Best Romance Movies on Netflix Right Now (September 2021)
Love is a lot of adjectives: Precious, blind, beautiful, cheesy … it really all depends on the kind of mood you’re in. But when you’re in the mood for romance, you can always get your fix if you have a Netflix subscription. There is no shortage of great romances available on Netflix, from rom-com silliness to steamy dramas. So no matter what kind of love you’re interested in experiencing vicariously, Netflix has something for you. But the massive library can be daunting. To help you out, we’ve rounded up the best romance movies on Netflix that are available to stream now.
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Five Feet Apart (2019)
Five Feet Apart is right up the alley of John Green fans. Stella (Haley Lu Richardson) is a teenage cystic fibrosis patient who lives in a hospital, bound by routines and self-control that literally keep her alive. But she starts wondering what that kind of life really is when she meets Will (Cole Sprouse), a charming teen with the same illness and less inclination to follow the rules. Despite the instant attraction, restrictions say they must maintain a safe distance between one another, so as the connection intensifies, it becomes a lot harder to stay 5 feet apart.
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
Stars: Haley Lu Richardson, Cole Sprouse, Moises Arias
Director: Justin Baldoni
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 116 minutes
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No Strings Attached (2011)
What happens when lifelong friends finally add a physical element to their relationship? That’s what this film endeavors to find out. When Emma and Adam finally take their relationship to the next level by having sex, they’re afraid it will ruin the friendship. So, to avoid issues, they decide to make things purely physical, with no fighting, no jealousy, and no expectations allowed. Of course, that’s completely impractical, as they soon find out. So, eventually the question becomes: Who falls in love first?
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Cary Elwes
Director: Ivan Reitman
Rating: R
Runtime: 108 minutes
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Love Actually (2003)
It’s Christmas in the summer for romance fans because one of the most beloved romance films of the 21st century is available on Netflix. This vignette-style romance follows nine stories, each examining the complexities of love. Some of the stories include the handsome, newly elected British prime minister falling for a junior staffer, a graphic designer searching for love despite the complication of her mentally ill brother, a little boy falling into his first crush, and much more. With a star-studded cast, Love Actually is a bit soapy but it also has some truly charming and funny moments that make it both a great Christmas movie and a high-quality romance.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Stars: Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley
Director: Richard Curtis
Rating: R
Runtime: 135 minutes
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Fools Rush In (1997)
You don’t get much odder than Matthew Perry and Salma Hayek for a romantic comedy coupling, and yet it kind of works in Fools Rush In. Three months after a one-night stand with Isabel Fuentes (Hayek) in Vegas, Alex Whitman (Perry) learns she’s pregnant. Despite being a terminal bachelor, Alex commits fully, marrying Isabel and committing to raising the child together. Isabel’s father, however, suspects Alex has bad intentions, while Alex’s family doesn’t feel that Isabel is a worthy spouse for their son. Pressured by both of their families, Alex finds himself torn between moving to Las Vegas permanently to start a family and pursuing his career in New York.
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Stars: Salma Hayek, Matthew Perry
Director: Andy Tennant
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 108 minutes
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A Christmas Prince (2017)
A surprise holiday romance hit, A Christmas Prince spawned a trilogy with a devoted fanbase. In the original, a young journalist (Rose McIver) is sent abroad to cover a foreign prince who is poised to become king. Traveling and working over the Christmas holiday, the journalist and prince receive a surprising Christmas gift when they immediately click and fall in love.
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Stars: Rose McIver, Ben Lamb, Alice Krige
Director: Alex Zamm
Rating: TVPG
Runtime: 92 minutes
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The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, The Time Traveler’s Wife is about as romantic as they come. Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana) suffers from a disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of those trips, he stumbles across the love of his life, Claire (Rachel McAdams). But the problems of any marriage are complicated by Henry’s inability to remain in one time and place, keeping the couple continually out of sync.
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
Stars: Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard
Director: Robert Schwentke
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 107 minutes
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Safe Haven (2013)
A classic example of audiences and critics disagreeing, Safe Haven was critically panned but beloved by other romance-lovers. When Katie Feldman (Julianne Hough) moves to a small town on the North Carolina coast, she’s determined to make a new life for herself. She takes a job as a waitress and tries to keep a low profile until she’s won over by the warmth of the close-knit community, especially widower Alex (Josh Duhamel). After having her heartbroken, Katie learns to love and trust again with help from Alex and his children. But soon, her past arrives in town to catch up with her.
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%
Stars: Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, Cobie Smulders
Director: Lasse Hallström
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 115 minutes
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Malcolm & Marie (2021)
While Malcolm & Marie may be a bit soapy for some, it will very likely hit all the right tones for the hopeless romantics. After the premiere of his new movie, a filmmaker (John David Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) return home with the expectation of an imminent windfall of critical and financial success. As they celebrate, the night takes a turn when revelations about past relationships arise, testing the strength of their bond in the face of an incoming, drastic change.
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Stars: Zendaya, John David Washington
Director: Sam Levinson
Rating: R
Runtime: 106 minutes
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To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Based on the novel of the same name, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is about a teenager named Lara (Lana Condor), whose life is turned upside down when love letters she has written to her crushes — meant for her eyes only — are mailed out. Each of her five previous loves confronts her one by one in an awkward, cringe-worthy fashion. Lara, normally a shy girl, must face the reality that her secrets are now out. She breaks through her shy exterior and lets herself have extraordinary experiences, and maybe she even finds love? This Netflix original will solidify your notions that high school was a rough time for all, but not without pulling at your heartstrings first.
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Stars: Lana Condor, John Corbett
Director: Susan Johnson
Rating: NR
Runtime: 100 minutes
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To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (2020)
Loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before? Good news, there’s a sequel! Lana Condor returns as awkwardly in love Lara and, turns out, she’s still reaping the fall out from the love letters she never meant to send. You may recall, the last movie left off with Lara and Peter (Noah Centineo) happily in a relationship but when another recipient of her old love letters — a crush from way back — enters the picture, there’s trouble brewing in paradise.
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo
Director: Michael Fimognari
Rating: NR
Runtime: 101 minutes
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To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
Finally, cap off the trilogy with the newest release in the To All the Boys series! It’s senior year, and after returning from a family trip to Korea, Lara Jean has a lot on her mind. Primed to make the first major decision of her life, Lara Jean begins to weigh the pros and cons of attending college both with or without Peter.
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo
Director: Michael Fimognari
Rating: NR
Runtime: 109 minutes
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A Little Chaos (2014)
The late, great Alan Rickman directed this saucy, romantic tale centered on King Louis XIV of France’s royal court. The king’s chief landscape architect (Matthias Schoenaerts) makes the strange decision to hire a woman (Kate Winslet) to create a lavish garden at Versailles, striking off scandal and intrigue in the court. But there’s also scandal and intrigue behind the scenes.
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
Stars: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman
Director: Alan Rickman
Rating: R
Runtime: 116 minutes
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The Ottoman Lieutenant (2017)
This period drama set just before the First World War centers on two Americans falling in love in the Ottoman Empire. Strong-willed Lillie (Hera Hilmar) is infuriated by injustice in the United States, so she leaves to join an intriguing American doctor (Michiel Huisman) on his remote medical mission in the Ottoman Empire. On the brink of war, Lillie finds her loyalty tested to both Jude and the mission when she finds herself surprisingly falling in love with the enemy: A lieutenant in the Ottoman imperial army.
Rotten Tomatoes: 19%
Stars: Michiel Huisman, Hera Hilmar, Josh Hartnett, Ben Kingsley
Director: Joseph Ruben
Rating: R
Runtime: 110 minutes
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
If you’re wondering about the name, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the improvised title of a group that was breaking curfew in German-occupied Guernsey in World War II. In 1946, author Juliet Ashton (Lily James) journeys to Guernsey to learn more about the society and its missing co-founder, Elizabeth McKenna (Jessica Brown Findlay). Along the way, Juliet develops feelings for a Guernsey resident, Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman), even though her boyfriend, Mark (Glen Powell), has already asked her to marry him. This film deftly balances its romantic elements with the mystery, and it’s very well-made.
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Stars: Lily James, Michiel Huisman, Glen Powell
Director: Mike Newell
Rating: TV-PG
Runtime: 124 minutes
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Adrift (2018)
Adrift is based on the real story of Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), a young couple very much in love. When Richard is hired to sail a yacht to San Diego, Tami accompanies him on the fateful journey. However, the untimely arrival of Hurricane Raymond devastates the yacht and threatens their lives. Woodley’s terrific performance carries most of the film, but the power of Tami’s bond with Richard can’t be denied.
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Stars: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 96 minutes
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Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Before he took moviegoers into Jurassic World, director Colin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed offered viewers an irresistible premise: A classified ad looking for a companion to travel back in time. Seattle Magazine writer Jeff Schwensen (Jake Johnson) instantly recognizes that as an intriguing story, but the movie belongs to Aubrey Plaza’s Darius Britt. She’s the intern who proves to be a good match for the ad’s writer, Kenneth Calloway (Mark Duplass). The result is a quirky, understated romance that has a lot of heart. It’s an adorkable movie, from start to finish.
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Rating: R
Runtime: 86 minutes
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Stardust (2007)
There’s a real lack of romantic fantasy movies, but Stardust admirably fills the void with a wonderful adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s original novel. Future Daredevil star Charlie Cox headlines the film as Tristan Thorn, a young man who wants to impress a girl named Victoria Forester (Sienna Miller) by retrieving a fallen star. However, the fallen star has become a woman, Yvaine (Claire Danes), and she has her own desires. Robert De Niro has a scene-stealing turn as Captain Shakespeare, the sky pirate who mentors Tristan and Yvaine as they develop feelings for each other. Meanwhile, the evil witch, Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) hunts the young lovers to gain immortality from the heart of a star. Stardust’s charms are hard to deny, and it’s still one of our favorites.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Stars: Claire Danes, Charlie Cox, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 128 minutes
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Marriage Story (2019)
Marriage Story was one of four Netflix original films to be nominated for the 2020 Golden Globes and is yet another thought-provoking, deeply moving offering about real life from celebrated director Noah Baumbach. Baumbach, who has built his reputation on down-to-earth films about relatable characters like The Squid and the Whale, Frances Ha, and another Netflix original, The Meyerowitz Stories, delivers perhaps his most profound work yet in Marriage Story. Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple who genuinely love one another yet can’t make their marriage work, Marriage Story is one of the most honest, complex analyses of love and marriage you’ll ever see. “Marriage is hard” is the platitude we always hear but this film takes that saying to its absolute logical and philosophical extent.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern
Director: Noah Baumbach
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
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Always Be My Maybe (2019)
After a teenage fling, childhood friends Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) go their separate ways. She grows up to be a celebrity chef, engaged to a successful businessman, while Marcus stays in San Francisco to help out with his father’s air conditioner installation business. When Sasha’s boyfriend keeps putting off their wedding, she breaks up with him and moves back to San Francisco, where fate reunites her with Marcus. The two start hanging out again, and Marcus’s old feelings for Sasha reignite, but he has to deal with his feelings of inadequacy as well as her new boyfriend, Keanu Reeves (playing himself). Always Be My Maybe doesn’t reinvent the rom-com formula, but it executes it well, and all the actors involved give it their all (especially Reeves, delightfully over-the-top).
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Stars: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 102 minutes
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Howards End (1992)
Directed by James Ivory, this 1992 romantic classic features outstanding performances from iconic actors Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson. Exploring the various social classes of Victorian England, this story follows three families as they fight to make their mark on the world while the burgeoning love between Thompson’s Margaret and Hopkins’ Henry threatens to engulf everyone’s world in scandal. If you’re a Bronte fan, this Victorian love story is for you.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: James Ivory
Rating: PG
Runtime: 143 minutes
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Someone Great (2019)
Gina Rodriguez stars in this Netflix original that marks the directorial debut of Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who is also the screenwriter for Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder. Rom-com to Marvel movie? Yes, and it will make sense once you see this imaginative, unusual, and hilarious flick about love, loss, growth, and the bond of female friendship. Rodriguez plays Jenny Young, a music journalist who is dumped by her long-term boyfriend on the eve of a huge move to San Francisco for her dream job. Despite her sorrow, her two best friends pry Jenny out of her misery for one last outrageous adventure in New York City, determined to help her look forward and not back.
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Stars: Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise
Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
Rating: R
Runtime: 92 minutes
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About Time (2013)
A charmingly romantic twist on time travel tropes, this Richard Curtis film centers on Tim’s (Domhnall Gleeson) discovery that the men in his family have the ability to go back in time. Naturally, he uses this power to win the woman of his dreams and give her the perfect life. Of course, it’s not all sunshine and roses as there are always limits to what we can and can’t change. With beautiful performances from Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy, this heartfelt, poignant drama delightfully masquerades as a romantic comedy.
Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy
Director: Richard Curtis
Rating: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
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Set It Up (2018)
Sick of their domineering bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs), two corporate assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) hatch a plan to make them fall in love with one another so they’ll stop being so darn demanding. Naturally, the assistants fall in love, too. This 2018 Netflix original was written by Booksmart writer Katie Silberman and delivers far more charm than your typical scheme-y rom-com. With engaging performances from the lovable Liu and Diggs as well as the relative newcomers, Deutch and Powell, Set It Up is a feel-good love-fest with plenty of laughs.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu
Director: Claire Scanlon
Rating: NR
Runtime: 105 minutes
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Ibiza: Love Drunk (2018)
In the Netflix original Ibiza, Harper (Gillian Jacobs) is sent to Spain for a business meeting, so she naturally brings her two best friends, Nikki (Vanessa Bayer) and Leah (Phoebe Robinson), to join along in the merriment. Harper meets a famous DJ, Leo (Richard Madden), and her friends convince her to throw caution — and her meeting — to the wind to go to Ibiza and find this man. It’s different from regular romance plots, but conventional nonetheless. With a trio of hysterical ladies, Ibiza will hit your funny bone, but not tear too hard at your heartstrings.
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Stars: Gillian Jacobs, Richard Madden
Director: Alex Richanbach
Rating: NR
Runtime: 120 minutes
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The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Jessica Williams hasn’t quite had a breakout since The Daily Show, but The Incredible Jessica James is the first real chance she gets to show off her rom-com chops … and she succeeds marvelously. Jessica James, the character, may not be quite as incredible as you’d expect but she’s passionate and fun, and Williams plays her with a comedic resolve that makes you fall in love with her. Her chemistry with co-star Chris O’Dowd makes for a goofy, sexy, and refreshingly honest exploration of love after heartbreak. It’s a rom-com simply for lack of a better classification — this cynical but hopeful romp is very much its own thing.
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Stars: Jessica Williams, Chris O’Dowd
Director: James C. Strouse
Rating: NR
Runtime: 85 minutes
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Nappily Ever After (2018)
Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Nappily Ever After tells the story of Violet Jones, played by Sanaa Lathan, who seemingly has it all — the job, the boyfriend, the hair — until it all falls apart. She comes to realize that the life she thought she wanted isn’t the life for her. In a late-night breaking point, Violet cuts all her hair off, shedding more than just her locks in the process. When she goes on a date with a soulful barber, she begins to understand what true happiness means to her. The Netflix original is a feel-good romance where one woman finds out what is most important to her.
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Stars: Sanaa Lathan, Ricky Whittle, Ernie Hudson
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour
Rating: NR
Runtime: 90 minutes
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Been So Long (2018)
Not all love stories are confined to America. In Been So Long, Michaela Coel (Black Mirror, Chewing Gum) plays Simone, a committed single mother living in London who falls — rather unexpectedly — for a man (Arinzé Kene) who may or may not be living in the shadow of his troubled past. Part musical part romance, the Netflix Original is a pure portrayal of finding love during a time when life is already complicated enough. It’s based on the stage musical by Ché Walker and Arthur Darvill, and as such, you can expect the modern-day tale to incorporate elements of funk and soul, not to mention plenty of mood lighting.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Stars: Michaela Coel, Arinzé Kene
Director: Tinge Krishnan
Rating: NR
Runtime: 99 minutes
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The Theory of Everything (2014)
Eddie Redmayne received universal praise for his portrayal of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in this biographical film about the man with the brilliant mind who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, at a young age. While the film chronicles Hawkings’ work in the field of physics, at its heart is the beautiful love story between he and his girlfriend and eventual wife Jane Hawking. Hawking received his diagnosis just a year after meeting Jane, and he has credited his engagement to her as giving him a purpose to live. It’s a love story unlike any other, made all the more touching given that it’s based on real life. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, and Redmayne won for his lead role.
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis, Maxine Peake
Director: James Marsh
Rating: G
Runtime: 123 minutes
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The Artist (2011)
Despite being made in the 2010s, this film was designed in the style of a black-and-white silent film and is set in Hollywood in the late ’20s and early ’30s. At the heart of the love story is an actress whose star is on the rise and an older man, a famous silent film star, who is finding that his roles are being gobbled up by a new generation of actors known as “talkies.” The film was nominated for an impressive 10 Academy Awards and taking home half that, while Jean Dujardin became the first French actor to win an Oscar in the Best Actor category.
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Stars: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Joel Murray, Ken Davitian, John Goodman
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100 minutes
Watch on Netflix
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