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No matter your relationship status, the best romantic movies provoke a rollercoaster of emotions, almost as if you’re the one falling madly in love, losing the love of your life, or both in the span of roughly 90 minutes. At least, those are the ones you can watch over and over again, even when they hit a little too close to home.
Whether it’s Rose’s goodbye to Jack in Titanic or that rain-kissing scene in The Notebook, some cinematic moments are so iconic they’ve transcended pop culture, changing the way we view love in real life. I mean, tell me you watched those couple interviews in When Harry Met Sally and didn’t hope that would be you someday. You can’t!
Of course, most real relationships don’t begin or end with a dramatic sprint through an airport. Whether you’re single, starting a new romance, divorced, or something in between, there are plenty of movies that reflect every stage of your love life—past, present, and future. Personally, I could use a reminder that He’s Just Not That Into You every time I find a new “soulmate” on Hinge.
So while we can’t promise that watching these love stories will help you solve all (or any) of your current relationship woes, we can tell you that you’ll be able to relate to at least one of these comedies and dramas. You can see the rest of our picks for the best romantic movies, below.
PS: Of course, not all love movies are winners. See our list of romantic comedies that probably never should have been made.
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©Hulu/Courtesy Everett Collection1/63If You Feel Like You’re Stuck in a Time Loop: Palm Springs
This 2020 rom-com sci-fi hybrid starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milliotti struck a nerve when it dropped on Hulu during the peak of lockdown, when time felt like it was taken away from us and every day bled into the other. The philosophical film is uproariously funny, smart, and well-performed, and it sets itself apart from the traditional rom-com, offering hope for a creative future in the often repetitive genre.
Available to stream on Hulu
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©Searchlight Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection2/63If You’ve Always Longed to Find Your Very Own Mr. Darcy on Vacation: Fire Island
This 2020s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, one of the best movies based on a book, reimagines the work as a gay love story set in Fire Island. The new setting offers a fresh perspective, with layered commentary on sexuality, race, and the gay community itself all while showcasing a predictable but classic Mr. Darcy–Elizabeth Bennett style courtship. It’s fun, it’s serious, and you will laugh out loud constantly while also wondering, Why can’t this happen to me?
Available to stream on Hulu
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Netflix3/63If You Have a Crush on Someone Annoying: Set It Up
Zoey Deutch and Glenn Powell lead this equally raunchy and romantic Netflix movie that documents a classic love-hate relationship. Overworked by their bosses (played by Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs), Harper and Charlie attempt to set them up romantically to improve their work-life balance. The film, which came out in 2018, marked a return to rom-coms in modern cinema and launched successful careers for its leads. It also notably includes an appearance from one Pete Davidson.
Available to stream on Netflix
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Courtesy of Focus Features4/63If You’re Just Hooking Up: Walk of Shame
Elizabeth Banks stars in Walk of Shame, a 2014 romantic comedy about a woman who has to maneuver her way across the city to an interview for her dream job following a one-night stand. And she does it all without her phone, ID, or money. It’s not all bad for Banks’s character, though: James Marsden plays her last-night lover, so you know that hookup doesn’t end at just one. While we wouldn’t call this a groundbreaking piece of cinema, it will make you feel relieved—because there’s no way anyone could have a worse walk-of-shame experience than this.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Courtesy of Universal Pictures5/63If You’re Single but All Your Friends Are Engaged: Bridesmaids
At some point in life, most people go through a period when they feel out of sync with the world—and sometimes that happens around that time when someone you care about gets married. Kristen Wiig brilliantly captures this feeling for us all in Bridesmaids as Annie, a single woman who is struggling to be the best maid of honor possible for her best friend Lillian (played by the brilliant Maya Rudolph) while navigating a disappointing career setback. Things get even more complicated when a fellow bridesmaid, Rose Byrne’s Helen, starts getting competitive over Lillian.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video
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Alamy6/63If You’re Taking a Break From Dating: Becoming Jane
Becoming Jane isn’t totally faithful to Jane Austen’s real-life history, though it is inspired by a rumored flirtation the author had with a lawyer named Tom Lefroy. Even so, Anne Hathaway’s version of the iconic Pride and Prejudice writer shows us a valuable lesson: Sometimes putting aside love to focus on yourself is the best thing you can do. So much attention is paid to the fact that Austen never married, as if that’s a sad thing; from all accounts, she lived a very full life until her death in 1817. And of course, her legacy lives on in her work.
Available to buy on Amazon
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Everett Collection7/63If You’re Going on a Lot of First Dates: 50 First Dates
If you’re confused about how 50 First Dates, a very unrealistic romantic comedy about a man who resolves to woo a woman with amnesia anew every single day, can apply to your life, just stick with us here. You see, not all first dates are winners—the silly high jinks that take place in this romantic comedy are proof of that—but sometimes you can strike gold, and that makes all the effort worth it. The relationship between Adam Sandler’s and Drew Barrymore’s characters is a beautiful reminder that love can come in many, many unexpected ways.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Everett Collection8/63If You’re Trying Dating Apps: You’ve Got Mail
Ever feel like Hinge or Bumble aren’t the best place to find lasting love? Yeah, we get it. All the time. We suggest watching the classic rom-com You’ve Got Mail to keep you in the game. The movie may be set long before dating apps became a thing, but it still shows that there are great people online looking for someone just like you—even if they might be trying to put your adorable little bookstore out of business. Some of those people may even be as hot and charming as Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! (One can dream, can’t one?)
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Alamy9/63If You Have an FWB: Friends With Benefits
Sometimes what you really want is to be physically intimate without all the emotional effort that can come with a serious relationship. If that sounds like your current situation, this romantic comedy is exactly what you need to watch. It stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis as two friends who, you guessed it, start hooking up with no strings attached. Although they—spoiler warning—fall in love by the end of the film, that’s not always how friends with benefits work out in real life. In fact, we suggest just watching this movie to the halfway point.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Netflix10/63If You Have a Secret Crush: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
Every time she has a new crush, Lara Jean (Lana Condor) writes a secret love letter to him. The notes are not meant to be shared, of course, so she’s mortified when they accidentally get mailed out to the guys. But then something great happens: The incident leads her on a path to love, one that she never would have taken without a shove from the universe. The lesson? If you have someone you’re crushing on, just tell them! It’s scary, sure, but you may never how they feel in return unless you put it out there. (Watch the whole movie series to see how it all pans out.)
Available to stream on Netflix
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Alamy11/63If You’re Dating Someone Unexpected: How Stella Got Her Groove Back
Need to get your confidence back after a breakup? Feel like your life and relationships are in a rut? How Stella Got Her Groove Back offers up a fantastic option: dating someone outside of your usual type. It can be exciting, strange, uncomfortable, and awesome—all at the same time. Even if the relationship doesn’t last, you’ll walk away having learned more about yourself. Bonus points if you meet this someone new on a fabulous, first-class vacation, as Angela Bassett does in this 1998 romantic comedy-drama. Extra bonus points if that someone new looks like Taye Diggs. (There’s a reason it tops every list of best sexy movies.)
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Alamy12/63If You’re in a Budding Romance: Before Sunrise
Before Sunrise is the ideal movie to watch when you’re in a new, butterflies-in-your-stomach romance. This film (and its subsequent sequels) shows how quickly you can fall in love—and that being head-over-heels for somebody isn’t the worst thing in the world. In it, Ethan Hawke plays a young American man who meets a French woman (Julie Delpy) on a train; they have an instant connection, so they spend an entire evening walking around Vienna just getting to know each other and falling in love. It’s perfect if you’re in the mood to start a new relationship.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection13/63If You’re Falling in Love for the First Time: Love, Simon
This teen rom-com about a high schooler (played by the always charming Nick Robinson) who comes out to his family and friends after falling in love with a mystery pen pal will warm any heart. Whether you’re in relationship or not, this movie is important for everyone to watch because it shows how necessary it is to stay true to yourself and love who you love. Friends, family, and romantic partners who have your best interests in mind will be supportive of that no matter what. (The soundtrack is great too, but that’s just a bonus.)
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Everett Collection14/63If You’re With Your First Love: The Notebook
In any discussion about romance movies, there is no avoiding The Notebook. The drama, which was adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, is a sweeping love story about a young couple who fall in love but are separated after a series of miscommunications and misunderstandings come between them. When they finally reunite, it is…well, that photo of the two kissing in the rain should clue you in. The movie is a reminder that finding love for the first time can be just as wonderful, painful, and exciting as it is in the movies. Plus, you know, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Alamy15/63If You’re Meeting the Parents: Meet the Parents
Meeting your partner’s family can be one of the most stressful and uncomfortable times in a relationship, but here’s one reassurance: Most parents aren’t as insane as Robert De Niro’s ex-CIA cat-loving character, Jack Byrnes. So if you’re concerned about how a meeting with the family will go, just think of this movie. After all, if Ben Stiller’s and Teri Polo’s characters, Greg and Pam, can still make a relationship work after the events of Meet the Parents, you and your partner should have no problem at all. If a lie detector test comes out, though, run.
Available to stream on Netflix
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Alamy16/63If You’re in an LDR: Going the Distance
Long-distance relationships are difficult, even when you’re deeply in love. Going the Distance stars Drew Barrymore and Justin Long as a young couple trying to navigate how to be together despite living on opposite ends of the country. It’s not easy for them—sorry for the spoiler, but they even break up at one point—but the highs and lows of this type of relationship ring true to life. That said, if two people want each other enough, keep an open line of communication, and put in the effort, it’s totally possible to make an LDR work.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
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Alamy17/63If You’re Secretly in Love With a Friend: Some Kind of Wonderful
John Hughes’s movies have taught us a lot about love over the decades, but Some Kind of Wonderful is a good one to watch if you’re starting to catch feelings for a person in your friend group. Eric Stoltz plays a teen with a crush on a popular, wealthy girl (Lea Thompson). Along the way, though, he realizes that he actually cares for his best friend (Mary Stuart Masterson), who has secretly loved him for years. It only makes sense that, sometimes, you fall for someone who has been there for you all along. And Some Kind of Wonderful proves that once in a while that person falls for us too.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime Video
