Ever wonder why some romantic movies just hit different—making your heart race faster than a last-minute takedown? Maybe it’s the electric chemistry, the witty banter, or that unmistakable sparkle when two leads lock eyes on screen, just like in that iconic scene on the soccer field where love and tension mix like a perfect training sesh. Whether you’re a rom-com veteran or a newbie ready to dive in, these flicks deliver powerful emotions, hilarious twists, and undeniable star power that’ll keep you glued to your seat. Ready to discover the must-watch romances that Netflix has to offer? Let’s break down the best of the best—because every champ deserves a little love story on the side.
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1
Set It Up (2018)
K C Bailey / Netflix//Netflix
It’s true that Glen Powell could have chemistry with a brick wall if he wanted to, but it’s perhaps truer that his chemistry is at its peak when he’s paired onscreen with Zoey Deutch. The duo are thrilling to watch together in Set It Up, where they play Charlie Young and Harper Moore, two overworked assistants determine to hook up their bosses in order to alleviate their respective workloads.
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2
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Masha_Weisberg//Netflix
It’s possible that the To All the Boys franchise is solely responsible for revitalizing the contemporary rom-com genre. Adapted from Jenny Han’s best-selling young adult book series, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a stellar first installment that puts the butterfly-inducing chemistry of its two young costars front and center. Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) is a hopeless romantic who has a habit of writing passionate love letters to boys who have stolen her heart. But, when her little sister mails out these letters, Lara Jean’s entire world is turned upside down. To throw her crush (and her sister’s ex-boyfriend) off her scent, she hatches a fake-dating scheme with Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). But the lines between what’s real and what isn’t are quickly blurred.
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3
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)
Parisa Taghizadeh/Netflix//Netflix
Adapted from D.H. Lawrence’s 1928 novel of the same name, Lady Chatterley’s Lover follows a torrid love affair between Constance “Connie” Reid (Emma Corrin), a noble lady trapped in a cold and controlling marriage, and Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell), the gamekeeper who works for Connie’s husband. There is an instant connection between Connie and Oliver, but love isn’t enough to sustain their relationship. The two must confront external barriers—including the social judgments and biases of the day—in order to truly be together.
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4
Someone Great (2019)
Sarah Shatz//Netflix
After landing her dream job at Rolling Stone, Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) should be celebrating—but, instead, she’s spiraling out of control after getting dumped by her boyfriend of nine years, Nate (Lakeith Stanfield). In an attempt to get out of this slump, Jenny recruits her two best friends for one final hurrah before she makes her cross-country move to San Francisco for work. But, New York City is littered with memories of her ex that she just can’t seem to shake, no matter how hard she tries.
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5
Anyone But You (2023)
Everett
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell will have you kicking your feet and giggling while watching this 2023 rom-com, which stars Sweeney as Bea, a law student, and Powell as Ben, a Goldman Sachs employee. After a chance encounter, sparks immediately fly between the two. But, a miscommunication abruptly cuts their romance short, and they quickly go from lovers to enemies. When they’re forced to spend time together for a mutual friend’s destination wedding in Australia, they eventually realize that their egos have kept them from truly seeing each other at all.
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6
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Ed Araquel / Netflix//Netflix
Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) were next-door neighbors and childhood best friends with an unbreakable bond—that is, until an explosive fight left them on not-speaking terms for 15 years. When Sasha eventually moves back to their hometown to open a restaurant, she and Marcus reconnect. As adults, they must now confront how past hurts have impeded their ability to move on if they truly want a chance at being together again.
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7
Wedding Season (2022)
KEN WORONER/NETFLIX//Netflix
After breaking off her engagement and leaving her cushy Wall Street job, Asha (Pallavi Sharda) has no time for dating—but that won’t stop her parents from creating a dating profile for her. To get them off her back, she agrees to go on a date with one match, the handsome and wealthy Ravi (Suraj Sharma). With wedding season incoming, she ends up taking things a step further by convincing Ravi to pretend to date her in order to keep nosy relatives at bay.
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8
The Kissing Booth (2018)
Marcos Cruz//Netflix
Audiences today might be most familiar with Jacob Elordi from his critically-acclaimed work in Euphoria, Saltburn, and Priscilla. But, before he transformed into Elvis Presley, he was the tall heartthrob in The Kissing Booth trilogy. Starring opposite Joey King, Elordi plays high school bad boy Noah, who has long been the object of shy high schooler Elle’s desires. Unfortunately for Elle, Noah is strictly off-limits, as he is the older brother of her best friend. But, when Elle decides to run a kissing booth at a school fundraiser and Noah pops by, she must make a choice between love or friendship.
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9
Holidate (2020)
steve dietl//Netflix
Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) are both unlucky-in-love singles. After meeting each other at a store’s return counter, the two strangers decide to make a pact to be each other’s dates for every major holiday. Over New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, and Halloween, the two develop a closer friendship that turns out to be stronger than any romantic connection they’ve harbored before.
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10
Love Hard (2021)
Bettina Strauss//Netflix
Speaking of holiday movies, Netflix continued their rollout of delightfully festive rom-com movies with Love Hard, starring Nina Dobrev and Jimmy O. Yang. Natalie (Dobrev) hasn’t had much luck with dating, but when she matches with the handsome Tag on a dating app, she thinks she’s finally hit the jackpot. Throwing caution to the wind, she decides to hop on an airplane and surprise Tag for Christmas—but, to her disappointment, she finds that she has been catfished by Josh (Yang), Tag’s childhood best friend. The two strike a deal: if Natalie pretends to be Josh’s girlfriend for the holidays, Josh will set up Natalie with the real-life Tag.
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11
Clueless (1995)
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This beloved retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma takes audiences into the colorful and high-octane world of Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), a queen bee who sets out to use her popularity for good by transforming new student Tai (Brittany Murphy). While Cher has good intentions, she quickly comes to the humbling realization hat she perhaps doesn’t actually know everything—a fact that her ex-step brother Josh (Paul Rudd) never fails to remind her of.
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12
Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)
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This Palme d’Or-winning romantic drama is a tender portrait of unexpected love amidst coming-of-age, starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. Adèle (Exarchopoulos) is a young woman who begins to question her sexuality after meeting a blue-haired woman named Emma (Seydoux). From high school to young adulthood, the two navigate their complex feelings for each other while simultaneously growing into their own identities.
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13
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Everett
Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) seemingly has it all: a thriving career as a fashion designer, a chic life in New York City, and a fairytale love story with her wealthy boyfriend, Andrew (Patrick Dempsey). However, when Andrew proposes to her, Melanie covertly heads back to her Alabama hometown in order to seek a divorce from her estranged husband and childhood sweetheart, Jake (Josh Lucas), who is intent on reminding her who she truly is.
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14
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
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This unforgettable ’90s classic is required viewing for any self-proclaimed lover of romcoms. The movie retells the story of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew through a modern lens. When a new student learns that he can’t date his crush until her older sister finds her own boyfriend, he hires school bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) to woo and date the hot-tempered Kat (Julia Stiles).
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15
Let It Snow (2019)
Steve Wilkie//Netflix
When a Christmas Eve snowstorm hits a small town in the midwest and strands rising pop star Stuart Bale in the middle of nowhere, a group of high school seniors find their relationships to each other shifting. This charming holiday flick—based off of John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle’s 2008 novel of the same name—includes delightful performances from Isabela Merced, Shameik Moore, Mitchell Hope, Kiernan Shipka, Jacob Batalon, and more.
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16
The Lovebirds (2020)
SKIP BOLEN/NETFLIX//Max
In this hilarious and heartwarming action romance flick, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani play Leilani and Jibran, a couple whose longterm relationship has been on the rocks. On the night that the two decide to call it quits, they get involved in a car accident that entangles them into a murder mystery, where they are forced to do everything in their power to clear their names.
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17
She’s All That (1999)
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Upon its premiere back in the ’90s, She’s All That became one of the most popular teen romance movies ever made—and for good reason. Freddie Prinze Jr. is electric as Zack, a high school soccer captain who bets that he can turn Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook), an awkward art student, into one of the most popular girls at school. Of course, the transformation doesn’t go quite as planned when Zack begins to fall for her.
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18
Love Wedding Repeat (2020)
Riccardo Ghilardi//Netflix
Any romcom with Sam Claflin is guaranteed to be a butterfly-inducing watch. In Love Wedding Repeat, Claflin plays Jack, an older brother who does everything in his power to make sure his sister’s wedding goes off without a hitch—even if that means navigating the presence of an angry ex-girlfriend, warding off an uninvited guest, and dealing with a sleep sedative. To top it off, Jack is also determined to woo his sister’s former roommate, Dina (Olivia Munn), after missing his chance years before.
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19
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
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There’s a reason why Fifty Shades of Grey became a cultural phenomenon upon its release back in 2015. This erotic romance series follows Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), a 21-year-old college student who piques the interest of billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). The two embark on a whirlwind love affair, and, soon enough, Anastasia finds herself getting drawn deeper and deeper into Christian’s intense world.
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20
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society (2018)
Netflix
Based on the best-selling historical romance novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society stars Lily James as Juliet Ashton, a free-spirited writer determined to learn more about a secretive book club on the Channel Islands during the German occupation. Including performances from Michiel Huisman, Glenn Powell, and Jessica Brown Findlay, this film will satiate the appetite of period drama lovers everywhere.
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