The 45 Best Romantic Movies on Netflix for When You Want to Stay In
These funny, yearning, tragic and hot love stories are perfect for when you want to "Netflix and chill."
Tragic, star-crossed lovers. Meet-cutes with lots of funny misunderstandings along the way. Relationships that blossom amid dangerous circumstances. What kind of romantic movie are you in the mood for today?
Whether you're looking for an activity for an at-home date night or are just watching solo, Netflix has every flavor of romance you could ask for. The only problem is shifting through all the choices. These are the current best romantic movies on Netflix to watch in 2023. Some of them are funny rom-coms — and there are even a few in a genre that Netflix perfected, if not pioneered: the romantic-comedy franchise, with two, three and sometimes four films in a series. Others are more straight-faced and serious, with dire circumstances keeping lovers apart. There are movies that take place now and deal with modern concerns like social media, and others in a period setting (often with amazing costumes). And some mash up the romance with other genres, like action or science fiction, so there's a little something for everyone. Plus, there are plenty of old favorites along with newer Netflix originals to choose from.
So, turn one on, turn up the volume loud and quote along when they say something swoon-worthy, like, "I'll never let go."
Lady Chatterly's Lover (2022)
Based on the steamy novel by D.H. Lawrence, this film stars The Crown's Emma Corrin as a woman who, after her husband returns from the war wounded, is shuttled off from the city to a country estate. She's miserable until she starts an affair with the estate's gamekeeper. (Swooning ensues.)
A Perfect Pairing (2022)
She's a hard-working executive for a wine company, he runs a sheep farm in Australia. To land a big client, she has to prove her mettle on the farm. It's basically the premise for every Hallmark holiday movie, only without the sweaters and plaid scarves.
Persuasion (2022)
Dakota Johnson stars in this Jane Austen adaptation about a woman who reconnects with a man she once planned on marrying. And while the movie takes place in a period setting, the filmmaking feels very modern, with Johnson breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
This is a romance wrapped in a thriller, but either way it'll get your pulse to race. Normal People's Daisy Edgar-Jones plays a girl who grew up on her own in the wilds of a marsh, subjecting her to the prejudices of the local townspeople. When a body is found in the marsh, she comes under suspicion, and only a few people (including handsome childhood friend Tate) come to her aid.
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)
Jordan Fisher and Talia Ryder star in this movie, about a couple who will soon be separated when Talia goes off to college. She wants a clean break; he thinks if he plans the perfect goodbye date, she'll be convinced to stay with him. Will their love survive the distance?
Along for the Ride (2022)
This is a good one for those who like to stay up late. Based on a book by Sarah Dessen, the film follows Auden, a teenage insomniac who wanders her town at night. It's then that she meets Eli, a fellow night owl who is determined to give her all the experiences she's missed out on.
Spiderhead (2022)
Another good choice for those who want a little sci-fi and action thrown in with their romance, this film takes place in a futuristic prison, where inmates get an enormous amount of freedom — because they agree to wear devices that will use mind-altering drugs on them if they get out of line. But when two prisoners fall for each other, they hatch a plan to beat the chemicals and escape. Chris Hemsworth stars as the prison's pharmacological visionary, and Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett are the inmates, all directed by Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski.
Blonde (2022)
A fictional imagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe, Blonde has romance along with tragedy. It goes through many of the major relationships in the star's life, from the exciting beginnings to the hear-rending ends. The movie also turned heads when it received an NC-17 rating.
Look Both Ways (2022)
This is a Sliding Doors-style movie, where the film follows two different, possible paths taken by the character, played by Riverdale's Lili Reinhart. In one, she gets pregnant and stays in her hometown to raise the baby. In another, she goes off to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Does she find true love on either path?
A Jazzman's Blues (2022)
This is another romance of the star-crossed variety, courtesy of Tyler Perry. In it, a blues musician named Bayou and a young girl named Leanne fall in love, and the movie traces their relationship through decades as it intersects with their town's history and scandals.
The Last Letter From Your Lover (2021)
Love stories in this film take place across two timelines, as it balances the tale of Ellie (Felicity Jones), a contemporary journalist who searches her magazine archives and finds a misfiled love letter from a clandestine couple in the 1960s (played by Shailene Woodley and Callum Turner). As Ellie begins to research that affair, her own love life takes a turn.
Malcolm and Marie (2021)
A pandemic project, this film follows a couple in real time, in a limited location, as they explore truths about their relationship — making it feel almost like a play. It stars Zendaya and John David Washington, who are so smolderingly hot they send sparks off the screen.
All the Bright Places (2020)
If you want your romances to tug at the heartstrings, this one, based on a YA book by Jennifer Niven, will do the trick. It's about two teenagers, each dealing with death in their own way, and how they make a connection despite their scars.
The Half of It (2020)
In a modern-day twist on Cyrano de Bergerac, this film follows Ellie Chu, a high-school outcast who does other kids' homework for money. When a jock offers to pay her to write letters to his crush, she finds herself falling for her notes' recipient.
The Lovebirds (2020)
Perhaps more of a "com" than a "rom," The Lovebirds follows a very-much-in-love couple — played by comedians Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani — who are mistakenly taken for killers, forcing them to go on the lam. If they can stick together through that, your relationship problems are nothing.
Holidate (2020)
For something with a festive spin, Holidate spans all the holidays of the year. In it, a young, busy, single woman strikes up an arrangement with a similarly single guy to be each other's plus-ones for every holiday gathering, just to fend off questions and set-ups from relatives. But can they keep it to the platonic terms of their agreement?
Love Guaranteed (2020)
Netflix proves why it's the go-to place when you're in the mood for a romantic comedy: This one is about a lawyer who takes on a client that wants to sue a dating site that guarantees its users will find true love. She might not have found her match on the site, but she might've found it in the courtroom.
Roped (2020)
Pull on your cowboy boots and cowboy hat for this one: It follows the story of a young rodeo rider who falls in love with a councilman's daughter. Can he win over her pa?
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
This film stars Ali Wong and Randall Park, so you know it definitely falls on the "rom-com" side of romance. They play people who knew each other as kids, and re-connect as adults after several years, possibly rekindling their teenage spark.
Straight Up (2019)
If you're looking for something on the cuter, sweeter side, this film follows a man who starts to question his sexuality, so he dates a woman for the first time. The movie questions whether it's possible to have a relationship based on a deep emotional connection, but without physical intimacy.
Marisa (she/her) has covered all things parenting, from the postpartum period through the empty nest, for Good Housekeeping since 2018; she previously wrote about parents and families at Parents and Working Mother. She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn, where she can be found dominating the audio round at her local bar trivia night or tweeting about movies.
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