(Photo by A24. WE LIVE IN TIME.)
Look, with the recent successes of Anyone But You or even Ticket to Paradise, we’re not saying rom-coms and romance movies are back to full life in theaters, but that their demise has been greatly exaggerated. (Just like our last few dates off the apps.) And besides, in the privacy of our homes? Things are really heating up, with plenty of choices on streaming services, both from abroad and of every outlook.
So when we put together our guide of the 2024’s best rom-coms and romance movies, we’re looking at PDAs for everyone to see in fawning awe (we won’t acknowledge of any other reaction) and what’s happening behind shuttered living room curtains. This includes It Ends With Us (starring Blake Lively, adapting Colleen Hoover‘s multi-million best-seller), Hit Man (starring and co-written Glen Powell…so he’s got brains to go with the rest of the package?), Challengers (featuring Zendaya in a love triangle and sports shorts), The Fall Guy (with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in the Barbenheimer reunification we didn’t know we needed), We Live In Time (the decades-spanning romance with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh), Fly Me to the Moon (Scarlett Johannsson and Channing Tatum take a gambit on romance), The Idea of You (if Anne Hathaway’s happy, we’re happy), and Upgraded (a good old-fashioned rom-com with Camila Mendes).
We’ve ranked the list by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh movies first. Whether it’s date night or friends outing, or something to cozy up with a partner (even if it is a pint of ice cream), with all the choices, tonight’s the night you’ll find a match.
#1
Adjusted Score: 98499%
Critics Consensus: Rudy Mancuso’s use of magical realism elevates Música, infusing its familiar narrative framework with a bracingly personal touch.
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#2
Adjusted Score: 111800%
Critics Consensus: A deceptively dark thriller that’s also loaded with laughs, Hit Man is an outstanding showcase for leading man Glen Powell — and one of the most purely entertaining films of Richard Linklater’s career.
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#3
Adjusted Score: 111921%
Critics Consensus: Lust and violence collide to powerfully pulpy effect in Love Lies Bleeding, a well-acted addition to writer-director Rose Glass’ growing body of exceptional work.
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#4
Adjusted Score: 113061%
Critics Consensus: With its trio of outstanding performers volleying their star power back and forth without ever dropping the ball, Challengers is a kinetic and sexy romp at court.
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#5
Adjusted Score: 93302%
Critics Consensus: Unwieldy but rewarding, The Beast uses its sci-fi conceit to explore intriguing themes in largely satisfying fashion.
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#6
Adjusted Score: 106704%
Critics Consensus: With action, comedy, romance, and a pair of marvelously matched stars, The Fall Guy might be the rare mainstream movie with something to entertain everyone.
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#7
Adjusted Score: 91995%
Critics Consensus: The Idea of You offers a welcome reminder that Anne Hathaway remains a thoroughly delightful romcom lead — and reaffirms that few filmmakers understand the genre better than Michael Showalter.
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#8
Adjusted Score: 86071%
Critics Consensus: Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh’s palpable chemistry will snatch audiences’ hearts before breaking them in We Live in Time, a powerful melodrama that uses its nonlinear structure to thoughtfully explore grief.
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#9
Adjusted Score: 81449%
Critics Consensus: A low-key comedy with an ample dose of pathos, Cora Bora can be as aimless as its heroine but gets considerable lift from Megan Stalter’s stellar star turn.
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#10
Adjusted Score: 77927%
Critics Consensus: Lightly entertaining even as it hews to genre conventions, Upgraded is an appealing option for anyone seeking a good old-fashioned rom-com.
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#11
Adjusted Score: 87000%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#12
Adjusted Score: 85428%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#13
Adjusted Score: 28567%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#14
Adjusted Score: 77141%
Critics Consensus: Blending romance with vertiginous thrill-seeking, Skywalkers: A Love Story is a documentary of truly dizzying proportions.
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#15
Adjusted Score: 72500%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#16
Adjusted Score: 42854%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#17
Adjusted Score: 80208%
Critics Consensus: Sustained by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s screwball chemistry even when its plotting strains credulity, this throwback romance is a pleasant enough trip to the moon and back.
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#18
Adjusted Score: 50266%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#19
Adjusted Score: 36005%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#20
Adjusted Score: 68995%
Critics Consensus: Earnestly performed if marred by clunky dialogue, It Ends With Us is surprisingly at its most graceful when handling the more provocative elements of its melodramatic source material.
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#21
Adjusted Score: 28861%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#22
Adjusted Score: 65637%
Critics Consensus: An affectionate callback to classic horror comedies of the ’80s, Lisa Frankenstein can be fun in its own right despite not quite measuring up to the movies it imitates.
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#23
Adjusted Score: 53214%
Critics Consensus: Players proves Gina Rodriguez remains a thoroughly charming lead, even if those charms aren’t quite enough to compensate for a frustratingly predictable plot.
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#24
Adjusted Score: 28574%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#25
Adjusted Score: 42988%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#26
Adjusted Score: 44498%
Critics Consensus: With Lindsay Lohan in the lead, it almost doesn’t matter that Irish Wish is a scattered collection of rom-com clichés.
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#27
Adjusted Score: 42073%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#28
Adjusted Score: 14288%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#29
Adjusted Score: 40357%
Critics Consensus: Lonely Planet coasts by on the gravitational pull of its charming stars and setting, but a lack of real heat keeps this romantic drama curiously uninvolving.
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#30
Adjusted Score: 21717%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#31
Adjusted Score: 41283%
Critics Consensus: Despite Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman’s welcome return to rom-com territory, A Family Affair squabbles with its own tonality too much to elevate its litany of clichés.
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#32
Adjusted Score: 28143%
Critics Consensus: Never achieving liftoff despite Emma Roberts’ peppy performance, Space Cadet flunks out of the school of high-concept comedy.
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#33
Adjusted Score: 25714%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#34
Adjusted Score: 11948%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#35
Adjusted Score: 7143%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#36
Adjusted Score: 7144%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#37
Adjusted Score: 7000%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#38
Adjusted Score: 15427%
Critics Consensus: Mother of the Bride serves an oft-overlooked demographic and takes us to crystalline beaches before it ceremonially drowns in generic waters.
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