The season of love is upon us, which means that it’s time to watch some of the cheesiest and most endearing romance movies one can find. Whether it is ridiculous meet-cutes, or zany tropes like enemies to lovers, or even the all too common ‘love at first sight’, many romance movies are filled with the perfect feel-good vibes for a night in. On the flip side, some stories pack an emotional punch for their intense dramatic elements.
Netflix has a great collection ranging from decades-old classics to some of their own original projects. As the world’s largest streaming platform, it only makes sense that Netflix offers a wide variety of romance movies for everyone’s taste. Whether you enjoy a soft and sweet flick, a hilarious rom-com, or a moving drama, here are 10 of the best romance movies on Netflix.
Love & Gelato (2022)
Romantic movies set in Italy are nothing new, and Love & Gelato is another one in a long line of classic projects that explore the beautiful country. Susanna Skaggs stars as Lina Emerson, a teenage girl who decides to spend a summer in Italy before going off to college. It features one of the most popular romance movie tropes — a love triangle — as Lina falls for two boys while trying to find her Italian father who she’s never met.
Set It Up (2018)
Set It Up has the feeling of a classic, early 2000s rom-com with the familiar trope of enemies to lovers and relationship set-ups. Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell star as Harper and Charlie, two personal assistants to workaholic, high-strung career professionals. When a mixed-up order causes the two to bump into each other, they decide to set their bosses up so that they can both get more free time. As they spend more time together working on manipulating their bosses, they start to discover feelings for each other.
Let It Snow (2019)
For fans of the holiday season, Let It Snow is a great Christmas romance movie based on the novel written by Maureen Johnson, John Green, and Lauren Myracle. The movie is set in a small town in Illinois where three different stories intersect on a snowy day. The first story stars a young rising star and a girl he bumps into and spends some time with. The second story is set in the town’s Waffle House and follows one of the employees as she tries to navigate being the secret love interest of a popular cheerleader. The final story is about a pair of childhood best friends as one of them struggles to tell his best friend how he feels.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover (2022)
Based on the novel by D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a steamy period piece set against the backdrop of the First World War. When Lady Constance’s husband returns from the war paralyzed and distant, she begins to develop a relationship with Oliver, their gamekeeper. While most people would not condone cheating or extra-marital affairs, you can’t help but root for Connie and Oliver as they try to keep their relationship secret while falling deeper and deeper in love.
Notting Hill (1999)
Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant star in this rom-com classic about a bookstore owner and a famous actress and their fluttery romance. Roberts stars as Anna Scott, a high-profile Hollywood actress who buys a book from Will Thacker’s store. A series of random events lead to them bumping into each other again and starting a tentative relationship that seems impossible due to their different social standings. The movie is bittersweet at times, showing the ups and downs that come with love, but like all great romance movies, it has a happy ending.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
When you see names like Ali Wong and Randall Park attached to a project, you know that it’s going to deliver on the comedy. Wong and Park star as Sasha and Marcus, a pair of childhood friends who dated briefly when they were teenagers but drifted apart. Years later they reconnect when Sasha returns to their hometown to open a restaurant, and they have to navigate an adult relationship on the embers of their teenage love.
The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
Jessica Williams stars in this romance alongside Chris O’Dowd. Jessica and Boone are both dealing with tough breakups when they are set up on a blind date by their friends. Despite feeling like they don’t have chemistry at first, the two connect over their obsessive stalking of their exes. They make a pact to unfollow their respective exes and instead follow the other’s ex to help keep tabs. This leads to them spending more time together and developing feelings. However, both Jessica and Boone first have to heal from their past hurts to make their new relationships work.
The Age of Adaline (2015)
Sci-fi fans that are looking for a bit of romance will enjoy this movie starring Blake Lively and Michiel Huisman. Lively stars as Adeline, a young woman who stopped aging after she died and was brought back to life when she was 29. Huisman stars as Ellis, a man that Adeline falls in love with. Forced to stop running, Adeline has to confront her past and figure out what caused her to stop aging if she wants to have a future with Ellis.
Loving (2016)
Loving is based on the true story of the Loving v. Virginia court case of 1967, a prominent case about interracial marriage in America. The movie follows Richard Loving, a white construction worker who falls in love with his family friend, Mildred, a Black woman played by Ruth Negga. Due to the laws against interracial marriage in Virginia, they travel to Washington D.C. to get married with plans of moving out of Virginia. Trouble follows as the community and the law work against their love but we see the couple overcome all challenges as love prevails.
Call Me By Your Name (2017)
A list of the best romance movies wouldn’t be complete without including Call Me By Your Name, starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer and directed by Luca Guadagnino. The movie follows a seventeen-year-old boy named Elio who develops a relationship with Oliver, the twenty-four-year-old graduate student that his professor father takes on for the summer. The movie is a tragic summer romance that is sure to leave you feeling tender once it’s done.