There is always a good reason to watch a romantic comedy. And they are the perfect films to watch with your best friends or significant other. Funny movies on Netflix are especially important during such a rough time as a pandemic.
But when there are so many high-quality options out there, how does a viewer know where to start? The good news is we have done the hard work for you.
We have come up with a list of the best romantic comedies in both film and television to stream on Netflix.
Grab some popcorn and get ready to binge some wonderful romantic comedies. Here are the 15 best romantic comedies on Netflix right now, as of this month.
Updated in January 2022: Every month, Netflix is eliminating several of its popular movies and series, so fans have to start to look for a new favorite to watch.
The good news is that, for every movie and TV show that leaves the streaming service, more arrive, some better than what came before.
The best news is that we are here every month to update this list and keep it current.
Runaway Bride (1999)
Runaway Bride re-pairs up the successful romantic movie combination of Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, the actors who set everyone’s hearts in motion in Pretty Woman.
In this movie, Roberts plays Maggie, a woman who has had several unsuccessful relationships as she ran away at the last minute, leaving them waiting at the altar.
Since most of the moments were filmed, she has become famous as the Runaway Bride.
Gere is a news columnist named Ike who writes an article about her full of inaccuracies because the man he interviewed was one of her exes. When he gets a chance to redeem himself, he meets her to write an article to restore his reputation.
However, he falls in love with her just as she prepares to walk the aisle again with another man.
The Wedding Singer (1998)
One of Adam Sandler’s most beloved movies hit in 1998 with The Wedding Singer.
In this movie, Sandler was able to bring one of his better Saturday Night Live schticks, his singing weird songs, to the big screen as the wedding singer of the title.
The Wedding Singer also gave Sandler a chance to show he was more than a frat boy movie actor by putting him in a rom-com with Drew Barrymore as the romantic interest.
Sandler and Barrymore teamed up more in the future, but this was still Sandler’s best rom-com of his career.
As Good As It Gets (1997)
Jack Nicholson starred in the James L. Brooks romantic comedy As Good As It Gets in 1997.
This was a rare comedy for Nicholson, but it was a dry and smart comedy with Nicholson, who starred as an obsessive-compulsive novelist.
He is also misanthropic and homophobic and has to deal with the single mother (Helen Hunt) of a chronically ill son, and a gay artist (Greg Kinnear).
Nicholson and Hunt both won acting Oscars for the movie.
Holidate
Holidate is a Netflix original movie about a guy and girl who decide to fake being in a relationship to save their holidays from drama.
The entire idea is based around the idea that parents and relatives are relentless when it comes to people showing up single, so these two felt if they faked a relationship, they could avoid the judgement.
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey is Sloane and Jackson, and they find each other and it all works out until they start to really fall for each other.
The Ugly Truth (2009)
The Ugly Truth starred Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler as the most mismatched of romantic couplings.
Heigl is Abby, a morning show producer who believes in love and has high ideals. However, Butler is Mike, a talk show host who is a pure cynic about love and relationships.
When Abby calls Mike’s show to debate him on the air, the two prove they can’t get along. This causes problems when the network is considering canceling Abby’s show and brings on Mike to join it, which leads to more conflicts.
However, as with the best romantic comedies, the two end up falling in love.
The Holiday (2006)
The Holiday was a Christmas movie that had two women, one from the U.S. and the other from the U.K., who have a home exchange to get away from the heartbreak in their lives.
Kater Winslet’s Iris lives in London and is a society columnist whose boyfriend cheated on her. Cameron Diaz is Amanda, a movie trailer producer whose boyfriend cheated on her.
When the two switch homes for the holidays, they end up finding new loves. For Amanda, it is Iris’s brother (Jude Law), and for Iris, it is a father (Jack Black) whose girlfriend has cheated on him.
Bad Teacher (2011)
Bad Teacher is a raunchy comedy starring Cameron Diaz as a middle school teacher who hates her job and puts in the least amount of work possible.
However, after her wealthy boyfriend dumps her, she has to return to work to afford her breast implants.
She soon meets a wealthy substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake) and tries to win him over for the money, but finds another teacher (Lucy Punch) trying to win him over as well.
The Sweetest Thing (2002)
Cameron Diaz stars as Christina Walters, a player and a woman who uses men in the singles game, in The Sweetest Thing.
The problem comes when she falls for a guy she meets at a club (Thomas Jane) and can’t stop talking about him. She ends up heading out with her best friend Courtney (Christina Applegate) to find him, and end up involved in a crazy number of dirty situations.
The movie picked up poor critical reviews when it was released, but was basically a sex comedy, but with a female lead, a big change from the norm.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a Netflix produced teen romantic comedy that hit the streaming service in 2018.
The film is based on the novel by Jenny Han, released in 2014, and was a huge success for Netflix. The film has a high school junior named Lara Jean, who writes letters to all the boys she felt passion for.
She then locks the letters in her closet.
When her sister finds the letters, she mails them to all the boys, which throws her life into turmoil.
There has already been one sequel with another on the way.
The Kissing Booth (2018)
The Kissing Booth is a Netflix original teen romantic comedy film based on the novel by Beth Reekles.
Released in 2018, The Kissing Booth stars Joey King as Elle, a late-blooming teenager who ends up in a relationship with a bad boy senior named Noah (Jacob Elordi). This puts her lifelong friendship with Noah’s younger brother in danger.
In a pleasant surprise, ’80s teen romance icon Molly Ringwald co-stars.
Critics destroyed the movie, but Netflix subscribers loved it and made it a monster success. A sequel hit Netflix in July 2020.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Will Ferrel can be hit or miss for audiences. From delivering comedy classics like Step Brothers to making box-office duds like Holmes and Watson, his comedy is experimental and sometimes that has various results with the viewers.
That said, his latest effort Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is one of his best in recent memory.
The film features hilariously catchy Icelandic musical numbers, a charming goofball romantic plot between Ferrell and Rachel McAdams, and some of the funniest comedic bits from Ferrell in years.
Always Be My Maybe
Always Be My Maybe is a rare romantic comedy to bless the universe.
For one, it has Keanu Reeves playing himself. And anytime Keanu becomes self-aware is a day we should all become worried.
But the film is led by two amazing leads — Ali Wong and Randall Park — and their heritage gives the film a cultural facelift that so many American comedies lack.
Between the charming leads and the authentic Asian backdrop, Always Be My Maybe is required viewing for any rom-com fan.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
There is no denying that Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and Luke Danes (Scott Peterson) have incredible chemistry. They also manage to be hilarious and easy to identify with.
Fans of Gilmore Girls waited seven seasons for Luke and Lorelai to realize they were perfect for each other. And Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life gives fans what they want.
Luke and Lorelai are finally together, and their relationship is as funny and meant to be as fans knew it would be. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life is an easy binge on Netflix.
The Lovebirds
The Lovebirds just hit Netflix recently and it’s a lot of fun.
For one, it is elevated by two unlikely romantic leads with Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple on the brink of a troubled relationship.
Plus, it has an action/suspense subplot of their characters being framed for a murder by a stranger who commandeers their vehicle.
The film is extremely entertaining and is complimented by Rae and Nanjiani’s chemistry, making it a worthy pick for any Netflix date night.