The best romcoms on Netflix UK

Glen Powell confirms he’s more than just a handsome capybara in this supremely entertaining Richard Linklater romp. He delivers a tour de force comic performance as a mild-mannered college professor who stumbles into a second career impersonating killers-for-hire in undercover police operations, leading to an ill-advised affair with a gorgeous mark (Adria Arjona). Admittedly, the romantic element stands out less than the scenes involving Powell, in various disguises, duping suspects. But he and Arjona have enough hot-person chemistry to fog up the screen whenever they appear together. 

To deal with her intense crushes, Lara Jean (Lana Condor) writes secret love letters to the boys she lusts after, which no one is ever meant to see. Of course these letters end up being sent out and Lara Jean must deal with her feelings, and the implications of the letters, head on.

Hot on the heels of Hulu’s ‘Coachella romcom’ The Idea of You comes Netflix’s own movie about an older woman who suddenly starts banging a famous younger man. In this case, it’s Nicole Kidman falling into the rippling arms of a vainglorious actor (Zac Efron) and thus traumatising her daughter (Joey King), who works as his assistant. Kidman comes off a bit out of place, but Efron continues his mid-career renaissance, displaying both a bristling comic repartee with King and believable vulnerability as he gradually reveals himself to be not quite the jerk that he seems.

Indundated with prospective partners? Hinge melting down? Take a leaf out of Nola Darling’s (Tracy Camilla Johns) book as she figures out which – if any – of the three men in her life to settle down with. Spike Lee’s lo-fi, black and white charmer is an indie classic and a still-modern-feeling romance about monogamy, polyamorousness and everything in between.

Jessica Williams and Chris O’Dowd are recent dumpees set up on a blind date who find themselves forging a deep connection despite not having gotten over their respective past relationships. It’s really that simple, but the story pops due to the chemistry and charisma of the two leads, in particular Williams, who really should be a bigger star by now. 

Ali Wong and Randall Park star in this brilliant Netflix Original romantic comedy about two childhood friends who lose touch after a teenage fling turns sour, only to be reunited in adulthood. It traverses familiar romcom territory, sure, but it does so well and in such a relaxed manner that you don’t mind any retreading. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a show-stealing cameo from Keanu Reeves.

Emma Stone officially arrived as a talent to watch in this smartypants teen comedy, a kinda-sorta meta-retelling of ‘The Scarlet Letter’. Starring as a nerdy high schooler who pulls a reverse Hester Prynne and leans into the (totally false) rumours of her promiscuity, she makes good on the promise flashed in smaller roles for years prior. Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci are also pretty great as her liberal-minded parents, as is You’s Penn Badgley as the childhood friend-slash-secret crush who sees through her slutty facade.  

In this smart teenage dramedy, writer-director Alice Wu transposes Cyrano de Bergerac to a high school in small-town Washington and the titular lovelorn poet to a first-generation Chinese American girl assisting a jock in wooing his crush, who she soon also develops feelings for. Star Leah Lewis has described it as “a self-love story,” and really, that’s just as romantic as the other kind.

If you like romcoms, then you already love Notting Hill. Even if you profess to hate romcoms, some small, unspoken part of yourself probably still appreciates this Richard Curtis-penned urban fairy tale about the unlikely affair between an awkward bookshop owner (Hugh Grant) and a movie star (Julia Roberts). Such is the pull of ’90s Grant, whose floppy hair and stuttering Britishness could transcend all schmaltz. Although truthfully, he needn’t extend himself here – it’s really the best version of this kind of romcom, striking the perfect balance of sweet, silly and sentimental. 

It’s not all that crazy, nor is it especially stupid. Instead, it’s an enjoyably middlebrow paean to monogamy, lent a slightly elevated air by the excellent casting. Steve Carell is a newly divorced dad being coached back into the dating pool by a suave pickup artist, played by Ryan Gosling, who soon finds himself questioning his lifestyle after meeting a charmingly sassy Emma Stone. You really can’t go wrong with those three in those roles, and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa aren’t crazy or stupid enough to fumble the bag.   

A South African couple have their staid marriage turned upside down when a free-living (and loving) academic comes to stay with them. Kagiso Lediga wrote, directed and stars in this highly enjoyable romcom examining how insecurities over work, sex and relationships intertwine, and the decisions that allow couples to untangle them.

Queer-themed romcoms are still far too hard to come by, but this one, from The Skeleton Twins writer-director Craig Johnson, is remarkably progressive in its approach to adolescent sexual awakening. Alex (Daniel Doheny) is a theoretically straight high school senior who has his sense of self challenged when an out-gay classmate (Antonio Marziale) takes an interest in him. Johnson handles the identity crisis with compassion, without forgetting to be funny, and allowing teens to talk like teens – meaning, with relatable crudity.   

Back when he seemed like little more than a value-brand Armie Hammer, Glen Powell co-starred in this enjoyable hunk of cinematic cheese about two assistants (Powell and Zoey Deutch) scheming to hook up their workaholic bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs). We should’ve seen his current ubiquity coming: his nice-guy charisma flowed through the screen even then. Deutch has an equally high likeability quotient, and the two together help elevate a seemingly formulaic trifle into a surprising gem.  

As a director, Michael Showalter’s strength is extracting genuine human emotion from romcom conventions. In that regard, The Lovebirds isn’t exactly The Big Sick, nor even The Idea of You, but it’s still highly likeable. HBO alums Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are a couple on the rocks who become unwitting accessories to murder, forcing them into a sort of stress-based couples therapy as they try to clear their names. Yeah, it’s silly, but Nanjiani and Rae are endearing enough to make you care about their relationship and not just the absurd situation.

One of the last true Gen X films, Noah Baumbach’s directorial debut follows a group of recent college grads who, as the title suggests, are desperate to avoid being dragged into adulthood, clinging to the same old behaviours and relationships. The plot, such as it exists, is appropriately meandering, but there is enough wit and trenchant observations to point toward Baumbach’s later, greater successes. Besides, any movie with both Parker Posey and Elliott Gould automatically earns bonus watchability points.