When you’re tired from a busy week and you don’t feel like scrolling to find a movie to watch, you can always fall back on the best romantic comedies on Netflix right now.
One of the most popular genres in cinema, it’s not surprising that Netflix is chock-full of rom-coms to choose from. Fortunately, we’ve done the digging to identify the best ones. Read on for our newly updated list!
We’ve also curated posts highlighting the best rom-coms on Amazon Prime Video and the best rom-coms on Hulu, just in case Netflix doesn’t have what you’re looking for.
Recently added to Netflix
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Miss Congeniality2000
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) new
94m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris
Directed by
Kirk Jones
Fourteen years after the smash-hit original, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 brings Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) back to another Portokalos family wedding. This time, however, there’s trouble in paradise as Toula and Ian are dealing with their troubled teenage daughter and a marriage that is beginning to strain.
Miss Congeniality (2000) new
111m
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Action
Stars
Sandra Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine
Directed by
Donald Petrie
While there is a romantic subplot, Miss Congeniality is more about loving one’s self than anything else. When a local FBI office receives a threatening letter from a terrorist targeting the Miss America beauty pageant, the FBI needs to get someone in undercover. Unfortunately, the only option at that office is gritty, slightly clumsy Agent Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock). Nonetheless, they send her undercover as the contestant from New Jersey, forcing her through a dramatic makeover and into a situation with a group of women who have more to teach her than she expected.
No Strings Attached (2011)
107m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline
Directed by
Ivan Reitman
In 2011, two R-rated romantic comedies starring A-listers came out about six months apart and had practically identical plots. Both, somehow, are fairly decent. Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher star in the first, No Strings Attached. Portman plays Emma, a busy doctor who seems to find the perfect arrangement when she sets up a no-strings-attached sexual relationship with her best friend, Adam (Kutcher). But when real feelings develop, things get complicated.
Friends with Benefits (2011)
109m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Jenna Elfman
Directed by
Will Gluck
The second, Friends with Benefits, stars Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. (It’s ironic that Kunis and Kutcher are now married in real life.) When headhunter Jamie (Kunis) recruits art director Dylan (Timberlake) to New York City, they quickly strike up a real friendship. But despite the warnings of Hollywood rom-coms, they figure it will be easy to integrate sex into their friendship. Spoiler: It’s not.
Just Go with It (2011)
117m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman
Directed by
Dennis Dugan
When womanizing plastic surgeon Danny (Adam Sandler) becomes smitten with a much younger schoolteacher, Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), he enlists his assistant, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), to pose as his soon-to-be ex-wife to cover up a lie he told to Palmer. Predictably, the lie backfires, setting off a series of additional lies that affects Katherine’s kids and leads everyone on a Hawaiian vacation that will change all of their lives.
The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
124m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans
Directed by
Nicholas Stoller
One year to the day after Tom (Shrinking‘s Jason Segel) meets Violet (Emily Blunt), he proposes and the still young couple feel destined for their happily ever after. But, as The Five-Year Engagement suggests, Tom and Violet keep getting tripped up by life as they meander towards the aisle. While most rom-coms end with the engagement, this one’s all about finally getting over that last hump.
Your Place or Mine (2023)
109m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Jesse Williams
Directed by
Aline Brosh McKenna
Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher team up in this Netflix Original rom-com! Debbie (Witherspoon) and Peter (Kutcher) are best friends, but complete opposites — living diametrically opposed lives in LA and New York, respectively. But when they decide to swap houses and lives for a week, they find that each is lacking something that the other provides, coming to the realization that there’s more to their relationship than just friendship.
La La Land (2016)
129m
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance, Music
Stars
Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend
Directed by
Damien Chazelle
This genre-bending musical ode to Hollywood was an Oscars darling, earning an astounding 14 nominations and winning six awards, including Best Director and Best Actress for Emma Stone. Mia (Stone) is an aspiring actress who works as a barista on a studio lot. Sebastian (Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling) is a jazz musician scraping by playing cocktail parties and dive bars. When they meet by chance in Griffith Park, they fall fast and hard for one another. But as each of their dreams start becoming realized, the fabric of their love begins to fray.
The Kissing Booth (2018)
105m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi
Directed by
Vince Marcello
A list of the best romantic comedies would never be complete without at least one teen rom-com on the list, and The Kissing Booth is a good fit. Joey King stars as Elle, a teenager who finds herself in a pickle when she begins a romance with her best friend’s popular, bad boy older brother, played by Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi. Spawning two sequels, it’s a heavily clichéd story, but that’s precisely what makes The Kissing Booth the perfectly predictable movie to watch when you’re in the mood, provided you go into it with the right expectations.
Long Story Short (2021)
90m
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Fantasy
Stars
Rafe Spall, Zahra Newman, Ronny Chieng
Directed by
Josh Lawson
One of the newer entries on the list, Long Story Short hails from Australia, and it tells the story of Teddy (Rafe Spall), a man who wakes up after his wedding to discover that time is moving at a rapid pace: A year has already passed, and every minute, another year goes by. Confused and shocked, he discovers that time isn’t moving as fast for anyone else he interacts with. While Teddy and his best friend concoct a plan to ensure he has a “perfect day” to try and break the curse, Teddy learns of growing troubles in his marriage down the road that make this difficult to accomplish. Long Story Short is predictable and repetitive, but the clever premise and moral lessons about focusing on what matters make for a fun watch.
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To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
115m
Genre
Romance, Comedy, Drama
Stars
Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish
Directed by
Michael Fimognari
The third and final entry in Netflix’s hit To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy is a bit more grown-up than the first two. It makes sense, considering the characters are growing up, about to leave high school, and making the first truly major decisions of their lives. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is back from a family trip to Korea that has inspired her to think a bit more broadly about her future. That means making college plans — with or without beau Peter (Noah Centineo).
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
83m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd, Noël Wells
Directed by
Jim Strouse
The Daily Show veteran Jessica Williams has a star-making turn as the title character in The Incredible Jessica James. Fresh off of a breakup with her boyfriend, Damon (Lakeith Stanfield), Jessica unexpectedly hits it off with a recently divorced man named Boone (Chris O’Dowd). The pair bond over stalking their exes via social media, and they decide to make some changes in their lives for their mutual benefit. However, Damon still lingers on Jessica’s mind, and Boone’s ex isn’t as out of the picture as Jessica is led to believe.
The Perfect Date (2019)
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Cast
Noah Centineo, Camila Mendes, Laura Marano
Noah Centineo is certainly making his name as Netflix’s go-to romantic foil in To All the Boys I’ve Ever Loved and Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. But Centineo takes the leading role in The Perfect Date as Brooks Rattigan, a high school student who is desperate to get into Yale. With the help of his friends, Murph (Odiseas Georgiadis) and Celia Lieberman (Laura Marano), Brooks launches an app that lets him hire himself out as the perfect plus-one to any female companion. He also pursues Celia’s rich cousin, Shelby Pace (Camila Mendes), while crossing some moral lines that ultimately force him to question who he is becoming.
I Am Not an Easy Man (2018)
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Vincent Elbaz, Moon Dailly Monira, Marie-Sophie Ferdane
We would not be surprised if there is an eventual English language remake of the French comedy, I Am Not an Easy Man. In the meantime, this is an ideal example of why subtitles were invented. Vincent Elbaz stars in the film as Damien, an unapologetic womanizer. However, a head injury lands Damien in a world that he barely recognizes. In this apparent alternate universe, women have all of the power, and Damien is routinely mocked and sexually harassed by the opposite sex. The lone bright spot is a novelist named Alexandra (Marie-Sophie Ferdane), because she and Damien may be kindred spirits.
The Knight Before Christmas (2019)
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Cast
Vanessa Hudgens, Josh Whitehouse, Emmanuelle Chriqui
The Knight Before Christmas is basically a Hallmark Channel movie that was just made for Netflix instead. So, it’s a standard time-travel romantic flick that just happens to take place around Christmas. But there’s something charming about this earnest flick that doesn’t even really try to get all of the historical facts right. In the distant past, a young knight named Sir Cole (Josh Whitehouse) goes on a quest that ultimately leaves him stranded in the far future. That would be the present for us. It’s almost love at first sight for Brooke Winters (Vanessa Hudgens) when she accidentally smacks Sir Cole with her car. While Brooke initially believes that Cole lost his memory, she finds herself drawn to his genuine warmth and his good old-fashioned chivalry.
The Half of It (2020)
104m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire
Directed by
Alice Wu
The Half of It takes a bit of inspiration from Cyrano de Bergerac and makes the formula its own. In this case, Leah Lewis (Ellie Chu) plays the Cyrano role, as she reluctantly agrees to help Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) pursue the girl of his dreams, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). The problem is that Aster is already the girl of Leah’s dreams. But to make ends meet, Leah agrees to coach Paul so he can get closer to Aster. Of course, Paul and Leah get close as well. But the film never loses sight of who Leah really wants to be with, or what she wants out of life. Leah can’t get everything she desires, but she does have a transformative experience that allows her to grow and become the person she was always meant to be.
The Lovebirds (2021)
87m
Genre
Comedy, Action, Romance
Stars
Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Paul Sparks
Directed by
Michael Showalter
Getting decent reviews since it was released in late May, this film stars Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple on the brink of breakup. After they witness a murder, they decide to go on the run to avoid being blamed for something they didn’t do. Forced to stay together under such unexpected circumstances, they begin to reconnect in new ways. The two stars are lauded for their performances and chemistry. As a follow-up to The Big Sick, which got rave reviews, this isn’t director Michael Showalter’s best project (he did, after all, co-create the Wet Hot American Summer franchise). But it’s a worthy watch for a fresh and modern take on the typical rom-com.
Someone Great (2019)
92m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise
Directed by
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Someone Great isn’t a typical romantic comedy, and that’s one of the reasons the film’s primary romance ends early. On the verge of a cross-country move, Jenny Young (Gina Rodriguez) is blindsided when her longtime boyfriend, Nate Davis (Lakeith Stanfield) breaks up with her. Distraught, Jenny turns to her best gal pals, Blair Helms (Brittany Snow) and Erin Kennedy (DeWanda Wise); both of whom have troubled romantic entanglements of their own. To complicate matters, Jenny can’t seem to escape Nate’s shadow. Jenny has to determine if she even wants Nate back. But it’s the friendship between the three women that really turns this film into an uplifting story.
Set It Up (2018)
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Cast
Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu
Sometimes, even characters in romantic comedies know the rules of engagement. In Set It Up, assistants Harper Moore (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie Young (Glen Powell) realize that their respective bosses, Kirsten Stevens (Lucy Liu) and Rick Otis (Taye Diggs) need a little love in their lives. However, arranging a romance between Kirsten and Rick is easier said than done. Meanwhile, Harper and Charlie’s relationships start to hit the skids just as they slowly realize they might be right for each other too. It’s a sweet story, and one of the best Netflix original romances.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
101m
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Stars
Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito
Directed by
Nahnatchka Khan
Comedian Ali Wong (Beef) both wrote and stars in this 2019 film as Sasha, a woman who reunites with Marcus (Fresh Off The Boat‘s Randall Park), a childhood friend and one-time fling, when she returns to her hometown of San Francisco. There’s a clear chemistry between them but Sasha has a demanding career and the timing is always off, especially when Marcus discovers Sasha’s new celebrity love interest: Keanu Reeves (yes, he’s in the movie!) Will they finally realize they’re meant for one another? The film has been almost universally liked, and praised for its ability to layer typical rom-com tropes with “smart social commentary.”
Ali's Wedding (2017)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Cast
Osamah Sami, Don Hany, Helana Sawires
This Australian film from 2017 is one of the, if not the first, Muslim rom-coms. The story follows Ali, a musically inclined young Muslim man struggling with his desire to be with one woman when he has been promised to another by his family. The film touches upon universal ideas about relationships that anyone can relate to despite the very specific and cultural setting.
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