15 Must-Watch Rom-Com Movies on Hulu Right Now (April 2026): ’50 First Dates’ and More

Perpetual bachelor Henry (Adam Sandler) lives the good life in Hawaii, working as a marine veterinarian by day and spending his leisure time courting the many beautiful tourists who visit his home. But everything changes when he meets art teacher Lucy (Drew Barrymore), who charms Henry enough for him to want to commit to a relationship. But when Lucy offers to go out for breakfast the next day, Henry discovers that she has no recollection of meeting him the day before. Learning she has extreme short-term memory loss, Henry commits himself to finding a way to make Lucy fall in love with him within the small amount of time she remembers him each day.

Despite plenty of your typical juvenile gross-out humor standard for a Sandler flick (which is occasionally very funny), 50 First Dates is a sweeter-than-average film. A lot of the movie’s success is due to the enduring chemistry between Barrymore and Sandler, with the E.T. actress’ earnest charm bringing out the SNL alum’s endearing schmuck persona. If you’re looking for something a little sillier and more romantic than Groundhog Day, 50 First Dates is the movie for you.

Divorced single mother Emma (Sally Field) is looking to start over in small-town Arizona, where she ends up striking up a strong friendship with the local pharmacist, an older man named Murphy (James Garner). While the friendship has inklings of becoming something more, it remains platonic due to their age difference. However, when Emma’s ex-husband Bobby (Brian Kerwin) rolls into town looking to take her back, it might just be the catalyst Emma needs to realize her true feelings for Murphy.

It’s very possible that you’ve never heard of Murphy’s Romance, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great movie that’s simply been slept on. What sets Murphy’s Romance apart is that it tackles an age-gap relationship, approaching the subject with warmth, care and humor. While a bit of a slow-burn, the story consistently stays engaging due to the fantastic chemistry between the actors. Murphy’s Romance is a small and restrained but no less significant romantic comedy.

Fred (Seth Rogen) is a great writer and journalist who has a way of finding trouble wherever he goes. He couldn’t be more different from Charlotte (Charlize Theron), the U.S. Secretary of State looking to kickstart her presidential campaign. When Fred and Charlotte unexpectedly bump into each other at a charity fundraising event, they realize they know each other from childhood. From this surprise reunion comes Charlotte’s decision to hire Fred as her speechwriter, a move which rankles her trusted advisors. But the more time they spend with each other, the more they realize their relationship is something other than professional.

Long Sharp is a sharp and intelligent comedy buoyed brilliantly by chemistry between Rogen and Theron that is as unexpected as the relationship between their characters. It’s a fantastic inclusion to the “odd couple” rom-com genre, with plenty of wit, charm and laugh-out-loud moments. The supporting cast features Alexander Skarsgård, Bob Odenkirk, O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Andy Serkis.

After eight months in a treatment facility, Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents, hoping to reconcile with his ex-wife Nikki (Brea Bee) while struggling to control violent outbursts and anxiety attacks. When Pat meets widowed Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), she is instantly attracted to him, and though Pat wants to focus on getting back with Nikki, Tiffany wants to get closer to Pat. As a compromise, Tiffany offers to deliver a letter to Nikki if Pat will compete in a dance competition with her. But will Pat find something new in his friendship with Tiffany?

Silver Linings Playbook walks a delicate tightrope between heavy character drama and charming comedy, and yet somehow the movie manages to make these dueling genres work. The movie ends up as an immensely entertaining crowd-pleaser, and a perfect match is found in the dynamic between Lawrence and Cooper. The movie is a raw, funny and emotional look at complex people dealing with mental illness.

While on a work trip to Los Angeles, businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) meets sex worker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) as he struggles to operate his rental stickshift car. After Julia drives Edward to his hotel, the two end up spending the night together, and their chemistry brings about a strange arrangement: Edward wants to pay Vivian $3,000 to stay with him for the week. But when their professional arrangement develops into something more, the vast differences in the worlds they come from prove to be significant hurdles.

Some aspects of Pretty Woman haven’t aged well — like that tired trope of “the hooker with a heart of gold.” However, the film manages to transcend some of its clichés by the sheer charismatic weight of Roberts’ performance, her chemistry with Gere and its infectious screwball comedy. Ultimately, the movie is a fun, lighthearted caper and the perfect kind of escapist fantasy.

This modernized take on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew stars Julia Stiles as abrasive but intelligent teenager Kat Stratford. It’s this acerbic personality that keeps the boys away from Kat, which is a problem for her younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), who isn’t allowed to date anyone until Kat has a boyfriend first. When new student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls desperately for Bianca, he schemes to get handsome bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date Kat and get around their father’s (Larry Miller) overprotective rule.

While Kat’s brand of feminism was seen by some as “extreme” at the time, her character is now regarded as a refreshing subversion of female expectations and a progressive take on typical high school movie stereotypes. This unconventional approach has allowed 10 Things I Hate About You to endure as one of the best romantic comedies ever. It’s mature and emotionally resonant, yet still manages to be funny.

The sprawling but tight-knit Portokalos family worries for Toula (Nia Vardalos), who is still unwed at 30 years old. That all changes when Toula meets Ian Miller (John Corbett), a handsome teacher who is, distressingly, not Greek, but causes Toula to fall in love with him. While Toula struggles to get her overbearing, judgmental family to accept Ian (as their wedding fast approaches), Toula also learns more about her own cultural heritage and identity as a Greek American woman.

Big-hearted, winsome and with a cast that embodies a wide array of eccentricities, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a beloved and enduring rom-com for its relatable themes pertaining to family, its gentle humor and its exploration of embracing one’s cultural roots. 

A single woman named Maggie Hardin (Greta Gerwig) is attempting to conceive a child on her own with a sperm donor and raise it as a single mom. However, her plans get derailed when she ends up falling for a married man, John Harding (Ethan Hawke). When their affair destroys John’s marriage, the two end up getting married, but Maggie can’t shake the feeling that John was meant to be with his first wife (Julianne Moore) all along.

This smart, subversive rom-com is led by a typically winsome performance from Gerwig, whose character is involved in a compelling love triangle that constantly surprises you. Maggie’s Plan is a humorous riff on modern relationships and life plans gone awry that blends smart, funny writing with surprising poignancy. The excellent supporting cast includes Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and Wallace Shawn.

Ben (Jack Quaid) and Alice (Maya Erskine) have been friends since college and are now in their late twenties, navigating the reality of everyone around them getting married. With Alice having recently left a relationship and Ben getting rebuffed by his crush, the pair agree to be each other’s permanent wedding dates during a particularly busy summer of weddings. Of course, the two unlucky-in-love singles find their platonic wedding dates becoming something more as the summer goes on.

Critics felt that Plus One managed to breathe new life into the romantic comedy genre, with fresh faces like Quaid and Erskine who balance the heart and the humor with ease. Their well-matched chemistry, in addition to the film’s buoyant narrative and emotional stakes, makes Plus One a fantastic recent entry into the rom-com canon. Plus One both embraces and subverts genre expectations, creating something that’s both new and familiar.

A rom-com about divorce? It works better than you’d expect. Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin) have been divorced for decades. But when a celebratory drink after their son’s graduation turns into an unexpected hookup, they find themselves beginning an affair. To make matters worse, Jake is married to the woman he cheated on Jane with (Lake Bell), while Jane has just started seeing a sweet architect named Adam (Steve Martin).

It’s a love square that’s as tangled and tumultuous — and full of hilarious miscommunications — as can be. Nancy Meyers directs this witty and nuanced comedy, which lives up to her reputation for telling funny and emotional stories against gorgeous backdrops.

Directed by Leslye Headland of Russian Doll, Sleeping with Other People shares a similarly twisted sense of humor. It follows Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie), two New Yorkers who first met in college during a one-night stand. Over a decade later, their paths cross again at a support group for sex addiction, and they decide to become platonic friends.

Each helps the other navigate their romantic pitfalls, without realizing they’re falling in love along the way. Sleeping with Other People is honest, full of relatable emotional entanglements and hilarious performances from Brie, Sudeikis and the supporting cast. 

This underrated rom-com had the misfortune of being lost in the shuffle of 2020 movie releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it stars the fabulous Geraldine Viswanathan (Thunderbolts*, Blockers) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) as unlikely collaborators on an unusual art project. Lucy (Viswanathan) is fired from her assistant job at a New York art gallery on the same night as a brutal breakup, leaving her heartbroken over her ex. Unable to part with the mementos of her lost relationship, Lucy decides to create a space where people can leave memorabilia from past relationships—essentially a gallery of broken hearts.

It just so happens that Nick (Montgomery) is looking for a gimmick to save his failing boutique hotel. Together, they create a place where people can display their keepsakes from breakups past. The publicity for their Gallery of Broken Hearts gets hot — and so does the chemistry between the two leads.

The Broken Hearts Gallery has a witty script, a diverse cast and a real insight into the experience of heartbreak. Don’t break our hearts by skipping this movie.

No Hard Feelings is one of those comedies where the premise is deeply disturbing, but the great writing and talented cast sell it so well that you find yourself laughing anyway. In this romantic comedy, down-on-her-luck waitress Maddie (Jennifer Lawrence) is facing bankruptcy after having her car repossessed. Desperate for a new car, she answers an unusual Craigslist ad posted by wealthy parents Allison and Laird Becker (Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick).

The Beckers are worried about their 18-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) starting college in the fall, as he is shy, awkward and inexperienced. So they hire Maddie to “date” Percy, without giving him any idea what’s happening. (See? Told you it was disturbing.)

But as Maddie’s over-the-top attempts to seduce Percy turn into a real friendship, Maddie begins to open up about her complicated past while Percy learns to stand on his own two feet. There’s hilariously shocking physical comedy (a naked fist fight occurs — we won’t reveal the participants) and a warm sweetness that will move and surprise you.

Andy Samberg (Saturday Night Live, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Cristin Milioti (How I Met Your Mother, The Penguin) star in the genre-bending romantic comedy Palm Springs. While attending a wedding in Palm Springs, Nyles (Samberg) and Sarah (Milioti) get stuck in a time loop, forced to relive the day of the wedding over and over again. Meanwhile, another wedding guest named Roy (J.K. Simmons) blames Nyles for being trapped in the time loop as well and is constantly seeking revenge by killing him (which resets the loop). 

As Nyles and Sarah grow closer, secrets about their lives before the wedding are revealed. Will they be able to move forward together, or will they stay stuck in the past? Milioti and Samberg are charming and funny actors with great chemistry, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them despite their flaws. Palm Springs feels like the perfect millennial interpretation of Groundhog Day.

A modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island follows a found family of gay men who take a summer trip to the titular island every year. When Howie (Bowen Yang of Saturday Night Live fame) meets the rich and charming Charlie (James Scully) at a party, Howie’s best friend Noah (Joel Kim Booster, who also wrote the film) is determined to get them together. But Charlie’s judgmental friend Will (Conrad Ricamora, who is adorably dorky in the “Mr. Darcy” role) seems to get in the way at every turn. 

The movie shows how wealth and social class can still come into play in present-day relationships, while maintaining the original story’s themes of miscommunication and first impressions. The supporting cast is hilarious and includes Margaret Cho and Yang’s Las Culturistas co-host Matt Rogers.