The Best Romantic Comedies on Netflix

Sometimes romantic comedies—colloquially known as rom-coms—get the short end of the stick when it comes to cinematic respect. They’re thought of as a “soft” film genre, no doubt thanks in part to the fact that they are seen as intrinsically feminine—but that’s a whole different matter for a different post. However, to discount them would be to ignore the fact that rom-coms are a thriving business and in many ways the essence of filmmaking; they take a person’s hidden desires, add a bit of romance and glamour, and project them onto the screen filtered through a lens of unabashed idealism.

And while many might think that the romantic comedy is just a riff on the same story—boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl encounter troubles, but resolve them, boy and girl live happily ever after—the ways that classic storyline has been expressed over the years has evolved, and a wide swath of directors (Kevin Smith, Woody Allen, Amy Heckerling, David O. Russell) have shown the surprising nuance or thrilling freshness that can be rung from a tired trope.

From Meg Ryan’s orgasmic diner performance in When Harry Met Sally (“I’ll have what she’s having”) to Tom Cruise’s heartfelt win-her-back speech in Jerry Maguire (“You had me at ‘Hello’”) to John Cusack holding his boom box overhead in the final moments of Say Anything, romantic comedies have created some of the most perfect, enduring, iconic moments seared into your memory, straight from the big screen.

And here’s the good news: Dear old Netflix has a whole damn section dedicated to the genre. We’ve searched through and found the best, romantic-iest comedies on the streaming platform and given you a guide for how to navigate a night where you want those heartstrings tugged and those tears jerked. Here you go: The best romantic comedies on Netflix. Just make sure to have a Kleenex handy.

Related:

  Best Horror Movies on Netflix

Jane Austen’s comedy of manners features Gwyneth Paltrow’s first star turn as a Victorian-era busybody helping to chart the course of love for her friends and familiars before finds herself in the crosshairs of Cupid’s bow. It’s the story that later inspired another great rom-com: Clueless.