8 Fun New Rom-Coms to Watch This Spring

Put a smile on your face (and hope in your heart) with these charming comedies

Nicholas DeRenzo,

AARP

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En español

Published May 09, 2023

Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan embrace for a kiss in a scene from the film Love Again

(Left to right) Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Sam Heughan star in "Love Again."

Liam Daniel/Sony Pictures Entertainment

Never doubt the almighty rom-com! Despite the box-office domination of superhero franchises, love (onscreen) never dies, and recent charmers with A-listers like Reese Witherspoon, 47, and Jennifer Lopez, 53, are proof. This spring, a whole new crop of romantic comedies is popping up on screens big and little. Here are eight new fizzy bits of film fun, most of which you can watch at home on streaming services.

A Tourist’s Guide to Love

The premise: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve and even Hanukkah have all formed the backdrop of successful rom-coms, so why not the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebration, Tet? In this cross-cultural comedy, an American travel executive named Amanda (Rachael Leigh Cook) heads to Vietnam after an unforeseen breakup, and she quickly falls for her expat tour guide Sinh (Scott Ly). Screenwriter Eirene Donohue wanted to write a story about Vietnam that focuses on joy rather than war or its traumatic aftermath — the lens through which we often focus on the country in pop culture — and to that end, you can expect a colorful romp filled with lion dances, floating lanterns, scenic vistas and hold-on-tight motorbike rides.

Check it out if you liked: Crazy Rich Asians, Falling Inn Love, How Stella Got Her Groove Back

Watch it: A Tourist’s Guide to Love on Netflix

Somebody I Used to Know

The premise: Directed by Dave Franco and written by him and his wife, Alison Brie, the film stars Brie as Ally, the showrunner of a just-canceled reality TV show who decides to take a break from Hollywood and visit her mother in her picturesque mountain hometown of Leavenworth, Washington. Once there, she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend Sam (Jay Ellis, Top Gun: Maverick), only to find out he’s already engaged to another woman, Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons). Though Cassidy is initially skeptical of Ally, things get complicated when the two women start to hit it off. Like many great rom-coms before it, the film boasts a stacked supporting cast, including Haley Joel Osment, Amy Sedaris (62) and Julie Hagerty (67) as Ally’s mom.

Check it out if you liked: My Best Friend’s Wedding, Happiest Season

Watch it: Somebody I Used to Know on Prime Video

Don’t miss this: Julia Roberts’ Best Rom-Com Roles, Ranked!

Rye Lane

The premise: What Notting Hill did for North London, Rye Lane could do for the South London neighborhoods of Peckham and Brixton, where this exuberant romance is set. When it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, it was met with near-universal acclaim, despite its simple premise: Two strangers (played by Industry’s David Jonsson and theater actress Vivian Oparah) meet by chance at an art exhibition about mouths and then spend the day wandering around London getting to know one another, as they grab lunch at a burrito shop, sing karaoke and take a moped ride together. Wait until you see who takes their order at the Brixton Market food stall Love Guac’tually. (Spoiler: It’s Colin Firth, 62.)

Check it out if you liked: Before Sunrise, Southside With You, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Watch it: Rye Lane on Hulu

At Midnight

The premise: Actress Monica Barbaro has been having a moment lately — you might recognize her from her roles in NBC’s Chicago Justice or as fighter pilot Phoenix in Top Gun: Maverick. In her newest film, she plays a Hollywood starlet named Sophie Wilder who catches her boyfriend/costar Adam (Anders Holm, Workaholics) cheating on her as they film an action movie in Mexico. Sophie seeks comfort in the friendship of a hotel junior manager named Alejandro, played by the film’s cowriter Diego Boneta, who recently starred in the Andy García–Gloria Estefan Father of the Bride remake. Will they keep things platonic? Of course not.

Check it out if you liked: Lost in Translation, Notting Hill, Roman Holiday

Watch it: At Midnight on Paramount+

Don’t miss this: 13 Great Rom-Coms Starring Older Actors

Love Again

The premise: An English-language remake of the German film SMS für Dich, this is one of the rare new romantic comedies that’s making a stop in theaters before hitting streamers. After the death of her fiancé, Mira Ray (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) sends a series of romantic texts to his old cellphone — not realizing that the number has already been reassigned to journalist Rob (Outlander’s Sam Heughan). He’s working on a profile of Celine Dion, 55 (played by the Grammy winner in her first film role), and she teams up with Rob to help him meet Mira in real life and win her over. Who could say no to Celine?

Check it out if you liked: P.S. I Love You, Sleepless in Seattle

Watch it: Love Again, in theaters

You People

The premise: Shortly after the end of his long-running family sitcom Black-ish, Kenya Barris made his directorial debut with this Netflix culture-clash comedy, which he wrote with star Jonah Hill. Hill plays a broker and podcaster who meets stylist Amira Mohammed (Lauren London) after he mistakes her for an Uber driver and gets into her car. Despite the mixup, their chemistry is undeniable, but there are Romeo-and-Juliet-style complications potentially keeping them apart: His parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 62, and David Duchovny, 62) are Jewish; hers (Eddie Murphy, 62, and Nia Long, 52) are members of the Nation of Islam.

Check it out if you liked: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fools Rush In

Watch it: You People on Netflix

Don’t miss this: 7 Great LGBTQ+ Rom-Coms

Ghosted

The premise: If last year’s The Lost City and Shotgun Wedding are any indication, the best way to get A-listers to sign on for a rom-com is to add in some explosions and action sequences. This time around, regular guy Cole (Chris Evans) begins to fall for the mysterious Sadie (Ana de Armas), but when she ghosts him after their first date, he follows her to London in a sweepingly grand romantic gesture. But he’s in for quite a shock: She’s actually a secret agent, and they have to join forces on a high-stakes adventure to save the world.

Check it out if you liked: Murder Mystery, Romancing the Stone, True Lies

Watch it: Ghosted on Apple TV+

Your Place or Mine

The premise: Reese Witherspoon’s first rom-com in six years sees her pairing up with Ashton Kutcher for a film written and directed by Aline Brosh McKenna, 55, best known for penning The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses. After hooking up 20 years before, Debbie (Witherspoon) and Peter (Kutcher) are now platonic best friends who live on opposite coasts. When they plan a house swap, Peter’s romantic feelings for Debbie start to creep in again — just as she meets a potential dream guy named Theo (played by former Grey’s Anatomy doc Jesse Williams).

Check it out if you liked: The Holiday, When Harry Met Sally, Always Be My Maybe

Watch it: Your Place or Mine on Netflix

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Nicholas DeRenzo is a contributing writer who covers entertainment and travel. Previously he was executive editor of United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Sunset and New York magazine.