Valentine's Day is here, and one of the best ways to celebrate is by watching a classic romantic comedy (especially if you waited too long to book a restaurant reservation). So what's available on the largest and most popular streaming service around, Netflix? Allow us help make this Valentine's Day a good one with our personal recommendations for the best Netflix rom-coms available in the US to watch right now (we have a UK version too).
Netflix has become one of the biggest purveyors of romantic comedies in recent years, so they definitely have some good entries that we've included on our list; though not on our list is a just released rom-com, Players, if you want to try something new. But we also have gone with a number of classic and fan-favorite rom-coms featuring iconic stars.
We purposefully stuck with romantic comedies to keep with Valentine's celebratory mode, but if you're looking for something different in the romance department, that celebrates self-love or is as far away from the sentimentality of Valentine's Day as possible, the streamer has a variety of options as well — check out our best Netflix movies pick and what's new on Netflix this month.
But if you want to celebrate love this Valentine's Day, here are our picks for the best rom-coms movies on Netflix to do just that.
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Ali Wong earned critical acclaim for her dark comedy Beef in 2023, but a few years prior she and Randall Park teamed up for one of the better romantic comedies in recent years with the Netflix original movie Always Be My Maybe. Wong and Park star as two high school friends that reconnect after 15 years. Though old feelings definitely linger for the two, they have to learn to adjust to the reality's of each other's new lives. There's great chemistry between Wong and Park, while a surprising Keanu Reeves cameo will have you rolling on the floor laughing.
The Holiday (2006)
I'm usually pretty firm in my belief that Christmas movies should be reserved only for the holiday season, but I'd make an exception to watch The Holiday on Valentine's Day. This movie has become a true fan-favorite that not only features some great romances between its starry leads of Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law, but also has some strong messages of self-worth. No surprise as the movie comes from writer/director Nancy Meyers, one of the modern masters of the romantic comedy.
Long Shot (2019)
Long Shot was a surprising box office disappointment considering how funny this movie starring big stars Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen is. Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a writer who joins the presidential campaign of Charlotte Field (Theron), who just so happens to be Fred's childhood crush. Rogen and Theron are great together, with a clever script and a fun supporting cast. While Rogen may not be your typical romantic lead, he has been at the heart of some great romantic comedies, which Long Shot deserves to be among.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018)
Let ABBA be the soundtrack to your Valentine's Day by watching Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, the over-the-top, wonderfully fun musical starring Lily James, Amanda Seyfriend, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Meryl Streep and Cher. While this is a sequel to Mamma Mia (also available on Netflix) and features just about all of the original cast, the heart of this movie is James as young Donna as she meets and forms deep connections with Harry, Bill and Sam.
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
Julia Roberts was the queen of romantic comedies in the 90s and early 2000s, with My Best Friend's Wedding being a favorite for many. In the movie she plays a woman who realizes the feelings she has for her long-time best friend when he reveals he is getting married, so she does what she can to break up his wedding. Roberts stars alongside Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz and a scene-stealing Rupert Everett in this charming 90s flick.
Something's Gotta Give (2003)
Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson, along with Nancy Meyers (popping up again on this list), prove that love is not just a young person's game in Something's Gotta Give. Nicholson plays a lifelong swinger whose relationship with a younger woman is upended when he suffers a heart attack and gets to know her mother, played by Keaton. The screen legends of Nicholson and Keaton are great together in this irresistibly endearing movie.
Set It Up (2018)
Glen Powell's 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You turned into a respectable box office hit, but the rising star's best entry in the genre came when he starred opposite Zoey Deutch in the Netflix original rom-com Set It Up. The two stars play executive assistants Harper (Deutch) and Charlie (Powell), who are constantly at their employers beck and call. To get a little more work-life balance, they team up and to get their bosses together, but soon form a connection of their own. It is easily one of the best original romantic comedies that streamer has made.
