Add These 20 Rom-Coms To All Your Streaming Watchlists

Based on the real-life romance of writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick (2017) follows a couple (played by Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan) as they navigate love, cultural differences, and illness. An indie darling, the rom-com scored a hefty 98% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 88% audience score to boot. It’s incredibly endearing and emotional, so if a rom-com about getting incredibly sick isn't too on the nose for you amid these times, then it's perfect.

Available on Amazon Prime Video.

The quintessential classic. If you like your rom-coms with a little bit more of a fantasy flair, then The Princess Bride (1987), starring Robin Wright and Cary Elwes, will do you right. Boasting a 97% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an almost equivalent 94%, this is a much-beloved classic. It manages to take some of the funnier tropes of fantasy stories and tilt them just so to make them more comedic than dramatic. It’s well worth a watch, especially if it's been a while since you've seen it (doubly so if you've never).

Stream it on Disney+.

Traveling to faraway places might be more difficult for the time being, so why not enjoy a rom-com that successfully captures the feeling of traveling to new, exciting locales while pairing it with a genuinely heartwarming and tender romantic story? The Singapore-set Crazy Rich Asians (2018), starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding and based on the namesake Kevin Kwan novel, does just that, as well as make you laugh and cry.

Watch it on HBO Max.

At the center of Set It Up (2018) are two underpaid and overworked assistants (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) who try to spark a romantic connection between their bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs) in hopes of getting them to lighten up. While the latter part of that premise might be pure rom-com fantasy, the situation is something any assistant can relate to.

Available on Netflix.

The third and final installment of the To All the Boys franchise, Always and Forever wraps up the series nicely. As high school graduation approaches, Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) need to decide whether to embark on separate journeys or stay together, a struggle that’s all-too-familiar to young couples. The wholesome story is just as charming as the first two entries, To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018) and P.S. I Still Love You (2020).

Watch it on Netflix.

This modern-ish (circa the turn of the millennium, at least) retelling of Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew is a great blend of rom-com and teen comedy. Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, it manages to "update" the classic lit comedy — again, circa 1999 — into something perhaps more relatable to today. While the film definitely dates itself in a lot of different ways (nostalgia-inducing dELiA*s fashion being one of them), its story is timeless.

Available on Disney+.

Will Smith plays the titular “date doctor” in Hitch (2005) and is the go-to guru of men looking for love. Unfortunately, when he meets gossip columnist Sara (Eva Mendes), none of the tricks in his playbook seem to work and she writes an exposé on him. Ouch. Kevin James, Amber Valletta, and Robinne Lee also star in the movie directed by Andrew Tennant.

Watch it on Peacock.

Starring Seth Rogen alongside Charlize Theron, Long Shot (2019) is an odd-couple comedy that has Rogen playing a journalist, Fred, who reconnects with his former babysitter (and childhood crush, of course), Charlotte, who's now a politician spinning up a presidential campaign. Charlotte hires Fred to be her speechwriter, and the two of them end up finding some unexpected chemistry blossoming on the campaign trail.

Available on Hulu Premium.

Ali Wong and Randall Park co-star in (and co-wrote) the 2019 Netflix original Always Be My Maybe, directed by Nahnatchka Khan. Sixteen years after a falling-out, Sasha (Wong) is a celebrated chef, while Marcus (Park) is in the same band and job he had in high school. With handsome beaus like Keanu Reeves (as a fictionalized version of himself) and Daniel Dae Kim’s uber-successful Brandon in the way, can the two former besties reconnect? The movie was well-received, especially for leaning into its Asianness, and there have even been calls for a sequel.

Stream it on Netflix.

Lindsay Lohan and Jaime Lee Curtis portray the mother-daughter switcheroo in Freaky Friday (2003), Disney’s second remake of the 1976 original. When a magical fortune cookie body-swaps Tess (Curtis), an engaged therapist, and Anna (Lohan), her teenage guitarist daughter, they have to navigate each other’s issues and romances with Mark Harmon (Tess’s fiancé) and Chad Michael Murray (Anna’s crush). “Climb into her skin and walk around in it” takes on a whole new meaning.

Available on Disney+.

At summer camp, Annie and Hallie (both Lohan) discover they are identical twins separated after birth by their divorced parents. Naturally, they end up impersonating each other in a complicated effort to meet and reunite their parents (Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson). Filmed when she was just 12, the Nancy Meyers-directed The Parent Trap (1998), a remake of the 1961 original, became an instant Lohan classic.

Stream it on Disney+.

When San Francisco-based Gabriela (Christina Milian) wins a New Zealand inn through a contest, she packs up and leaves. Greeted by a rundown inn, she enlists the help of handsome contractor Jake (Adam Demos) to refurbish it. Somehow, a potent dose of sawdust, construction hats, and sweaty labor leads them to fall (literally) for each other. Directed by Roger Kumble, the 2019 Netflix original Falling Inn Love is a sweet, wholesome movie that’ll make you want to hit up a picturesque destination, stat.

Stream it on Netflix.

There's a lot to love about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), not the least of which is its incredibly tight comedic writing, a hallmark of director Edgar Wright's filmmaking style. That, combined with hyper-stylistic editing and visuals, makes for a pretty unforgettable action story about a fairly unrepentant slacker (Michael Cera) finding not only love but self-respect as well.

Stream it on Netflix.

If you’re ever felt pressured to bring a plus-one to a family holiday gathering, you’ll find this 2020 Netflix original extremely relatable. New friends Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) find a solution to dateless holidays bound to rile up their families: They’ll go together, platonically. But, of course, spending every holiday as a pretend couple is bound to bring them closer together. Much closer.

Watch it on Netflix.

In the 2018 Netflix original The Kissing Booth, based on Beth Reekles’ novel of the same name, Elle (Joey King) secretly harbors a crush on Noah (Jacob Elordi), her best friend Lee’s (Joel Courtney) older brother. When Elle and Noah end up smooching at a kissing booth during a school fundraiser, they decide to continue seeing each other — behind Lee’s back. It’s the first of three movies sure to give you butterflies.

Watch it on Netflix.

Real-life transgender actor Michelle Hendley stars as a transwoman in 2014’s romantic comedy Boy Meets Girl. Directed by Eric Schaeffer, it follows the story of aspiring designer Ricky (Hendley) as she strikes up a friendship (and more) with Francesca (Alexandra Turshen), an engaged cis-woman. The well-received film is an honest exploration of the nuances of gender identity and sexual attraction.

Stream it on Amazon Prime.

The pairing you didn’t know you needed, Jennifer Lopez and Milo Ventimiglia are boyfriend-girlfriend in Second Act (2018) from director Peter Segal. Maya, in her 40s and desperate for a new job, fakes a resume and lands an executive position at a competitive beauty company. There, she tries to keep her act going while dealing with office nemesis Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens), who ends up being closer to her than she realizes.

Watch it on Hulu.

Abby (Kristen Stewart) planned the perfect moment to propose to girlfriend Harper (Mackenzie Davis) on Christmas morning at Harper’s family home. But there’s just one catch: Harper is still in the closet and Abby has to pretend to be straight for the holiday. A semi-biographical film based on director Clea DuVall’s life, Hulu’s Happiest Season (2020) highlights the struggles queer people face when coming out to their families. The standout cast also includes Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Dan Levy.

Stream it on Hulu.

Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a 22-year-old with Down syndrome, has one dream: to escape his care facility to study at Saltwater Redneck’s wrestling school. When Zak breaks out, stranger Tyler (Shia LaBeouf) joins him on his excursion and the two become friends. A heartwarming feel-good movie, The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) is mostly a story about friendship, with a subtle blossoming romance on the side between Tyler and Dakota Johnson’s Eleanor.

Available on Amazon Prime.

It’s hard to say what we love most about this 1999 classic: London’s famous site, Julia Roberts’ smile, or Hugh Grant in his endearingly awkward leading man prime. Notting Hill, directed by Roger Michell, follows Anna (Roberts), a famous American actress who stumbles into a London bookstore owned by William (Grant). After a series of chance encounters, the two begin a dalliance that leads to one of rom-com history’s most iconic lines.

Stream it on Hulu.