The Best Romance Movies You Need to See in 2025
Because who doesn't enjoy a good love story?
Is there anything better than a good love story? Everyone needs to be swept off their feet at least once in their lives, but as we wait for our Mr./Mrs./Mx. Right, romance movies can provide the heart-fluttering feels (and occasional tearjerkers) we need.
2025's slate of romance films is already filling out with a diverse selection of love stories, from hilarious romantic comedies to heartbreaking dramas to several highly-anticipated queer movies. Below, find the best romance movies of 2025 that are headed to cinemas soon and later this year.
'Wish You Were Here'
Release date: January 17
Starring: Isabelle Fuhrman, Mena Massoud, Jennifer Grey, and Kelsey Grammer
The love story: Make sure to bring tissues for this emotional romance from director Julia Stiles(!), based on Renée Carlino's 2017 novel. After she has a perfect, romantic night with a mysterious stranger named Adam (Mena Massoud), Charlotte's (Isabelle Fuhrman) search for answers uncovers a devastating secret.
'Marked Men: Rule + Shaw'
Release date: January 22
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Starring: Chase Stokes, Sydney Taylor, Alexander Ludwig, Ella Balinska, Evan Mock, Matthew Noszka, and Natalie Alyn Lind
The love story: If you have a penchant for franchises like Fifty Shades or After, here's your next guilty pleasure. Shaw Landon (Sydney Taylor) has been in love with Rule Archer (Chase Stokes) since they were teenagers but thought they could never bridge the good-girl/bad-boy divide. Come for a sexy tattooed Chase Stokes, stay for...a sexy tattooed Chase Stokes.
'You're Cordially Invited'
Release date: January 30 on Prime Video
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Will Ferrell, Meredith Hagner, Geraldine Viswanathan, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Jimmy Tatro
The love story: In this rom-com, Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell are on opposite sides of two wedding parties' worst nightmare: The venue has been double-booked. Watch Witherspoon and Ferrell lead their respective sides of the chaotic war for wedding supremacy.
'Love Me'
Release date: January 31
Starring: Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun
The love story: This inventive sci-fi film isn't a traditional romance—it follows a love story between two sentient AIs still running after the end of human civilization. "A buoy (Kristen Stewart) and a satellite (Steven Yeun), with only the internet as their guide, learn what it means to be alive and in love," per the description.
'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'
Release date: February 13 on Peacock
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Isla Fisher, and with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant
Why it’s worth watching: Legendary rom-com heroine Bridget Jones is back for Galentine's Day this year, when she'll receive the And Just Like That... treatment. Recently widowed (sob), the newly single mother will navigate dating for the first time in years, and even strike up a romance with a younger man played by Leo Woodall.
'La Dolce Villa'
Release date: February 13 on Netflix
Starring: Scott Foley, Maia Reficco, Violante Placido, and Giuseppe Futia
Why it’s worth watching: Netflix's V-Day release this year follows a father and daughter having a joint Under the Tuscan Sun moments. Eric (Scott Foley) follows his daughter Olivia (Maia Reficco) to Italy to supervise her renovation of a one-euro villa, and each has their own dreamy summer romance.
'Black Bag'
Release date: March 14
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke
Why it’s worth watching: Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender as a super-hot, devoted spy couple in a Steven Soderbergh movie? Sold. This action-drama will see their loving marriage be tested when one of them (Blanchett) is suspected of treason.
'A Nice Indian Boy'
Release date: April 4
Starring: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, and Harish Patel
The love story: Out gay doctor Naveen (Karan Soni) has always kept his dating life separate from his family...until he falls head over heels with his eventual fiancé Jay (Jonathan Groff). This queer rom-com follows the pair and Naveen's family as they come together to throw the Indian wedding of their dreams (complete with tons of Bollywood references).
'The Wedding Banquet'
Release date: April 18
Starring: Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran, Bowen Yang, Han Gi-chan, Joan Chen, and Youn Yuh-jung
The love story: Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) and Lee (Lily Gladstone), and Min (Han Gi-chan) and Chris (Bowen Yang) are two queer couples facing financial and immigration issues while living in Seattle. So what better way to solve everything than a wedding plot? Follow the hijinks ahead of Angela and Min's fake traditional Korean wedding in this loose remake of the 1993 gay rom-com of the same name.
'The Bride!'
Releases: September 26
Starring: Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, and Peter Sarsgaard
The love story: One of Hollywood's biggest monster couples is getting an epic romance brought to the screen this year, courtesy of director Maggie Gyllenhaal. As the description says, the movie follows Frankenstein and the Bride's "combustible romance," which "[ignites] the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement."
'Wicked: For Good'
Releases: November 21
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum
The love story: Whether you're a Gelphie believer or not (if not...what are you doing?), the second half of Wicked is when the Glinda-Fiyero-Elphaba love triangle comes to a head. Prepare to have "As Long As You're Mine" stuck in your head for all December 2025.
'The History of Sound'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor
The love story: An LGBTQ+ period romance where Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor fall in love amid the New England folk music scene circa WWI? Yes, please!
'Lost in Starlight'
Release date: TBA on Netflix
Starring: Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung
The love story: This Korean romance movie sounds absolutely adorable, telling the love story between a scientist dreaming of the stars and a down-to-earth musician (Hong Kyung). When they meet right before Nan-young's (Kim Tae-ri) space voyage, the pair "embark on the longest-ever long-distance relationship—one that bridges Earth and Mars."
'Love, Brooklyn'
Release date: TBA; Premieres at Sundance Film Festival in January
Starring: André Holland, Nicole Beharie, DeWanda Wise, Roy Wood Jr., Cassandra Freeman, and Cadence Reese
The love story: In this highly-anticipated indie film, André Holland, Nicole Beharie, and DeWanda Wise play "three longtime Brooklynites navigate careers, love, loss, and friendship against the rapidly changing landscape of their beloved city," per the film's description.
'Plainclothes'
Release date: TBA; Premieres at Sundance Film Festival in January
Starring: Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey
The love story: In this forbidden romance based on true events, an undercover police officer (Tom Blyth) struggling to fit in is tasked with entrapping and arresting gay men in 1990s New York...until he falls in love with someone he meets on the job (played by Russell Tovey).
'Materialists'
Release date: TBA
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Marin Ireland, Louisa Jacobson, Sawyer Spielberg, and Zoë Winters
The love story: After her Oscar-nominated debut Past Lives, filmmaker Celine Song helms this movie about another complicated love triangle. Per Vanity Fair, this time we'll see "a matchmaker, her perfect match, and an ex-boyfriend" go through all the heart-wrenching feels.
Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.
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