Love is in the air as the world prepares to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and Netflix has a stellar list of romance flicks to usher in the holiday. Whether you’re in the mood for a feel good rom-com or emotionally compelling tear-jerkers, the streaming giant has a vast catalog of must-sees movies that are perfect for snuggling up on the couch and embracing the warm and fuzzy festivities that come with Cupid’s big day.
Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher hilariously made headlines when they hit the red carpet to promote their buzzed-about new romantic-comedy Your Place or Mine, with many joking about their seemingly awkward appearance (Kutcher’s wife Mila Kunis included!). From classic fan-favorites like Notting Hill to charming new hits like To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix is sure to deliver on your V-Day content. These are some of the best romance movies that are perfect to watch this Valentine’s Day.
9 Your Place or Mine
In Netflix's latest romantic comedy Your Place or Mine, Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher are two longtime best friends who decide to shake up their routines by switching homes for a week, resulting in the duo realizing they may already have what they've been searching for all along.
The charming film marks Kutcher's return to the love-themed genre after over a decade (his last being 2011's New Year's Eve), and his endearing performance with rom-com queen Witherspoon on-screen earned appreciation and praise from fans. To help them prepare for their roles, director Aline Brosh McKenna gave them books to read in order to get into the minds of their characters, a task Kutcher earnestly embraced and Witherspoon slyly opted out of.
8 Notting Hill
In Roger Michell's fan-favorite romantic comedy Notting Hill, an unlikely love blossoms between a famous Hollywood actress (Julia Roberts) and kind London bookshop owner (Hugh Grant) despite coming from completely opposite worlds.
Screenwriter Richard Curtis came up with the premise of the picture after pondering "the idea of a very normal person going out with an unbelievably famous person and how that impinges on their lives," with the popular hit being regarded as "a '90s London-set verision of Roman Holiday." Notting Hill went on to earn over $360 million and both Roberts and Grant received Golden Globe nominations for their roles as the captivating star-crossed lovers.
7 Made of Honor
Grey's Anatomy heartthrob Patrick Dempsey portrays a ladies man and a perpetual playboy in 2008's Made of Honor, in which his character Tom realizes he's actually in love with his longtime best friend Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) after she becomes engaged to another man. After Hannah asks him to be her maid of honor for her impending nuptials, Tom sets out to win her over and prove they are meant to be.
While critics were less-than-kind in their reviews of the romantic comedy, fans seemed to thoroughly enjoy the heartwarming flick and awarded it a B+ CinemaScore. Made of Honor is perfect for viewers in the mood for a traditional and sweet romance film in which McDreamy shows off his comedic skills while also remaining swoon-worthy.
6 Brokeback Mountain
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Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal delivered phenomenal performances in the emotionally-gripping 2005 romantic drama Brokeback Mountain, telling the tale of two cowboys who meet and fall in love in 1963 Wyoming and who's complicated affair spans the course of twenty years.
The Ang Lee picture is based on the Annie Proulx short story and features a stars-studded supporting cast including Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams, and went on to win the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival. Brokeback Mountain earned three Academy Awards and was lauded for its poignant love story, complex characters and powerful subject matter and LGBTQ+ representation.
5 La La Land
Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone danced their way into the hearts of audiences all across the world when they headlined the 2016 romantic musical dramedy La La Land, portraying a gifted-but-struggling jazz pianist and ambitious actress whose passion for the arts serves as the foundation for their thrilling love story.
The Oscar-winning musical served as the third collaboration between Gosling and Stone, who had previously shared the screen in Crazy, Stupid, Love and Gangster Squad, and their effortless chemistry is without-a-doubt one of the most magical elements of the film. Director Damien Chazelle declared that the insanely gifted duo "feel like the closest thing that we have right now to an old Hollywood couple," and it's no wonder the film dominated both the box office and awards season.
4 Along Came Polly
Opposites hilariously attract in the 2004 romantic comedy Along Came Polly, which features Ben Stiller as an uptight and risk-fearing businessman who falls in love with his free-spirited former classmate (Jennifer Aniston) after being cheated on during his honeymoon. The delightful flick follows the mismatched pair as Polly helps Stiller's Rueben get out of his comfort zone and embrace all that life has to offer, yielding sidesplitting hijinks that neither are likely to ever forget.
With memorable supporting performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hank Azaria, and Alec Baldwin, the rom-com is a perfect for those who want a little (or more accurately a lot) of humor with their romance this Valentine's Day.
3 To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Those looking to reminisce about the innocence of adolescent love can find the perfect film in the 2018 teen romantic comedy To All the Boys I've Loved Before, a stellar adaptation of the Jenny Han bestseller that stars Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey, a shy high school student who finds her life turned upside down when her personal love letters are revealed to their intended recipients.
The film was a massive hit and helped make Condor and Noah Centineo overnight sensations, earning rave reviews from both critics and audiences alike while spawning two sequels; NPR noted that the rom-com "is precisely what it should be: pleasing and clever, comforting and fun and romantic. Just right for your Friday night, your Saturday afternoon, and many lazy layabout days to come."
2 The Age of Adaline
Blake Lively earned a Saturn Award nomination for her riveting portrayal of a woman who stops aging in the 2015 romantic fantasy The Age of Adaline, which centers on the eponymous character as she physically remains a 29-year-old after dying in a car accident in 1937 before being struck by lightning and brought back to life.
Adaline spends her years lying low and constantly moving in order to evade any suspicion or unwanted questions about her appearance, keeping any potential lover at arms length out of survival and to protect her heart; this all changes when she meets a man tied to her complicated past. Lively appears alongside Harrison Ford, Michiel Huisman and Ellen Burstyn in the offbeat and engrossing fantasy flick.
1 Set It Up
The charming 2018 romantic comedy Set It Up chronicles the efforts of two burnt-out assistants who secretly plot to get their exhausting bosses together in hopes of alleviating their excessive and never-ending workload. The playful picture stars Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell as the overworked assistants and Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs as their demanding bosses, and follows the characters as sparks fly for both of the unsuspecting pairs.
The Netflix original rom-com debuted to rave reviews and was a streaming hit, with praise going towards its delightful performances and light-hearted humor. In their glowing review of Set It Up, The Village Voice wrote, "It's a feel-good throwback to Nineties romantic comedies like When Harry Met Sally and You've Got Mail that left me warm and nostalgic for the simple pleasure of falling in love."