Netflix and chill: All the romcoms available on the streamer

Ahh, “Netflix and chill”. . . we never get sick of hearing this once smirk-inducing meme phrase which became a cultural phenomena plastered on pillowcases, t-shirts, and even Ben & Jerry’s ice cream pints. With such massive use, we can only  imagine the next generation will use the phrasing to lock down their first dates (yuck!).

If there’s some implication Netflix puts you in the mood, we imagine many Netflix and chillers are heading to the romance section to see what rom coms are on Netflix. Lucky for those trying to get busy in front of the tube, there always seems to be a steady stream of rom coms on Netflix.

However, it can be hard to wade through the sea of rom coms on Netflix and settle on a decent pick; sometimes we spend more time flipping through movie choices than we do actually watching a film. We’ve cut down the search time for you and compiled all the rom coms worth seeing on Netflix. 

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Perhaps the best contemporary rom com on Netflix, Crazy, Stupid, Love enters the rewatch rotation upon first viewing. The film gives us a galaxy of stars and a tangled web of love affairs, but what we remember from the film is actual laughs and real captivation with the story (and Ryan Gosling). 

Often imitated, but never duplicated, Crazy, Stupid, Love nails a rom com format which comes up on our feeds at least once or twice a year.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

You’ve no doubt heard buzz about 2018’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and its subsequent sequels, and for good reason; To All the Boys is one of the best contemporary teen drama features, and one of the best rom coms on Netflix.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before manages to give us a tired 80s format of teen rom com ala Pretty in Pink or Can’t Buy Me Love with a tremendously fresh & sturdy updated spin. A fine-tuned clean aesthetic marked by sweeping Seattle landscapes & curated interiors underscore To All the Boys’s concise execution: it all works.

50 First Dates

Before 2008’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2004’s 50 First Dates was the quintessential Hawaii-set feel-good rom com. Peter Segal, who brought us the legendary Tommy Boy in 1995, tries his hand at another hit in this Adam Sandler vehicle which pairs the Sandman with long-time work wife Drew Barrymore. 

50 First Dates may not hit like it used to, but the backdrop is easy on the eyes, and we get to see the chemistry that made one of the most “will-they-or-won’t-they” stories of the early 2000s.

The Lovebirds

The State’s Michael Showalter gives us his greatest rom com since 2005’s The Baxter with 2020’s Lovebirds. Insecure’s Issa Rae teams up with Kumail Nanjiani (former Showalter collaborator in The Big Sick) to star & bring us one of the funniest and most unique rom coms of 2020.

The Lovebirds had the extremely unforchunate release time of early April, 2020, and took a hit in viewership as a result. However, Netflix snatched up the rights in early May and you can watch now on the streaming giant to see what you were missing.

Stranger than Fiction

We leave you with 2006’s Stranger than Fiction, an innovative mainstream rom com that fell through the cracks upon its release. 

Will Ferrel stars as Harold Crick, an IRS agent who soon discovers his life is being written like a novel, and an ending will come that’s completely out of his control. As Harold tries to figure out what kind of story his life is, he calls on Ana, the local baker, for help and the two fall for each other. The strange, charming rom com is up for streaming now on Netflix.