30 Best Rom Coms Of The Last 5 Years

Few genres make audiences feel as good as a romantic comedy, and the best rom-coms of the last 5 years offer a variety of stories that deftly bring as many swoons as they do laughs. The genre remains as popular as ever, and the best romantic comedies that have come out in the last five years have told some of the most original stories so far. The rom-coms of today feature more diverse casts and often flip traditional romance conventions.

While romantic comedies are known for their tropes, some modern and recent rom-coms are trying different and creative setups while their characters are more representative of Millennials, Gen Z, and younger audiences. Modern rom-com characters still live fantastical lives filled with meet-cutes and deus ex machina moments while also reckoning with more serious themes like not being successful at work, being rejected, and being single after a long relationship. The best recent rom-coms are a breath of fresh air in the genre.

30 The Fall Guy (2024)

Starring Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt

It is always fun to see the rom-com genre collide with other genres, such as in The Fall Guy. A remake of the 1980s Lee Majors television series, Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a Hollywood stuntman who leaves the business after a bad accident. However, when his former flame (Emily Blunt) has her directorial debut threatened following the disappearance of her leading man, he returns to the world of moviemaking to track down the missing movie star.

The electric chemistry between the two stars is a big part of the movie’s success…

The Fall Guy manages to do a lot as it is a fun action movie with great set pieces and a hilarious comedy. However, one of the most successful elements is the romance between Gosling and Blunt. The electric chemistry between the two stars is a big part of the movie’s success, but it is also bold enough to put their relationships front and center alongside the stunt sequences. The audience will find themselves cheering for this charming couple to make it work as much as they are cheering for Gosling to save the day.

29 Fly Me To The Moon (2024)

Starring Scarlett Johansson & Channing Tatum

Period rom-coms are very rare in the genre, but Fly Me to the Moon manages to not only tell a charming romance story set in the 1960s, but also have it revolve around a key moment of the era. Fly Me to the Moon stars Channing Tatum as the flight director of NASA’s proposed trip to the moon, which is quickly losing public support. Scarlett Johansson is introduced as a brilliant public relations agent who is tasked with making the mission more appealing to the average American.

The movie plays into the old trope of two people with very different approaches forced to reluctantly work together. However, the Apollo mission makes for a unique and exciting setting for a familiar story. It also helps that the two leads are endlessly charming with Johansson, in particular, having a lot of fun with her savvy professional who has a little bit of a con artist energy to her. While there have been plenty of space race movies over the years, the romance certainly adds a new element to the story.

28 Música (2024)

Starring Rudy Mancuso & Camila Mendes

Rom-coms can sometimes be dismissed as solely catering to fans of the genre who want to see the typical things rom-coms are known for. However, there are examples in the genre that are more inventive with their characters and stories, offering something fresh to this type of story. Rudy Mancuso co-wrote, directed, and stars in Música as Rudy, a young man suffering from synesthesia, hearing music in everyday sounds.

As he explores his love of music, his mother tries to set him up with a perfect match while he begins falling for a woman he just met, Isabella (Camila Mendes). The movie has a vibrant energy, especially through the eyes of Rudy. However, it is most charming when focusing on the relationship between Rudy and Isabella. Despite the fanciful flourishes of filmmaking, at its heart, it is a relatable story about someone finding one person who seems to understand how they see the world when no one else does.

27 Hot Frosty (2024)

Starring Lacey Chabert & Dustin Mulligan

Netflix’s Christmas movies in 2024 were quickly a huge holiday hit for the streamer, but one has certainly emerged as the surprise gem of the Christmas season. Hot Frosty tells the story of Kathy (Lacey Chabert), a young widower in a small town who magically brings to life a snowman who turns out to be an attractive man (Dustin Mulligan). As she tries to hide this magical secret from the rest of the town, she teaches “Jack” what it means to be a human and forms a bond with him.

The premise is certainly silly, but it works thanks largely to Mulligan leaning into the tone with his funny, charming, and tongue-in-cheek performance. While the setup might bring up some questions about how this romance actually works, Hot Frosty’s title should serve as a note for how serious the movie should be taken, as it wonderfully plays on the modern holiday rom-com tropes while also pleasing fans of the genre.

26 Upgraded (2024)

Starring Camila Mendes & Archie Renaux

Camila Mendes had a big year in rom-coms in 2024, cementing herself as one of the new stars of the genre. While Música was arguably more of a showcase for filmmaker Rudy Mancuso, Upgraded relies entirely on Mendes’ charms in the lead role. The movie serves as a modern update of Cinderella with Mendes playing Ana, an overworked and underappreciated intern working in the art world who is bumped up to first class during her work trip to London, which leads to a case of mistaken identity and a potential romance with the wealthy William (Archie Renaux).

The film has a lot of fun playing on the classic fairy tale, while Mendes makes for the ideal protagonist for such a story. She is charming, funny, and endearing, making the audience root for her each time she can’t catch a break. The movie wisely makes the focus more on Ana getting the recognition she deserves, but with a romance angle, with a conclusion that goes against conventions but is still a crowd-pleaser.

25 Anyone But You (2023)

Starring Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell

It’s clear that there have been many great rom-coms over the past five years, but Anyone But You drew a lot of attention for proving that these types of movies were still box office draws. It didn’t hurt that the film starred two of Hollywood’s biggest up-and-coming stars with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell playing a pair of single people with a contentious history. When they find themselves invited to the same wedding, they decide to avoid the awkwardness by pretending to be a couple.

Powell and Sweeney cemented themselves as true Hollywood stars, sharing excellent chemistry that elevates the entire movie. Anyone But You is a throwback to the 90s era of rom-coms, embracing the well-known tropes and even serving as a loose Shakespearan adaptation with aspects of Much Ado About Nothing. The box office success of the movie will likely lead to more confidence in the genre.

24 Elemental (2023)

Starring Leah Lewis & Mamoudou Athie

The best Pixar movies showcase the excellent sense of humor the studio has. However, Elemental was the first time the animation studio has embraced a full-blown rom-com story. Of course, they do so in that typical Pixar way with a clever, family-friendly world to set the story in. Elemental deals with a world occupied by the four elements and follows a girl from a fire family named Ember and a boy from a water family named Wade who form a connection.

As with most Pixar releases, the world-building is one of the best aspects of the movie. However, along with being a story about this unexpected relationship blossoming, it is also a story of immigrants and community with some very worthwhile messages. Though the movie initially seemed to be another misfire at the box office to continue Pixar’s recent woes, it held strong thanks to word of mouth and solid reviews, showing there is still a lot of magic in original Pixar movies.

23 Hit Man (2024)

Starring Glen Powell & Adria Arjona

Glen Powell landed another excellent rom-com recently, but one that is drastically different from Anyone But You. Hit Man is loosely based on a true story and stars Powell as Gary Johnson, a surveillance expert and college professor who moonlights helping the police take down people who try to hire hitmen to carry out murders. Gary proves to have a knack for undercover work, convincingly posing as a number of different guns for hire. However, it is all complicated when he falls for one of his would-be clients, played by Adria Arjona.

Powell co-wrote the movie with director Richard Linklater and the two do an excellent job of finding the perfect tone in this tricky story. It is funny and a bit elevated at times, but there is also a level of real suspense as well as terrific sexiness. The result is one of the most unique rom-coms in recent years and one that can appeal to those who typically avoid the genre.

22 Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022)

Starring Emma Thompson & Daryl McCormack

Age gaps in rom-coms can be off-putting and problematic in many instances, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande finds a way to make it work and even make it endearing. The movie also takes a unique approach to a relationship in a movie of this kind as it stars Emma Thompson as an older woman who feels unfulfilled in her sex life so far. She decides to make a list of various things she would like to try and hires a sex worker (Daryl McCormack) to help her cross these items off her life.

The movie is basically a two-hander, telling its story over the course of several meetings all within a small hotel room. Thompson and McCormack have wonderful chemistry as these two strangers embark on a very intimate journey with each other. However, the intimacy truly comes from their conversations in which they open up to each other and find similarities and differences. It is a rom-com in which the relationship is not really building to romance, but rather friendship.

21 Rye Lane (2023)

Starring David Jonsson & Vivian Oparah

Following David Jonsson’s breakout performance in Alien: Romulus, there will likely be a lot more people seeking out his previously underrated rom-com Rye Lane. The movie seems to take inspiration from films like Before Sunrise as it succeeds in simply following two people throughout their day as they get to know each other and form a connection. Jonsson plays Dom while Vivian Oparah plays Yas, two strangers who have recently been through breakups and have a chance encounter and decide to spend the day making each other feel better.

The two leads have great chemistry in roles that allow them to be silly, heartbroken, and adventurous as they gradually see that the end of their previous relationship wasn’t the end of the world. It is the kind of quiet and simple rom-com that can leave a big impact simply through its relatable characters, sharp humor, and engrossing conversations.

20 No Hard Feelings (2023)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence & Andrew Barth Feldman

Jennifer Lawrence stars in the romantic comedy No Hard Feelings, a movie that came out in 2023 and was one of her raunchiest, yet funny movie turns. The film had a chance to cause controversy, as Lawrence played a young woman who agrees to help a teenager lose his virginity when his parents offer her a new car in exchange for the deed.

Lawrence was all in on this role and showed a different side to her already incredible acting talents.

While an older woman seducing a teen could have been a terrible idea, the movie remains a sweet story, albeit with some highly raunchy scenes throughout. Lawrence was all in on this role and showed a different side to her already incredible acting talents. The movie also had some fun supporting characters, with the boy’s parents played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti.

Jennifer Lawrence earned a Golden Globes nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and the movie also earned a Critics Choice Awards nomination for Best Comedy. On top of that, No Hard Feelings has gone on to become a hit on Netflix.

19 Somebody I Used To Know (2023)

Starring Alison Brie & Jay Ellis

Somebody I Used To Know is a Dave Franco-directed movie that arrived in 2023 with Alison Brie starring as the showrunner of a reality TV series called Dessert Island. When she learns her show was canceled, she decides to take a break from TV and visits her mom in Washington, where she runs into her ex-boyfriend.

This was actor Dave Franco’s second directorial effort following
The Rental
(2020).

As expected in a rom-com, they hook up again, and then she learns after they sleep together that he is about to get married and his mother, unaware of what happened, asks Ally to video the wedding. This seems a perfect setup for a romantic comedy with a lot of uncomfortable situations and is similar to classics like My Best Friend’s Wedding.

However, this ends up surpassing the familiar storylines and is a movie with some nice depth and characters realizing what they are supposed to be doing in life, while not cheating with a fake happily ever after ending for Ally in the end. It has some interesting things to say for a comedy and was a surprising film, yet one that was mostly overlooked.

18 Red, White, And Royal Blue (2023)

Starring Taylor Zakhar Perez & Nicholas Galitzine

Red, White & Royal Blue is a Prime Video original romantic comedy that features an LGBTQ+ love story between the United States President’s son and Prince Phillip, Duke of Cambridge. As with many rom-coms, the two men do not start off on good terms, and neither likes the other after an early embarrassing incident.

However, their parents force them to act like friends for better relations between the countries, neither leader realizing that the sons would end up falling in love. The movie received mostly positive reviews from critics, sitting at 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it offers up a more inclusive romantic experience for viewers at home.

It also received praise at the end of the year, with the GLAAD Media Awards naming it the Queer Fan Favorite of the year, while also nominating it for Outstanding Film – Streaming of TV. It also received a nomination at the Producers Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures.

17 I Want You Back (2022)

Starring Charlie Day & Jenny Slate

I Want You Back is a more irreverent romantic comedy starring Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Jenny Slate (Parks and Recreation). With the two comedic television actors leading the way, the movie tells the story of two people who were just dumped by their romantic partners.

They become friends and try to help each other navigate their new lives after the breakups. However, they then decide they will help each other try to win back their exes, who have already moved on. However, as expected in movies of this type, the two end up falling for each other along the way.

Critics loved the movie, and it sits at a nice 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. The cast received praise for their performances and it is a rom-com that not only delivers the laughs and romance but also has a great story as well about learning to move on in life, even if it is not what the couple expected along the way.

16 Ghosted (2023)

Starring Chris Evans & Ana De Armas

Ghosted is a movie that has some big-time stars behind it and some successful directors helming the project. Chris Evans plays against type as a hapless romantic who heads to London to find a woman he had a one-night stand with after a date. However, when he arrives, a criminal abducts him and his former date has to save him. This is Oscar-nominated actress Ana de Armas (Blonde), who is a highly-trained secret agent.

Ghosted
is an Apple TV+ original movie.

Seeing the former Captain America needing to be saved constantly made this worth the watch. The Apple TV+ original movie was written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the team who wrote Deadpool and Deadpool 2 and was directed by Dexter Fletcher, who previously directed the Oscar-nominated Rocketman.

While critics hated the movie (with a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), the audience score was much higher. That makes this it a crowd-friendly movie and a rom-com worth the watch for anyone just looking to have a good time.

15 The Perfect Find (2023)

Starring Gabrielle Union & Keith Powers

One of the best recent rom-coms, The Perfect Find is a Netflix original movie that arrived on the streaming service in 2023. Though it’s inspired by a novel of the same name by Tia Williams, fans of the book will find several differences in the movie.

In a cast stacked with talent, Gabrielle Union leads as Jenna, a woman who is just getting out of a decade-long relationship. After starting a new job, Jenna finds herself drawn to a much younger man (Keith Powers).

Though they experience a lot of bumps as they get to know one another, including the fact that Jenna works for her mother (Gina Torres), they work well together. Even more than the romance aspect of the story, both characters find a way to follow their career aspirations while falling for one another.

14 To All The Boys: Always And Forever (2021)

Starring Lana Condor & Noah Centineo

To All The Boys: Always And Forever is the final chapter in Jenny Han’s To All The Boys trilogy on Netflix. It follows Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) as she struggles to pick a university to attend after her dreams of going to the same school as Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) are shattered.

Though Lara Jean has already learned so many lessons in love from the first two movies, this time around, she learns that she can’t put what she wants in life on hold for love, even if that makes her relationship harder.

The final chapter of their story allows for a grounded approach to the two of them going to different universities after spending the last two years of high school together.

While Lara Jean and Peter mostly have a fairy tale romance, the final chapter of their story allows for a grounded approach to the two of them going to different universities after spending the last two years of high school together.

13 Crush (2022)

Starring Rowan Blanchard & Auli’i Cravalho

Another high school rom-com, 2022’s Crush is a Hulu original. Unlike Netflix, Hulu doesn’t have a ton of recent romantic comedies made just for the platform, and Crush is certainly unique. It’s got a sarcastic sense of humor that plays up some teen comedy tropes while subverting others.

The love triangle at the center of the story, after all, concerns three young women. Roman Blanchard stars in Crush as Paige, a teenager who joins the track team to get close to her crush (Isabella Ferriera). While training, however, she ends up growing closer to her crush’s sister, AJ (Auli’i Cravalho).

The two sisters are co-captains of the track team, which means Paige ends up in the orbit of both of them, only further confusing her feelings. What makes the movie work is that Blanchard has fantastic chemistry with both leading ladies alongside her.

12 Palm Springs (2020)

Starring Andy Samberg & Cristin Milioti

Ever since Groundhog Day premiered in 1993, science fiction projects have been fascinated by the idea of a time loop. While most time loop movies provide a morality tale in which the protagonist has to learn their lesson and aren’t necessarily romantic comedies, Palm Springs makes the science fiction concept into the perfect circumstance for a romantic comedy.

While Sarah is new to the time loop, Nyles is not.

After Sarah (Cristin Milioti) hooks up with Nyles (Andy Samberg) at her sister’s wedding, she finds herself pulled into a vortex that causes her to repeat the day. While Sarah is new to the time loop, Nyles is not.

He’s repeated the day so many times he’s developed a more laid-back attitude toward the loop, enjoying himself and doing things he wouldn’t necessarily do in his everyday life. Sarah, on the other hand, is determined to find a way to end it. It’s their differences that make them so fun to watch together.

11 Single All The Way (2021)

Starring Michael Urie & Philemon Chambers

Holiday romances are incredibly common. Hallmark has a lock on them when it comes to tearjerkers, but this Netflix original rom-com is both sweet and hilarious. It features some tried and true romantic comedy tropes like fake dating and friends-to-lovers and is easily one of the best holiday romantic comedies of the last five years.

In Single All The Way, Peter (Michael Urie) goes home for the holidays, convincing his best friend Nick (Philemon Chambers) to pretend to be his boyfriend after his most recent relationship ends.

His mother (Kathy Najimy), however, sets him up on a blind date, and the two find that maybe there are real feelings underneath the relationship they were going to pretend to have. The movie, which came out in 2021, won the GLAAD Media Awards honor for Outstanding TV Movie and also earned Joel S. Rice a Producers Guild of America Award.