Romance is one of the most persistent and evergreen genres in film and narrative in general, whether it gives us the warm and fuzzy feelings we crave or leaves us sad. Everyone likes a good love story, and love is woven into other genres as well, so whether you’re looking for a feel-good rom-com, an erotic thriller, a Christmas romance, or a heart-breaking drama, our selection of the best romance movies on Hulu right now has you covered.
You may also look for romantic movies on other streaming sites besides Hulu. See our posts on Amazon Prime’s Best Romantic Movies and Netflix’s Best Romantic Movies.
And So It Goes
Another look at finding love in your golden years can be found in this 2014 romantic comedy/drama. Oren is played by Michael Douglas, and Leah is played by Diane Keaton. When Oren is forced to temporarily take custody of his 9-year-old granddaughter, they are brought together. He seeks the assistance of his next-door neighbor, Leah, because he doesn’t know how to deal with it. They unite and begin to find love in an unexpected location as a result of this new scenario. This film is an excellent choice for a lighter picture if you appreciate Michael Douglas.
Another Time
Justin Hartley, well known for his role on This Is Us, plays Eric in this 2018 Sci-Fi Romance about time travel. He meets Julia, played by Chrishell Stause, the woman of his dreams, only to discover that she already has a fiance. Eric has the brilliant notion of going back in time and meeting Julia before she meets her fiance.
While traveling through time has some unintended consequences, it also allows Eric to see things in a new perspective and seek love in a different way once he recognizes he was chasing the wrong thing. This is a wonderful time travel adventure that will have you rooting for the hero all the way to the conclusion.
Blast From the Past
This 1999 romantic comedy starring Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone as Adam and Eve is a fun fish out of water comedy. It contains parts of Fraser’s most famous film, Encino Man. He plays a man who is out of time and out of place in the world once more. Following a bomb scare in the 1960s, he has remained in a bomb shelter with his parents, played by Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek, for 35 years. As the wide-eyed innocent Adam, Fraser is in his element. His charisma literally jumps off the screen, and his exchanges with Eve are hilarious. It’s also nice to see Silverstone thrive in anything other than Clueless.
Bound is a sensual love tale, a suspenseful crime thriller, and a trailblazing symbol of LGBT cinema, but it’s also a straight-up excellent movie. Three years before The Matrix revolutionized modern action cinema, Lana and Lily Wachowski made their feature debut with this 1996 neo-noir. Violet (Jennifer Tilly), a reimagining of the femme fatale, falls for Corky (Gina Gershon), an ex-con doing handyman work in her apartment complex. Violet is a “mob doll,” the longstanding girlfriend of a mafioso (Joe Pantoliano), and when his criminal companions swarm their apartment during a particularly tumultuous and bloody night of money laundering, Violet and Corky formulate a scheme to snag the money and start a new life. Bound holds up as a frantic thriller, heartbreaking piece of romantic romance, and a downright beautiful piece of technical filmmaking from the Wachowskis 25 years later.
Christmas Crush
While it may be a little early to start thinking about Christmas romances, make a note of Christmas Crush from 2019. This picture is entertaining, but it also serves as a cautionary story about being careful what you wish for. Cindy Sampson’s character Addie wishes for her neighbor to fall in love with her. Unfortunately, she fails to be specific enough, and instead of inspiring Sam (Robin Dunne) to fall in love with her, the wish falls on Pete (Chris Violette). I love Christmas-themed romance flicks, and this one is no exception. Addie is a likeable protagonist who grows in confidence as the film progresses. It will keep you hooked as you wonder how she will get out of this love bind.
Christmas Perfection
This 2018 film, starring Caitlin Thompson as Darcy, is another unique Christmas-themed adventure in which she creates her own Christmas universe. Darcy is usually disappointed because he is obsessed with making the perfect Christmas. That is, until she joins her Christmas hamlet, where Christmas is celebrated every day. When her friend Brandon (James Henri-Thomas) joins her in the fantasy realm, they realize they have affections for each other. Darcy quickly discovers that perfection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. This film offers a fresh perspective on the Christmas romance. It’s interesting, amusing, and encourages you to appreciate the flaws in things. If you enjoy Christmas romances in which the protagonist is taught a valuable lesson, this is the book for you.
Date Night
This 2010 picture takes a different approach, using a routine date night to set the stage for a wacky journey for married couple Claire (Tina Fey) and Phil (Steve Carell). They plan a date night to rekindle their romance, but when they steal another couple’s reservation, they end up with a case of mistaken identity. The couple whose reservation they took is discovered to be associated with a mob boss, and they are apprehended by his thugs. The night they had planned is utterly derailed when they find themselves in the middle of an adventure of a lifetime, completely out of their depth but relying on each other to get through it. It’s a crime, romance, and comedy all rolled into one, starring two of comedy’s most magnetic stars from the 2000s.
Happiest Season
Happiest Season is a complex little number that isn’t your typical feel-good rom-com. Many people expected the first huge queer Christmas romance, but if you’re seeking for a holiday love tale that avoids the usual syrupy stereotypes, this could be the right fit. Kristen Stewart plays Abby, a young lady who is going to meet her girlfriend Harper’s (Mackenzie Davis) family for the first time and devises a grand scheme to propose to her at their annual Christmas dinner. The problem is, Harper’s family is unaware that she is homosexual, and when Abby arrives, she is faced with being forced back into the closet and discovering a side of Harper she never knew existed.
Stewart is fantastic as Abby, and you never stop pulling for her, but the major flaw in Happiest Season is that she’s surrounded by a cast of characters who are nearly wholly harsh and unlikable. Of course, there are exceptions: Dan Levy is consistently enthralling as Abby’s closest buddy, Aubrey Plaza is her most approachable and alluring as Harper’s ex, and co-writer Mary Holland steals the show as Harper’s quirky sister. But, while Happiest Season isn’t the healthiest or, well, happiest depiction of gay romance, it is a rather good study of how tough it can be to love someone who grew up trying to hide who they are, and how messy it can be when they finally decide to stop hiding. I’m simply hoping Abby and Harper went to counseling afterward.
If Beale Street Could Talk
This 2018 drama/romance has some difficult events and themes. Tish, played by KiKi Layne, learns she’s expecting a child, but her beau, Fonny, played by Stephan James, is falsely convicted of rape and imprisoned. The search for justice soon becomes a means of assisting her love and the life they were creating together. This heartbreaking love story tugs at the heartstrings as Tish and Fonny fight for justice that they may never receive. It will break your heart for this couple, and if you’ve seen Barry Jenkins’ last Best Picture winner Moonlight, you know how beautiful but heartbreaking his films can be.
In The Cut
In the Cut is a twisted little blend of romance, psychological thrills, and a bit of old-school slasher horror if you’re searching for something a little hotter and scarier. In the Cut, starring Meg Ryan as a yearning woman seemingly lost in the chaos of the big city and Mark Ruffalo as a brash cop who also happens to be a sexual powerhouse, is more of a lust story than a love story, but it is a powerfully atmospheric and seductive one, with The Piano director Jane Campion infusing the crime thriller with her erotic cinema talent. In New York City, a serial killer is leaving behind gruesome crime scenes of dismembered women, and Ryan’s Frannie becomes entangled in the investigation and, as a result, into a passionate, colorful affair with Ruffalo’s Detective Malloy.
This one doesn’t have the finest critical reception, but if you want sensual films that are so filthy and hot that you feel the need to wipe down your screen afterward, don’t let the negative reviews deter you. Even when Frannie suspects Malloy of being the murderer, she can’t resist the animal magnetism, and as Philippa Snow wrote in her excellent piece for the New Statesman, “In the Cut is masterful in its suggestion of the ambient, omnipresent air of sexual threat that exists in traditional heterosexual dynamics, and is equally masterful in the way it manages to make an argume in the way it manages to make an argume in the way it manages to make an arg Few films are willing to delve into the dark undercurrent of psychosexual dynamics that underpin so much of humanity’s sexual history, and few filmmakers could do it with the elegance and slow-kindling sexiness that Campion pulls off here.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs has a time loop in a homage to Groundhog Day. Sarah, played by Cristin Milloti, and Nyles, played by Andy Samberg, fall in love while being compelled to repeat the same day. They try a seemingly limitless number of ways to break free from the time loop in which they are compelled to attend Sarah’s sister’s wedding, but they are unable to do so.
This film offers a unique spin on the time loop concept. Normally, just one person is trapped, but this adds another person who is aware of the situation. As they battle to reclaim their lives, this idea helps them unite and draw closer to one another. Palm Springs is a must-see for fans of alternate reality flicks.
Plus One
The rom-com genre has experienced a renaissance in recent years, but this one has slid under the radar. It doesn’t have to be that way! The 2019 rom-com Plus One, starring PEN15’s Maya Erksine and The Boys’ Jack Quaid, is every bit as adorable as that pairing sounds on paper. Erksine and Quaid play long-time friends who realize they have an absurd number of weddings to attend and decide to be each other’s plus-ones for the duration of their wedding marathon. In an updated riff on Four Weddings and a Funeral, their newfound, though initially silly, commitment to each other (and the fact that they’re constantly seeing each other all gussied up) sparks something new in their relationship, and the film follows their rocky road to falling for each other as they learn to resolve their communication and commitment issues.
The picture never quite achieves its predecessor’s all-time highs, but it’s a passionate spiritual sequel that’s also wonderfully funny. Plus One intelligently leans on the attractions of its lead performers, providing them strong material to match their irresistible chemistry, with witty one-liners and laugh-out-loud banter.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
If you’re seeking for a lesbian love story, look no further than Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a critically praised 2019 French film. This film is set in the 18th century and stars Noemie Merlant as Marianne, a young painter who falls in love with Heloise, played by Adele Haenel. Marianne and Heloise meet when Marianne is hired to paint Heloise’s picture. Heloise is engaged to a Milanese nobleman, but she refuses to marry him. Even though their love seemed doomed, the two fall for each other while Marianne paints her. Celine Sciamma’s narrative is as poetic as her lens, crafting and portraying a gorgeous, unique, bittersweet love story.
Princess Cyd
Princess Cyd is a charming, gentle coming-of-age picture that uses a light touch to address the issues at hand, which span from bereavement to sexuality to faith, giving the underappreciated 2017 treasure a welcome airiness. Cyd (Jessie Pinnick), a confident and outspoken adolescent spending the summer with her aunt Miranda Ruth (Rebecca Spence), a religious scholar and well-known writer, is played by Jessie Pinnick. In the occasionally tense but never quite sparring conversations between the two and their counter-but-not-clashing world views, writer/director Stephen Cone develops an understated, multigenerational exploration of the self.
Miranda strives to get more in touch with her own sense of intimacy as Cyd explores gender and sexuality, falling for a female for the first time, presenting two perspectives on what it means to get to know yourself better by getting to know someone else. The film’s approach to existential concerns is so delicate that it might come across as stoic at times, but it’s a strength as well as a flaw, as it leaves room for more nuanced feelings and evolutions – and plenty of chance to relish Cyd’s growing midsummer romance.
Spontaneous
Check out Spontaneous if you’re seeking for a brutal but original love story theme. This horror-infused romance set in the year 2020 encourages you to live in the present. It all starts innocently enough with Dylan, played by Charlie Plummer, admitting his affection on Mara, played by Katherine Langford. When their classmates start spontaneously exploding, the horror elements kick in. Among the blood, love blossoms between Dylan and Mara, who find solace in one other in the midst of the chaos. The teens begin living for today and attempting to make each day count because they never know when they will explode, and writer-director Brian Duffield wields the constant threat with precision, fusing genres to create a wholly heartfelt about finding what makes life worth living and fighting for it, even in the most dire of circumstances.
Supernova
Look no further than Supernova if you’re seeking for a well-crafted LGBTQ+ love story. Sam, played by Colin Firth, and Tusker, played by Stanley Tucci, star in this love story. They’ve been together for 20 years and are planning a vacation throughout England to see family, friends, and historical sites. This idea is expertly portrayed by these two dynamite actors, who both do stunning, subtle work as a committed couple trying to keep their romance alive despite the fact that a heavy grief has settled into every part of their lives together. Tusker’s battle with dementia casts a pall over the journey. They try to make the most of the time they have together while he remembers who he was in the past and who he is now. It’s a heartbreaking, but beautiful trip, and it’s especially poignant if you’ve ever known someone in Tusker’s shoes.
The Age of Adaline
The Age of Adaline is a captivating fantasy romance with a touch of intrigue. You might be surprised to learn that the plot isn’t based on a novel. It has that vibe to it, yet it’s an original story written by Goodloe and Paskowitz on their own. It stars Blake Lively as Adaline Bowman, who stops aging after a car accident. She spends the following eight decades in the body of a 29-year-old woman. To escape suspicion, she sticks to herself, but then she meets Ellis Jones, played by Michiel Huisman, who makes her feel all over again. As you try to figure out what’s going on, Lively, Huisman, and Harrison Ford are enthralling to watch. You’re transported on a fantasy voyage of love, grief, and love bringing you back to yourself.
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
This film explores what it means to become a parent and the challenges it brings in both your personal life and your relationship with your partner. The 2012 film follows five couples as they go through the stages of conception and parenthood. It’s a terrific movie to see with your partner because the journey through the storylines is familiar to those having children. What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a humorous look at the pains of motherhood that shows cinematic romance in a different light, but one that many couples experience in some fashion with the arrival of a kid into their home. It stars a large cast of familiar celebrities.
