The 11 best romance movies on Hulu

13 Going on 30 (2003)

Gary Winick’s time-shift comedy — in which 13-year-old Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) lapses into her 30-year-old self (Jennifer Garner) and learns to appreciate her fleeting youth — is almost preposterously effective. There’s little reason for a movie that features a dance break to “Thriller” to be so emotionally fulfilling, but we find our hearts swelling up just writing about it. As EW’s critic raves, “13 Going on 30 is the rare commercial comedy that leaves you entranced by what can happen only in the movies.” —Declan Gallagher

Where to watch 13 Going on 30: Hulu

Director: Gary Winick

Cast: Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer, Andy Serkis, Kathy Baker

All of Us Strangers (2022)

Adam (Andrew Scott), a gay screenwriter, grapples with loneliness in his London apartment before meeting a handsome stranger in this melancholic romantic drama. Adam gets into a passionate romance with Harry (Paul Mescal), though he soon finds himself preoccupied upon visiting his childhood home and encountering his parents — who died when he was 12. Adam’s longing for connection and intimacy is deeply felt, thanks to Scott’s nakedly vulnerable performance and writer-director Andrew Haigh’s sensitive touch.

“Haigh’s film is more a tone poem on loss and love than a strictly linear narrative,” EW’s critic writes. “To let someone in and allow himself to accept love, Adam must first find the closure he’s never had.” —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch All of Us Strangers: Hulu

EW grade: A–

Director: Andrew Haigh

Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire Foy

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

For young Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), coming of age means understanding what (and who) she wants out of life. After meeting the alluring, blue-haired free spirit Emma (Léa Seydoux), they develop a passionate relationship with many ups and downs. This audacious romantic drama, raved for its raw depiction of burgeoning sexuality, was the hit of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or. —K.J.

Where to watch Blue Is the Warmest Color: Hulu

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Cast: Léa Seydoux, Adèle Exarchopoulos

Brooklyn (2015)

As it turns out, sometimes they do make ’em like they used to. Based on Colm Tóibín’s novel and adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby, this lovingly told coming-of-age drama tells the story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant making a new life for herself in Brooklyn. Initially homesick, she starts to acclimate upon meeting Tony (Emory Cohen), an affable Italian American man with whom she enters a relationship, though she is soon pulled back to her home country and faces a dilemma about her future. Ronan delivers an equal parts confident and vulnerable performance that earned her an Oscar nomination. —K.J.

Where to watch Brooklyn: Hulu

EW grade: B+

Director: John Crowley

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters

Decision to Leave (2022)

Park Chan-wook’s mystery drama isn’t an obvious pick for great modern romance movies, but the intensity of feeling between Det. Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) and the woman he suspects of murder, Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei), is so effective that it belongs on this list. “With surreal cinematic flourishes and breezy dollops of dark humor,” writes EW’s critic, Decision to Leave is “a delightful rabbit hole to tumble down.” —K.J.

Where to watch Decision to Leave: Hulu

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il

Fire Island (2022)

This entertaining rom-com updates Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with a modern gay perspective. Star and screenwriter Joel Kim Booster plays Noah, who goes on a yearly vacation to New York’s gay hotspot, Fire Island, with his friends. This year, Erin (Margaret Cho) reveals she is selling the house they stay at every summer, marking the end of an era. Noah and his friends soon meet a more affluent bunch, leading to unexpected tensions and connections. The Emmy-nominated film deftly balances witty humor (the Marisa Tomei Heads-Up bit is not to be missed) and genuine poignancy. “When the actors and the storyline find their rhythm,” writes EW’s critic, “it’s almost impossible not to be charmed.” —K.J.

Where to watch Fire Island: Hulu

EW grade: B

Director: Andrew Ahn

Cast: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Margaret Cho

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022)

This compelling, well-structured drama does something most unusual for any movie: It’s exclusively concerned with a middle-aged woman’s sexual pleasure. Emma Thompson plays an inexperienced widow who hires the titular escort (Daryl McCormack) to make all of her intimate fantasies come true, but after several meetings, their relationship takes on a deeper meaning. —D.G.

Where to watch Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: Hulu

EW grade: B+

Director: Sophie Hyde

Cast: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack

Happiest Season (2020)

Clea DuVall (But I’m a Cheerleader) directed this charming holiday comedy with a script by Mary Holland. It stars Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as Abby and Harper, a lesbian couple who return to Harper’s parents’ home for the holidays, where they face some unanticipated obstacles from her family of conservative politicians. That may sound heavy, but the cast and quips keep this romance movie light. —D.G.

Where to watch Happiest Season: Hulu

EW grade: B+

Director: Clea DuVall

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Steenburgen, Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie

A Nice Indian Boy (2025)

When you’re gay and come from a relatively traditional family, the pressure to please them while satisfying your own needs can be a difficult juggling act. Naveen (Karan Soni) struggles with this all-too-real feeling, as he frets over having to introduce his parents to his fiancé, Jay (Jonathan Groff), while presuming his parents do not accept him for who he is. With a heartfelt message about love and acceptance (especially for oneself), A Nice Indian Boy is a well-observed rom-com bolstered by a charming ensemble cast. —K.J.

Where to watch A Nice Indian Boy: Hulu

Director: Roshan Sethi

Cast: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel

Rye Lane (2023)

Raine Allen Miller’s loving homage to Richard Curtis comedies and the Before trilogy stars David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah as two recently heartbroken Londoners who bond (and, yes, fall in love) during a patient stroll around the city. Rye Lane is both one of the best and most underseen titles on this list, and we suggest you watch it as soon as possible. —D.G.

Where to watch Rye Lane: Hulu

Director: Raine Allen Miller

Cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah

Sanctuary (2023)

Poor Things costars Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott ground this well-considered, over-the-top two-hander about one exceptionally weird night in a luxury hotel suite. The movie is constantly morphing and folding in on both itself and the audience, so it’s best to go in blind. You’ll be rewarded with one of the riskiest and most interesting romantic comedies in recent memory. —D.G.

Where to watch Sanctuary: Hulu

Director: Zachary Wigon

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Christopher Abbott