Sometimes the mood strikes, and only lingering glances, slow burns, longing stares, and top-tier movie smooches will do.
That mood is best served when the romantic movies you crave are easily accessible on a streaming service like Netflix. Some of these picks are comedies while others are dramas. But all of them will scratch the itch for a lovey-dovey night in to Netflix and chill.
Here are the 12 best romantic movies on Netflix:
1. Always Be My Maybe
Credit: Ed Araquel / Netflix
The thrill of a new romance often lies in just that — the fact that it’s new. But what if your truest love lies in one of your oldest relationships? Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as a pair of childhood besties who lost touch in their teens, but who find their way back to each other as grownups. With a delightful supporting cast that also includes Daniel Dae Kim, James Saito, and Keanu Reeves, Always Be My Maybe is as deliciously cozy as a bowl of Mom’s kimchi jjigae — and just as satisfying. — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor
Where to watch: Always Be My Maybe is streaming on Netflix.
2. Notting Hill
English Screenwriter Richard Curtis is the luminary of rom-coms, having contributed to such delights as Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary, About Time, and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Among his most beguiling romances is this tale of boy meets movie star. Hugh Grant headlines as a humble bookshop owner whose simple life is thrown into spin — and the spotlight — when he falls for an ultra-famous American actress (Julia Roberts). Their flirtations are an alluring collision of British charm and American candor. The supporting cast boasts a scene-stealing Rhys Ifans, and the finale will make you cheer and swoon. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Notting Hill is streaming on Netflix.
3. When We First Met
Credit: Jami Saunders
Groundhog Day meets Some Kind of Wonderful in this delightful romantic comedy from director Ari Sandel. Adam DeVine and Alexandra Daddario star as Noah and Avery, friends who could’ve worked as a couple but didn’t get the timing right. So when the pining Noah discovers a magical photo booth that will transport him back to the night he and Avery first met, he’s willing to do anything to get it right this time(s). Funny and surprisingly sweet, When We First Met is a hidden gem time-travel romp with spectacular supporting performances and a predictable ending you’ll like all the same. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter
Where to watch: When We First Met is streaming on Netflix.
4. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Karan Johar’s directorial debut became an instant Bollywood classic when it hit theaters in 1998. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) and Anjali (Kajol) are college besties until Rahul falls in love with Tina (Rani Mukerji) and Anjali realizes her true feelings for him. The friends become estranged before Tina dies, leaving behind a daughter, also named Anjali in honor of their old friend. Little Anjali grows up reading letters from her late mother, and she learns about her father’s old friend — his first love. Tina tasks her daughter with tracking down Anjali and reuniting the friends as lovers, once and for all.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai remains Johar’s best work to date, a film that made his name synonymous with pure power in the Hindi film industry. Khan and Kajol’s chemistry captivates throughout, from their GAP-clad days of college teasing to the unfathomable sexual tension of the gazebo scene. Despite being famous for its love triangle, the movie never pits Anjali and Tina against each other, instead depicting a beautiful friendship between the two women as well as their respective relationships to Rahul. “Pyar dosti hai,” Rahul declares early on: Love is friendship. And Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is nothing if not a timeless story about friends. — Proma Khosla, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Where to watch: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is streaming on Netflix.
5. Set It Up
Credit: Netflix
What’s better than one set of hot people getting together in a fun, modern romantic comedy? Those hot people setting up another set of hot people in a modern, fun romantic comedy! Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell play assistants to two single power players (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs) and team up to get their high-strung bosses dating so they’ll give their staff a break. Of course, making two people fall in love isn’t as easy as it seems, and neither is resisting the charms of your partner-in-love-crime. Set It Up is a perfectly light, cuddly date movie. Also, Pete Davidson is there for a little bit. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter
Where to watch: Set It Up is streaming on Netflix.
6. Been So Long
Credit: Netflix
Adapted from the musical of the same name, Been So Long offers a dreamy look at a chance encounter between two people in desperate need of a break from reality. With electric interactions between stars Michaela Coel and Arinzé Kene, this poppy romance will have you from the moment the first words are sung — and won’t let go until the very last verse. — A.F. *
Where to watch: Been So Long is streaming on Netflix.
7. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Credit: Netflix
Netflix’s rom-com revival kicked off in 2018, a year whose slate included this criminally charming movie based on the novel by Jenny Han. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is a hopeless romantic in the habit of writing letters to her most epic crushes — writing, not sending. When the letters are leaked, she starts pretending to date Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) to divert attention from her real crush on her sister’s boyfriend.
With a bouncy pop soundtrack and visual style that is the envy of your entire Instagram feed, To All the Boys is the kind of movie you can return to again and again, a comfort watch as sweet as Lara Jean’s baked goods. Will we ever tire of watching fictional characters fake love until it becomes real? If they’re even half as adorable as these two, the answer is no. — P.K.
Where to watch: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is streaming on Netflix.
8. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Though this 1940s-set title is a bit of a mouthful, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a straightforward tale of boy-meets-girl. Or boy in a book club meets lady author, who is staying in town to do research on the German occupation and uncovers WWII secrets. Lily James (Downton Abbey, Cinderella) and Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones) star as a bookish couple whose interest in history — and the author Charles Lamb — brings them together even as the world tries to move them away from each other. — A.N.
Where to watch: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is streaming on Netflix.
9. Brokeback Mountain
Not every love story can have a happy ending. But there’s something to savor in those breakup movies we wish we could quit. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal star as two cowboys who fall hard for each other while out in the wilderness on a shepherding job. But when they return to a world defined by staunch gender roles, toxic masculinity, and homophobia, they are forced to make impossible, all-too-common decisions. Brokeback Mountain is a riveting drama about forbidden love, grounded by three Academy Award-nominated performances (Ledger, Gyllenhaal, and Michelle Williams — though Anne Hathaway was deserving too!) Painted in beauty and pain, it’s little wonder this one won Ang Lee the Oscar for Best Directing. — K.P.
Where to watch: Brokeback Mountain is streaming on Netflix.
10. La La Land
Want something whimsical and wildly acclaimed? Then how about the 6-time Oscar-winning musical, La La Land. Academy Award-winner Emma Stone stars as an aspiring actress who’s seeking fame but finds love when she crosses paths with a dashing piano player (Ryan Gosling). Director Damien Chazelle won an Oscar for helming this lively love letter to Los Angeles (that was before his Babylon aimed to burn it all down!). Romance gives way to song, dance, and a bit of fantasy in this colorful and enchanting tale of dreamers. — K.P.
Where to watch: La La Land is streaming on Netflix.
11. A Knight’s Tale
Hot off the success of the contemporary Shakespearean adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger returned to the spotlight in another anachronistic mash-up of love and romance. And it had plenty of action to boot!
Born a humble thatcher’s son, Will (Ledger) seems destined to live a life of poverty and no consequence. Well, that is until he masquerades as a knight with a little help from his friends (Alan Tudyk, Mark Addy, and Paul Bettany). Together, they build a legend of a champion, pitching Will into jousting competitions for money and love. Because, of course, amid scenes of horse-striding battle, there’s also time for romance with a devastatingly chic princess (Shannyn Sossamon).
Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, A Knight’s Tale blends a medieval fable with modern sensibilities, a rockin’ soundtrack, and the vibes of a teen comedy with a rousing sports epic. It’s an intoxicating blend that’s sure to make your heart race and your belly rock with laughter. — K.P.
Where to watch: A Knight’s Tale is streaming on Netflix.
12. The Incredible Jessica James
Get a masterclass in self-confidence and healthy communication from The Incredible Jessica James. Jessica Williams stars opposite Chris O’Dowd, with a supporting performance from LaKeith Stanfield. This charming tale of a woman who will stop at nothing to be loved the way she deserves explores so much of what makes romance the sticky business that it is. But this rom-com boasts just the right amount of optimism to keep you invested until its stunningly grounded happily ever after. — A.F. *
How to watch: The Incredible Jessica James is streaming on Netflix.
Asterisks (*) indicate the entry has been modified from a previous Mashable list.
UPDATE: Feb. 6, 2023, 1:09 p.m. EST This list has been updated to reflect Netflix’s current selection.
