A solid romantic comedy does many things. These films remind you of exactly how crazy falling in love and being in the throes of the mighty four-letter word can be. They can be glimmers of hope in the dark times of our lives. And, of course, they can make us laugh — a lot (at least the best ones do). If you’re a Hulu subscriber and a rom-com connoisseur, you’ll be pleased to know that the platform is home to many of today’s leading genre picks, including some Hulu exclusives. To help you find a heartthrob-knee-slapper to settle down with, we’ve rounded up all the best rom-coms on Hulu this month.
Need more rom-coms this weekend? Check out our roundups of the best rom-coms on Amazon Prime Video and the best romantic comedies on Netflix.
Then Came You (2020)
When widower Annabelle (Kathie Lee Gifford) takes a transcontinental journey with her husband’s ashes in tow, she lands in Loch Lomond, where she meets Howard (Craig Ferguson), a local innkeeper. While the latter is engaged, Annabelle and Howard can’t deny the sparks that fly as a lush and banter-laced dynamic forms between the two. A trope-laden rom-com, Then Came You is boosted a rung above the rest with gorgeous cinematography and the addictive charisma between the two onscreen leads.
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Stars: Kathie Lee Gifford, Craig Ferguson, Ford Kiernan, Phyllida Law
Director: Adriana Trigiani
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 97 minutes
Love, Simon (2018)
Adapted from Becky Albertalli’s book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson as Simon Spier. Spending his days roaming high school halls and the annals of online love, Simon hasn’t come out to his family and friends just yet. But when a fellow high schooler using the pseudonym “Blue” comes out, he and Simon take to the internet to confide in one another. Love, Simon finds the savvy lead surrounded by a number of suburban idiosyncratic types — from his own parents to the friends he holds dear — a netting of supporters and challengers that build a rich palette of characters for the protagonist to interact with. Love, Simon succeeds on multiple levels, and it’s one that will linger long after the credits roll.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Tony Hale, Katherine Langford
Director: Greg Berlenti
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 110 minutes
We Broke Up (2021)
Lori and Doug have been in a relationship for nearly a decade, one that comes crashing to a close when Doug’s proposal to his longtime girlfriend ends in rejection. The only trouble is that the pair experience this great disappointment on the eve of Lori’s sister’s wedding. Deciding to pretend they’re still together, the couple must confront their deep-seated emotions for each other while contending with could-be love interests — all under the shadow of matrimony. Powered by the charismatic lead performances of both Cash and Jackson Harper, We Broke Up employs the talents of its two stars wholeheartedly — an on-screen dynamic that provides much of the film’s gusto.
Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
Stars: Aya Cash, William Jackson Harper, Sarah Bolger, Tony Cavalero, Peri Gilpin
Director: Jeff Rosenberg
Rating: N/A
Runtime: 80 minutes
Hello, My Name Is Doris (2015)
This intergenerational romantic comedy thrives on the charms of its two leads, Sally Field and Max Greenfield. Doris (Field) is an older, single woman who becomes smitten with a younger co-worker (Greenfield) in her office. With the help of her best friend’s granddaughter, Doris comes up with a clever scheme to get his romantic attention.
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Stars: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Isabella Acres, Tyne Daly
Director: Michael Showalter
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)
The romantic ideal: Eloping to Tuscany to fall in love with a handsome Italian gentleman. Frances Mayes (Diane Lane) lives out this romantic fantasy after learning her husband is cheating on her. Her life turned upside down and finding herself in a depression, Frances decides to take a tour of Italy on the urging of her best friend. During the trip, the new divorcée impulsively buys a rural Tuscan villa and decides to create a new life in wine country. Soon enough, that life includes love when she meets the handsome Marcello (Raoul Bova).
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
Stars: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Raoul Bova
Director: Audrey Wells
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 113 minutes
It Had to Be You (2016)
Ever since she was cast as the mom in How I Met Your Mother, Cristin Milioti has proven to be a very versatile romantic lead. In It Had to Be You, Milioti plays Sonia, a jingle writer who has a bright future in advertising. Sonia also has a boyfriend, Chris (Dan Soder), whom she has been dating for a long time. However, Sonia is so afraid of commitment that she not only shoots down Chris’ marriage proposal, she torpedoes their relationship and runs off to Italy to fulfill a fantasy. Unfortunately for Sonia, the reality of her romantic fantasies is less than ideal, and she may have let her true love get away.
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%
Stars: Cristin Milioti, Dan Soder, Halley Feiffer, Kate Simses, Erica Sweany
Director: Sasha Gordon
Rating: R
Runtime: 85 minutes
2 Days in Paris (2007)
The writing-directing debut of actress Julie Delpy, 2 Days in Paris follows Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg), a struggling international couple that embarks on a European vacation to try and piece their romance back together. But after arriving in Paris to pick up Marion’s cat, they decide to stay for two nights in the famous city. As the pair begins encountering a number of Marion’s French-speaking ex-lovers, Jack begins to question his girlfriend’s fidelity, further fraying the weather-worn strings keeping him and Marion together. A beautiful breakout from Delpy featuring amazing characters, graceful camerawork, and an emotional score (composed by Delpy), 2 Days in Paris is hard to forget.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Daniel Brühl
Director: Julie Delpy
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
Happiest Season (2020)
Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) a lesbian couple, are planning on spending the holidays with Harper’s right-leaning parents. Embarking on their yuletide trip, Abby has a surprise up her own sleeve in the form of a marriage proposal to her longtime girlfriend. Terms of endearment are prematurely shelved, though, when Abby discovers that Harper hasn’t officially come out to her mother and father. A loving rom-com and a new holiday classic with a glossy sheen, Happiest Season isn’t breathtakingly original, but its sincere story and earnest performances from Stewart and Davis help to elevate the film above other rom-com streaming fodder.
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen, Dan Levy
Director: Clea DuVall
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 102 minutes
Plus One (2019)
Alice Mori (Maya Erskine) and Ben King (Jack Quaid) are friends in their late 20s and both unwed. Forced to watch everyone in their social circle get married, the duo makes a pact: For every wedding that they’re both invited to, they’ll act as each other’s “plus ones.” Leaning heavily on the onscreen chemistry between Erskine and Quaid, Plus One was released a year before Palm Springs (also featured in this roundup), a rom-com with a similar premise, albeit laced with surreal antics. Plus One goes for a more grounded approach, delivering low-key laughs instead of show-stopping set pieces, a narrative choice that works remarkably well.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Ed Begley Jr.
Director: Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer
Rating: NR
Runtime: 96 minutes
Palm Springs (2020)
It’s November 9th, and Nyles (Andy Samberg) is heading to the wedding of friends Tala and Abe — again and again and again. It turns out that after entering a strange vortex in a desert cave, Nyles is stuck in an unbreakable time loop. The situation becomes more complicated once Sarah (Cristin Milioti), the maid of honor and sister of the bride, enters the portal with him, thereby cursing herself to the same vacuum. Oh, and let’s not forget that Nyles is being hunted by a man named Roy (J.K. Simmons). Taking the rom-com genre by storm, Palm Springs dishes out violence and hearty humor in all the right doses. It’s one you don’t want to miss. And miss. And miss.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons
Director: Max Barbakow
Rating: R
Runtime: 90 minutes
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