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

Short answer: skip the movies picked purely to make him sit still, and go for ones built to work on both of you at once, like Past Lives, Anyone But You, The Fall Guy, Challengers, Coco, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire. The best boyfriend-approved picks aren’t “chick flicks in disguise.” They’re genuinely good films that happen to have romance in them, which means neither of you is quietly checking your phone by minute twenty.

I’ve spent 15+ years watching, cataloguing, and obsessing over movies, and I built Movieix around exactly this problem: most “movies to watch with your boyfriend” lists are written to trick a guy into a rom-com, or they’re written by someone who’s never actually sat through the picks with a partner and watched what worked. I have. What follows is organized by the actual situation you’re in tonight, not by genre, because “what should we watch” almost always really means “what fits the mood we’re in right now.”

Quick-Reference Table: Movie to Occasion to Why It Works on Both of You

When It’s a First Date (Or You’re Still Early)

The stakes are different here. You’re not testing whether he cries at movies, you’re testing whether you have fun in a room together for two hours.

I’ve recommended this one to more friends starting new relationships than almost anything else. It’s a modern rom-com with real chemistry between the leads, genuinely funny, and paced fast enough that there’s no dead air to feel awkward in. Low risk, high reward, and it gives you plenty to talk about walking out.

A 90s classic that somehow never stops working. It’s short, sharp, funny, and if he’s never seen it, watching someone discover Heath Ledger singing on bleachers for the first time is its own kind of fun.

When He Says He “Doesn’t Do” Romance Movies

This is the category I built Movieix’s whole approach around: instead of forcing a straight romance on someone who’s told you he’s not into them, pick something with a genuine love story built into a genre he already likes.

I watched this with my own partner expecting to enjoy the stunts and got surprised by how much the relationship at the center actually landed. It’s an action movie first, wrapped around a real romance, so it doesn’t feel like a bait and switch.

If he’s even a little competitive or into sports, this one works on a completely different level than a standard romance. The tennis is tense, the love triangle is messier than most rom-coms would dare, and it gives you something to actually debate afterward.

This is a big swing for a “romance” recommendation, but the Paul and Chani relationship is genuinely central to the story, not decoration. If he’s a sci-fi or fantasy guy, this gets you both an epic and an actual love story in the same two and a half hours.

Storm-chasing, real stakes, and a slow-build romance that never stops the action to explain itself. This is the one I hand to guys who groan the second they hear “romance.”

When You Want a Quiet, Thoughtful Night In

Some nights aren’t about excitement, they’re about sitting close together and actually talking afterward. These are the movies I reach for on those nights.

This is the film I’ve recommended most since it came out. It’s restrained, adult, and quietly devastating without ever tipping into melodrama. I watched it a second time specifically to see how my partner reacted, and the silence in the room after it ended said more than a review ever could.

Slow, visually gorgeous, and built for conversation afterward rather than during. This isn’t a background-noise movie, it’s one you sit forward for, and it tends to spark a real conversation about the relationship you’re both watching it in the context of.

Chaotic, genre-bending, and one of the best portraits of a long marriage ever put on screen, hidden inside a multiverse action-comedy. If you want to be genuinely surprised together, this is it.

When You Just Want to Cry (Together, On Purpose)

Sometimes the whole point of the night is the cry. These movies deliver on that without feeling manipulative about it.

The Notebook. I know it’s the obvious pick, and I’m including it anyway because it still works two decades later. If he’s never seen it, this is the one to use his first watch on.

Coco. Don’t underestimate an animated movie’s ability to wreck two grown adults. This is one of the few films I’ve watched with a partner where we both got quiet at the same exact moment, and neither of us said anything about it until the credits rolled.

When You Want Pure, Low-Effort Fun

Not every night needs meaning. Some nights just need something easy and rewatchable.

Coco doubles here too, but if you want something with zero emotional homework, go for a well-made action-comedy or heist movie you both already like the actors in. The point on these nights isn’t discovery, it’s comfort. Reach for something you’ve both already seen and loved rather than a new discovery when energy is low.

Fresh Picks Worth Watching Right Now

A couple of newer releases worth knowing about if you want something current rather than a rewatch. Streaming availability shifts fast, so check your platforms before committing to a plan around one of these.

Wuthering Heights (2026). A new big-screen adaptation of the Brontë classic has been generating real buzz this year. If you’re a “we should read the classics together” couple, or he’s curious what all the fuss is about, this is a timely pick.

Reminders of Him (2026). A newer Colleen Hoover adaptation that’s part of a growing wave of book-to-screen romance releases this year. Worth checking if either of you has read the source material first.

Movies I’d Skip for This Specific Occasion

Not every good movie is a good boyfriend-watch. A few honest exceptions:

• Long, slow arthouse dramas with subtitles you have to actively read the whole time: great movies, wrong night, unless you both already know you love that kind of pacing.
• Anything from an ex’s favorites list: obvious, but worth saying. Start your own shared list instead of importing someone else’s.
• Extremely long theatrical cuts (3+ hours) on a weeknight: save the extended edition for a weekend when you’re not both watching the clock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the safest first movie to watch with a new boyfriend? Anyone But You or 10 Things I Hate About You. Both are funny, fast, low-commitment, and don’t require either of you to be emotionally vulnerable on a first or second date.

What if he genuinely hates romance movies? Pick a film where romance is embedded in a genre he already likes instead of standing alone. The Fall Guy, Challengers, Dune: Part Two, and Twisters all do this well; none of them read as a “romance movie” on the surface.

What’s a good movie to make him cry? The Notebook is still the most reliable choice after 20 years. Coco is the sneakier option if he’d never admit to crying at a “romance movie” but will absolutely cry at an animated film about family.

Should we pick something we’ve both already seen or something new? Depends on your energy that night. New movies are better when you both have the focus to actually watch, not scroll. A rewatch works best on a low-energy night when the comfort of already knowing the story is the point.