The 21 best romantic comedy movies on Netflix (November 2026)

About Time (2013)

It’s always difficult to reconcile with decisions you’ve made in the past that you come to regret. Richard Curtis explores these themes in this comedic yet touching dramedy centered on a British romantic named Tim (Domhnall Gleeson), who learns from his father that the men in their family can travel through time. Tim tries to fix his messy love life with his newfound gift and ultimately meets Mary (Rachel McAdams), an American with whom he develops a relationship and desperately tries to keep it from going wrong.

“In About Time,” writes EW’s critic, “[Curtis] treats his supernatural hook as casually as possible, to make us believe Yes, that’s just what it would be like.” —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch About Time: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Richard Curtis

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie

Alex Strangelove (2018)

A coming-of-age rom-com that sees a popular teen wrestle with his sexuality may sound like a familiar narrative, but Alex Strangelove adds its own spin. Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) lives in an especially progressive and supportive environment for a high school tale, nearly void of the common prejudices against queerness. Still, Alex doesn’t know what — or who — he wants, and he has to learn about himself before he can know for sure.

EW’s critic praises the film’s underlying theme beneath its (occasionally cringey) twists and turns, writing, “It’s hard to fault the bigger message here: that we all deserve the right to be true to who we are, even if it takes a few hard turns — and some collateral emotional damage — to get there.” —Angela Andaloro

Where to watch Alex Strangelove: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Craig Johnson

Cast: Daniel Doheny, Antonio Marziale, Madeline Weinstein, Joanna Adler, William Ragsdale

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Who says you can’t go home again? Ali Wong shines in this romantic comedy about childhood best friends who cross paths as adults after an awkward teenage romance ended badly. Fast forward 16 years, and life has taken celebrity chef Sasha Tran (Wong) and unsuccessful musician Marcus Kim (Randall Park) to some very different places. Much has changed, but their chemistry sure hasn’t as the two come face-to-face with their many differences on the road to reconciliation. Throw in a disastrous double date featuring Keanu Reeves playing, well, Keanu Reeves, and you’ve got yourself a chaotic love triangle unlike any you’ve seen before. —A.A.

Where to watch Always Be My Maybe: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Nahnatchka Khan

Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Daniel Dae Kim, Keanu Reeves

Bros (2022)

When Bros was released in 2022, it came with the pressure of being one of the first Hollywood studio rom-coms with a mostly out LGBTQ+ cast. Years later, it can best be enjoyed on its own terms, an often hysterical, well-observed examination of modern gay dating. Billy Eichner, who co-wrote the film with director Nicholas Stoller, stars as Bobby, a proudly single, outspoken podcast host who falls in love with a traditionally masculine estate lawyer (Luke Macfarlane). “Make no mistake, Bros is a very gay movie,” writes EW’s critic. “But it’s also one cast very much in the mold of the best kind of [Judd] Apatow [film]: whip-smart, soft at heart, full of bravura free-form character bits and cul-de-sacs.” —K.J.

Where to watch Bros: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Cast: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence, Ts Madison

Drinking Buddies (2013)

Relationships between heterosexual men and women can be supremely complicated, as this witty mumblecore dramedy explores. Luke (Jake Johnson) and Kate (Olivia Wilde) are close friends who work together at a craft brewery; despite their palpable chemistry, they are in relationships with other people. Each of their relationships is tested, however, when the couples retreat to a cottage and dynamics begin to shift. Drinking Buddies has a refreshing authenticity not often found in mainstream relationship stories, thanks to its improvisational script and the natural camaraderie of its cast, which also includes Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. —K.J.

Where to watch Drinking Buddies: Netflix

Director: Joe Swanberg

Cast: Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Ron Livingston

The Half of It (2020)

In a modern retelling of the classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac, Ellie (Leah Lewis) starts ghostwriting love letters for a jock, Paul (Daniel Diemer), in exchange for some much-needed cash. But as she continues to correspond with Paul’s dream girl, Aster (Alexxis Lemire), Ellie finds they have a lot in common and wonders if she’s actually her better half. Though the romantic tension between Aster and Ellie pushes the film forward, the true heart of this story is the blossoming friendship between Ellie and Paul. He may not be able to write to save his life, but Paul speaks up where it counts, causing an intimate and (somewhat) overlapping love triangle between teens who are just trying to learn what life is all about. —A.A.

Where to watch The Half of It: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Alice Wu

Cast: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz

Hit Man (2024)

Talk about an unconventional meet-cute. Glen Powell co-wrote and stars in this darkly comedic romantic thriller as Gary Johnson, a mild-mannered college professor who also works with the police, posing as a hitman to bust murder-for-hire clients. He proves adept at his undercover job, but, after a woman named Madison (Adria Arjona) hires Gary to kill her husband, he soon finds himself developing feelings, which complicates matters. Powell delivers his best performance to date as the chameleonic faux-assassin, and his chemistry with Arjona is off-the-charts charming. —K.J.

Where to watch Hit Man: Netflix

Director: Richard Linklater

Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta

I’m Your Man (2021)

What if a robot who looked exactly like a human could fulfill your every need? And what if that humanlike robot looked like Dan Stevens? In Maria Schrader’s fascinating German-language film, Maren Eggert’s Alma ponders this and other moral quandaries. After agreeing to participate in a three-week study in which she is to report her findings of living with the robot, Tom (Stevens), Alma finds herself having conflicting feelings about her new deferential partner.

I’m Your Man received widespread critical acclaim upon its release, along with accolades from various organizations. EW’s critic praised Schrader’s direction, calling her “too clever and melancholic to let her gentle, off-kilter Man dissolve into breezy happily-ever-afters. Instead, the movie offers something much truer to life: a love story that ends, perhaps, just when it’s begun.” —K.J.

Where to watch I’m Your Man: Netflix through Dec. 3

EW grade: B+

Director: Maria Schrader

Cast: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Jessica Williams is a relatable force to be reckoned with in her debut lead role. As the uber-confident Jessica James, she’s trying to find out what’s next in both her work life and her love life, with New York City as the backdrop. However, a blind date throws a wrench in all her plans as she finds herself unexpectedly falling for Boone (Chris O’Dowd), though she’s still not quite over her ex, Damon (LaKeith Stanfield).

EW’s critic celebrates the rom-com for its not-so-delicate balance, writing, “Even when the film falls into indie clichés, Williams keeps things moving with her cleverness and charisma, whether she’s chastising man-spreaders on the subway or introducing an as-yet-unborn baby to the fight to dismantle the patriarchy.” —A.A.

Where to watch The Incredible Jessica James: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: James C. Strouse

Cast: Jessica Williams, Chris O’Dowd, Noël Wells, LaKeith Stanfield, Megan Ketch

Love Actually (2003)

Love is all around us, especially, as this film posits, at Christmastime. Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and Keira Knightley are among the many members of this rom-com’s sprawling ensemble, which explores the entanglements of various Londoners, ranging from unrequited romance to revelations of infidelity to unexpected flings. The film gradually reveals how each of their seemingly separate lives is actually interconnected, as the holiday heightens emotions for all involved.

The syrupy sweet script by writer-director Richard Curtis won’t be for everyone, but those who give themselves over to the romance and the fantasy of it all — plus those who enjoy some classic British wit — won’t be able to resist its charms. —K.J.

Where to watch Love Actually: Netflix

Director: Richard Curtis

Cast: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Keira Knightley

The Lovebirds (2020)

The relationship between Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) is on its last legs and fading fast when the struggling couple is invited to a dinner party. On their way there, a chance encounter with a criminal changes the course of their night — and their separation. If they want to make it out alive and clear their names, the two will have to work together, but not without throwing a few passive-aggressive jabs at each other in the process.

The Lovebirds gives viewers a different kind of second-chance romance. It’s light on the romance and heavy on the antics, making it an honest portrayal of all that can make or break a relationship — romantic or not. —A.A.

Where to watch The Lovebirds: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Michael Showalter

Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Paul Sparks, Anna Camp, Kyle Bornheimer

People We Meet on Vacation (2026)

Emily Henry’s romance novels have taken the book world by storm since 2020, so it was only inevitable that Hollywood would come calling to adapt her work. People We Meet on Vacation, based on Henry’s 2021 novel, is the first of them — and a strong first, at that. The film follows Poppy (Emily Bader), an extroverted adventurer, and Alex (Tom Blyth), an introverted homebody, whose friendship slowly blossoms into something more over a series of summer vacations. Essentially a millennial spin on the classic rom-com When Harry Met Sally (1989), People We Meet on Vacation charms through Bader and Blyth’s easy chemistry and its loving embrace of the genre’s tried-and-true tropes. —K.J.

Where to watch People We Meet on Vacation: Netflix

Director: Brett Haley

Cast: Emily Bader, Tom Blyth

Set It Up (2018)

Overworked assistants Charlie (Glen Powell) and Harper (Zoey Deutch) have a corporate meet-cute in their shared office building when they bond over their demanding, miserable bosses: venture capitalist Rick Otis (Taye Diggs) and sports media maven Kirsten Stevens (Lucy Liu). Desperate to make their jobs (and lives) easier, Charlie and Harper hatch a plan to merge their superiors into a happy power couple. But playing matchmaker might be way above their pay grade.

A romantic comedy in the same vein as The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Set It Up is a satisfying take on the feel-good genre, complete with meditations on work lives, love lives, and everything in between. EW’s critic hails the film as the “gold standard for the frothy summer rom-com.” —A.A.

Where to watch Set It Up: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Claire Scanlon

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

Spike Lee exploded onto the scene with his 1986 directorial debut. Made for only $175,000, She’s Gotta Have It tells the story of Nola (Tracy Camilla Johns), a graphic artist in Brooklyn who juggles relationships with three men. The situation becomes complicated after the men meet and figure out what’s happening. Meanwhile, Nola comes to realize the value of her freedom as a sexually liberated person.

Lauded for its depiction of a confident Black woman at a time when Hollywood rarely centered such characters, She’s Gotta Have It proved to be predictive of the kinds of groundbreaking stories Lee would tell in the decades to come. The Oscar-winning filmmaker also adapted the film into a Netflix series in 2017. —K.J.

Where to watch She’s Gotta Have It: Netflix

Director: Spike Lee

Cast: Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee, Raye Dowell

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

At once a throwback to the classic swoony rom-coms of Old Hollywood and a modern commentary on them, Sleepless in Seattle has become a comfort film in the years since its release. Tom Hanks stars as Sam, a widower who tells his story of grief to a national radio program, which attracts the attention of Annie (Meg Ryan), a reporter who is unhappily engaged. Through a series of events (mostly put in motion by Sam’s plucky young son), Sam and Annie eventually connect. Despite EW’s middling rating when it first came out, Sleepless in Seattle proved that even when two leads are separated for most of the film, true rom-com magic can still manifest in the right hands. Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote the film, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. —K.J.

Where to watch Sleepless in Seattle: Netflix through Nov. 30

Director: Nora Ephron

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rob Reiner

Someone Great (2019)

This charming directorial debut by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson proves that break-up movies can make for great rom-coms. Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) lands her dream job at Rolling Stone, but it costs her her longtime boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield). Desperate for a last hurrah in New York City before her big move, the new bachelorette rallies friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) to help send her off, though it proves to be anything but a clean break.

The misadventures of their big night out inspire each woman to reflect on whether they’ve been choosing their relationships over themselves. The result is an empowering, modern spin on what’s expected from the genre, placing sisterhood and self-love at the center stage. —A.A.

Where to watch Someone Great: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

Cast: Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise, LaKeith Stanfield, Peter Vack

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

The star-studded cast of this Nancy Meyers rom-com compares to no other. Meyers wrote the part of womanizing Harry Sanborn for Jack Nicholson, and it shows. His comedic, wildly irresponsible persona meets its match with Diane Keaton as the successful and stern writer Erica Barry. The only problem? He’s dating her daughter, Marin (Amanda Peet)…at least, until a health emergency pulls Dr. Julian Mercer (Keanu Reeves) into the mix, turning this love triangle into a dizzying square. Unlikely romances are at the heart of this film, which follows Harry and Erica as they explore dating, both within their generation and outside of it. —A.A.

Where to watch Something’s Gotta Give: Netflix

Director: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet

Take This Waltz (2011)

The complications of love are explored with great sensitivity in this bittersweet indie dramedy from writer-director Sarah Polley. Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen) are a Toronto couple whose marriage has grown uneventful. Margot meets a rickshaw driver (Luke Kirby) with whom she has an instant connection, leading to unexpected feelings. While being with Lou is comfortable, Margot must decide whether to act on her urges and fundamentally shake up her life. —K.J.

Where to watch Take This Waltz: Netflix

Director: Sarah Polley

Cast: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

One of the better teen rom-coms for the modern age, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor), a high schooler who secretly pens love letters to crushes but never sends them. Her younger sister finds them stashed away and decides to mail them herself, leading to a fair share of awkward situations. To prevent her current crush from initiating yet another cringey confrontation, she impulsively kisses one of her former crushes (Noah Centineo), which proves to be the catalyst for an ever-evolving relationship. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was very well-received, with EW’s critic calling it “breezy and charming.” —K.J.

Where to watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Susan Johnson

Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, John Corbett

Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)

With a concept made in rom-com heaven — a grieving woman (Zoey Deutch) leaving voicemails for her deceased sister is unaware her sister’s number has been reassigned to a man (Nick Robinson) who starts to fall in love with her — you’re already halfway there. Luckily, this romantic dramedy executes on the cleverness of its premise, delivering a poignant, winning love story that tackles themes of grief and trust with a sensitive touch. Deutch and Robinson, real-life friends who grew up together, have a natural chemistry that makes you root for them to be together, even through some thornier moments. —K.J.

Where to watch Voicemails for Isabelle: Netflix

Director: Leah McKendrick

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Ciara Bravo, Harry Shum Jr., Lukas Gage

Your Monster (2024)

Part monster movie, part quirky rom-com, this underseen horror comedy allows Melissa Barrera to continue to flex her scream-queen muscles. The Scream (2022) alum stars as Laura, an actress still reeling from breaking up with her boyfriend as well as her recent cancer diagnosis. After returning to her childhood home, she discovers a beastly monster in her closet, whom she’s initially terrified of but soon develops a strange relationship with. And just when you think the film is verging too much outside the horror realm, then comes the ending to reinforce its place on this list. —K.J.

Where to watch Your Monster: Netflix

Director: Caroline Lindy

Cast: Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy