The 25 Best Rom-Coms on Netflix: ‘Someone Great,’ ‘No Hard Feelings,’ and More

25. “Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop” (2021)

Kyōhei Ishiguro’s 2021 anime film is a lot like the carbonated drink it’s somewhat clunkily named after: sweet, fizzy, and refreshing. The endearing coming-of-age storyline follows the summer friendship between Cherry, a shy boy who uses haikus to express his feelings, and Smile, an influencer who uses a face mask to hide her buckteeth. After accidentally swapping phones in a local mall, the two tentatively connect online, and their flirtation spills out into the real world, as they help each other come out of their self-conscious shells. Nothing is particularly groundbreaking, but the endearing and earnest story still hits, and the stylish, colorful animation looks as good as it makes you feel. —WC

24. “Someone Great” (2019)

Probably most notable culturally for helping “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo burst in popularity, “Someone Great” is still a surprisingly solid rom-com that’s a cut above the usual Netflix originals. A lot of that is owed to Gina Rodriguez, who played a rom-com heroine for years on “Jane the Virgin” and brings that down-to-earth but elevated charm to her role as Jenny, a music journalist who gets brutally dumped by her boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield) after she lands a dream job that will force her to move cross country to San Francisco. Still struggling to get over the devastation, she gathers her two best friends, Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow), for one last night out in New York. The results are emotionally grounded and realistic about the need to let go of relationships instead of pursuing a fairy tale, and that clear-headed approach to love separates “Someone Great” from far too many mediocre originals that plague the streamer. —WC

23. “A Family Affair” (2024)

It’s official — 2024 was the year of the MILF. Cinemas were flooded with films about the love affairs between older women and younger men, ranging from dark erotic dramas (“Last Summer”) to frothy comedies (“The Idea of You.”) Nicole Kidman is the unofficial face of this movement, starring in two such films — buzzy Venice Film Festival premiere “Babygirl” and the decidedly less prestigious Netflix original “A Family Affair,” which casts her as a single mom going for Zac Efron’s famous actor, who also happens to employ her daughter (Joey King) as his assistant. It’s easily the weakest film in this cinematic subgenre, a clunky rom-com with that overly placid Netflix Original sheen. Still, Kidman and Efron — reuniting after starring in camp classic “The Paperboy” — have an infectious chemistry, and the movie is a suitable enough watch for anyone craving stories about cougars and the men they love. —WC

22. “Anyone But You” (2023)

The highest-grossing rom-com of the 2020s isn’t necessarily the best rom-com of the 2020s. And yet! There’s something about “Anyone But You” that’s hard not to like. While the comedy in the Will Gluck film — a very loose modernization of “Much Ado About Nothing” — often strains, stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell shine in the earnest, emotional material, bringing a sweet chemistry that overcomes occasionally clunky writing. And they’re insanely hot together, with the film often resembling a meld of sex comedy and rom-com in a way that helps it stand out from the pack. “Anyone But You” is a complete throwback to the ’90s era of rom-coms, and if that includes all of the bad parts of those rom-coms, maybe that’s just part of the charm. —WC

21. “Love, Actually” (2003)

One of the most divisive love-it-or-hate-it movies in history, “Love, Actually” remains an unmissable holiday watch for many — and there’s undeniable appeal to vegging out to it year round. Richard Curtis’ interlocked film of love stories around London during the holiday season is a mammoth film featuring a gigantic cast of stars in a huge ensemble. Like any film of its nature, “Love, Actually” has its highs — Liam Neeson’s touching storyline about caring for his stepson, Emma Thompson’s brilliant performance as a woman who discovers her husband is cheating on her — and massive lows — the notoriously creepy scene where Andrew Lincoln reveals his love to Kiera Knightley via cue cards, the cringeworthy romance between Colin Firth and his Portuguese housekeeper. But in all, the film is stronger than its individual parts, a two-hour behemoth that’s easy to get lost in. 

20. “How to Be Single” (2016)

Shockingly not based on a self-help book (it’s actually based on a novel by Liz Tuccillo, who did write the self-help book that became “He’s Just Not That Into You”), “How to Be Single” is an enjoyably shiny hangout sitcom with some flimsy but fun feminist trappings. Essentially a less glamorous “Sex and the City,” Christian Ditter’s film follows four friends — played by Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, Alison Brie, and Leslie Mann — as they navigate single life and the various men they encounter around New York City. While Johnson’s Alice is on a journey to figuring out it’s okay to be single, Brie’s Lucy and Mann’s Meg have more traditional rom-com plots, chasing after guys and running away from guys who want them. It’s not the most sophisticated film, but it works well as a low-stakes look at modern dating, anchored by its terrific cast. —WC

19. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” (2005)

The age of Brangelina has long since passed, and the fallout of their union does cast a shadow that pales the glow of the film that started it all. And yet, the original “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” remains a pure distillation of movie star sizzle, a snapshot of a moment in time when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were at their most impossibly beautiful. As two assassins from competing undercover agencies unknowingly married to each other, the two stars have such intense heat with each other that it singlehandedly lifts Doug Liman’s otherwise stale action comedy into an exhilarating, breathless watch. For all of the tabloid drama that surrounded the film when it first hit theaters, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is a tribute to how powerful star quality on film can really be. —WC

18. “The Half of It” (2020)

The tale of Cyrano de Bergerac has been directly adapted more than a dozen times, most recently with Peter Dinklage as its star in 2021. Edmond Rostand’s 1897 play has inspired as many romantic comedies, from 1987’s “Roxanne” to 2009’s “The Ugly Truth.” Still, Netflix original “The Half of It” stands out as a winning coming-of-age story anchored by its endearing but grounded queer lead and a story that pushes boundaries, albeit gently. Leah Lewis plays Ellie Chu: an artsy, straight-A student whose homework-for-hire business lands her in the middle of a blossoming romance between jock Paul (Daniel Diemer) and the passionate Aster (Alexxis Lemire). Writer/director Alice Wu spins an infectious LGBTQ love story with her trio of leads and, though it isn’t wholly revolutionary, what “The Half of It” lacks in bombast it makes up in joy. —AF

17. “Duck Butter” (2018)

Co-written with star Alia Shawkat, director Miguel Arteta’s “Duck Butter” is decidedly uneven but spectacular at moments. The breezy then claustrophobic dramedy (perhaps the most serious fare on this list) accompanies two women on a quest to “fast-forward ten years” of their would-be romance by spending 24 uninterrupted hours together. Shawkat’s unsure and cynical Nima begins the slightly meta film as a struggling actress in a Duplass brothers production (with Jay and Mark playing themselves!) But when faced with the effervescent tumultuousness of Laia Costa’s Sergio — a Latin-American singer and painter with an intimidating magnetism — Nima is forced to confront what she really wants. —AF

16. “Maid in Manhattan” (2002)

One of Jennifer Lopez’s most well-remembered rom-coms from her early 2000s peak, “Maid in Manhattan” is an unapologetic wish-fullfillment fantasy in the vein of “Cinderella” or “Pretty Women.” Lopez is the diamond in the rough, a single mother supporting her young son by working as a maid at a swanky Manhattan hotel. After a misunderstanding, she falls for a charming and friendly senatorial candidate (Ralph Fiennes), who thinks she’s a rich socialite. The resulting story of the mismatched duo is a bit on the generic side. Still, it’s a totally comforting breeze, with Lopez at her most charismatic and Fiennes at his most dashing. —WC

15. “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” (2020)

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams deliver a rom-com and so much more in director David Dobkin’s ferociously silly (if seriously uneven) “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.” Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdóttir are best friends and small-time musicians from Iceland with dreams of making it big. Winning the famed international songwriting competition would put the pair — ill-received at home and woefully unprepared for the spotlight — on the global map. But the couple’s complicated will-they-won’t-they threatens to undo Lars’ over-the-top ambition as Sigrit’s unrequited love cuts deeper. The Netflix original earned a nod for Best Original Song with the epic ballad “Husavik” at the 93rd Academy Awards. —AF

14. “Set It Up” (2018)

Arguably the breakthrough title in Netflix’s burgeoning library of original romantic comedies, Claire Scanlon’s charming throwback relies on some old staples of the genre: adorable leads with big chemistry and a slightly convoluted plot designed to throw them together as frequently as possible.

Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) are a pair of overworked assistants whose lives are dominated by their demanding bosses, but when the pair meet-cute in the lobby of their office building, they hatch a plan to set up their superiors (played by Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs), all in hopes that a romance will distract them from further ruining their lives. Inevitably, it’s Harper and Charlie who fall for each other, but Katie Silberman’s script has a lot of fun getting them to that point, and damn if it isn’t a joy to see a new pair of rom-com superstars emerge in Deutch and Powell. —KE

13. “The Incredible Jessica James” (2017)

Jessica Williams dazzles as the titular “Incredible Jessica James” in writer/director James C. Strouse’s hidden gem from 2017. Having recently broken up her with ex-boyfriend Damon (LaKeith Stanfield), the newly single playwright seeks out different experiences in New York City, meeting blind date Boone (Chris O’Dowd) along the way. Both are struggling to get over their past relationships, and quickly bond through their parallel heartbreak. Through imaginative flashbacks and dream sequences, audiences watch as Jessica grapples with feelings old and new for a fresh feminist perspective on a familiar romantic formula. —AF

12. “The Lovebirds” (2020)

“The Lovebirds” introduces its starring couple four years into a crumbling relationship. Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani are instantly recognizable as charismatic counterparts doomed for mutual destruction: sniping over everything from dinner plans to ‘The Amazing Race.’ When the would-be exes collide with a criminal organization in the midst of a breakup, however, they’re forced to problem-solve in a kind of a hyper-high stakes session of couples therapy caught somewhere between “Eyes Wide Shut” and “The Big Lebowski.” Though “The Lovebirds” script sometimes falters, Michael Showalter brings the same confident direction that made “The Big Sick” a smash. —AF

11. “No Hard Feelings” (2023)

“No Hard Feelings” isn’t quite a conventional rom-com — thank God, considering that Jennifer Lawrence is paired on screen with a 20-year-old playing a college freshman. Still, the relationship between Lawrence’s vulgar Montauk bartender Maddie and Andrew Barth Feldman’s shy Princeton-bound Percy is one of the sweetest and most unexpected connections in recent comedy history, even if it started because Percy’s parents hired Maddie on Craigslist to take their kid’s virginity before he goes to college. The two have fantastic chemistry together both comedic and otherwise, as Maddie learns to be more vulnerable through the kindhearted young man while Percy blossoms socially under her unconventional guidance. “No Hard Feelings” is plenty funny too — with an all-timer nude fighting scene from Lawrence — but it perhaps works best as an oddly sweet odd-couple film about a friendship as charged and meaningful as any romance. —WC

10. “Always Be My Maybe” (2019)

By the time Nahnatchka Khan’s breezy feature directorial debut “Always Be My Maybe” offers up a hearty wink at “Pretty Woman,” the Netflix original feature has already earned its stripes as the online streamer’s next great rom-com. Khan’s film pulls liberally from the genre playbook — stars and co-writers Ali Wong and Randall Park haven’t been shy about the film’s early inspirations, especially classics like “When Harry Met Sally” — but it also offers its own charms thanks to Wong and Park, who delight both on-screen and on the page.

And while “Always Be My Maybe” doesn’t reinvent its genre, it’s a welcome addition that contributes cultural diversity to a typically white-dominated screen space, and leans into tropes that have always made rom-coms (well, good rom-coms) such a joy to watch. —KE

9. “Sixteen Candles” (1984)

After you finish your ten millionth “To All the Boys I Loved Before” rewatch on Netflix, why not take the time to visit one of the film’s inspirations? The directorial debut of teen film whisperer John Hughes, “Sixteen Candles” stars a fantastic Molly Ringwald as shy sophomore Samantha, whose sweet sixteen is completely forgotten by her family due to her sister’s upcoming wedding. As the day goes on, she attempts to speak to her longtime crush Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling, in a classic teen film heartthrob role), while dealing with her friend Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) and his crush on her. The plot is one you’d find in many a classic coming-of-age film, but it’s rendered empathetically by Hughes’s clear-eyed script and Ringwald’s grounded performance. Like many of Hughes’ work, there’s some ugly stuff here — several scenes of questionable consent, extremely casual racist Asian stereotypes — but it remains one of film’s greatest teenage dreams for a reason. —WC 

8. “Kicking and Screaming” (1995)

Before he was getting Oscar nominations for scenes where Scarlett Johannson and Adam Driver yell at each other — or, more recently, co-writing the script to the “Barbie” movie — Noah Baumbach made his feature directorial debut with “Kicking and Screaming.” Not to be confused with the raunchy 2005 comedy about Will Ferrell coaching a children’s soccer team, Baumbach’s low-key but sharp debut focuses on a group of college graduates who stick around their university’s town out of fear of facing the real world. Josh Hamilton, years before he became one of cinema’s best dads in “Eighth Grade,” leads the cast as the slacking writer Grover, whose blasé approach to growing up is thrown out of order when his girlfriend Jane (Olivia d’Abo) accepts a fellowship in Prague, leaving him with only memories of her. 

Although the film — so drenched in the ennui of its cast of adults in arrested development — never quite becomes the conventional studio romantic comedy that it flirts with, Grover’s struggles to grow up for the sake of his relationship provide the ambling character study its backbone; the film even climaxs with Hamilton giving an impassioned speech at the airport, desperate to reunite with his beau. Plus, like all good rom-coms, they got an absolute ringer to play the lead’s parent: Elliot Gould should really be the dad in every romantic comedy. —WC 

7. “Hit Man” (2024)

A classic star vehicle, “Hit Man” probably deserved better than an under-the-radar straight-to-Netflix release. If there’s a positive though, it’s that Richard Linklater’s fizzy rom-com treat can be revisited and rewatched as many times as you want. A crime comedy about a stick in the mud college teacher who becomes a fake hitman for the New Orleans Police Department, ‘Hit Man’ may be slightly more gritty than the typical comfort watch. But it goes down insanely easy, thanks to Glen Powell’s chameleonic turn. He’s effortlessly sexy and ludicrously watchable as the nerdy Gary Johnson, who transforms himself into a young Brad Pitt-esque heartthrob to dupe and eventually woo a desperate abused wife (Adria Arjona). Powell and Arjona are insanely hot together, and their chemistry makes the morally questionable actions that the central couple makes throughout the film all too easy to excuse. —WC 

6. “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” (2018)

Netflix’s vise grip on the new wave rom-com market is tight, but the streaming giant has also found time to zero in on a previoulsy underserved subgenre: teen-centric rom-coms. Hit charmer “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” cracks what should be an obvious code: find a sweet protagonist, and even the most outlandish of storylines can work.

Featuring a knockout performance from Lana Condor, the Susan Johnson story takes Jenny Han’s best-selling YA novels and turns them into a very cute feature. The film follows Condor’s Lara Jean after her (secret!) love letters are released into the world, a wild idea that allows other, more grounded emotion to take wing.

Mostly, though, “To All the Boys” keeps a tight hold on the formula of every rom-com and adapts it for the younger set. Every beat of the film might be obvious, but that doesn’t detract from the enjoyability of watching an indelible young heroine like Lara Jean figure out her own life and just maybe fall in love in the process. —KE

5. “Plus One” (2019)

Low-key and slight, “Plus One” is stealthily among the most charming and smartest rom-coms of its era. The indie gem from directors Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer stars Jack Quaid and Maya Erskine as long-term friends Ben and Alice, now in their late twenties and in the period of their life where all of their social circle is getting married. When the two get invited to a combined 10 weddings over one summer, they agree to be each other’s plus ones for every ceremony they’re invited to, an arrangement of convenience that (of course!) unearths some buried feelings from the platonic besties. It’s undeniably derivative of many rom-com greats (most prominently “Four Weddings and a Funeral,”) but “Plus One” works because it smartly captures the uncertainty and anxiety of watching everyone else seemingly move on to a new stage of their life when you haven’t figured out your own. It helps that Quaid and (especially) Erskine are so strong in their roles, injecting winning sardonic humor into the modest affair. —WC

4. “The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love” (1995)

Sapphic options on Netflix are unfortunately scarce, and the options that do exist tend to be fairly bottom of the barrel. Luckily, there’s a hidden gem in “The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love,” Maria Maggenti’s underrated 1995 dramedy about a lesbian romance along class lines. “L Word” star Laurel Holloman plays Randy Dean, a boyish White lesbian from a poor family who’s a virtual outcast in her small town. A sudden friendship with the wealthy Black teen Evie (Nicole Parker) soon blossoms into more, but the two have to contend with prejudice while revealing their connection to friends and family. Sharply written and sensitively directed, Maggenti’s film deepens the romance by showcasing the class and race issues that divide the two, even as Holloman and Parker create such potent chemistry that it’s impossible not to root for the central couple to overcome it all. —WC

3. “Notting Hill” (1999)

One of Richard Curtis’ most well-known and acclaimed films, “Notting Hill” is in many ways a “Pretty Woman” class-based romance with the genders flipped. Julia Roberts, who became one of the most brightly shining stars of her generation as a sex worker who’s swept off her feet by a wealthy man in the Garry Marshall classic, now plays the upper-class half of the central romance as Anna, a famous Hollywood actress with a very Julia Roberts-esque reputation and screen presence. In London for a press event, Anna happens into the travel bookstore of hapless but charming British bookkeeper William (Hugh Grant), and the two begin an unsteady romance plagued by the divide between them. Some unfortunate whitewashing aside (this is the most caucasian interpretation of the titular London neighborhood ever put to screen), “Notting Hill” has absolutely everything you can possibly want from a rom-com: a smart and funny script, a memorable supporting cast, two stars at the height of their star power with devastating chemistry together, and a cozy, comforting vibe.  It’s just a movie, sitting in front of an audience, asking them to watch it. 

2. “She’s Gotta Have It” (1986)

Legendary for launching Spike Lee’s career, microbudget triumph “She’s Gotta Have It” is frequently cited as a revolutionary turning point in the representation of Black women and Black sexuality on screen. Tracy Camilla Johns stars as Nola Darling: a free-spirited artist whose polyamorous attraction entangles her with three different men (Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canda Terrell, and Lee himself). The 1987 feature is an imperfect film, frequently criticized for a scene involving sexual assault; Lee himself has described the sequence as a major regret. But its raw magnetism is essential to understanding Lee’s career and makes Netflix’s serialized take on the film an even more gratifying watch. —AF

1. “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” (1998)

“Love is friendship.” That simple but maddening sentiment kicks off a love triangle for the ages in writer/director Karan Johar’s 1998 Bollywood classic “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai:” a bittersweet and bubbly story of young love, missed opportunity, and female friendship starring genre icons Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji. When Rahul — a charismatic flirt practically attached at the hip with his tomboyish best friend Anjali — falls for new girl Tina, he clumsily mangles what was once an unbreakable friendship. Years in the future, with some help from his adorable daughter also named Anjali (Sana Saeed), Rahul gets a second a chance with his would-be college sweetheart. Come for the promise of silly but still flashy ’90s hip hop choreography and costuming combined with stunning Indian dance. Stay for what’s quite possibly the most romantic gazebo scene of all time. —AF