The 25 best romance movies on Hulu to watch right now

Settle in for a romantic night on the couch with these EW picks.

Though it’s always nice to settle in with a quippy rom-com, cinematic romance lends itself to a variety of other genres — just about all of them, actually. Hulu has one of the best love story selections of any streaming platform, with a plethora of newer and classic options. In addition to hallmarks like Pretty Woman (1990) and Juno (2007), the streamer offers fresh, edgier options like 2023's brilliant Sanctuary and the charmingly underrated Rye Lane. With all of the romantic movies Hulu has to offer, you'll be steadily occupied until next Valentine's Day.

These are the 25 best romance movies on Hulu right now.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Released among a slew of teen movie adaptations of classic literature/plays (Clueless; She's All That; Cruel Intentions, etc.), 10 Things I Hate About You transports William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew to a modern-day Seattle high school. A tangled web of romance begins when new student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) takes a liking to sophomore Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). But he cannot pursue her properly because of her father's strict rules: She can only date if her fiercely independent older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), does first. Cameron then sets a plan in motion that results in mysterious bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) wooing Kat, as Cameron hopes to pull off his grand scheme and land Bianca. In 1999, EW's critic called 10 Things I Hate About You "the cheekiest 'literary' update yet," one that "casts an amusingly jaundiced eye on the unholy status games of contemporary teen culture." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 10 Things I Hate About You: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Gil Junger

Cast: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Larry Miller, Andrew Keegan, David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt

Related content: Watch Julia Stiles get emotional as she reenacts iconic 10 Things I Hate About You scene

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Judd Apatow's remarkably crude feature directorial debut spawned a new generation of hard-R bro comedies, many of which missed this film's keen mixture of raunch and heart. Grounding the entire enterprise is Catherine Keener, who enters midway into the picture as a love interest for the eponymous nerd (Steve Carell) and manages to make all the talk of genitalia somehow rather heartwarming. —Declan Gallagher

Where to watch The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Judd Apatow

Cast: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, Romany Malco

Related content: The 15 best Steve Carell movies and TV shows, ranked

(500) Days of Summer (2009)

Though it sometimes veers into an overload of twee, this sweet-natured film charms as it follows a greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) left bereft when his girlfriend (Zooey Deschanel) breaks up with him after a whirlwind romance. Cashing in on the post-Juno quirk craze, Marc Webb's directorial debut is expertly written and contains a few perfectly pitched sequences. —D.G.

Where to watch (500) Days of Summer: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Marc Webb

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Chloë Grace Moretz, Geoffrey Arend, Matthew Gray Gubler

Related content: The story of (500) Days of Summer, from its writers and director

Call Me by Your Name (2017)

Luca Guadagnino’s charming, heartbreaking romance deftly captures the excitement and anxiety of first love. The story of Oliver (Armie Hammer) and Elio (Timothée Chalamet) falling for each other during a lazy Italian summer is also a smart adaptation of its source material novel — and one of the most credible period pieces in recent memory. —D.G.

Where to watch Call Me by Your Name: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Esther Garrel, André Aciman

Related content: The 25 best romantic period movies of all time

Ever After (1998)

Drew Barrymore stars in this surprisingly enduring riff on the Cinderella fantasy, which brilliantly casts Anjelica Huston as the evil stepmother. Ever After benefits from cinematography, set design, and a cast that winks only when absolutely necessary (plus extra brownie points for being blessedly uncomplicated). —D.G.

Where to watch Ever After: Hulu

Director: Andy Tennant

Cast: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Melanie Lynskey, Megan Dodds

Related content: 17 reasons Ever After is the best Cinderella movie ever

Father of the Bride (1991)

Steve Martin stars in this classic comedy about one father's quest to keep his daughter's wedding on the rails. The script (courtesy of Nancy Meyers and Co.) caters to all ages and doesn't wander too far into adolescence or crudity. It kicked off a rather dubious phase in Martin's career of increasingly dewy-eyed family pictures, but this one finds the star aptly wrangling both his comic and dramatic abilities. —D.G.

Where to watch Father of the Bride: Hulu

Director: Charles Shyer

Cast: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Kieran Culkin, Martin Short

Related content: Watch Father of the Bride cast reunion Netflix special directed by Nancy Meyers

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 the 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 (read the review)

Director: Andrew Ahn

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

Related content: Gays. In. Space! Bowen Yang explains the Fire Island bit and his obsession with the SNL sketch

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+ (read the review)

Director: Sophie Hyde

Cast: Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack

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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 a lesbian couple who return to Davis' 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+ (read the review)

Director: Clea DuVall

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

Related content: Clea Duvall has a few ideas for a Happiest Season sequel

High Fidelity (2000)

This laugh-out-loud adaptation of Nick Hornby's book of the same name is all about a man trying to figure out what he's doing wrong in the romance department. John Cusack plays Rob, a record store owner going through a bad breakup with Laura (Iben Hjejle), who he thought was the love of his life. When he and his employees aren't making fun of customers whose music taste they deem inferior to their own, Rob seeks out old girlfriends, tries to reconnect with Laura, and ultimately finds he has a lot of maturing to do. EW's critic calls High Fidelity a "cute, quaint, at times rather silly movie that displays a genuine affection for the rebel-nerd scholasticism of record-store junkies." Hulu also adapted Hornby's book for a (cruelly short-lived) TV series starring Zoë Kravitz in 2020, which is also available to stream. —K.J.

Where to watch High Fidelity: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Stephen Frears

Cast: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black, Todd Louiso, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lisa Bonet, Sara Gilbert, Chris Bauer, Lili Taylor, Joan Cusack

Related content: High Fidelity stars look back on the film 20 years later

Juno (2007)

Jason Reitman’s off-kilter teen pregnancy comedy hit a nerve upon its release, making sensations out of screenwriter Diablo Cody and star Elliot Page. It’s whip-smart and sassy, and though many later films would try, it remains somewhat inimitable and indie in every sense of the word. —D.G.

Where to watch Juno: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Jason Reitman

Cast: Elliot Page, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera, J.K. Simmons

Related content: Elliot Page recalls being closeted at height of Juno fame

Lemon (2017)

Janicza Bravo's proper black (not merely dark) comedy stars Brett Gelman as a disturbed man who, in pursuing his great love (Nia Long), kidnaps her grandmother (Marla Gibbs), threatens murder, betrays his blind wife (Judy Greer), and defaces Michael Cera's car with unrepeatable slurs. It’s funny, weird, and surprisingly touching as Bravo and the cast navigate a tonal tightrope. The director's follow-up was Zola (2021), a feel-good thriller about female friendships and sex trafficking that encapsulates her singular abilities as a filmmaker. —D.G.

Where to watch Lemon: Hulu

Director: Janicza Bravo

Cast: Brett Gelman, Nia Long, Michael Cera, Judy Greer, Shiri Appleby

Related content: The 30 best dark comedies of all time

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Baz Luhrmann's sweeping romantic drama is a dazzling ode to truth, beauty, freedom, and love. Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, a writer who finds inspiration in the spectacle of Paris' Moulin Rouge cabaret at the turn of the 19th century. His muse is Satine (Nicole Kidman), a courtesan with whom he embarks on a passionate yet doomed romance. While its frenetic editing style and postmodern musical sensibilities may not be for everyone, those who are on the movie's wavelength will delight in its go-for-broke earnestness and find themselves unexpectedly moved by its conclusion. —K.J.

Where to watch Moulin Rouge!: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh

Related content: Moulin Rouge! was almost an original musical (and other soundtrack secrets)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

It’s the romance movie that made all of us break out our watercolors. Céline Sciamma's aching ode to love and expression about an artist (Noémie Merlant) sent to make a portrait of a young bride (Adéle Haenel) is patient and painterly (as you might expect) yet also tremendously full of life. It’s a remarkably powerful viewing experience, as is Sciamma's stellar follow-up, Petite Maman (also streaming on Hulu). —D.G.

Where to watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Hulu

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Céline Sciamma

Cast: Noémie Merlant, Adéle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino

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Pretty Woman (1990)

Garry Marshall's rom-com, the movie that made us all fall in love with Julia Roberts, is a feisty and amiable fairy tale that doesn’t entirely avoid the reality of its concept. After a businessman (Richard Gere) picks up a sex worker (Roberts) during a work trip, they begin to fall for one another despite their radically different backgrounds. —D.G.

Where to watch Pretty Woman: Hulu

Director: Garry Marshall

Cast: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Laura San Giacomo, Jason Alexander, Héctor Elizondo

Related content: Molly Ringwald says she turned down Julia Roberts' Pretty Woman role: There was 'something icky about it'

The Proposal (2009)

Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock (not to mention Betty White) revitalized the rom-com genre and, one could argue, their careers with this sharp, emotionally resonant farce. It concerns a cutthroat businesswoman (Bullock) who enlists her harried assistant (Reynolds) to be her faux husband when she’s faced with deportation. It’s not a spoiler to say that real affection blossoms, but the game cast and fine writing elevate the cliché. —D.G.

Where to watch The Proposal: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Anne Fletcher

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, Oscar Nuñez

Related content: Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock serenade The Proposal costar Betty White on her 98th birthday

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

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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

Related content: Margaret Qualley, Christopher Abbott talk S&M film Sanctuary

Sleeping With Other People (2015)

Bachelorette director Leslye Headland upped her already substantial game with this follow-up film about two ill-behaved singletons (Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis) learning to trust (and maybe even love) one another. Headland updates a familiar concept with sharp dialogue and some genuinely clever set pieces, plus an ace soundtrack. —D.G.

Where to watch Sleeping With Other People: Hulu

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Leslye Headland

Cast: Alison Brie, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Mantzoukas, Natasha Lyonne, Adam Scott

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Take This Waltz (2012)

The complications of love are explored with great sensitivity in this bittersweet indie dramedy from writer-director Sarah Polley. Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen) are a Toronto couple whose marriage has grown uneventful. Margot meets a rickshaw driver (Luke Kirby) with whom she has an instant connection, leading to unexpected feelings. While her life with Lou is comfortable, she must decide whether to act on her urges and fundamentally shake up her life. "Sarah Polley digs into the ambiguity of Margot's motivations," EW's critic writes, "and Williams wears messy feelings on the outside." —K.J.

Where to watch Take This Waltz: Hulu

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Sarah Polley

Cast: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, Sarah Silverman

Related content: Unhappily ever after? 10 great films about struggling romances

Twilight (2008)

It’s taken a lot of flack over the years, much of it quite nasty (and, dare we say, undeserved), but nearly 20 years later (!) Catherine Hardwicke’s take on Stephanie Meyer’s YA juggernaut remains a stylish, swooning exercise in modern-day myth. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson have gone on to have two of the most interesting, diverse careers in the industry. But here, as love-lorn human Bella Swann and immortal, glittering vampire Edward Cullen, the two laid the groundwork for the daring, risk-averse performances they’d become known for in the ensuing years. —D.G.

Where to watch Twilight: Hulu

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Taylor Lautner, Nikki Reed

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Two Lovers (2009)

James Gray’s dark but redemptive masterpiece is a proper throwback to ‘70s cinema. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as a stunted man caught between two impossibly beautiful women (Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw) who are more than willing to put up with all of his Phoenix-type eccentricities. The film is stunningly shot and performed; Paltrow especially is brilliant here, giving an understated, positively heartbreaking performance. —D.G.

Where to watch Two Lovers: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: James Gray

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003)

Diane Lane leaves her philandering husband for sunny Italia, where she renovates a spectacular home and romances a studly repairman. Plus, there’s Lindsay Duncan splashing around in the Trevi Fountain and Sandra Oh as Lane’s sassy sidekick. If you are not charmed to death by this movie, you have a heart of stone, and we do not care to know you. —D.G.

Where to watch Under the Tuscan Sun: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Audrey Wells

Cast: Diane Lane, Lindsay Duncan, Sandra Oh, Kate Walsh, Raoul Bova

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Waiting to Exhale (1995)

Forest Whitaker directed this touching, nuanced portrait of four women looking for their perfect companions, even while most of them bide their time waiting for married beaus to leave their wives. Whitaker’s pleasantly ambling, episodic film features astounding turns from Loretta Devine and Whitney Houston. —D.G.

Where to watch Waiting to Exhale: Hulu

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Forest Whittaker

Cast: Loretta Devine, Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Lela Rochon, Kenya Moore

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The Worst Person in the World (2021)

Joachim Trier’s sprawling, experimental romance feels like a brilliant novel translated to the screen. It stars Renate Reinsve as a young woman torn between careers as well as a stable older boyfriend (Anders Danielsen Lie) and a coffee shop employee her own age (Herbert Nordrum). —D.G.

Where to watch The Worst Person in the World: Hulu

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Joachim Trier

Cast: Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, Herbert Nordrum

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.