Materialists is the best all-around romantic movie of 2025 on this list: its matchmaker premise puts money, marriage, and sincere love into direct conversation. The year’s romance slate also stretched from queer ensemble comedy and Korean animation to a World War I-era love story, an undercover-police drama, and an afterlife screwball romance. This ranking is an editorial synthesis, not a published critic-score ranking.
How this 2025 romance ranking works
The order weighs six things: emotional payoff, originality of premise, chemistry and performances, thematic depth, representation and point of view, and how readers can access each film. The ranking favors films whose romantic setup gives them a distinctive perspective, while making room for different kinds of romance rather than treating every title as a conventional rom-com.
![Forgetting Sarah Marshall [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518p1l-9P2L._SL160_.jpg)
This is not the same as Metacritic’s year-end list. Metacritic ranks films by Metascore, requires at least seven professional reviews, and includes 2025 U.S. theatrical or direct-to-streaming/VOD releases; its scores were captured January 6, 2026.
The 10 best romantic movies of 2025
| Rank | Film | Release or access information reported | A good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materialists | June 13 release date listed by Marie Claire | Romance with questions about money, marriage, and choice |
| 2 | The History of Sound | September 12 release on MUBI listed by Marie Claire | Queer period romance and arthouse storytelling |
| 3 | The Wedding Banquet | April 18 release date listed by Marie Claire; Amazon lists DVD and Blu-ray formats | Queer ensemble comedy-drama |
| 4 | Lost in Starlight | May 30 Netflix release listed by Marie Claire | Animated science-fiction and long-distance love |
| 5 | A Nice Indian Boy | April 4 release date listed by Marie Claire | Queer romantic comedy with family and wedding themes |
| 6 | Love, Brooklyn | August 29 release date listed by Marie Claire | Love, friendship, and loss among longtime New Yorkers |
| 7 | Plainclothes | September 19 release date listed by Marie Claire | Forbidden romance shaped by 1990s police entrapment |
| 8 | Picture This | March 6 Prime Video release listed by Marie Claire | A fortune-telling premise and a five-date deadline |
| 9 | Eternity | Release and platform details not stated in the cited coverage | Afterlife fantasy with screwball-romance appeal |
| 10 | The Life List | March 28 Netflix release listed by Marie Claire | A life-list premise and a romance that grows during a personal journey |
1. Materialists
Celine Song’s New York romance follows a matchmaker caught between a wealthy client who seems ideal on paper and an imperfect former partner. That triangle gives the film a useful way to examine how people weigh status and security against affection and shared history. It makes Materialists the strongest all-around pick here: the romantic choice is also a question about what people believe a relationship is supposed to provide.
#1 Best Overall
Marie Claire lists a June 13 release and names Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal in the principal cast. A24 identifies Song as the writer-director and confirms the same three stars.
2. The History of Sound
For readers looking for queer romance movies from 2025 with a period setting, this is the clearest match. Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor star in a story set around the New England folk scene during World War I. Its place near the top reflects the distinctive pairing of a historical music world with a queer love story, rather than a familiar present-day dating setup. Marie Claire lists a September 12 release on MUBI.
3. The Wedding Banquet
This queer ensemble comedy-drama turns a fake traditional Korean wedding into a response to financial and immigration pressures facing two couples. The setup gives the film more to work with than wedding-day mix-ups alone: the characters’ plan is tied to practical constraints and overlapping relationships. Marie Claire lists an April 18 release. Amazon’s listing identifies the 2025 film and shows DVD and Blu-ray formats.
4. Lost in Starlight
This Korean animated science-fiction romance sends a relationship across an unusually large distance: a scientist and a musician are separated between Earth and Mars. The premise makes the emotional problem legible at a glance—how to sustain intimacy when the people in love cannot share ordinary daily life—while giving the film a visual scale unavailable to most contemporary rom-coms. Marie Claire lists a May 30 Netflix release.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
5. A Nice Indian Boy
Naveen falls for Jay while family members prepare an Indian wedding, giving this queer romantic comedy a natural point of friction between a new relationship and family expectations. The Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff pairing is the central draw identified by Marie Claire, which lists an April 4 release. Choose it for a romance that puts family and celebration into the story rather than treating the couple as if they exist in isolation.
6. Love, Brooklyn
André Holland, Nicole Beharie, and DeWanda Wise play longtime Brooklynites negotiating careers, love, loss, and friendship. That ensemble focus sets the film apart from romances built around one couple’s courtship: its emotional territory includes the bonds and life changes that surround romantic relationships. Marie Claire lists an August 29 release.
Rank #4
7. Plainclothes
This forbidden romance has an unsettling premise rooted in true events. In 1990s New York, an undercover police officer assigned to entrap gay men falls for a man he meets on the job. Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey star, according to Marie Claire, which lists a September 19 release. Its position reflects the tension built into the setup: attraction develops inside a role designed to deceive and endanger the person being targeted.
8. Picture This
Photographer Pia receives a fortune predicting she will meet her love within five dates, while still thinking about her ex, Charlie. The countdown gives this Prime Video romantic comedy an easy-to-grasp hook and puts fate in competition with unresolved feelings. Simone Ashley and Hero Fiennes Tiffin star; Marie Claire lists a March 6 release.
Best Value
- Runtime: 109 minutes
9. Eternity
In this afterlife romance, souls have one week to choose where to spend eternity. That compressed decision gives the story a speculative twist on the familiar question of whom to choose. Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus calls it “a spiritual successor to classic romantic screwball comedies that’s worthy of their company,” praising its clever afterlife premise and sweet streak. Release and platform details are not established by the cited coverage here.
10. The Life List
After her mother dies, Alex completes the life list she left behind and grows closer to the person overseeing her will. The combination of grief, a task set by a parent, and a developing romance makes this a fitting choice for viewers who want a love story tied to a personal turning point. Marie Claire lists a March 28 Netflix release and identifies Sofia Carson and Kyle Allen as the pairing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which 2025 romance should you watch?
- For the strongest all-around pick: Start with Materialists, whose matchmaking story makes romantic and practical values collide.
- For queer romance movies of 2025: Try The History of Sound for a period story, The Wedding Banquet for an ensemble wedding comedy-drama, or A Nice Indian Boy for a family-centered rom-com.
- For a distinctive premise: Lost in Starlight takes long-distance love between Earth and Mars; Plainclothes ties attraction to undercover entrapment; Eternity makes the choice about love an afterlife decision.
- For a new rom-com: Picture This adds a five-date prediction to an unresolved-ex story, while The Life List links romance to a daughter completing her late mother’s list.
- For a romance shaped by friendship and loss: Choose Love, Brooklyn.
Where to watch 2025 romantic movies
The release details above are the dates and platforms Marie Claire reported, not a guarantee that a title is currently available in every country. Netflix, Prime Video, and MUBI catalogs change by date and territory, so check the relevant service’s local listing before planning to watch. For physical media, Amazon lists The Wedding Banquet on DVD and Blu-ray; A24’s official Materialists page lists a Blu-ray option and Amazon. Those listings establish formats or purchase paths, not current stock or price.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute
