They don’t make romantic comedies like they used to. Gone are the days when there was a new Judd Apatow–produced hit every month, let alone a romantic masterpiece starring Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan.
These days, rom-coms often go straight to Netflix or another streaming service instead of being released in theaters.
But while they aren’t made as frequently as before, a few gems have already wormed their way into the hearts of the Watch With Us team this year.
Now that we’re more than halfway through 2025, check out the best romantic comedies released since January.
5. ‘Worth the Wait’
This Tubi original movie stars young rom-com veteran Lana Condor of the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise alongside an ensemble cast of talented Asian actors. It’s a celebration of love in all its forms over the course of a year.
In addition to Condor, the cast features 13 Reasons Why’s Ross Butler, The Cleaning Lady’s Élodie Yung and Bullet Train’s Andrew Koji. Perfect for fans of Valentine’s Day or He’s Just Not That Into You, this story of four interconnected couples shows how love brings us all together.
Watch Worth the Wait on Tubi.
4. ‘Heart Eyes’
A horror-comedy with a genuinely sweet rom-com story at its — forgive the phrasing — heart. In Heart Eyes, a mysterious serial killer has been murdering couples on Valentine’s Day for years. Recently single and relentlessly cynical Ally (Olivia Holt) and her new colleague Jay (Mason Gooding) wind up in the killer’s crosshairs. Can they catch Heart Eyes before it’s too late? And can their hearts survive falling in love along the way?
This slasher comedy is full of surprising twists that might just make you feel glad to be single — or glad you have someone to evade killers with.
Watch Heart Eyes on Netflix.
3. ‘Summer of 69’
In this underrated and hilariously raunchy rom-com, a teenage girl (Sam Morelos, That ’90s Show) hires a stripper named Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman, Saturday Night Live) to teach her about sex — all in hopes of landing the guy she’s been crushing on for her entire life. There are two love stories in this movie: the romantic one between Abby and Max and the growing sisterhood between Abby and Santa Monica. Directed by Jillian Bell, this movie deserves the attention of rom-com fans who loved Easy A or John Tucker Must Die.
Watch Summer of 69 on Hulu.
2. ‘The Wedding Banquet’
This remake of a 1993 comedy follows two LGBTQ+ couples — Min and Chris (Han Gi-chan and Bowen Yang) and Angela and Lee (Kelly Marie Train and Lily Gladstone). While the foursome have been close for years, their friendships are tested when a green card issue forces them into an unusual arrangement — Min and Angela will get married so that Min can stay in the country.
Things escalate even further when Min’s grandmother (Youn Yuh-jung, Minari) comes to the States to help them plan an elaborate Korean wedding celebration. An excellent ensemble cast and hilarious writing make this LGBTQ+ comedy unmissable.
Rent The Wedding Banquet on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime Video.
1. ‘Materialists’
Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans star in this romantic comedy-drama about a matchmaker named Lucy (Johnson) who meets a seemingly perfect, wealthy and charming man (Pascal) at the same time that she reconnects with the one that got away (Evans). Materialists feels like a rom-com of a bygone era, a movie that examines the nature of romantic relationships and realities of factors like financial security and social standing. (Whether we want to believe it or not, Materialists argues, these things do matter, and it’s not superficial to think about them.)
The charming love triangle directed by Celine Song was one of the most high-profile rom-coms of the year for a reason. With a worldwide box office gross close to $100 million, the movie revived the genre in a season typically dominated by superheroes and cloned dinosaurs. More importantly, it took romance seriously and created three-dimensional characters that were frustrating, charismatic and almost always relatable. The movie’s ending sparked some heated debates online and remains controversial months after its release, but that’s what makes it so good.
Rent Materialists on YouTube or Apple TV+.
Led by Senior Editor and experienced critic Jason Struss, Watch With Us’ team of writers and editors sees almost every movie and TV show from the distant past to the present to determine what’s worth your time and money. Our countless hours of multimedia consumption — combined with years of experience in the entertainment industry — help us determine the best movies and TV shows you should be streaming right now.
To be considered “the best,” these films and series can be visually engaging, intellectually stimulating or simply just fun to watch, but the one trait they must have is that they are all, in some way, entertaining. We then check which platform they are streaming on and how you can access them as a subscriber. No algorithm nonsense or paid endorsements here — our recommendations are based purely on our love and interest for the films and shows we love.
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