10 Best Romantic Comedy Movies of 2023 (2024)

Romantic comedies have been wildly successful in 2023. Netflix's Your Place or Mine caters to hardcore rom-com fans who expect vibrant on-screen chemistry between lead stars. Pixar's Elemental brings all the best genre characteristics and mesmerizing animation. These and other 2023 comedies reaffirm that love will always be in the air while traditional romantic narratives can and should be updated.

Some of the best 2023 rom-coms have a meet-cute in Act One. Others introduce the main characters as friends or already a couple. Some include difficult themes like hom*ophobia, grief or midlife crises. What all the 10 best 2023 romantic comedy movies do have in common are interesting leads and strong female characters in amusing tales of newfound or renewed passion.

Happiness For Beginners Is an Optimistic Love Story About Self-Discovery

Happiness for Beginners

TV-14

Drama

Romance

Helen signs up for a wilderness survival course, a year after getting divorced. She discovers through this experience that sometimes, you have to get really lost in order to find yourself.

Release Date

July 27, 2023

Director

Vicky Wight

Cast

Ellie Kemper , Luke Grimes , Shayvawn Webster , Blythe Danner

Runtime

1 Hour 43 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Vicky Wight , Katherine Center

Producer

Geoff Linville, Berry Meyerowitz, Vicky Wight

Production Company

Cranetown Media

Happiness For Beginners is an adaptation of the novel by Katherine Center, who co-wrote the movie with director Vicky Wight. A three-week wilderness survival course brings recently divorced Helen and her younger brother's friend Jake together in this love story. In the lead role, Ellie Kemper refreshingly distances herself from the exaggerated comedy style she brought as The Office's Erin and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Kimmy.

Helen is going through a hard time and hates that someone she knows is there to witness her awkward life-changing journey. Jake tries to hide his huge crush on her, while Helen isn't remotely interested in him at first. It's not exactly an enemies-to-lovers situation, but they fight a lot and slowly build a friendship while their whole group of quirky characters grows closer. That's when she learns he has a rare disease. This bleak turn is then swiftly overshadowed by an optimistic resolution.

Love Again Amazes With Céline Dion's Acting Debut

Love Again

PG-13

Drama

Romance

A young woman tries to ease the pain of her fiancé's death by sending romantic texts to his old cell phone number, and forms a connection with the man the number has been reassigned to.

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Release Date

May 5, 2023

Director

Jim Strouse

Cast

Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Sam Heughan , Celine Dion , Sofia Barclay

Runtime

1 Hour 44 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Jim Strouse , Sofie Cramer

Producer

Esther Hornstein, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee

Production Company

Screen Gems, 2.0 Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures

A take on the "love after loss" trope, Love Again is reminiscent of P.S. I Love You. Mira is in a happy relationship when the movie starts, but she watches her boyfriend get hit by a drunk driver and die before the end of the opening scene. Overwhelmed with grief, she messages his old number while unaware a stranger is reading her texts on the other side.

The stranger is Rob, a music critic who decides to decipher who's sending the texts while following advice from none other than music icon Céline Dion. After he figures out who Mira is, they meet and fall in love. But Rob takes too long to tell her he has the dead boyfriend's old number. Mira predictably finds out and gets furious -- so it's time for him to win her back with a romantic gesture.

The Other Zoey Entertains With Awkward Love Triangles

The Other Zoey

PG-13

Drama

Romance

Zoey Miller, a super smart computer nerd who is uninterested in romantic love, has her life turned upside down when Zack, the school's soccer star, gets amnesia and mistakes Zoey for his girlfriend.

Release Date

November 10, 2023

Director

Sara Zandieh

Cast

Josephine Langford , Drew Starkey , Archie Renaux , Mallori Johnson

Runtime

1 Hour 31 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Matthew Tabak

Producer

William Bindley, Mike Karz, Matt Luber, Lena Roklin, Matthew Tabak

Production Company

Gulfstream Pictures

Although The Other Zoey doesn't seize many opportunities for punchlines from its very funny premise, it's one of the most heartwarming movies of 2023. It targets a young adult audience and touches upon the common take among Gen Z that romantic love isn't real. The main character is Zoey, a computer science major building a matchmaking app.

College soccer star Zach gets amnesia after a concussion and mistakes her for his girlfriend... who also happens to be named Zoey. She's caught up in pretending for his sake and to get closer to Zach's cousin, whom her data tells her she's compatible with. The movie relies on familiar -- yet entertaining -- genre beats and several romantic comedy tropes like a major lie, opposites attracting, love triangles and a grand gesture.

Your Place or Mine

PG-13

Romance

Two long-distance best friends change each other's lives when she decides to pursue a lifelong dream and he volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son.

Release Date

February 10, 2023

Director

Aline Brosh McKenna

Cast

Reese Witherspoon , Ashton Kutcher , Zoe Chao , Jesse Williams

Runtime

1 Hour 49 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Aline Brosh McKenna

Producer

Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, Lauren Levy Neustadter

Production Company

Aggregate Films, Hello Sunshine, Lean Machine

Your Place Or Mine clearly takes some inspiration from The Holiday. This 2023 rom-com follows two best friends who trade houses for a week when she has an opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of being a writer. He volunteers to take care of her son in Los Angeles while she stays at his apartment in New York. During this time, they both learn new things about each other and about themselves.

Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher are well known for rom-coms like Legally Blonde and Just Married, but this is the first time they've worked together. Their chemistry is what makes this friends-to-lovers story so compelling. The movie also features a brilliant supporting cast, including the hilarious Tig Notaro and Steve Zahn.

Bottoms Makes Sex Comedy Relevant Again

Bottoms

R

Two unpopular queer high-school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.

Release Date

November 3, 2023

Director

Emma Seligman

Cast

Nicholas Galitzine , Ayo Edebiri , Dagmara Dominczyk , Rachel Sennott , Ruby Cruz

Runtime

1 Hour 31 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Emma Seligman , Rachel Sennott

Producer

Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman, Alison Small

Production Company

Orion Pictures, Brownstone Productions (II)

This queer teen comedy follows the formula of ordinary kids trying to have sex with their popular love interests before graduation. Best friends PJ and Josie start a fight club for girls in school as an excuse to get closer to their crushes. After much turmoil for all of Bottoms' interesting characters, the movie is propelled by romance tropes. PJ is unaware that her match is right under her nose, making this a romantic comedy even though it's not primarily a love story.

Bottoms is perfect for raunchy comedy fans who like movies such as Bring It On, Not Another Teen Movie or Superbad but want to avoid the problematic jokes that often come with adult humor. It stands out for its fresh spin on the sex comedy by targeting a different audience than other films in the subgenre rarely represented in this kind of movie. The film's absurd humor is contrasted by its premise, reminiscent of Fight Club.

Red, White & Royal Blue Turns Romance Political

R

Romance

When the feud between the son of the American President and Britain's prince threatens to drive a wedge in U.S./British relations, the two are forced into a staged truce that sparks something deeper.

Release Date

August 11, 2023

Director

Matthew Lopez

Cast

Sarah Shahi , Uma Thurman , Nicholas Galitzine , Ellie Bamber

Runtime

1 Hour 58 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Casey McQuiston , Matthew Lopez , Ted Malawer

Producer

Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter

Production Company

Amazon Studios, Berlanti Productions

Red, White & Royal Blue is a wildly successful LGBTQ+ book adaptation. The story of forbidden love between the President's son Alex and British Prince Henry causes countless sighs with its memorable romance. Its compelling script has perfectly timed comic relief in the middle of an incredibly dramatic narrative. But it's also a well-rounded film overall.

from the novel because the movie focuses only on Alex and Henry. The plot revolves around hom*ophobia in politics but also incorporates other important issues. President Claremont is a woman, while her husband -- Alex's father -- is the son of immigrants. There's also a breakout character in the President's deputy chief of staff, Zhara.

Elemental Discusses Difficult Themes in a Fun Approach

Elemental

PG

Adventure

Comedy

Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, earth- and air-residents live together.

Release Date

June 16, 2023

Director

Peter Sohn

Cast

Leah Lewis , Mamoudou Athie , Ronnie del Carmen

Runtime

1 hour 41 minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Writers

John Hoberg , Kat Likkel , Brenda Hsueh

Producer

Denise Ream

Production Company

Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios

Pixar unexpectedly updates the rom-com genre with this story of predestined love between extreme opposites Ember and Wade -- fire and water. It's not uncommon to see romance in Pixar movies, but Elemental puts love at the forefront. It's extremely creative with its metaphorical depiction of the Lumen family's migration from Fireland to Element City.

Ember faces an identity crisis because of the generational expectation that weighs on her. She often loses her temper but learns to get in touch with her emotions after meeting Wade. The great romance is supported by funny jokes, both in dialogue and visuals. With the magical setting only animation can provide, Elemental is a romantic comedy for all ages.

You Hurt My Feelings Shows a Romantic But Realistic Marriage

You Hurt My Feelings

R

Drama

A novelist's longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband giving his honest reaction to her latest book.

Release Date

May 25, 2023

Director

Nicole Holofcener

Cast

Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Tobias Menzies , Michaela Watkins , Arian Moayed , Amber Tamblyn , David Cross

Runtime

1 Hour 33 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Nicole Holofcener

Producer

Stefanie Azpiazu, Anthony Bregman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Nicole Holofcener

Production Company

FilmNation Entertainment, Likely Story

A24's You Hurt My Feelings is a realistic love story with sharp dialogue. Amazingly well-cast and well-written, this grounded 2023 romantic comedy touches upon the pettiness of insecurity and explores what a longstanding marriage entails. Writer Beth and psychiatrist Don are happily married... until she overhears him confessing that he doesn't like her book. The subsequent fight between them seems either big or small, depending on the perspective.

The movie comments on professional ambition, male beauty standards and family dynamics through the main characters and other couples. Not only does the subtle style of comedy leave the audience smiling throughout the whole 90 minutes, and the profound love between Beth and Don is beautiful to watch. It's an incredibly realistic film, and the realism makes it even funnier.

Love at First Sight Exceeds Expectations With Its Quirky Events

Love At First Sight

PG-13

Romance

Hadley and Oliver begin to fall for each other on their flight from New York to London. The probability of ever finding each other again seems impossible, but love - and London - may have a way of defying the odds.

Release Date

September 15, 2023

Director

Vanessa Caswill

Cast

Haley Lu Richardson , Ben Hardy , Rob Delaney

Runtime

1 hour 31 minutes

Main Genre

Drama

Writers

Katie Lovejoy , Jennifer E. Smith

Producer

Matthew Kaplan

Production Company

Ace Entertainment

Love at First Sight is based on Jennifer E. Smith's novel The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. It uses the trope in its title and a few others, such as "opposites attract" and the "unlucky lucky" lead. As cliché as it may be, the movie is entertaining from the first to the last scene due to its eventful script with great pacing. Stellar performances by Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy, with Jameela Jamil's charismatic narration, also add to its quality.

Hadley and Oliver's meet-cute happens at the airport while they're waiting for their flight to London. They are in love by the time they exit the plane, but her phone dies before she is able to save his number. This pushes her into an intense adventure to find him. Love At First Sight has so many smart and endearing details woven into its plot that it's a cut above other romantic comedies.

Rye Lane Has the Potential to Be a Future Classic

Rye Lane

R

Drama

Romance

Two youngsters reeling from bad breakups connect over an eventful day in South-London.

Release Date

March 31, 2023

Director

Raine Allen-Miller

Cast

David Jonsson , Vivian Oparah , Simon Manyonda , Poppy Allen-Quarmby

Runtime

1 Hour 22 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Writers

Nathan Bryon , Tom Melia

Producer

Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo, Damian Jones

Production Company

BBC Film, British Film Institute (BFI), DJ Films, Searchlight Pictures, Turnover Films

Rye Lane is already a classic romantic comedy. It's contemporary and funny-- but it also hits the mark with its uplifting romance. The beautiful cinematography, with distorted 24mm wide shots and intense colors, adds another element to a film that's pretty close to perfect. What starts as a surprising meeting between Dom and Yas turns into a genuinely moving relationship.

After Yas hears Dom crying in a bathroom stall at a mutual friend's art show, they go on a walk that turns into a journey. The film establishes their personalities through hilarious situations like meeting his ex to "clear the air" and breaking into her ex's apartment to get her A Tribe Called Quest vinyl back. There's amusing dialogue and visual jokes throughout the movie, all of which build toward another grand romantic gesture. It's the best 2023 romantic comedy because it hits all the right notes.