Funny, flirty, feel-good rom-coms joining Netflix this September.
Running in the rain to stop a wedding dead in its tracks. Kissing under the moonlight as Frank Sinatra serenades on vinyl. Laughing until you cry as you dance in the living room — and try to recreate the famous Dirty Dancing lift. Sharing food and feeding each other alla Lady and the Tramp.
Romantic comedies remain a beloved genre for a reason. It’s all those serendipitous meet-cutes. The romantic gazes from across the ballroom. The unbelievable coincidences and the exaggerated emphasis on fate. We can’t get enough of the comedic cutesy moments that leave us grinning from ear to ear — waiting for our own fairytale love to come galloping in on a white stallion.
If you’re a rom-com enthusiast looking to stream some new and classic rom-coms, Netflix has got you covered this September.
‘Up in the Air’ | September 1
With just enough edge and compelling performances from its three primary protagonists — George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, and Anna Kendrick — this movie is a slick step above the everyday rom-rom thanks to deft dialogue, scrumptious twists, and well-delivered sentimentality.
The film follows corporate downsizer Ryan Bingham (George Clooney), as he takes his young co-worker (Anna Kendrick) on tour to demonstrate the importance of face-to-face communication when preparing to fire employees. While mentoring his colleague, he arranges hookups with a fellow frequent flier (Vera Farmiga), but his feelings for her grow, and he comes to see others around him in a new light.
‘Happy Ending’ | September 1
Happy Ending is a Netflix original Dutch film premiering on the streamer the first of the month. The premise is simple: Luna and Mink are celebrating their one-year anniversary, so everything is rainbows and butterflies, right? Wrong. Luna has been faking her orgasms since the beginning of their relationship. When her best friend suggests a threesome, Luna’s life is turned upside down and her relationship is put to the test.
‘Love Again’ | September 1
Love Again — starring Sam Heughan and Priyanka Chopra — debuted in theaters earlier this year, and it has finally made its way to the streamer for proper couch-potato viewing.
Mira (Priyanka), who is coping with the loss of her fiance, sends a series of romantic texts to his old cellphone number. With lines like “there’s an aching inside me,” she allows a moment of tender vulnerability to slip from her heart through her fingertips. There’s just one problem: a new guy has this number. Journalist Rob Burns receives the texts, and he’s captivated by Mira’s honesty, so he recruits Celine Dion’s help to figure out how to meet Mira in person. Yes, Celine Dion. He’s doing a profile on the superstar. It’s all so ridiculous and serendipitous.
Though critics raked this one through the coals for its Hallmark-y vibes and stupefyingly predictable plot, Celine Dion is a treasure. Her voice and acting capture your heart when the characters fail to. Let’s be real, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” could save any film.
‘Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction’ | September 14
From Academy Award, Golden Globe, and two-time Palme d’Or winner Bille August comes the Netflix original Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction — a prestige rom-com that follows a love expert appointed to teach the Grand Duchess’s timid son, as the title so aptly suggests, the art of seduction. Yet, the tantalizing teacher finds himself wrapped up in a scandal and romance all his own.
Based on the novel Ehrengard by Karen Blixen, the trailer suggests a great deal of royal gossip and sensuousness akin to the likes of Bridgerton… maybe with a little less skin. Beautiful landscapes, horseback rides, quippy banter, and fencing. What could be bad?
‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ | September 16
The 2016 sequel to My Big Fat Greek Wedding finally makes its way to the streamer in mid-September.
Marriages grow stale and rebellious teenagers make for forks in the road when it comes to “Happily ever after.” In short, Ian and Toula are struggling as their daughter pushes against her Greek heritage and traditions. And to make matters more complex, a shocking family secret comes to light that brings the whole clan back together once more for an even larger wedding celebration. Though suffering from overwrought sitcom shenanigans and saccharine melodrama, it’s nice to see the characters reunite. It’s not the original, but it’s something.
‘Love Is in the Air’ | September 28
The Netflix original Australian rom-com Love Is in the Air follows a pilot struggling to keep her family business afloat (or should we say up in the air?) who ends up falling for the very man who has been sent to shut her down.
The premise is a bit typical. Hopefully, the movie will pack a punch with some surprising narrative twists and compelling performances from our primary protagonists Delta Goodrem and Joshua Sasse. Will he leave behind the corporate world for her? Will her family inspire her to take to the big city and become a big bad pilot at a major airline? We’ll have to wait and see when this rom-com drops on September 28.
