiates a sham relationship with her former crush to throw off her current one, but when feelings start catching, Lara Jean must deal with the consequences of both her lies and the truths she's starting to realize. The first in a series of three films, which also include 2020's *To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You* and 2021's *To All the Boys: Always and Forever*, the original still hits the hardest. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *To All the Boys I've Loved Before*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Susan Johnson

**Cast: **Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor

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