If you’re looking for romance, you’ve come to the right place.
Get ready to laugh and love along with these Hulu rom-com movies starring John Cusack, Bowen Yang, Charlize Theron and more. From ’80s hits to underrated gems, these movies will leave you swooning. zo
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.
Rob (John Cusack) is an unlucky-in-love record store owner with a habit of making “Top 5” lists with his best friend Barry (Jack Black). When he experiences a fifth soul-crushing breakup, he decides to revisit his Top 5 exes to figure out where he went wrong. (Other stars in the cast include Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lisa Bonet.) As he delves deeper into his past relationships, he begins to understand his own inability to commit. Will he be able to win back Laura (Iben Hjejle), the ex he still loves?
With sharp dialogue, a killer soundtrack and a relatable story, High Fidelity is rightly considered a rom-com classic. It even spawned a (short-lived) Broadway musical adaptation, as well as a 2020 TV version that starred Zoë Kravitz.
The movie that launched Elliot Page’s career follows 16-year-old Juno (Page), who accidentally gets pregnant after a casual hookup with her friend Bleeker (Michael Cera) and decides to give the baby up for adoption. Supported by her father (another great J.K. Simmons performance) and stepmother (Allison Janney), Juno enters into an adoption agreement with a wealthy married couple, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman).
Juno is a beautiful coming-of-age story about the complexities of making “adult” decisions, but the romance between Juno and Bleeker is incredibly endearing. As Juno herself likes to say, this movie is “totally boss.”
(500) Days of Summer is sort of an anti-rom-com rom-com, but its humor, heart and a great dance number set to Hall & Oates’ “You Make My Dreams Come True” earn it a spot on this list. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a hopeless romantic who dreams of finding the one. Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is a beautiful woman who doesn’t believe in true love at all.
Told in a non-linear style, this stylish and funny movie shows how their relationship helps Tom understand the difference between the love of his fantasies and the realities of a genuine relationship. (500) Days of Summer critiques the tropes of romantic comedies, yet still leaves viewers hopeful that love can win in the end.
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.
Choosing not to watch this movie is “inconceivable!” In this ‘80s classic, a grandfather (Peter Falk) reads a storybook to his sick grandson (Fred Savage) about “Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…” The result? One of the most quotable movies of all time.
The story-within-a-story is about Buttercup (Robin Wright), a beautiful girl who falls in love with farm boy Westley (Cary Elwes), only to be separated from him by the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). With the help of master swordsman Inigo (Mandy Patinkin) and strongman Fezzik (Andre the Giant), will Westley rescue Buttercup before she is forced to marry the prince?
Dating is tough, but dating while running for president of the United States is tougher. In this smart, underrated rom-com, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), the Secretary of State, begins falling in love with idealistic writer Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) while considering a presidential run. Their relationship is tested by everything from poll numbers to international politics, as Charlotte’s team wonders if the world would ever accept the delightfully schlubby Fred as Charlotte’s “First Mister.”
While Long Shot contains plenty of the raunchy, over-the-top humor you’d expect from a Rogen flick, there’s also sharp political commentary and a sweet love story in this charming movie.
