Predictable, funny, tear-jerkers. That’s the name of the game when it comes to traditional rom-coms, and Amazon Prime Video has plenty of movies that fit the bill. This includes classic rom-coms you love to watch again and again, more modern rom-coms for the new generation, and even a few anti-rom-coms for those who aren’t big fans of the typical storylines.
The best rom-coms on Amazon Prime right now have the perfect mix of romance and comedy, making you laugh, cry, and feel satisfied by the end. Yes, you can often see what’s coming from a mile away. But that’s par for the course with this genre. Whatever type of rom-com you’re looking for, from ones that fit the usual mold to others that challenge what a rom-com should be, we have you covered with this list of the best Amazon Prime Video has to offer.
Amazon Prime Video isn’t short on titles, but it may not have what you’re looking for. Fortunately, we’ve also rounded up the best romantic comedies on Netflix and the best romantic comedies on Hulu.
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Upgraded2024 -
Notting Hill1999
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Bridesmaids2011
Upgraded (2024) new
Camila Mendes (Riverdale) shines as Ana in Upgraded. She’s a young woman who grabs the bull by the horns when circumstance leads to opportunity. Working as an intern for Claire (Marisa Tomei), a rigid art director (think The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly, but for the art world), she impresses her by noticing a big mistake. Ana is given the chance to go to London to help Claire’s assistant (as second, or rather third, assistant). When the other assistants try to sabotage Ana by booking her on a late flight, an airport worker sees this and upgrades her to first class to teach them a lesson. There, Ana meets William (Shadow and Bone‘s Archie Renaux), a handsome young man from an affluent family. Rather than tell him the truth, she claims to be the art director herself, apparently the youngest ever in the business.
Now comes the drama as Ana must keep up the ruse while keeping her boss out of the loop, doing her job, and managing this potential newfound love. Yes, Upgraded is predictable, but aren’t so many rom-coms? That’s sort of the formula, and it works.
Notting Hill (1999) new
It doesn’t get more classic rom-com than Notting Hill. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant (Wonka), two veterans of the rom-com genre, play William, a bookstore owner, and Anna, a famous actress. Somehow, some way, Anna takes a liking to the layman and they begin casually dating. A series of events, however, keep bringing them together, then tearing them apart, and neither can seem to get over the other.
An interesting examination of the challenges of a relationship when one person is in the public eye and the other person isn’t (but is thrust into this world), Notting Hill is still strangely relatable to everyone who has ever felt like a shadow behind a more prominent partner. It all works out in a way fans will find satisfying.
Bridesmaids (2011) new
It’s more comedy than romance in Bridesmaids, a hilarious movie about a woman bitter about serving as maid of honor for her best friend when she’s perpetually unlucky in love herself. When Lillian (Maya Rudolph) asks Annie (Kristen Wiig) to be her No. 1 gal at the wedding, all the plans go as horribly wrong as they possibly could.
Co-written by Wiig and starring an ensemble cast that also includes Rose Byrne, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, and Chris O’Dowd, the crude humor gives Bridesmaids the distinction of being called The Hangover for women. It’s the type of rom-com couples will love watching together. The movie made such an impression, in fact, that it earned McCarthy an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Yes, the romance part of the equation is secondary to the hijinks, but if you’re looking for something different from the usual rom-com, Bridesmaids will win over even those who scoff at traditional rom-coms. Note that it’s the unrated version that’s streaming on Prime Video, which includes an additional six minutes of footage.
Congrats My Ex! (2023)
Imagine being a wedding planner with a business that’s struggling, only to get the potential huge job of a lifetime that could save your company. Now, imagine finding out that the clients are your ex and his stunning new wife-to-be. Talk about awkward! That’s the story in the Thai-Indian rom-com Congrats My Ex!, which has quickly become one of the most talked-about new rom-coms on Prime Video.
There was plenty of buzz surrounding Congrats My Ex! before the movie was released, so much so that it garnered 100 million searches on TikTok. Once released, the movie topped the charts for several months in several countries. The themes of dealing with letting go and moving on, and the chaos that ensues from the awkward situation, make the movie relatable, fun, and filled with excitement.
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Based on the LGBTQ romance novel by Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue is the story of Alex (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the son of the U.S. president, and his relationship with the British prince, Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). At first, it’s a tumultuous one, but the pair soon strike up a romance. This causes controversy for both families, resulting in secrets, scandals, and the age-old story of forbidden love.
Red, White & Royal Blue has been praised for its handling of inclusion and LGBTQ romance without resorting to stereotypical depictions. As one of Amazon’s top watched romantic comedies, the story is as fairy tale as they come, with a modern and inclusive twist that is sure to entertain anyone who watches it.
Somebody I Used to Know (2023)
Dave Franco co-wrote this rom-com alongside his wife Alison Brie, who stars as Ally, the showrunner of a reality TV show that is almost over its 15 minutes in the spotlight. With a cancellation brewing, Ally comes to the realization that her work has consumed her and she doesn’t have much of a social life outside of it. She decides to visit her mother in Washington where she runs into an ex-boyfriend who, she discovers, is about to get married.
Somebody I Used to Know isn’t your cliched rom-com: the movie is praised for its nuanced story and comedic moments. But it’s also an inspiring movie that takes you on a journey of self-discovery and that there’s so much you can learn about yourself not only from your successful relationships but the failed ones, too.
About Fate (2022)
Emma Roberts and Thomas Mann star as a realtor and a lawyer, respectively, who live similar lives in different places. Through a chance encounter after eerily similar embarrassing experiences with their significant others, the pair meet. The rest, as they say in movie world, is history.
About Fate is a sweet film that serves as a remake of the 1975 Soviet TV movie The Irony of Fate. The premise shows that somewhere, somehow, someone else might be going through the same experiences you are. You’re not alone. And everyone can find love, sometimes in the strangest of places, especially when it’s meant to be.
My Fake Boyfriend (2022)
Licorice Pizza (2021)
His Girl Friday (1940)
I Want You Back (2022)
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019)
The Big Sick (2017)
Life Itself (2018)
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