Don’t we all just love a little bit of romance? Its just human nature to fancy watching others swoon about themselves under circumstances that are bound to get our heartbeat racing a bit. If you are a fan of romance movies, then this era of Netflix is the best time to be alive, there is an immense abundance of quality content to dig your teeth into.
In this piece, we try to put together a list of the very best Netflix romance movies you probably have overlooked. They are an awesome watch, and just because they seem to fly under the radar you probably haven’t seen them.
12 Best Netflix Romance Movies You’ve Probably Not Seen
1. Blue Valentine
Directed by Derek Cianfrance and written by Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis, Blue Valentine is a sad tale that x-rays how a relationship died. Cianfrance employs flashbacks and a shuffle between timelines to illustrate the progression of the relationship between Dean Pereira (Gosling) and Cynthia “Cindy” Heller (Williams).
In many ways, theirs is an archetypal contemporary American marriage. Cindy, a nurse who is driven and ambitious, has managed to grow and evolve throughout the relationship. She is less involved in homemaking than her husband, a situation that exasperates the tension between the couple. Dean, on the other hand, is laid back, works as an occasional house painter and at a house moving company. As time passes and tension grows, Dean takes Cindy to a motel in a bid to rekindle their love. The script won the Chrysler Film Project and raked in $16.6 million at the box office
2. Irreplaceable You
Now this one is one super amazing romantic comedy! It is one of the best Netflix romance movies out there. The story is touching yet so funny. When Abbie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) feels a bloating stomach, she first panics thinking she is pregnant but after visiting her doctors, she is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. As tragic as that sounds, her reaction is utterly hilarious. She sets out on a mission to find a new girlfriend for her boyfriend cum childhood friend Sam (Michiel Huisman).
Directed by Stephanie Laing and written by Bess Wohl, Irreplaceable You is littered with interesting punch lines and catchy dialogues. It’s the sort of goofy and feel-good movie you’d want to watch when you unwind in the company of a significant other.
3. Sleeping With Other People
There is something about romance and humor that is eternally sexy and irresistible, Sleeping With Other People will get you to laugh so hard yet keep you all mushy in equal proportion. The plot is centered around the life of Jake Alison (Jason Sudeikis) and Elaine “Lainey” Dalto (Alison Brie). The pair lost their virginity to each other in college but never really attempted to start a relationship.
Fast forward to twelve years later and they meet at a Rehab session for sex addicts. Both are obviously there for similar reasons. It turns out that after their first sexual experience, they have evolved into adults with commitment issues. They agree to remain just friends but that decision is tested throughout the movie. Directed and written by Leslye Headland, the film made a decent $3.2 million at the box office and is definitely one of the best Netflix romance movies to look put for.
4. The Duchess
If you are a fan of English aristocracy then you will enjoy The Duchess. The story is about the life of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire who was also the great-great-great-great-aunt of Diana, Princess of Wales. Not just are they related, but their life trajectory looks very much the same; beautiful, exotic, married to royalty, and never far away from media scrutiny.
Considering the time she lived in, Georgiana was well ahead of her time, she held liberal political views, supported the French and American revolutions and strongly voiced her opinions at a time it wasn’t the most lady-like thing to do.
Admired by the country and coveted by the menfolk, Georgiana’s major headache was on the home-front where her husband William Cavendish, the fifth Duke of Devonshire was a difficult and often unlovable man with a host of mistresses.
5. Been So Long
Good music collides with romance in this film and it’s quite an enjoyable watch. Directed by Tinge Krishnan and starring Arinzé Kene, Arsher Ali, Gintare Beinoraviciute, Ashley Thomas, Claire Perkins, and George MacKay, Been So Long is a tale of a single mother conscious of her vulnerabilities hence, reluctant to fall head over heels for a stranger she meets on a night out with her friends.
Amidst the romance, Been So Long touches on themes such as community, family while lacing it all together with some good musical performances.
6. The 40-year-old Virgin
Directed by Judd Apatow in his first foray into movie directing, The 40-year Old Virgin is a hilarious romance about a grown adult man who is so shy that he completely stays away from women. His colleagues at work – David, Cal, Mooj and Jay, discover he is a virgin and set out to change that.
While the boys preoccupy themselves with finding him a one night stand, Andy falls in love with Trish, a divorced mother-of-three who suggests they stay away from sex until the 20th date.
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7. Carol
Probably one of the best Netflix romance movies based on the quality of the script and casting, Carol is set in 1950’s New York where a young department-store clerk falls in love with an older lady. This was at a time when same-sex relationships were far from accepted.
Starring , , , and , the film was directed by Todd Haynes and has its plot based entirely on the romance novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. The movie which was shot on a budget of $11.8 million made $42.9 million at the box office and has widely received glowing reviews, especially from the LGBT community.
Just to put in perspective the reception it received, Carol has garnered well over 270 nominations and over 85 awards. More than a hundred film experts at the British Film Institute voted Carol the best LGBT film of all time.
8. An Education
Nominated for three Academy Awards, An Education is a tale of the dreams and ambitions of a promising 16-year-old who is confronted with the seduction of a smooth and sophisticated 35-year-old man who shares her interest in music.
The role of the 16-year-old is depicted by British actress Carey Mulligan, whose sterling performance would leave you doubting that this was her first appearance as a lead actor in a film. The older man (David Goldman) is played by Peter Sarsgaard. The film is based on the personal memoir of British journalist Lynn Barber who, as a teenager, had affairs with a guy in his 30s. Directed by Lone Scherfig, An Education received favorable reviews after it was premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
9. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Robert Getchell, the story centers on the life of a widowed Alice Hyatt who sets out for her childhood hometown in Monterey, California, with the hopes that she would revive the dreams she had as a child – which is becoming a singer. But this isn’t just about her dreams, she has a young son and was left penniless after her husband’s death.
On her journey of self-discovery, she encounters Ben, a married man whom she falls for. It ends badly and complicates her life further. She finally meets a local rancher – David who, in taking responsibility for the discipline of Alice’s now wayward son, grabs the keys to her heart. Ellen Burstyn won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the movie.
10. Rodeo & Juliet
Krista Allen plays Karen, a city girl who returns home with her daughter Juliet (Nadine Crocker) to the family ranch upon the death of her father only to discover that someone else is staking a claim to her inheritance, that person surprisingly is her ex-fiance.
You might be wondering where the romance is in all of this, but somewhere along the line, amidst the tussle for property ownership, old flames are rekindled while young Juliet also begins to feel something for Monty (Zeb Halsell), her mother’s ex’s horse-training nephew.
11. Candy Jar
If you are a fan of high school romance the Candy Jar is your plug, the plot is centered around two high school debate champions whose rivalry spills over to their mothers.
Lona Skinner () plays an introverted high school student who comes from a working-class background and strives for excellence and the Presidency of her school’s Debate Club. She has one obstacle, Bennett Russel (Jacob Latimore), an equally intelligent debate team member who comes from a more affluent background.
Lona’s dreams are to attend Harvard while Bennet is intent on Yale. As they battle through competitions, they slowly get to like each other, while their mothers take the rivalry a bit too far.
Directed by Ben Shelton and released on April 27, 2018, Candy Jar has received positive reviews from critics.
12. The Perfect Date
This 2019 romantic comedy stars , , and amongst a few other quality actors. The movie plot is about a high school student Brooks Rattigan who is from a middle-class background but is intent on making it into an Ivy League school. There is one problem however, he doesn’t have the money. Brooks pounces on the opportunity to stand in as a boyfriend for Celia Lieberman and in doing so realizes that he has an uncanny knack for being the perfect standing. In a bid to monetize this new venture, Brooks calls in his best friend to help build an app that enables girls to request for a Stand-In Date.
The Perfect Date is based on Steve Bloom’s novel The Stand-In. Released on April 12, 2019, by Netflix, the movie has gained favorable reviews across various platforms. While it might not be the perfect romance movie, it is still one of the best Netflix romance movies in recent times.
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