Modern Romcoms: Part 2

35. 🎬 Resort to Love (2021)

Erica, an aspiring pop star recovering from a career meltdown and a broken engagement, takes a gig singing at a luxurious resort in Mauritius. Her tropical escape turns into a nightmare when she discovers she is the entertainment for her ex-fiancé's wedding. As she tries to hide her past with the groom from his new bride, Erica finds herself drawn to the groom's brother, Caleb, leading to a complicated web of family secrets and romantic tension in paradise.

Produced by Alicia Keys, this film is a breezy musical rom-com filled with covers of classic pop songs. Christina Milian shines in the lead role, bringing energy and vulnerability to the character. The stunning island setting and the focus on self-discovery make it a perfect summer watch, exploring the idea that sometimes you have to let go of the life you planned to find the one waiting for you.

34. 🎬 The Kissing Booth 3 (2021)

In the final summer before college, Elle Evans faces the hardest decision of her life: attend Harvard to be with her boyfriend Noah or go to Berkeley to fulfill a childhood promise to her best friend Lee. As she tries to make everyone happy by completing an epic "beach bucket list," the pressure mounts, threatening to ruin her relationships with both boys. Elle must finally figure out what she wants for her own future, rather than following the path laid out by the men in her life.

The conclusion to the massively popular trilogy focuses on the transition to adulthood and the necessity of making selfish choices for one's own growth. Joey King delivers an energetic performance that carries the emotional weight of the finale. It serves as a goodbye to childhood, emphasizing that true friendship can survive distance and change, and that growing up means learning to stand on your own two feet.

33. 🎬 The One (2021)

Set in the near future, a DNA researcher discovers a way to find everyone's single perfect partner through a simple hair strand test. The company, MatchDNA, explodes in popularity, promising "happily ever after" for everyone. However, the convenience comes at a dark cost, destroying existing marriages and revealing that the company's CEO, Rebecca Webb, has built her empire on a foundation of lies, murder, and deceit.

While technically a series, this title fits the sci-fi romance thriller genre popular on the platform. It offers a cynical and suspenseful twist on the concept of soulmates, asking if love is a biological imperative or a choice. It is a gripping, binge-worthy drama that explores the unintended consequences of technology on human relationships, suggesting that knowing the truth about "the one" might be more dangerous than living in ignorance.

32. 🎬 The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)

Mark is a teenager comfortably living the same day over and over again in a time loop, spending his infinite time creating small moments of joy. His routine is disrupted when he meets Margaret, another teen trapped in the same loop. Together, they set out to find all the "tiny perfect things" - moments of beauty and coincidence - across the city. As they grow closer, they must figure out how to escape the loop and, more importantly, whether they even want to.

Based on a short story by Lev Grossman, this film is a thoughtful and tender addition to the time-loop genre. Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen have a charming, intellectual chemistry that grounds the fantastical premise. It is a visual poem about mindfulness and grief, using the sci-fi concept to explore the feeling of being stuck in adolescence and the beauty of noticing the small details in a chaotic world.

31. 🎬 Malcolm & Marie (2021)

A filmmaker and his girlfriend return home from his movie premiere, buzzing with the excitement of a critical success. However, the evening takes a turn when Marie reveals she is hurt that Malcolm forgot to thank her in his speech, sparking a brutal, night-long argument. As they move through their glass house, they dissect their relationship, their past traumas, and the nature of artistic inspiration, testing the limits of their love.

Shot in stark black-and-white during the pandemic, this film is an intense two-hander starring Zendaya and John David Washington. It plays like a stage play, relying entirely on the ferocity of the dialogue and the performances. It is a polarizing, raw examination of ego and gratitude in a relationship, offering a claustrophobic look at how two people who love each other can also be the ones who know exactly how to hurt each other the most.

30. 🎬 To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)

Senior year has arrived, and Lara Jean Covey is preparing for the end of high school and the start of adulthood. A pair of life-changing trips leads her to reimagine what life with her family, friends, and boyfriend Peter will look like after graduation. When she doesn't get into the same college as Peter, she is forced to confront the reality of a long-distance relationship and decide if she is brave enough to follow her own dreams, even if it means stepping away from the love story she always imagined.

The satisfying conclusion to the beloved trilogy treats its characters' teenage problems with respect and maturity. Lana Condor and Noah Centineo maintain their sparkling chemistry, but the film places equal weight on Lara Jean's relationship with herself and her heritage. It is a vibrant, candy-colored celebration of first love that ultimately delivers a grounded message about the importance of prioritizing your own future.

29. 🎬 After We Fell (2021)

As Tessa makes a life-changing decision to move to Seattle for her dream job, her relationship with Hardin is thrown into chaos. Hardin’s jealousy and unpredictable behavior flare up, while revelations about his family threaten to break him completely. Tessa must decide if she can continue to fight for their love and for Hardin, or if the cycle of toxicity is too much to bear.

This third installment in the After franchise dives deeper into the melodramatic and steamy dynamics of Tessa and Hardin. It serves the dedicated fanbase with its signature mix of intense arguments and passionate reconciliations. The film begins to peel back the layers of Hardin's trauma, setting the stage for the final chapters of their saga and exploring the difficulty of maintaining a relationship when trust is constantly tested.

28. 🎬 Work It (2020)

Quinn Ackerman is a brilliant but awkward high school senior who needs to nail a dance competition to get into her dream college, Duke. The only problem is she has two left feet. Undeterred, she forms a ragtag group of dancers and enlists the help of a former choreographer, Jake, to train them. As she learns to find her rhythm, she also discovers that there is more to life than a perfect resumé, finding love and friendship on the dance floor.

Produced by Alicia Keys, this is an energetic, feel-good dance movie that follows in the footsteps of Step Up. Sabrina Carpenter is delightful as the clumsy protagonist, and the choreography is genuinely impressive. It is a fun, inspiring movie about the value of passion over perfection, encouraging viewers to get out of their heads and embrace the joy of movement.

27. 🎬 Holidate (2020)

Sloane and Jackson are two strangers fed up with being single during the holidays and facing the judgment of their meddling families. They make a pact to be each other's "holidate" for every festive occasion throughout the year, keeping things strictly platonic to avoid the drama of real dating. As they survive St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Halloween together, their cynical facade begins to crack, and they realize that their fake relationship has become the most real thing in their lives.

Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey bring a sharp, sarcastic edge to this rom-com that pokes fun at the pressure to be coupled up. The film spans a full year, allowing the relationship to develop organically through a series of chaotic holiday disasters. It explores the fear of vulnerability and the safety of keeping people at arm's length. The movie argues that love often happens when you stop trying to force it, and that the right person makes even the most unbearable family gatherings fun.

26. 🎬 Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Sasha and Marcus were childhood best friends who fell out after a teenage fling went wrong. Fifteen years later, Sasha is a celebrity chef returning to San Francisco to open a new restaurant, while Marcus is a musician still living at home and playing in the same neighborhood band. When they reconnect, the old spark is undeniable, but they must navigate the vast gap between their current lives, including Sasha's fame and Marcus's fear of change, to see if they can fit into each other's worlds.

Ali Wong and Randall Park wrote and starred in this film that feels like a modern classic, grounded in specific cultural details and genuine friendship. It flips the script on gender roles, with the woman being the successful, ambitious partner and the man playing the supportive role, exploring the male fragility that often accompanies that dynamic. The film is hilarious - featuring a legendary Keanu Reeves cameo - but also tender in its portrayal of grief and the comfort of shared history. It celebrates the idea that the person who knew you when you were nothing might be the only one who really knows you when you have everything.

25. 🎬 The Kissing Booth 2 (2020)

With Noah away at Harvard, Elle faces her senior year of high school navigating the insecurities of a long-distance relationship. Her trust is tested by Noah's new friendship with a beautiful college girl, while she finds herself drawn to Marco, the charismatic new transfer student at her school. As she juggles college applications, a dance competition with Marco, and her friendship with Lee, Elle struggles to figure out if she is holding onto a high school romance that has already expired or if her love for Noah is worth the fight.

The sequel expands the world of the original, tackling the realistic challenges of maintaining a relationship when lives begin to diverge. It explores the fear of being left behind and the temptation of the new, represented by the love triangle. The film places a heavy emphasis on communication and trust, highlighting how easily insecurities can sabotage a relationship. It captures the confusion of late adolescence, where the pressure to choose a college feels like choosing an entire destiny, and the realization that love involves constant effort.

24. 🎬 The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)

Lucy is an emotional hoarder who keeps a memento from every relationship she has ever had, unable to let go of the past. After a humiliating public breakup, she meets Nick, a cynic renovating a boutique hotel. Lucy inspires him to turn the hotel lobby into a gallery where people can leave the artifacts of their broken relationships, creating a space for communal healing. As the gallery takes off, Lucy must learn to let go of her own baggage to make room for a new future with Nick.

Geraldine Viswanathan shines with infectious charisma in this vibrant, optimistic film that celebrates the messiness of heartbreak. It validates the sentimental value we place on objects and the stories they hold, turning the act of moving on into a collective art project. The film balances the romance with a strong focus on female friendship and career ambition. It is a feel-good story about how our past loves shape us but do not have to define us, suggesting that the best way to heal a broken heart is to open it up to the world.

23. 🎬 Palm Springs (2020)

Nyles is a carefree nihilist who has been stuck in a time loop at a Palm Springs wedding for longer than he can remember, living the same day over and over with zero consequences. His solitary purgatory is interrupted when Sarah, the maid of honor with a dark secret, accidentally follows him into the loop. As Sarah struggles to escape and Nyles tries to accept his fate, they bond over their shared existential crisis, wreaking havoc on the wedding guests and exploring the meaning of life when there is no tomorrow.

This sci-fi rom-com breathes new life into the Groundhog Day concept by focusing on the relationship between two people who are forced to truly see each other because they are the only two real people in the world. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti act as perfect foils, exploring themes of depression, guilt, and the terror of intimacy. The film uses the time loop as a metaphor for commitment and the monotony of adulthood, arguing that the only way to endure the absurdity of existence is to find someone worth being stuck with. It is a smart, philosophical comedy about choosing to move forward even when you are standing still.

22. 🎬 After We Collided (2020)

Following the revelation of Hardin's betrayal, Tessa attempts to move on with her life, landing an internship at a prestigious publishing company and catching the eye of her efficient, handsome coworker Trevor. However, she finds herself unable to sever ties with Hardin, whose erratic behavior and demons continue to pull her back in. As they cycle through intense passion and destructive arguments, the sequel delves deeper into Hardin's traumatic past and his struggle with alcoholism, testing whether their love is resilient or simply ruinous.

This sequel leans fully into the melodramatic, soap-opera elements of the franchise, delivering exactly what its fanbase craves: heightened emotion and steamier encounters. It introduces a love triangle that highlights the choice between stability and passion, asking if "safe" is enough when you have tasted fire. The film explores the idea of forgiveness and the difficulty of breaking toxic cycles, portraying a relationship that is messy and volatile. It is a guilty pleasure that prioritizes the visceral highs and lows of young adult infatuation.

21.🎬 The Lovebirds (2020)

Jibran and Leilani are a couple on the brink of a breakup, their relationship worn down by constant bickering and the stagnation of routine. Moments after mutually deciding to end things, they accidentally become embroiled in a bizarre murder mystery when a man commandeers their car and runs over a cyclist. Terrified of being framed and not trusting the police, they go on the run to solve the crime themselves, forcing them to work together through a night of absurdity, cults, and danger to clear their names.

Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani elevate this action-comedy with their rapid-fire improvisation and relatable dynamic as a couple who can't stop arguing even when their lives are at risk. The film uses the extreme circumstances to strip away their pretenses, forcing them to remember why they fell in love in the first place. It is a commentary on how shared trauma can be the ultimate relationship counseling. The movie balances high-stakes absurdity with grounded relationship issues, suggesting that if you can survive a murder plot together, you can probably survive a relationship.