Pause the doomscrolling for a while and turn on one of these love stories instead.

The 26 best romantic movies on Netflix

Pause the doomscrolling for a while and turn on one of these love stories instead.

By Ilana Gordon

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

on September 16, 2026 7:33 a.m. ET

Patricia Arquette as Alabama in ‘True Romance’; Nate Parker as Kaz Nico and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean in ‘Beyond the Lights’; Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette in ‘Marie Antoinette’. Credit:

Warner Brothers/Getty; Suzanne Tenner/Relativity Media; Leigh Johnson/Columbia

Love is in the air and also definitely on Netflix, where the streamer has assembled an eclectic collection of romantic films.

Additions to this month’s guide include *Phantom Thread** *(2017), the Paul Thomas Anderson psychological drama about a fashion designer who meets a dangerous muse. Also worth revisiting — or discovering for the first time — is the 2011 romantic drama *Beginners. *The story of how one man’s renewed relationship with his dying father inspired him to recommit to his own love life, this sweet film turns 15 this year.

Partners may come and go, but a good movie will stay with you forever. Read ahead to find **’s list of the 26 best romantic movies streaming on Netflix.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Ali Wong as Sasha Tran and Keanu Reeves as himself in ‘Always Be My Maybe’. Doane Gregory/Netflix

Two old childhood friends reconnect in *Always Be My Maybe*, starring Ali Wong and Randall Park. As teens, the pair considered a romantic relationship, but it didn’t work out. As adults, she’s become a famous chef while he’s still stuck in a small-time band and working for his dad’s business.

Now, they’ll have to try and see if love is their destiny once again while facing her fame and his insecurities. The movie also features plenty of quirky moments, including Keanu Reeves playing an odd version of himself as a love interest for Wong’s character. And, as an added bonus, there’s also Wong’s amazing wardrobe. —*Lia Beck*

Where to watch *Always Be My Maybe*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Nahnatchka Khan

**Cast: **Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves, Daniel Dae Kim, James Saito

Beginners (2011)

Ewan McGregor as Oliver Fields and Mélanie Laurent as Anna Wallace in ‘Beginners’. Andrew Tepper

Christopher Plummer won an Oscar at 82-years-old for his supporting performance as Hal Fields in this romantic dramedy. Ostensibly a movie about Oliver Fields (Ewan McGregor), a lonely thirtysomething struggling to find a suitable partner in Los Angeles, the film’s parallel love story is built around Oliver and his father rebuilding their relationship after Hal comes out as gay.

The script bounces across three separate time periods, unfolding in fragments in an effort to mimic the sensation of human memory. Plummer plays the part of a 75-year-old man finally stepping into his own with compassion and youthful joy, and Mélanie Laurent plays Oliver’s love interest, a French actress named Anna. Hopeful and quirky, *Beginners* is the cinematic encapsulation of millennial optimism. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *Beginners*: Netflix through Sept. 30

**EW grade: **A–

**Director: **Mike Mills

**Cast:** Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent, Goran Višnjić

Beyond the Lights (2014)

Nate Parker as Kaz Nicol and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni Jean in ‘Beyond the Lights’.

Suzanne Tenner/Relativity Media/Courtesy Everett Collection

On the surface, Noni Jean (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) has it all: a career as an up-and-coming pop star; a celebrity relationship with fellow musical artist Kid Culprit (Machine Gun Kelly); and a devoted manager in the form of her mother, Macy (Minnie Driver). But underneath the money and fame, Noni is hurting and ends up attempting suicide.

Rescued by a police officer named Kaz, Noni is given a new lease on life and a fresh chance at love. But as her career blossoms, she struggles to balance her relationship with the unique challenges posed by her job. Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (2000’s *Love & Basketball*), *Beyond the Lights* offers a nuanced look at issues like fame, race, and mental health. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Beyond the Lights*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Gina Prince-Bythewood

**Cast: **Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Machine Gun Kelly, Minnie Driver, Nate Parker, Danny Glover

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Léa Seydoux as Emma in ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’.

A foreign language romance that spans three hours doesn’t sound like the easiest watch, but *Blue Is the Warmest Color* is a tender film about two young women falling in and out of love. Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is a 15-year-old student who finds herself obsessed with a blue-haired painter named Emma (Léa Seydoux), and despite pushback from her high school friends and potential disapproval from her working-class family, begins to date her.

The film tracks the relationship, which lasts more than a decade, and tensions arise because of the women’s ages, family backgrounds, and dreams for the future. This French film boasts beautiful naturalistic performances from its two leads, but the sex scenes are graphic and prompted a widespread conversation about queer cinema and onscreen sexuality. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Blue Is the Warmest Color*: Netflix through Sept. 30

**Director: **Abdellatif Kechiche

**Cast: **Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée

Blue Jay (2017)

Sarah Paulson as Amanda and Mark Duplass as Jim in ‘Blue Jay’. Everett Collection

Twenty years after breaking up, former high-school sweethearts Jim (Mark Duplass, who also wrote the script) and Amanda (Sarah Paulson) bump into each other in their California hometown and end up spending the day — and night — together. As they update each other on what’s transpired in their lives in the years since they last spoke, Jim and Amanda reminisce together about the people they used to be while attempting to understand the people they have become. A slice-of-life film that offers a glimpse into the optimism of youthful infatuation and the bitter realities of aging, living, and loving, *Blue Jay’s *simple story is still meaty enough for its two leads to dig their performative talons into. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Blue Jay*: Netflix

**Director: **Alex Lehmann

**Cast: **Mark Duplass, Sarah Paulson

Bros (2022)

Billy Eichner as Bobby in ‘Bros’.

Universal Pictures

*Bros* didn’t perform great at the box office, and while critics and pundits will argue the reason, it’s clear the blame doesn’t fall with the quality of the film. A romantic comedy led by Billy Eichner — the first out gay man to co-write and star in his own major studio film — *Bros* follows the proudly single Bobby Lieber (Eichner) as he accidentally falls for the hetero-presenting Aaron (Luke Macfarlane).

A Judd Apatow production, *Bros* has the requisite one-liners, witty banter, and celebrity cameos necessary to boost the comedic sections of the movie, but it’s the romantic portions that truly distinguish the film. As EW’s critic notes, “*Bros* wears its queerness proudly, without stooping to cater overmuch to whatever elusive demographics might qualify it as a ‘crossover’ success.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Bros*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Nicholas Stoller

**Cast: **Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum

Frances Ha (2012)

Adam Driver as Lev and Greta Gerwig as Frances in ‘Frances Ha’. IFC Films/Courtesy Everett Collection

One of the best-known additions to the mumblecore movement that briefly invaded independent cinema during the mid-2010s, *Frances Ha* is also one of the most charming. Directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written by the film’s star, Greta Gerwig, *Frances Ha* chronicles a difficult period in 27-year-old aspiring dancer Frances Halladay’s life. Struggling with the dissolution of one of her closest friendships, financial challenges, and difficulties with her chosen career, Frances is both unmoored and undeterred.

A late-20s coming-of-age story released in 2012, *Frances Ha* contains some vague similarities to HBO’s *Girls* (Adam Driver, for one), which premiered that same year. But the film offers such a high level of style, point of view, and performance that it deftly distinguishes itself from the rest of the genre. *—I.G.*

Where to watch* Frances Ha*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director:** Noah Baumbach

**Cast: **Greta Gerwig, Adam Driver, Mickey Sumner, Michael Zegen, Michael Esper

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society (2018)

Glen Powell as Mark Reynolds and Lily James as Juliet Ashton in ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’. Studiocanal/Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

Fans of period romances will fall head over heels for the Netflix original* The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society*. The 2018 film stars Lily James as a writer who gets to know the residents of Guernsey, an island that had recently been under German occupation during World War II. As for the romantic aspect, the lead character is torn between two men: her American fiancé (Glen Powell) and a new man from Guernsey (Michiel Huisman). EW’s review of Mike Newell’s film calls it “as snug and sweet and congenitally British as a tea cozy.” *—L.B.*

Where to watch *The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Mike Newell

**Cast: **Lily James, Michael Huisman, Glen Powell, Jessica Brown Findlay

High Fidelity (2000)

John Cusack as Rob Gordon and Jack Black as Barry Judd in ‘High Fidelity’. Everett Collection

Rob Gordon (John Cusack) is the ultimate turn-of-the-century hipster. He lives on Chicago’s West Side, runs an underperforming record store, and spends most of his time making top five lists. After ranking his breakups, Rob decides to revisit his most meaningful relationships, starting with middle school and ending with Laura (Iben Hjejle), his on-again, off-again girlfriend.

*High Fidelity* is Cusack’s movie, but it’s Jack Black who steals it as his feral, music-obsessed colleague, Barry Judd. EW’s critic describes the characters, writing, “Dressed in their promo T-shirts and off-the-thrift-shop-rack monstrosities, Rob and his co-workers hide behind the songs they love, turning the cherished tracks into advertisements for their hidden emotions.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *High Fidelity*: Netflix through Sept. 30

**Director: **Stephen Frears

**Cast: **John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Lisa Bonet

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Chris O’Dowd as Boone and Jessica Williams as Jessica James in ‘The Incredible Jessica James’. Netflix

Jessica Williams took the world by storm when she became the youngest correspondent on *The Daily Show*. And after leaving the program in 2016, Williams honed in on film — starting by taking on the roles of executive producer and lead actor in the rom-com *The Incredible Jessica James. *The role of Jessica James was created especially for Williams by writer-director Jim Strouse, and the character is perfectly customized to flaunt her many comedic and performative strengths.

In the film, Jessica is an aspiring playwright and employee at a children’s theater workshop who just broke up with her boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield). After her friend Tasha (Noël Wells) sets her up on a date with Boone (Chris O’Dowd), Jessica must decide if their romance is worth pursuing, and what she wants her love life and work life to look like going forward. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Incredible Jessica James*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Jim Strouse

**Cast: **Jessica Williams, LaKeith Stanfield, Noël Wells, Chris O’Dowd

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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life (2024)

Camille Rutherford as Agathe Robinson in ‘Jane Austen Wrecked My Life’.

Icon Film Distribution

Those in search of a recent romantic comedy that feels like it could have been made during the early ‘90s should look no further than *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life*. This bilingual film follows Agathe Robinson, a French bookseller and aspiring novelist, as she joins a writing retreat in England sponsored by Jane Austen’s descendants. While attempting to write her book, Agathe wrestles with her feelings for two different men and tries to process her grief surrounding her parents’ accidental death.

A film that feels like a French riff on classics like *Notting Hill* (1999) and *Bridget Jones’ Diary *(2001), *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life* is the perfect comfort watch for bibliophiles, Anglophiles, and anyone else who enjoys a good, old-fashioned romantic comedy. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Jane Austen Wrecked My Life*: Netflix

**Director:** Laura Piani

**Cast: **Camille Rutherford, Pablo Pauly, Charlie Anson, Annabelle Lengronne, Liz Crowther

The Lovebirds (2020)

Issa Rae as Leilani Brooks and Kumail Nanjiani as Jibran in ‘The Lovebirds’.

After four years of dating, Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) are prepared to call it quits — until the couple finds themselves involved in a murder that requires them to put their break up aside and go on the run. Too concerned about racial profiling to involve the police, Jibran and Leilani must hunt down the identity of the man who was murdered so they can find out who killed him and clear their own names.

Directed by Michael Showalter (2001’s *Wet Hot American Summer*), *The Lovebirds* is a romantic evening gone wrong in the style of films like 2010’s *Date Night* and 2018’s *Game Night*. Boasting a high ratio of jokes per minute and a pair of lead actors who know how to wield their witticisms like machetes, Nanjiani and Rae’s on-screen bickering and loving needling will have you rooting for their relationship, even as it’s falling apart. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lovebirds*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Michael Showalter

**Cast: **Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Anna Camp, Paul Sparks

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette in ‘Marie Antoinette’.

Leigh Johnson/Columbia

The life of Marie Antoinette gets a sexy, stylized makeover in Sofia Coppola’s historical drama. Kirsten Dunst stars as the naive Austrian teenager who is sent to France to marry Louis XVI (Jason Schwartzman), the heir to the throne. A bride at 15 and a queen before she turned 20, Marie’s life is troubled by a sexless marriage with her inexperienced husband, a lack of respect from the members of the court of Versailles, and a contentious relationship with the king’s mistress. Coppola plays fast and loose with the specifics of French history, but her creative partnership with Dunst remains as strong as it did when the duo first worked together on *The Virgin Suicides *(1999). *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Marie Antoinette*: Netflix

**Director: **Sofia Coppola

**Cast: **Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Judy Davis, Rip Torn, Rose Byrne

Our Souls at Night (2017)

Robert Redford as Louis Walters and Jane Fonda as Addie Moore in ‘Our Souls at Night’. Kerry Brown/Netflix

Some partnerships just keep getting better with age, and the onscreen relationship between Robert Redford and Jane Fonda — now in its fourth iteration — is one of those unions. In the Netflix original movie *Our Souls at Night*, Redford and Fonda play longtime neighbors and widowers Louis and Addie, who find comfort in spending their nights together as platonic friends. Aware that their unorthodox relationship and sleeping arrangement are eliciting side-eyes from the town and their adult children, the pair must eventually choose between their growing emotional dependence on each other and the needs of their respective families.

With a cast of only seven actors, the strength of *Our Souls at Night* lies mainly in the steady hands of its two leads, who make falling in love look just as appealing as they did half a century ago in *Barefoot in the Park *(1967). *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Our Souls at Night*: Netflix

**Director: **Ritesh Batra

**Cast: **Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Judy Greer, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruce Dern

Out of Africa (1985)

Meryl Streep as Karen Blixen and Robert Redford as Denys Finch Hatton in ‘Out of Africa’. Everett Collection

Clocking in at almost three hours, romantic drama *Out of Africa* offers many enticements: an aesthetic look at turn-of-the-20th-century Nairobi; top-notch acting by leads Robert Redford and Meryl Streep (with the latter sporting a pristine Danish accent); and impeccable direction by longtime Hollywood favorite Sydney Pollack.

Based on the autobiography by Karen Blixen — writing under the pseudonym of Isak Dinesen — the movie follows Blixen’s marriage of convenience and subsequent move from Denmark to British East Africa, where she proceeds to fall in love with the country, its people, and two of the men in her life. Oscar-bait even by 1985’s standards, *Out of Africa* won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is considered by many (including EW) as one of Meryl Streep’s best performances. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Out of Africa*: Netflix through Sept. 30

**Director: **Sydney Pollack

**Cast: **Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Michael Kitchen

Phantom Thread (2017)

Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock in ‘Phantom Thread’.

Laurie Sparham/Focus Features/Courtesy Everett

*Phantom Thread* was billed as Daniel Day-Lewis’ retirement movie, though the actor clarified his remarks in 2025, explaining he just wanted to take time away to engage in other types of work. Upon watching, it’s clear why *Phantom Thread* prompted an eight-year break: Day-Lewis delivers an elevated performance as Reynolds Woodcock, a luxury fashion designer who finds a new creative muse and romantic partner in a waitress named Alma (Vicky Krieps).

Gorgeous and tense, Paul Thomas Anderson’s script sometimes feels more about the journey than the destination, but the film’s final act is worth the ride. To prepare for the role, Day-Lewis worked as a dressmaker for a year, and with regard to his performance, EW’s critic writes, “No other actor does quite what he does as well as he does it.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Phantom Thread*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Paul Thomas Anderson

**Cast:** Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville

Queen & Slim (2019)

Jodie Turner-Smith as Queen in ‘Queen & Slim’. Universal Pictures

At one point during *Queen & Slim*, a character refers to the leads as “the Black Bonnie and Clyde,” and this description — while simplistic — gives the viewer some idea of what to expect from this culturally relevant road movie. Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) are in the middle of a tepid first date when a fatal altercation with a police officer forces the pair to flee for their lives.

Traveling through the country in search of disguise and safe passage, Queen and Slim bond. But as the two become closer, their story goes viral, turning the pair into either fugitives or revolutionaries, depending on who you ask. EW’s critic calls the film “violent and sexy, balanced between hope and despair, definably too-much and unapologetically mythic. The road is bumpy, but what a trip.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Queen & Slim*: Netflix through Sept. 30

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Melina Matsoukas

**Cast: **Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, Bokeem Woodbine, Chloë Sevigny, Flea

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

John Canada Terrell as Greer Childs, Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon, and Tommy Redmond Hicks as Jamie Overstreet in ‘She’s Gotta Have It’.

Island Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Spike Lee’s first feature film as a writer and director, *She’s Gotta Have It* presents intertwining romances as lead character Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns) decides which of the three men she’s dating (Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell) she wants to have a monogamous relationship with. Luxuriating in Lee’s creative sensibility and shot in crisp black and white, Nola’s journey towards picking a partner is funny, thought-provoking, and unique in every respect.

In a review of Netflix’s 2017 *She’s Gotta Have It *adaptation (also directed by Lee), EW’s critic describes the original movie, writing, “*She’s Gotta Have It *was Spike Lee’s first feature film, and few movies feel so joyfully first.” A dramedy that questions sexual, relationship, and gender norms of the time, *She’s Gotta Have It *is notable for its subject matter, aesthetic, and for launching Lee’s storied Hollywood career. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *She’s Gotta Have It*: Netflix

**Director:** Spike Lee

**Cast: **Tracy Camilla Johns, Spike Lee, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell

Sleeping With Other People (2015)

Jason Sudeikis as Jake and Alison Brie as Lainey in ‘Sleeping With Other People’. Linda Kallerus

Cheaters never prosper, except in *Sleeping With Other People*, a rom-com about two intimacy-challenged adults who find salvation in each other. After losing their virginities to one another in college, Jake and Lainey (Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie) reconnect after 12 years apart and — despite their admitted sexual attraction and chemistry — decide to just be friends. But when their platonic relationship becomes complicated by their romantic feelings, the two struggle not to let their past mistakes define their future.

A modern, dirtier, more drug-filled version of *When Harry Met Sally *(1989), *Sleeping With Other People* is, as EW’s critic writes, “a smart, flawed movie about smart, flawed people.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Sleeping With Other People*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Director: **Leslye Headland

**Cast: **Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne

Someone Great (2019)

LaKeith Stanfield as Nate Davis and Gina Rodriguez as Jenny Young in ‘Someone Great’. Sarah Shatz/Netflix

Heartbreak just hits different in Netflix’s *Someone Great*, a film about Jenny (Gina Rodriguez), a music journalist who goes through a breakup after accepting her dream job in San Francisco and learning her boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield) doesn’t want to come along. Emotionally buttressed by her best friends Erin (DeWanda Wise) and Blair (Brittany Snow), Jenny decides to make the most of her last night in New York City, and along the way encounters an eclectic supporting cast including Rosario Dawson, RuPaul, and Alex Moffat.

In addition to being a solid modern rom-com, *Someone Great* also has great significance in Swiftie lore: Taylor’s 2014 song “Clean” off the *1989* album was one of the inspirations for the film’s story, and Swift wrote *Lover’*s “Death by a Thousand Cuts” after seeing the movie. Deeply relatable for anyone who’s been blindsided or suffered a broken heart, *Someone Great *is about endings, beginnings, and finding the joy in both. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Someone Great*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

**Cast: **Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, Brittany Snow, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson

Spoiler Alert (2022)

Jim Parsons as Michael Ausiello and Ben Aldridge as Kit Cowan in ‘Spoiler Alert’.

Giovanni Rufino/Focus Features

Another rom-com with a couple dealing with cancer, but this movie doesn’t play coy with its impending tragedy. As the film’s name suggests, *Spoiler Alert* gives away the ending at the beginning, leaving the rest devoted to chronicling an awkward, loving, messy relationship between two queer men. Adapted from the 2017 memoir *Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies* by former EW writer Michael Ausiello, the movie plays with genre and expectation, but keeps the narrative grounded in the human relationship.

As Michael, Jim Parsons maintains the distant energy that made him famous on *The Big Bang Theory*, but his character’s wounded soul finds healing through his partnership with charming photographer Kit (Ben Aldridge). Though not officially a Christmas movie, *Spoiler Alert *has enough holiday influence to make a compelling argument for including it in your seasonal rotation. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Spoiler Alert*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Michael Showalter

**Cast: **Jim Parsons, Ben Aldridge, Sally Field

The Theory of Everything (2014)

Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in ‘The Theory of Everything’. Liam Daniel

The name Stephen Hawking elicits certain images, but in 2014’s *The Theory of Everything*, the world gets a closer look at the theoretical physicist before his body was afflicted by a motor neuron disease. A biographical film that holds multiple love stories within, *The Theory of Everything* is a solid drama, but the movie’s real power rests with its actors.

Felicity Jones is excellent as Hawking’s wife, Jane, but it’s Eddie Redmayne in an Oscar-winning turn as Hawking who blows minds. EW’s critic writes, “It’s like watching an escape artist who’s bound and gagged break free from a straitjacket. What Redmayne does is breathtaking — and it never feels like a performance.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Theory of Everything*: Netflix through Sept. 29

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **James Marsh

**Cast: **Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Lana Condor as Lara Jean Song-Covey and Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose in ‘To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You’. Bettina Strauss/Netflix

Navigating high school is painful enough without all of your crushes finding out you like them — at the same time. A modern rom-com that EW’s critic calls “breezy and charming,” *To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before* follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) as her worst fears are realized when the love letters she never meant to send find their way to the boys who inspired them.

Cornered by love, Lara Jean negotiates a sham relationship with her former crush to throw off her current one, but when feelings start catching, Lara Jean must deal with the consequences of both her lies and the truths she’s starting to realize. The first in a series of three films, which also include 2020’s *To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You* and 2021’s *To All the Boys: Always and Forever*, the original still hits the hardest. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Susan Johnson

**Cast: **Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor

True Romance (1993)

Christian Slater as Clarence and Patricia Arquette as Alabama in ‘True Romance’. Warner Brothers/Getty

In their 1993 review of the “cheerfully disreputable” romantic thriller *True Romance*, EW’s critic writes that the film “has all the tawdry surface pleasures you want from a high-style getaway caper: fast sex, ballistic violence, a cast of flamboyant goons who talk as well as they shoot.” Tony Scott directs Quentin Tarantino’s script about a pair of newlyweds, Clarence and Alabama (Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette), who spend their honeymoon in Los Angeles trying to evade angry drug dealers intent on recovering a stolen suitcase of cocaine. The movie was a box office bomb, but Tarantino’s screenplay — which features several appearances from Elvis’ ghost (played by Val Kilmer) acting as a spiritual muse — and the movie’s exceptional cast make it a relevant addition to ‘90s movie history. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *True Romance*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Tony Scott

**Cast:** Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman

Us and Them (2018)

Zhou Dongyu as Xiaoxiao Fang and Jing Boran as Lin Jianqing in ‘Us and Them’.

Mark Wu/Netflix

This Chinese romantic drama tracks the formation and dissolution of a relationship over a period of 10 years. Lin Jianqing (Jing Boran) and Xiaoxiao Fang (Zhou Dongyu) are two strangers in their early-20s who meet while on the train back to their shared rural hometown. The duo form a friendship that turns romantic, and later, becomes fraught as personal and financial issues compound.

Alternating between the past — filmed in color — and the present — filmed in black and white — the movie tells the story of young love through the lens of hindsight and the wisdom acquired through aging. Simple and lovely, heartfelt and profound, there are no heroes or villains in *Us and Them*, just ordinary people making mistakes and learning to live with them. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Us and Them*: Netflix

**Director: **Rene Liu

**Cast:** Jing Boran, Zhou Dongyu

Your Monster (2024)

Tommy Dewey as Monster and Melissa Barrera as Laura Franco in ‘Your Monster’.

A horror romantic comedy that riffs on *Beauty and the Beast*, *Your Monster* is a genre mash-up that is sure to delight. Laura (Melissa Barrera) has just been broken up with by her long-term boyfriend, Jacob (Edmund Donovan). Forced to move back home, Laura discovers a monster (Tommy Dewey) squatting in her childhood bedroom. He agrees to give her two weeks to get her life together, and so begins the relationship between a woman trying to move on and the monster who lives in her closet.

Much of the film centers around a musical theater performance involving Jacob, Laura, and the woman Laura believes Jacob is romantically interested in, so it has some great songs. But the movie primarily exists as a showcase for Barrera, one of the most exciting actors in this new class of Scream Queens.* —I.G.*

Where to watch *Your Monster*: Netflix

**Director: **Caroline Lindy

**Cast: **Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster, Meghann Fahy

- Romance Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Romance”