The golden age of rom-coms is over, and another one won’t be upon us until a new generation of Meg Ryans, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullocks pick up the mantle. These days it’s about all superheroes, tragic romances ending with a Bovary-esque flair and never-ending installments of action and sci-fi franchises.
But Netflix is doing its best to keep love alive, churning out their own array rom-coms, and like all of the streaming service’s original programming, some are hits and some are misses. Here’s a rundown of the five best and five worst romantic comedies on Netflix.
Best: Set It Up (2018)
Harper (Zoey Deutch) is an aspiring writer employed by a Kristen (Lucy Liu) a sports reporter-turned editor of an online magazine, who also happens to be a Miranda Priestly clone. Meanwhile Charlie (Glen Powell) spends his days being verbally abused by venture capitalist Ricky (Taye Diggs). Fortuitous circumstances bring Harper and Charlie together, as they determine that all their troubles will be solved if they can successfully play matchmakers for their respective bosses in Set It Up.
The movie isn’t without its flaws. The idea that a career woman must be callous and cruel to be taken seriously isn’t a flattering stereotype filmmakers should continue to perpetuate, and sadly, Diggs is even less likable and thinly-layered than his female counterpart.
Deutch and Powell have good chemistry and despite the implausibility of the plot, at least the premise feels new. The writing is smart and funny enough for viewers to overlook what doesn’t work.
Worst: The Kissing Booth (2018)
Life-long besties Shelly “Elle” Evans (Joey King) and Lee Flynn (Joel Courtney) find their friendship in peril when Elle falls hard for Lee’s older brother Noah (Jacob Elordi), in The Kissing Booth.
The Kissing Booth is a misguided attempt at making a cutesy YA movie. Noah is prone to violence and attempts to exert considerable control over Elle. Also trying to dictate Elle’s life choices is Lee, whose issues with Noah run deeper than standard sibling rivalry, but the movie never really goes there.
Elle teeters back and forth between being a “good girl” and using her sexuality to manipulate Noah. Elle fancies herself very independent yet she lives her life under the thumb of these two brothers.
Best: Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Netflix does a better job than the big studios of diversifying the casts of its romantic comedies, infusing some cultural components that make its original programming feel more inclusive. This is a large part of the allure of Always Be My Maybe. Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) are childhood friends who drift apart following an awkward sexual encounter. Their diverging paths intersect once again when Ali’s career brings her back home.
The movie does jump the shark in a few places, especially when Keanu Reeves shows up as himself. There’s an unmistakable Notting Hill feel about Sasha and Marcus’ romance, with Marcus proving he’s no frog — he’s Prince Charming.
Worst: Falling Inn Love (2019)
After losing her job and her boyfriend, Gabriela (Christina Milan) wins a historic inn nestled in the New Zealand countryside. When Gabriela arrives, she finds the Bellbird Valley Farm to be less picturesque than advertised. Falling Inn Love is a disingenuous, poorly-written copycat of Under the Tuscan Sun. Everything comes incredibly easy for Gabriela, who never has a hair out of place, a speck of paint on her clothes or any dirt under her fingernails.
The only thing less believable than Gabriela turning a profit on a money pit like the Bellbird in three months with nothing but her credit cards and the kindness of strangers is the leading man. Jake (Adam Demos) is the town stud who oozes charm and sensitivity. He has unexplained access to loads of disposable income and free time. This much perfection isn’t romantic — it’s annoying.
6. Best: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Lara Jean Covey (Lana Candor) begins a “fake” romance with Mark Ruffalo look-a-like Peter (Noah Centineo) who has his own agenda for keeping up the charade. The success of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before rests almost solely on the appeal of its leads. There are formulaic elements to the story, as well as Lara Jean and Peter — she’s an inexperienced virgin, he’s got an absentee dad — but they are more deeply layered characters than you’ll find in many teen romances. Candor as Covey is sensational. She’s a beautiful, self-reliant girl who is sweet and genuine without crossing over the line to treacly. Centineo is adorably clueless as he tries to win back his first love while falling for someone else.
Worst: Alex Strangelove (2018)
Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) is locked and loaded to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Claire (Madeline Weinstein) when he begins to question his sexuality. Part raucous teen sex comedy, part coming-of-age story and entirely a mess, Alex Strangelove does a less-than-delicate job handling the subjects of gender fluidity and sexual orientation.
In one scene, Alex’s friends will be pragmatic about queerness, and in the next, their behavior is undeniably homophobic. Alex’s confusion and self-loathing manifests itself as misogyny. There’s a politically correct double standard present throughout the film: bashing gay people isn’t be okay, but calling young women sluts is perfectly acceptable.
Best: The Perfect Date (2019)
The Perfect Date is a G-rated Risky Business — minus the prostitutes or gratuitous sex scenes. Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo) has the brains but not the cash to go to Yale, so he starts dating girls to subsidize his Ivy League education. Centineo (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before) has a knack for selling the whole go-to fake boyfriend premise.
Variations on this plot are well-covered territory (Can’t Buy Me Love,The Duff), but rom-coms are the comfort food of cinema — they’re satisfying, filling and don’t let you down, even after eating the same dish over and over and over. Brooks’ love interest is the smart and sardonic Celia (Laura Marano) whose dialogue falls just shy of the effortlessly clever Juno-esque quips.
Worst: The Breaker Upperers (2018)
The Breaker Upperers was created by the writing-directing-acting duo of Madeleine Sami (Mel) and Jackie van Beek (Jen). The movie, which takes place in New Zealand, is about two friends who turn the ugly business of breaking up into lucrative careers. For a fee, the twosome concocts outrageous ways to end romantic entanglements. Critics loved this movie, but the mean-spiritedness of the premise is off-putting, and the gags just aren’t funny. The Breaker Upperers barely qualifies as a romantic comedy since neither woman has a feasible love interest. Even their friendship is dysfunctional, which leaves nothing left worth watching.
Best: The Incredible Jessica James (2017)
The Incredible Jessica James is a truly original romantic comedy that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Nicole Holofcener’s Walking and Talking, another film about those pivotal periods of life when change comes inevitably and begrudgingly. Jessica James (Jessica Williams) is a smart, brutally honest and utterly engaging woman struggling to make it as a playwright. Chris O’Dowd, who plays Jess’ love interest Boone, is the same type of everyman romantic lead he is in Bridesmaids. The Incredible Jessica James is truly in a class of its own.
Worst: The Last Summer (2019)
The Last Summer chronicles the tenuously connected lives of a group of young adults living in Chicago the summer following high school graduation. This film is a transparent attempt to replicate Love Actually, and it fails miserably. Undoubtedly, the main draw to The Last Summer is supposed to be Riverdale leading man KJ Apa who, along with the rest of the cast, is stuck with a lackluster storyline. The Last Summer is unambitious and uninteresting.
