Netflix may have some truly great movies, but the vast majority have made-for-TV quality at best, and the cheese factor is extremely high. All of the made-for-Netflix romances tend to play out in the same way, and many of these “Netflix originals” are so similar that they tend to blend together.
It’s not as if Netflix is unaware of this. If you type “cheesy movies” into Netflix’s search bar, the results will give you most of their holiday romance films. From there, we narrowed the choices down to the five cheesy Netflix movies that you should watch right now. All of these films are preposterously silly, but they’re also enjoyable in their own way. In other words, you’ll have fun with them.
Holidate (2020)
The high concept of Holidate is actually in its title. Sloane Benson (Emma Roberts) is tired of the dating scene and dreads being single-shamed by her family. That’s why she’s so receptive to Jackson (Luke Bracey) when he offers to date her only on holidays. It gets Sloane’s family off of her back, and she doesn’t have to maintain a relationship with Jackson in the time between holidays
Of course, this doesn’t mean that Sloane’s romantic life is drama-free, especially when she and Jackson develop real feelings that clash with their casual dating setup. Will they work through their issues by Christmas? You probably already know the answer to that question.
Watch Holidate on Netflix.
A Christmas Prince (2017)
A Christmas Prince is not to be confused with The Knight Before Christmas or The Princess Switch, two other Netflix holiday movies that could have easily been on this list. Rose McIver, the star of Ghosts on CBS, headlines this film as Amber Eve Moore, an ambitious reporter who accidentally finds herself undercover in the royal court of Aldovia. After being mistaken as a tutor for Princess Emily Charlton (Honor Kneafsey), Amber investigates the reports that Prince Richard Bevan Charlton (Ben Lamb) plans to abdicate the throne.
Amber expected Richard to be some pampered playboy, only to discover that he is everything that a real prince should be. While falling hard for Richard, Amber unexpectedly jeopardizes his claim to the throne, which may allow Richard’s conniving brother, Count Simon Duxbury (Theo Devaney) to steal the throne and ruin Christmas. We have to admit, if Simon pulled that off, it would be quite an accomplishment.
Watch A Christmas Prince on Netflix.
Falling for Christmas (2022)
Falling For Christmas is the beginning of Lindsay Lohan’s comeback, at least in theory. The jury is still out on whether Lohan will ever make it back to the A-list. Regardless, Lohan’s performance is exactly what it needs to be here as hotel heiress Sierra Belmont, a spoiled woman who never worked at a real job in her life. After her boyfriend, Tad Fairchild (George Young), proposes to her on a mountaintop, Sierra takes a nasty fall and suffers from amnesia. That’s the first cheesy part.
It only gets cheesier when Sierra is taken in by Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet) and his young daughter, Avy (Olivia Perez). After choosing the name Sarah until her memory returns, Sierra learns how to work and she starts falling hard for Jake while Tad is lost in the woods. When Tad finally makes his way into town, Sierra will be forced to choose between him and Jake. Sierra also has to figure out who she really wants to be.
Watch Falling For Christmas on Netflix.
Best. Christmas. Ever! (2023)
Best. Christmas. Ever! is the latest addition to this list, but its super cheesiness will make it a contender for a spot here every Christmas from now on. The story follows Charlotte Sanders (Heather Graham), a frustrated housewife who is jealous of her friend, Jackie Jennings (Brandy Norwood), because she’s found the success and happiness that have eluded her.
One Christmas, Heather’s son, Grant (Wyatt Hunt), gets his mother and father, Rob Sanders (Jason Biggs), to visit Jackie and her husband, Valentino (Matt Cedeño). When the Sanders family is snowed in and forced to stay longer, Heather takes the opportunity to try to prove that Jackie’s life isn’t as good as she pretends it is.
Watch Best. Christmas. Ever! on Netflix.
Love Hard (2021)
Love Hard is no Die Hard, and it may be one of the few Christmas movies to prominently feature catfishing as a plot point. There’s got to be a cheese award for that! Nina Dobrev stars as Natalie Bauer, a romance columnist in Los Angeles who believes that she’s found her perfect match across the country in Josh Lin (Jimmy O. Yang).
Unfortunately for Natalie, she doesn’t realize that she’s been catfished by Josh until she surprises him with a visit at Christmas. But they don’t let a little deception ruin their holiday season. Instead, they go for an even bigger lie as Natalie agrees to pretend to be Josh’s girlfriend in front of his family in return for Josh’s help in setting up Natalie with his attractive friend, Tag (Darren Barnet), whose picture Josh stole for his dating profile.
Watch Love Hard on Netflix.
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