The Best Netflix Romance Movies for Every Kind of Love Story
Check out these swoon-worthy picks for your movie night.
Grab the popcorn and a cozy blanket: We’re watching some of the best romance movies on Netflix. Whether you’re settling in by yourself, with your girls, or with your sweetheart, these movies are sure to keep you entertained. If you’re looking for laughs, there are plenty of romantic comedies on Netflix. If you’re in the mood for a good cry, don’t worry: There are also several tearjerking dramas to enjoy. From blockbusters to lesser-known films, Netflix has it all.
No matter what kind of love story you’re looking to experience, there’s a movie here you’ll enjoy. Period pieces, LGBTQ+ love stories, hot-and-heavy romances, and hilarious meet-cutes are all on this list. You can revisit a classic movie with a happy ending or get swept away by something totally new and unexpected—the choice is yours!
Sometimes, the hardest part of movie night is actually deciding what to watch. This list can be a great starting place, and hopefully will save you some time scrolling. Ahead, check out the best romances to stream on Netflix. If you’re looking for more movie-night inspiration, check out the best romantic comedies to watch now and the best historical movies to take you back in time.
Hit Man (2024)
Gary Johnson isn't really a hit man — he just pretends to be one during police sting operations. But when a potential client falls hard for the ruse, can he keep up the lie? This one stars Glen Powell again in a movie directed by Richard Linklater, who oddly enough was inspired by a real-life fake assassin.
Phantom Thread (2017)
Daniel Day-Lewis and Vicky Krieps give astounding performances in this movie, which follows the ups and downs of long-term relationships (and how volatile those can be in a marriage between two creative people). Day-Lewis plays fashion designer Reginald Woodcock, and you can be forgiven for assuming he's a veiled version of the director, Paul Thomas Anderson.
A Family Affair (2024)
Young-celeb-older-woman romances are also a bit of a trend right now. In addition to Amazon Prime Video's The Idea of You, allegedly inspired by Harry Styles, Netflix has this one, starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King. King plays an assistant to Efron, a hot young actor, who finds out he's secretly having an affair with her mom. It's directed by Richard LaGravenese, who made The Fisher King and The Bridges of Madison County.
Lady Chatterly's Lover (2022)
Based on the steamy novel by D.H. Lawrence, this film stars The Crown's Emma Corrin as a woman who, after her husband returns from the war wounded, is shuttled off from the city to a country estate. She's miserable until she starts an affair with the estate's gamekeeper. (Swooning ensues.)
Someone Great (2018)
This movie starts off with heartbreak, making it perfect for anyone trying to get over a breakup. The film follows Jenny, still hurting from getting dumped, who goes out for a night with her girlfriends, but can't help but cross paths with her ex.
Set It Up (2018)
The, well, setup to Set It Up is brilliant: Two personal assistants — played by current Hollywood It boy Glen Powell and the always charming Zoey Deutch — figure they'll get more free time if their workaholic bosses started dating each other, so they try and engineer a romance. But as they do, the assistants start to fall for each other along the way.
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Based on the lovely novel of the same name, this story follows a writer who travels to visit a book club in a small town in England during World War II. During her stay, she befriends the locals and falls in love with more than just the scenery in a story that feels like sinking into a nice, warm bath.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
This film stars Ali Wong and Randall Park, so you know it definitely falls on the "rom-com" side of romance. They play people who knew each other as kids, and reconnect as adults after not seeing each other for years, possibly rekindling their teenage spark.
The Last Letter From Your Lover (2021)
This film's love stories take place across two timelines, as it balances the tale of Ellie (Felicity Jones), a contemporary journalist who finds a misfiled love letter from a clandestine couple in the 1960s (played by Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner) and that love story itself. As Ellie begins to research that affair, her own love life takes a turn.
Our Souls at Night (2017)
Not all great romances start with passion — sometimes, it's about companionship. In this film, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford star as neighbors who start sleeping in the same bed (platonically, at first) to stave off loneliness. You'll just have to watch to see if the inevitable happens.
Persuasion (2022)
Dakota Johnson stars in this Jane Austen adaptation about a woman who reconnects with a man she once meant to marry. And while the movie takes place in a period setting, the filmmaking feels very modern, with Johnson breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience.
A Jazzman's Blues (2022)
![solea pfeiffer as leanne and joshua boone as bayou in a scene from 'a jazzman's blues a good housekeeping pick for best movies 2022](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/best-movies-2022-jazzmans-blues-1660320214.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.219xw,0 "solea pfeiffer as leanne and joshua boone as bayou in a scene from 'a jazzman's blues," a Good Housekeeping pick for best movies 2022")
This is another romance of the star-crossed variety, courtesy of Tyler Perry. In it, a blues musician named Bayou and a young girl named Leanne fall in love, and the movie traces their relationship through decades as it intersects with their town's history and scandals.
Along for the Ride (2022)
If you also find yourself burning the midnight oil, this might be for you. Based on a book by Sarah Dessen, the film follows Auden, a teenage insomniac who wanders her town at night. It's then that she meets Eli, a fellow night owl who is determined to give her all the experiences she's missed out on.
Malcolm and Marie (2021)
A pandemic project, this film follows a couple in real time, in a limited location, as they explore truths about their relationship — making it feel almost like a play. It stars Zendaya and John David Washington, who are so smoking hot they all but send sparks off the screen.
Look Both Ways (2022)
This is a Sliding Doors-style movie, where the film follows two different, possible paths taken by the character, played by Riverdale's Lili Reinhart. In one, she gets pregnant and stays in her hometown to raise the baby. In another, she goes off to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Watch to find out whether either path leads to true love.
The Lovebirds (2020)
Perhaps more of a "com" than a "rom," The Lovebirds follows a very-much-in-love couple — played by comedians Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani — who are mistakenly taken for killers, forcing them to go on the lam. If they can stick together through that, surely you and your main squeeze can work out whose turn it is to walk the dog, right?
Love Guaranteed (2020)
Netflix proves why it's the go-to place when you're in the mood for a romantic comedy: This one is about a lawyer who takes on a client that wants to sue a dating site that guarantees its users will find true love. She might not have found her match on the site, but she might just find it in the courtroom.
Holidate (2020)
For something with a festive spin, Holidate spans all the holidays of the year. In it, a young, busy, single woman strikes up an arrangement with a similarly single guy to be each other's plus-ones for every holiday gathering, just to fend off questions and set-ups from relatives. But can they keep it to the platonic terms of their agreement?
RELATED: The Most Romantic Christmas Movies
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Think of this as a more romantic version of Strangers on a Train: Two lovelorn people admit they won't stop checking in on their exes on social media, so they make a pact to stop following their own exes and follow each other's instead. What could go wrong? In addition to a thorny romantic situation, this movie features a breakout performance from The Daily Show's Jessica Williams.
Duck Butter (2018)
This is for when you're in the mood for something that's very steamy, but also psychological intimate. In it, two women, jaded with their other relationships, vow to spend 24 brutally honest hours together, having sex on the hour every hour.
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