Today marks the end of Romance Awareness Month. To celebrate, we thought it would be fun to share the best romantic comedies on Netflix right now. Especially since Netflix has helped revive the romantic comedy genre (which has almost disappeared from movie theaters) with Netflix originals such as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Set it Up.
After quite a bit of extensive research, I chose a large variety for this list. So, there’s something for everyone. From traditional romantic comedies to romantic dramedies, international romances, romantic comedy TV Shows, Christmas rom-coms, Netflix Originals, and more. Of course, availability is subject to change.
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(NOTE: We aim to share less explicit content that has PG-13 “like” content and below minus a few exceptions for artistic merit and/or genre interest. If a program is Rated R or TV-M, we will leave a content note to let you know why.)
LEAVING NETFLIX SOON
Now, before I jump into the list, if you want to catch a few romantic comedies before they leave at the beginning of September 2018, now’s your chance. They are A Royal Night Out (I definitely recommend), 13 Going on 30, Outsourced, and Moonrise Kingdom!
BEST ROMANTIC COMEDIES TO WATCH ON NETFLIX RIGHT NOW
(Titles in Alphabetical Order)
#1 A Christmas Prince (2017)
Christmas comes early for an aspiring young journalist when she’s sent abroad to get the scoop on a dashing prince who’s poised to be king.
Content Note: TV-PG
#2 Ali’s Wedding (2017)
After telling a white lie that spins out of control, the son of an Iraqi-born cleric in Melbourne becomes torn between family duty and his own heart.
Content Note: TV-MA for language.
#3 Always (1989)
Pete Sandich, a firefighting pilot, dies in the line of duty but returns as a guardian angel to fledgling aviator Ted Baker. Pete’s task takes an unexpected twist, however, when Ted begins falling for Dorinda Durston, the girl Pete left behind.
Content Note: PG
#4 Amelie (2001)
When impish Amélie finds a long-hidden trove of toys behind a baseboard in her apartment, she’s inspired to return the items to their original owner, an impulse of generosity that sparks more benevolent acts.
Content Note: Rated R for sexual content.
#5 The Beauty Inside (2015)
Awakening each day in a different body, Woo-jin must constantly adjust. But the biggest adjustment may be the one his girlfriend has to make.
Content Note: NR but would likely be PG-13
#6 Before We Go (2015)
When Brooke Dalton is mugged and misses the last train back to Boston, she’s by herself in the predatory darkness of New York City. After busker Nick Vaughan comes to her aid, the two forge a connection — which brings complications in the morning.
Content Note: PG-13
#7 Boys Over Flowers (2009)
Unassuming high school girl Jan-di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.
Content Note: TV-14
#8 Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
In this third chapter of Bridget’s madcap existence, she unexpectedly finds herself pregnant at the age of 43. But with two suitors in her life — barrister Mark Darcy and dashing tycoon Jack Qwant — which one is the father?
Content Note: Rated R for language and sexual innuendo.
#9 Candy Jar (2018)
Dueling high school debate champs who are at odds on just about everything forge ahead with ambitious plans to get into the colleges of their dreams.
Content Note: TV-14
#10 Carrie Pilby (2016)
A socially awkward 19-year-old genius makes big plans to step out of her shell and make a friend, get a job and — maybe — even go on a date.
Content Note: TV-14
#11 Chocolat (2000)
A single mother and her young daughter move into a peaceful French village and open a chocolate shop during the height of Lent. At first, the shop’s rich, sensuous desserts scandalize the town. But the villagers soon learn to savor the sweetness.
Content Note: PG-13
#12 Christmas Inheritance (2017)
To inherit her father’s company, socialite Ellen must first visit his small hometown, where she learns the value of hard work and helping others.
Content Note: TV-PG
#13 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015-)
Still pining for Josh, the boy who dumped her ages ago, whip-smart lawyer Rebecca jettisons her New York life and moves to California to win him back.
Content Note: TV-14
#14 Dare to be Wild (2015)
Irish landscape designer Mary Reynolds fights to bring her wild and unconventional style to the esteemed Chelsea Flower Show.
Content Note: TV-PG
#15 The Decoy Bride (2011)
When Hollywood actress Lara Tyler travels to a tiny Scottish island to get married, the paparazzi follow her, prompting her to flee in frustration. To dupe the press, her handlers stage fake nuptials and hire a local girl to play the bride.
Content Note: PG
#16 Dramaworld (2016)
Photo: Viki
A huge fan of a Korean TV drama is transported to a magical realm where she has the power to alter her favorite show’s storyline as a “Facilitator.”
Content Note: TV-14
#17 Easy Virtue (2008)
An American widow impulsively marries a wealthy young Englishman, but when they visit his family’s country estate, she receives a chilly reception.
Content Note: PG-13
#18 Ella Enchanted (2004)
Burdened at birth with the “gift” of obedience by a flighty fairy godmother, Ella searches for a way to lift the curse that prevents her from pursuing her dreams — and her true love, Prince Charmont.
Content Note: PG
#19 Emily Owens M.D. (2012)
In this medical drama series, klutzy intern Emily Owens discovers there’s not much difference between working in a hospital and life in high school.
Content Note: TV-14
#20 The Family Man (2000)
In this modern-day riff on Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, cutthroat investment banker Jack, who eschews emotional ties, is transported into the life he might have had if he wed his college sweetheart.
Content Note: PG-13
#21 Gilmore Girls/Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
Fiercely independent single mom Lorelai raises gifted, Ivy League-bound daughter Rory amid a continual stream of quick-witted repartee.
Content Note: TV-14
#22 Guess Who (2005)
Ashton Kutcher stars in this remake of the 1967 classic Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? But the tables are turned this time around, as he plays the fiancé of an African American woman who’s met with skepticism and suspicion from her father.
Content Note: PG-13
#23 Hart of Dixie (2011-2014)
Photo: CW
Fast-talking city girl Zoe Hart winds up patching up the locals of a tiny town in the Deep South when she inherits a medical practice in Alabama.
Content Note: TV-14
#24 How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
To help land an account, a notorious player makes a bet with his co-workers that he can get a woman to fall in love with him in just 10 days. But he bets on the wrong girl — a writer who’s working on an article on how to get rid of a guy in 10 days.
Content Note: PG-13
#25 In-Lawfully Yours (2016)
A recently divorced New Yorker moves to a small town and falls for a local pastor, who happens to be her ex’s brother-in-law.
Content Note: TV-PG
#26 Jab We Met (2007)
Changing fortunes await wealthy but dejected industrialist Aditya when he meets a spirited chatterbox named Geet on a train. Geet’s on her way to elope with her secret beau, but fate has other plans.
Content Note: TV-14
#27 Jane the Virgin (2014-2019)
After vowing to remain chaste until marriage, Jane Villanueva learns she’s pregnant due to a medical slip-up and has to rethink her future.
Content Note: TV-14
#28 Leap Year (2010)
Anna chooses February 29 to propose marriage to her “perfect” boyfriend, Jeremy, sure he’ll accept because of an Irish custom. But after meeting charming innkeeper Declan en route to Dublin, Anna must evaluate her original plans.
Content Note: PG
#29 Love Per Square Foot (2018)
Individually, bank employees Sanjay and Karina don’t earn enough to be able to buy a home, so they decide to enter into a marriage of convenience.
Content Note: TV-14
#30 Larry Crowne (2011)
After he’s laid off from his longtime job at a soulless retail giant, average middle-aged guy Larry Crowne decides it’s time to change his life by heading back to college, where he finds a new perspective — and a new romance with a professor.
Content Note: PG-13
#31 Love Actually (2003)
Writer-director Richard Curtis’s charming treatise on romance and relationships is an all-star ensemble comedy that tells 10 separate (but intertwining) London love stories, leading up to a spirited climax on Christmas Eve.
Content Note: Rated R for sexuality, nudity, and language.
#32 Mamma Mia (2008)
On the idyllic Greek isle of Kalokairi, single mom Donna Sheridan (Meryl Streep) goes into a tizzy when her bride-to-be daughter (Amanda Seyfried), in a bid to learn her father’s identity, invites three of Donna’s ex-lovers to the wedding. Buoyed by the tunes of ABBA, this effervescent yarn — a Golden Globe nominee for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) — also stars Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård as the trio of potential dads.
Content Note: PG-13
#33 Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)
Get ready to immerse yourself in the opulent, exciting and sometimes dangerous world of Australia’s leading lady, Det. Phryne Fisher.
Content Note: TV-14
#34 New Girl (2011-)
Still rebounding from a breakup, Jessica Day moves in with three single guys, all of whom are ready to help her understand the ways of the world.
Content Note:
#35 No Reservations (2007)
Kate, an uptight chef, finds her life turned upside down when her sister dies in a car accident and she becomes her niece’s sole guardian. The arrival of an unpredictable sous chef at her restaurant adds to the chaos.
Content Note: PG
#36 Oh My Ghost (2015)
Possessed by the ghost of a lustful virgin, a timid assistant chef becomes confidently libidinous, drawing the attention of a haughty culinary star.
Content Note: TV-14
#37 Penelope (2006)
In this modern-day fairy tale, a young woman cursed with the nose of a pig lives her entire life in seclusion — until an unlikely beau stumbles onto the scene and convinces her to celebrate her inner beauty.
Content Note: PG
#38 The Princess Diaries/Princess Diaries 2
The life of gawky Mia Thermopolis changes drastically after learning she’s the heir to a European principality’s throne. But as her royal grandmother schools Mia on conducting herself with gracious disdain, she ends up at odds with her best friend.
Content Note: G
#39 P.S. I Love You (2007)
When she loses her beloved husband, Gerry, to a brain tumor, grieving widow Holly Kennedy learns that he left a series of letters behind to help her cope with the pain of living without him.
Content Note:
#40 Reply 1994 & Reply 1997
All hailing from various parts of Korea, a group of college students go from being complete strangers to a big happy family at a Seoul boarding house.
Netflix Synopsis for 1997: As a teen, Shi Won was obsessed with a boy band. Now 33 years old, Shi Won and her friends are reviving their memories as their school reunion nears.
Content Note: TV-14
#41 Set it Up (2018)
In desperate need of a break from the office, two beleaguered assistants team up to trick their workaholic bosses into falling in love.
Content Note: TV-14
#42 Sliding Doors (1998)
Two different universes unfold in this fantasy about alternate realities, the reliability of subway schedules and fate’s role in shaping lives.
Content Note: PG-13
#43 Something New (2006)
Struggling with her personal life, black career woman Kenya agrees to a blind date with a sexy, free-spirited landscape architect. Her new love interest is white, which isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, until she meets a seemingly perfect black man.
Content Note:
#44 Stardust (2007)
To win his true love’s heart, wide-eyed Tristan Thorn journeys to a forbidden realm to retrieve a fallen star that has taken human form. But the star is being pursued by an evil witch and others looking to possess her celestial powers.
Content Note: PG-13
#45 Strictly Ballroom (1992)
Dumped by his partner just before a major dance competition, gifted hoofer Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio) is forced to take a graceless neophyte (Tara Morice) as his new partner. But much to everyone’s surprise, Scott soon turns his unpromising protégé into a topnotch dancer. Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson, Gia Carides and Barry Otto also star in this quirky, engaging tale from Aussie director Baz Luhrmann.
Content Note: PG
#46 Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)
Born with supernatural strength, Bong–soon fights evil and procures justice while getting tangled in a love triangle with her CEO boss and cop crush.
Content Note: TV-14
#47 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
When her secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her five crushes, Lara Jean finds her quiet high school existence turned upside down.
Content Note: TV-14
#48 Unleashed (2017)
With only her cat, Ajax, and dog, Summit, in tow, Emma moves to San Francisco in the wake of a disastrous romance. But her life takes a surprising turn when a cosmic occurrence magically transforms her beloved pets into two handsome human suitors.
Content Note: TV-14
#49 The Wedding Party (2016)
As their big day arrives, a couple’s lavish wedding plans turn into a nightmare of exes, fighting parents and uninvited guests.
Content Note: TV-14
#50 White Christmas (1954)
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play war buddies turned entertainers who fall for two sisters. The boys follow the girls to a resort owned by their former commanding officer, and he’s in danger of losing the place.
Content Note: NR but would likely be PG.
COMING SOON
Coming soon in September 2018 are quite a few more romantic comedies also worth watching. So, for your viewing pleasure, they are Sierra Burgess is a Loser, Nappily Ever After, The Breakfast Club, Groundhog Day, Sydney White, and my personal favorite, Two Weeks Notice.
What romantic comedies do you plan to watch on Netflix? Leave a comment below and let me know!
Featured Image at Top: To All the Boys I’ve Loved before. Photo – Netflix
Gah!! So many great films on this list and I’ve seen most of them. But I wouldn’t mind watching them again.