11 Movies to Watch With Your Boyfriend (That He’ll Actually Enjoy Too)

By Vlad Zakh · July 19, 2026

United States Romance falling in love date night

My partner used to groan the second he heard “romance movie” was on the agenda. So over the last couple of years I started paying attention to which ones he’d actually rewatch, not the “chick flick in disguise” picks, but films with a real love story built into a genre he already liked going in.

These are the 11 that made the cut, and why. I’ve organized them by the actual situation you’re in tonight, an early date, a guy who swears he hates rom-coms, a night you both just want to cry, because “what should we watch” almost always really means “what fits the mood we’re in right now.”

A few I’d skip for this specific occasion, from experience: anything off an ex’s favorites list (start your own shared list instead), long subtitled arthouse dramas on a weeknight, and any theatrical cut over three hours when one of you is already watching the clock.

The Notebook (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 55% Metacritic 53

The gold standard for a proper cry, still working two decades later.

Directed by Nick Cassavetes · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

12 wins & 10 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 93% Metacritic 81

Genre chaos plus one of the best portraits of a long marriage ever put on screen.

Directed by Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan · 2h 20m · Rated R

Won 7 Oscars408 wins & 382 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Coco (2017)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 97% Metacritic 81

An animated family film with an ability to wreck two grown adults in the same exact moment.

Directed by Lee Unkrich · 1h 45m · Rated PG

Won 2 Oscars113 wins & 42 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 98% Metacritic 95

Slow, visually gorgeous, and built for conversation afterward rather than during.

Directed by Céline Sciamma · 2h 01m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award59 wins & 155 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Past Lives (2023)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 95% Metacritic 94

Restrained, adult, and quietly devastating without ever tipping into melodrama, built for a quiet night in.

Directed by Celine Song · 1h 46m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 2 Oscars83 wins & 240 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Rakuten Viki · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Twisters (2024)

IMDb ★ 6.5 RT 75% Metacritic 65

Storm-chasing and real stakes with a slow-build romance that never stops the action to explain itself.

Directed by Lee Isaac Chung · 2h 03m · Rated PG-13

37 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dune: Part Two (2024)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 92% Metacritic 79

A genuine sci-fi epic where the Paul and Chani relationship is central to the story, not decoration.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve · 2h 47m · Rated PG-13

Won 2 Oscars125 wins & 376 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, TNT, TBS, tru TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Challengers (2024)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 88% Metacritic 82

Tense, competitive, and messier than most rom-coms would dare, with a love triangle built around real tennis stakes.

Directed by Luca Guadagnino · 2h 12m · Rated R

77 wins & 152 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Fall Guy (2024)

IMDb ★ 6.8 RT 81% Metacritic 73

An action movie first, wrapped around a real romance, so it never feels like a bait and switch.

Directed by David Leitch · 2h 07m · Rated PG-13

25 wins & 48 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 72% Metacritic 70

A 90s classic that never stops working, short, sharp, and funny even if he's never seen it before.

Directed by Gil Junger · 1h 37m · Rated PG-13

2 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus, YouTube TV, FXNow · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Anyone But You (2023)

IMDb ★ 6.1 RT 53% Metacritic 52

A modern rom-com with real chemistry between the leads, funny and fast-paced enough that there's no dead air on a first or second date.

Directed by Will Gluck · 1h 43m · Rated R

1 win & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu, fuboTV, YouTube TV, FXNow · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

11 Movies to Watch With Your Boyfriend (That He’ll Actually Enjoy Too)

The Notebook (2004)

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Coco (2017)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

Past Lives (2023)

Twisters (2024)

Dune: Part Two (2024)

Challengers (2024)

The Fall Guy (2024)

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Anyone But You (2023)

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