The 50 Best Romantic Movies on Netflix
Put the spark back in movie night.
It's Spring and you know what that means... new beginnings (and pollen) are in the air. Whether it's the budding of new flowers, or hibernated animals sticking their snouts out to sniff those flowers, this season seems to be all about starting fresh. You should do the same. Spring is all about the new beginnings of love and romance.
If you're looking to get your Spring mood on, Netflix has a whole library of romance movies to choose from, from historical romances to romantic comedies and everything in between. Even erotic thrillers! Whether you want to sob into some tissues or maybe just chuckle about all the hijinks it takes to get two people down the aisle, then have we got a list for you.
Expect romance of all varieties from this list: star-crossed, forbidden, otherworldly, and so on. We're talking a range from sexy heists to strait-laced dramas to teenage romances set in the first blush of young love. If you’re coupled up, these movies will make you grateful you’re off the market, and if you’re looking for love, they’ll remind you that real love is out there in abundance. Settle in with some wine, some chocolate, some oysters—whatever aphrodisiacs you like—and press play.
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Barbara Streisand and Jeff Bridges star in this romantic-comedy about two Columbia University professors who enter a relationship out of loneliness and heartbreak. The catch, however, is that while the relationship appears to be similar to dating, it is completely platonic. As their relationship progresses, they soon discover that they may need more.
Hairspray
In this classic romantic-comedy musical, Tracy Turnblad auditions for "The Corny Collins Show" in 1960s Baltimore. She ends up winning the audition and marking her spot on the show, even becoming the new it-girl. In the blink of an eye, her life changes, granting her all that she's ever wanted, but a bigger goal emerges: racial integration.
Vita & Virginia
This true-story romantic drama follows the passionate love between authors Virginia Wolf and Vita Sackville-West in 1920s London. Both women are married, but still venture into a passionate affair that inspired a feminist classic and one of Wolf's most famous works, Orlando.
Phantom Thread
Daniel Day Lewis plays Reynolds Woodcock, a prominent and tortured dressmaker in 1950s London. At a restaurant one day, he becomes enchanted with a young waitress that he then takes in as his muse and lover. The two develop a deep relationship that proves to be as difficult as it is passionate.
All The Bright Places
Finch and Violet both suffer from deep emotional scars and embark on a journey of falling in love through some of their darkest moments. They try to help one another heal from the pain of their pasts, but it may be that love is simply not enough.
Irreplaceable You
In this original Netflix romantic comedy-drama, Abbie (Gugu-Mbatha Raw) is diagnosed with cancer. Fearing that this may be the end for her, she sets out to find a new partner for Sam (Michiel Huisman), her childhood best friend and now fiancé.
The Half of It
Romance, friendship and letters take center stage in this charming high-school romance about Ellie Chu, a shy Chinese-American student. Ellie lives alone with her widowed father and makes extra money through doing her classmates' homework. When she is propositioned by Paul, a well-meaning jock to write a love letter for his crush, Aster, her life begins to change.
Silver Linings Playbook
In this Academy Award winning romantic comedy-drama, Bradley Cooper is Pat Solitano, a man diagnosed with bipolar disorder who has to move back in with his parents after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital. He's hell-bent on rekindling his relationship with his estranged wife when he meets a young widow named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is also struggling with her own mental health issues and is determined to participate in a dance competition. Together, the two strike a deal to help each other achieve their goals, but find they have so much to discover along the way.
The Ugly Truth
Kathrine Heigl plays Abby, a lovelorn producer searching for the perfect man. When Mike (Gerard Butler), a cynical relationship commentator enters her professional life, a series of hilarious events unfold, leaving them to both learn more about each other as well as themselves.
Falling Inn Love
Gabriela Diaz (Christina Milian) impulsively enters a competition to win an Inn in New Zealand after a crushing break-up. On a whim, she leaves behind her promising corporate job for the countryside thousands of miles away, finding that both the Inn and her love life are due for some rehabilitation.
The Danish Girl
Eddie Redmayne leads in this loosely biographical romance-drama as Lili, a Danish trans-woman who undergoes one of the very first sex-reassignment surgeries ever. The story explores the complexities of gender-identity as well as the unconditional love between Lili and her wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) as she undergoes the high-risk transition.
Endless Love
When the teenage David (Martin Hewitt) is forbidden from seeing his girlfriend Jade (Brooke Shields) by her father, he takes it upon himself to save his love story. However, David's obsessions lead to dangerous outcomes and in turn, risk losing all he was originally fighting for.
New Year's Eve
This romantic comedy-drama tells the tale of several interrelated stories of New Yorkers as they navigate life, love and the hope of a new year all on one night: New Year's Eve.
When We First Met
In this Netflix original, Noah (Adam DeVine) must relive the night he met the girl of his dreams (Alexandra Daddario) over and over again until he can get out of the friend-zone and get her to fall for him.
Bright Star
This loosely biographical romance-drama follows the relationship between the 19th century English poet John Keats and Fanny Browne, who was his fiancé and muse towards the end of his life.
Did You Hear About The Morgans
Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant take on this quirky romantic-comedy about a soon-to-be divorced New York City power couple that are forced into the Witness Protection Program together after witnessing a crime. The two must adjust to small, town country life and reevaluate their relationship.
Stardust
In an ambitious bid to gain his love's hand in marriage, Tristan (Charlie Cox) seeks to bring her a fallen star in this fantasy-romance. However, he finds that his star happens to take the form of Yvaine (Claire Danes), who he must protect from the princes and witches hunting her.
A Little Chaos
Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts star in this period drama as two artists employed by King Louis XIV to design and construct the gardens for his Versailles palace. The two ultimately end up falling in love against a backdrop of beautiful scenery and complicated pasts.
Just Like Heaven
It's a simple story really... Boy meets girl, girl is actually a spirit, boy actually only meets girl because girl was in an accident and boy is subletting the apartment that she is sort of haunting. It's actually not a simple story at all, but Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon make this charming movie worth watching.
Ophelia
The film is an adaptation of Lisa Klein's novel of the same name, which tells the Shakespearean story of Hamlet through the perspective of Ophelia. The story has everything you'd expect any Shakespearean tragedy to have: poison, duels and gut-wrenching romance.
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