The modern era's 20 best rom-coms

Before Glen Powell heated up the screen with Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You, he starred in Netflix’s Set It Up alongside Zoey Deutch. While Netflix is usually hit-and-miss with their rom-coms, Set It Up has the perfect mix of charm and humor to make it a standout. Powell and Deutch play two overworked assistants who try to set up their bosses with each other to reduce stress. Featuring the classic plotting and shenanigans of the genre, the film is an utter delight.

Rye Lane is the perfect example of how to make a rom-com feel fresh and unique within the genre. Set in South London, the film follows two strangers who bond over a day after suffering bad break-ups. While it retains those classic conventions, the film feels exciting and bold thanks to its vibrant setting, talented leads, creative direction, and visual flair. Funny and endlessly charming, Rye Lane manages to breathe new life into what sometimes seems like an overtired genre.

Crazy Rich Asians is undoubtedly the most unabashedly lavish and glamorous rom-com to release within the past ten years. Based on the novel of the same name, the film follows Asian-American Rachel, who goes to Singapore to meet her boyfriend Nick’s family. She is in for quite a shock when she learns that his family is one of the wealthiest in Asia. Full of dazzling sets and costumes, as well as heart and laughs, the film marked a huge step for Asian representation in American cinema.

The time loop is a story element that has been used repeatedly in films such as Groundhog Day and Happy Death Day. However, 2020’s Palm Springs manages to utilize the time loop in a way that feels original, funny, and heartfelt. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play two wedding guests who find themselves reliving the wedding day over and over again. A romance blossoms between them as they embrace the unknown and live in the moment.

Co-penned by Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon — and based on their real-life romance — The Big Sick is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking. When Pakistani stand-up comedian Kumail and grad student Emily develop a romantic relationship, she unexpectedly falls ill and is placed into an induced coma. As Kumail takes care of her, he bonds with her parents and navigates the culture clash between his family and hers. It has an earnest authenticity that most rom-coms lack, certainly due to Nanjiani and Gordon’s personal experiences. 

In I Want You Back, Jenny Slate and Charlie Day team up to win their exes back. Emma and Peter have recently been dumped by Noah and Anne, who are now in new relationships. Like two completely mature adults, they form an alliance and plot to break up the new couples. Slate and Day make a fabulous duo that heavily emphasizes the film’s comedic aspect, and it also manages to play around with certain rom-com conventions while remaining faithful to tradition. 

Based on the hugely popular YA novel, Red, White and Royal Blue is a film that knows its plot is ridiculously far-fetched but totally works for embracing it and its cheesy side. The secret relationship between the son of the President of the United States and an English prince makes for a wildly entertaining, scandalous, and surprisingly emotional ride. The film precisely knows its target audience and works all the better for it, leaving fans with a swoon-worthy forbidden romance. 

Norwegian film The Worst Person in the World is far from your conventional rom-com and subverts tropes in every single way. The film follows Julie, a young woman trying to find herself and navigate her career and love life. The film is realistic and honest in its approach, lacking the glamor of most rom-coms, and even features a protagonist who isn’t always likable. It puts a spotlight on the mess that comes with trying to figure out who you are and what you want.

Love, Simon marked a major milestone for mainstream LGTBQ+ films, being one of the first major studio movies about the coming out experience. Based on the popular YA novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the film follows teenager Simon, who hasn’t told anybody he is gay. However, when a classmate threatens to reveal his secret, he is forced to confront his identity. Unabashedly sweet and heartfelt, Love, Simon celebrates the importance of acceptance.

Starring The Boys’ Jack Quaid and Pen15’s Maya Erskine, Plus One puts a fun spin on the classic rom-com. The pair play Ben and Alice, longtime friends who are both single and agree to attend every wedding as a couple to get through the season. While the film has an outcome you can see coming from a while away, the chemistry and comedic timing of its leads elevate it to another level. With a breezy runtime and witty script, Plus One is a winner.

Netflix has produced its fair share of teen rom-coms, some better than others, but To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before remains one of their most beloved. The film follows teen Lara Jean, who writes letters to her past crushes meant for her eyes only. When the letters are released by her younger sister, her life is thrown into chaos. Featuring fake-dating, adorable leads, and pretty pastel colors, the movie is wonderfully cliché and makes for the ultimate comfort viewing. 

Friends-to-lovers is a classic trope within the rom-com genre and is the basis of Love Rosie ’s plot. Lily Collins and Sam Claflin play Rosie and Alex, who have been best friends since childhood. As life takes them in different directions and separates them, they realize they may be made for each other. The film uses typical rom-com misunderstandings to complicate its plot and make it as hard as possible for the two leads to get together, which is exactly what you’d want!

Comedian Amy Schumer first burst onto the cinematic scene in Judd Apatow’s 2015 rom-com Trainwreck . In the film, Schumer plays a writer who doesn’t believe in romantic relationships until she meets a sports doctor played by the ridiculously likable Bill Hader. Trainwreck ditches the usual cheesiness of rom-coms for sharp and raunchy humor while remaining extremely romantic. It also features a ton of fun celebrity cameos, including John Cena, Daniel Radcliffe, and more.

Ali Wong and Randall Park star in Always Be My Maybe , one of Netflix’s most intelligent and hilarious rom-coms. Wong and Park play two childhood best friends who reunite after fifteen years. Everybody assumed the pair would end up together, and now that may actually be a possibility. The two leads carry the film effortlessly, bringing charisma and laughs, and Keanu Reeves makes a scene-stealing cameo as a very dramatized and unhinged version of himself.

Crazy, Stupid, Love likely features the best acting ensemble in a modern rom-com and is as funny as it is sweet. Cal is a middle-aged man going through a divorce and seeks the help of his younger friend, Jacob, to help him pick up women. Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling are a match made in heaven, making the film’s bromance as strong as its romantic core. This is also the film that first united frequent collaborators Gosling and Emma Stone, showcasing their undeniable chemistry. 

One of the more underrated modern rom-coms, Ruby Sparks is an enchanting little indie with a whole lot of heart. Starring real-life couple Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, the film follows a novelist struggling with writer’s block. Searching for inspiration, he creates his dream girl, who leaps off the page and miraculously comes to life. Full of insight, wit, and charm, Ruby Sparks has a lot of fun with its imaginative concept, and with Dano and Kazan as a real-life couple, they sell it effortlessly. 

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence had the first of their many collaborations in Silver Linings Playbook, which famously won Lawrence an Oscar for Best Actress. After being released from a mental institution, Pat moves back in with his parents and tries to win back his ex-wife. However, things change when he meets and forms a bond with Tiffany, a woman with depression. The film is darkly comedic and goes to uncomfortable places, breaking the rom-com mold completely. 

Inspired by Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island is destined to become an LGBTQ+ rom-com classic. The film follows a group of queer friends who travel to the Fire Island Pines when their annual week of celebration is jeopardized. Fire Island is an unapologetic showcase of diversity and representation, as well as a celebration of queer love. Like Austen’s story, the film features the always entertaining enemies to lovers trope, with plenty of cheeky humor along the way.

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a rom-com in the most unconventional and heartwarming way possible. Emma Thompson plays a retired school teacher yearning for some romance and excitement in her life. When she hires a young sex worker, the two develop an unexpected connection. With powerful messages around love and sex positivity, the film is equally romantic as it is moving. The vulnerability and character growth between the pair far exceed any clichés. 

What’s better than romance and Christmas combined? In Happiest Season, Abby plans to propose to her girlfriend Harper at her family’s annual holiday dinner. However, things get complicated when she finds out that Harper hasn’t come out to her parents. There has been quite a lack of lesbian rom-coms, and Happiest Season is a step in the right direction. It’s nice to see Kristen Stewart’s lighter side, and the film is full of Christmas coziness and heartfelt moments.