If Bridgerton Season 4 left you pining for more masquerade balls, carriage hookups, and aristocrats who can’t quite keep their hands (or hearts) to themselves, then do we have good news for you, gentle readers. You don’t have to wait for the next season of Netflix’s hit series to get your Regency-style romance fix.
Whether it’s maids posing as society ladies, young women scheming to outwit eligible bachelors, or modern retellings of that slipper-losing Disney classic, these films give you all the charm, wit, and drama of London’s ton, just without the narration from Lady Whistledown. Grab your tea (or something stronger), settle in, and let us take you on a cinematic romance tour that should make the long hiatus at least somewhat more bearable than a laced-up corset.
1
‘Ever After’ (1998)
Apologies to every other Cinderella re-telling (even the ones on this list), but Ever After remains the gold standard of fairy tale reboots. It’s got brains, it’s got backbone, it’s got Drew Barrymore traipsing around 16th-century France with a wise-cracking Leonard da Vinci serving as her fairy godmother…oh, fine, it’s not all that realistic. But it is all kinds of swoonworthy, and surprisingly feminist.
Barrymore plays Danielle, a young, opinionated woman forced into servitude after the death of her father. The evil stepmother (a menacing Anjelica Huston) and wicked stepsister pop up (though we refuse to lump Melanie Lynskey’s ditzy horse girl in with them), as does the restless prince (Dougray Scott), but the love story is fueled by a shared appreciation of literature, free thought, and social justice. The romance is built on conversation and conviction as much as chemistry, but it’s still very hot.
2
‘Sabrina’ (1995)
Ok, so, this ’90s remake of the Audrey Hepburn classic knows exactly what it’s doing. The modelesque Julia Ormond toying with the hearts of two wealthy brothers in a revenge plot gone hilariously wrong? Harrison Ford as a tightly-wound businessman having feelings for the first time in his life? Greg Kinnear just hanging around on the sidelines, playing it suave and cool in an expertly tailored tux? Sydney Pollack, you sly dog!
Ormond plays Sabrina Fairchild, the ugly duckling daughter of a chauffeur who’s always harbored a crush on playboy David Larabee (Kinnear), one of the sons of her father’s employer. When she returns from Paris, beautiful and sophisticated, David takes notice, but so does his elder brother Linus (Ford), who makes a play for her hand in an attempt to marry David off as part of a business deal. Things get messy fast and Sabrina eventually has to choose between the fantasy she outgrew and the man she didn’t expect to fall in love with.
3
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018)
If you’re coming off a season of lavish settings, rigid social hierarchies, and romance complicated by family expectations, Crazy Rich Asians makes a surprisingly natural next stop. On the surface, it’s a glossy modern rom-com stuffed with private planes, couture, and tabletop tile games destined to trend stateside. But underneath the wealth parade is a sharp fish-out-of-water story about who gets to belong and just how big of a gap true love can actually bridge.
Constance Wu‘s Rachel arrives in Singapore armed with confidence, a decent credit score, and absolutely no idea what she’s walking into when it comes to meeting her handsome boyfriend’s (hello Henry Golding!) extended family. His mother, Michelle Yeoh‘s Eleanor, quickly makes it clear that the welcome mat won’t be rolled out for her. Instead, she’ll be tested at every banquet and bachelorette trip to see whether she fits in with the island elites. (Spoiler: she does not.) The romance is tied up in themes of power, class, and inheritance, with Awkwafina‘s scene-stealing outsider energy keeping things just funny enough.
4
‘Belle’ (2013)
Belle tells the remarkable true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (played here by Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy officer raised by her aristocratic great-uncle. She’s too high-born to eat with the servants, too “different” to be fully accepted by the family, and caught up in a world that measures people by birth and skin color instead of character. The story follows her as she navigates society’s expectations, carving out her own identity, while pursuing love and trying not to crack under the pressure of a world that sees her as unusual… and in some ways, dangerous.
The film itself does a good job of balancing the historical, socio-political elements of Dido’s story with the kind of engrossing romance that Bridgerton fans would want. Mbatha-Raw is captivating as the titular heroine, equal parts charm and steel. As Dido witnesses the limits of privilege and influence firsthand, she makes you feel her frustration and longing as she fights for freedom in an era that rarely offered it to women like her.
5
‘My Fair Lady’ (1964)
My Fair Lady is basically Cinderella with a vocabulary lesson. Audrey Hepburn plays Eliza Doolittle as a spirited flower girl from the wrong side of the tracks, while Rex Harrison‘s Henry Higgins serves as the brilliant but infuriating linguistics professor who decides to “improve” her speech – and, by extension, her place in society. The transformation is fairly convincing. A polished accent, some refined manners, and suddenly the woman everyone overlooked can move through high society without anyone suspecting her humble origins.
What makes it a perfect companion to the world of Bridgerton is the way it plays with class and the messy dynamics that happen when someone powerful takes an interest in someone from far below their station. Hepburn is pitch perfect as Eliza, who both struggles and luxuriates under the attention and admiration that come with her new status. It’s as entertaining as it is smart, and, as a bonus, you get some exceptional musical numbers.
6
‘Becoming Jane’ (2007)
Becoming Jane imagines the early life of Jane Austen, long before her novels made her a household name. It follows a spirited, sardonic Jane (Anne Hathaway) managing the expectations of family and propriety while falling for the charming and slightly reckless Tom Lefroy, played by James McAvoy. Their romance is full of witty banter, stolen glances, and inappropriately touchy ballroom dancing. It’s the kind of tension that feels both modern and thoroughly period, especially when the imbalance of their social standings enters the equation.
Hathaway is so sharp as Jane; intelligent, passionate, and impossible not to root for, while McAvoy’s Tom is the perfect rake in need of reforming. It’s a heartbreaking coming-of-age story that gives a slightly exaggerated insight into who the author was before she picked up a pen.
7
‘Maid in Manhattan’ (2002)
Maid in Manhattan really dials up the “upstairs, downstairs” divide with its Cinderella-esque story set in a luxury Manhattan hotel, where the help gets mistaken for high society and a senator falls for the wrong woman. Jennifer Lopez plays Marisa, a smart, hardworking maid juggling her dreams, her son, and the constant chaos of VIP guests. Ralph Fiennes is Christopher Marshall, the senator-in-the-making who can’t tell one rich socialite from another, which is probably why he falls for Marisa (while she’s trying on a guest’s wardrobe!) so quickly.
The film delights in the contrast between posh New Yorkers and the scrappy, stressed service workers trying to keep their lives running smoothly. The movie hits all the familiar beats of the classic “rich vs. working-class romance” without ever feeling tired, mostly because Lopez is so refreshingly earnest and Fiennes is oddly likable.
8
‘Cinderella’ (2015)
Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella makes a bold choice for live-action re-telling: instead of reinventing the fairy tale, it commits to it. Forget grim backstory additions and desperate attempts to modernize every piece of dialogue. This version trusts the power of the original romance with all its longing, whimsy, and sincerity. The result is a film that feels lush and unapologetically pure-hearted.
Lily James plays Ella as a sheltered young woman whose defining trait is her resolve – the decision to remain kind even in the face of unrelenting cruelty. Richard Madden‘s prince, introduced early in a low-stakes meet-cute, is still the prize, but the more interesting journey is the one Ella takes as she searches for her own inner courage. Cate Blanchett‘s exquisitely dressed stepmother brings glamour, resentment, and just enough shading to keep the villainy interesting, and all the melodrama is surrounded by eye-popping sets and gorgeous costumes and tons of storybook excess.
9
‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ (2022)
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Mr. Malcolm’s List is a Regency rom-com that knows exactly how absurd dating in the 1800s was, and it has a blast showing us. Zawe Ashton plays Julia, a diamond of her season who is publicly rejected by the handsome, elusive Mr. Malcolm (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù). To exact revenge, she recruits her best friend Selina (Freida Pinto) to pose as Mr. Malcolm’s ideal match. (He has a list.) Naturally, everything goes sideways.
Dìrísù is so charismatic as this movie’s male love interest that it’s almost too easy to forgive him for being such a stereotype for its first half. Plus, he’s got great chemistry with Pinto, too. But what makes this so fun – and such a natural Bridgerton successor, besides, of course, its time period – is its tone, and its focus on female friendship and agency.
10
‘Emma.’ (2020)
Emma. (like Bridgerton) is a visual feast, drenched in pastel and an irresistibly playful tone. It also feels like the blueprint Emerald Fennell might have been studying when she story-boarded her buzzed about Wuthering Heights adaptation. Anya Taylor-Joy is dazzling as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman with wealth, charm, and a penchant for matchmaking, reigning over her small world with confidence and plenty of comic missteps. Johnny Flynn‘s Mr. Knightley is her steady foil, a quietly passionate presence who keeps Emma’s schemes in check while quietly challenging her assumptions about herself and others.
Autumn de Wilde‘s direction here leans into the ridiculousness of the Regency era, highlighting the very human emotions underneath while keeping the classic tale fresh, modern, and full of sly humor. But beneath the wit and polish, there’s a real yearning between the two leads, yes, but also a yearning to be seen as who you truly are, which feels very Bridgerton-coded.
Emma.
- Release Date
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February 21, 2020
- Runtime
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124 minutes
- Writers
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Eleanor Catton
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