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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
The Lovebirds (2020)
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
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.
Stream it Here
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.
Stream it Here
Joshua St Clair is an Assistant Editor at Men’s Health Magazine.
Milan Polk is an Editorial Assistant for Men’s Health who specializes in entertainment and lifestyle reporting, and has worked for New York Magazine’s Vulture and Chicago Tribune.