"As far as date nights go, sometimes all you need is a good old fashioned Netflix and chill. But there’s nothing worse than spending two hours scrolling through the app trying to agree on something. You end up never watching a movie, frustrated with each other for having such terrible taste, and annoyed that you wasted an entire night doing nothing. But don’t worry, that’s why I’m here—with the help of my husband—to bring you 14 recommendations for Netflix original movies that you’re bound to enjoy watching together. So grab a blanket, get comfortable, and get ready to spend some quality time with your significant other.
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Action and Adventure
What do you want in an action and adventure film? My husband and I have very different answers to this question. My husband’s is pretty simple: He wants entertaining fight scenes, and he’s so there if it’s got a heist. For me, it’s all about the plot. I need a bit more than just main character X goes on a quest to achieve goal Y. Thankfully, Netflix has delivered on all of our asks.
Red Notice
FBI profiler John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) thought that he was capturing art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). But when he gets caught up in an art heist thanks to Nolan’s biggest competition, “The Bishop” (Gal Gadot), he has no choice but to team up with Nolan in an attempt to catch The Bishop and clear his name. Filled with plot twists, an unlikely duo, plenty of fight scenes, and even a bit of romance, this movie will be an absolute delight for both you and your significant other.
The Lovebirds
After being together for four years, Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) have just decided to break up when a distracted Jibran hits a cyclist with his car. The cyclist runs off, and a man with a mustache commandeers the car, saying he is a police officer and that the cyclist is a criminal. The man catches the cyclist and repeatedly runs him over with the car, killing him. Jibran and Leilani’s own lives are only spared because the man flees when he hears police sirens. Terrified that the unbelievable story and racial profiling will ensure they are blamed for the crime, Jibran and Leilani end up on a life-threatening mission to clear their names. The Lovebirds is filled with action, and it also offers a bit of romance as Jibran and Leilani discover that breaking up may not be the right choice for them after all.
Comedy
When looking for a comedy to watch with your significant other, you definitely want something that will actually make you laugh. My husband and I find that a plot filled with mishaps, action, and a touch of mystery is always a winner.
Desperados
Wes (Nasim Pedrad) is desperate to find a man to settle down with. After a blind date with Sean (Lamorne Morris) goes disastrously wrong when she mentions marriage and kids too frequently, she decides to hide her true self in order to make a relationship with Jared (Robbie Amell) work. When Jared ghosts her after a month together, Wes gets drunk with her friends and sends Jared a hilariously nasty email, only to find that he hadn’t ghosted her at all and actually got into a car accident in Mexico. Wes convinces her friends to travel to the resort Jared is staying at and delete the email—and finds out that Sean is staying at the same resort. You and your significant other won’t be able to stop laughing as Wes tries again and again to break into Jared’s room and successfully delete the email.
Good on Paper
Stand-up comedian and struggling actress Andrea Singer (Iliza Shlesinger) has always put her career ahead of her love life, so she is surprised when she meets Yale graduate and hedge fund manager Dennis Kelley (Ryan Hansen). As the two spend more time together, Dennis convinces Andrea to date him, only for her to find out that he has been lying about who he really is. With the help of best friend and bar owner Margot (Margaret Cho) and rival actress Serrena Halstead (Rebecca Rittenhouse), Andrea discovers the truth about Dennis in what you and your significant other are sure to find a hilarious and shocking series of events.
Drama
A good drama will find a character at a pivotal moment in their life and explore how they deal with change and how it affects their relationships. Since dramas don’t always bring humor and can be slower paced, it’s best to find one that covers a topic you and your significant other are both interested in.
Uncorked
In Uncorked, Elijah (Mamoudou Athie), who is currently working at a wine business and his family’s local barbecue restaurant, is torn between his dream of becoming a master sommelier and his father’s (Courtney B. Vance’s) expectations that he’ll take over the family business. My husband and I chose to watch Uncorked for the food and the wine, but what kept us interested even more was the exploration of Elijah’s very different relationships with his mother (Niecy Nash) and father.
Bruised
Bruised tells the story of Jackie “Pretty Bull” Justice (Halle Berry), a disgraced UFC fighter who grabs one last shot at redemption when the young son she left behind comes back into her life. The plot of Bruised is sure to keep you and your significant other interested as Jackie reenters the world of UFC, repairs her relationships with her mother (Adriane Lenox) and son (Danny Boyd Jr), and explores a new relationship with fellow UFC fighter Buddhakan (Sheila Atim).
Romance
Convincing your significant other to watch a romance movie is easier than you think. All you have to do is find a movie that isn’t only about romance and has something else that’ll catch their interest. Like a celebrity chef. Or a workplace con.
Always Be My Maybe
When famous chef Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) returns home to oversee the opening of a new restaurant, she runs into childhood friend Marcus Kim (Randall Park), a musician who still lives and works with his father. A disastrous double date with Sasha’s new flame and Marcus’s girlfriend leads to Sasha and Marcus admitting their feelings for each other, but the two struggle to adapt to each other’s worlds. Always Be My Maybe will remind you and your significant other of the importance of growing and changing with each other.
Set It Up
In a desperate need for a break from the office, beleaguered assistants Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) come up with the perfect plan. If they can get their bosses Kirsten Stevens (Lucy Liu) and Rick Otis (Taye Diggs) together, then the workaholics would have less time to overwork Harper and Charlie, leaving them with time to focus on their own love lives. After eventually succeeding in a meet cute, Harper and Charlie realize that they must work to keep their bosses together, planning dates, leaving notes and gifts, and organizing a weekend getaway. But as things grow more challenging with Kirsten and Rick, Harper and Charlie start to realize that they may have already found what they’re looking for—a turn of events that is sure to make you smile.
Teen
When you’re picking out a teen movie to watch with your significant other, don’t be afraid to look for something sweet, as long as it has an intriguing premise, makes you laugh, and has characters you can’t help but root for.
The Half of It
Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is known for keeping her head down. She gets straight As, performs most of her widowed father’s (Collin Chou’s) duties as a station master and signalman, and makes extra money writing papers for her peers. When she is approached by jock Paul Munsky (Daniel Diemer) with the request to write a love letter for him, she doesn’t expect to take him up on the request—never mind become his friend and fall for his crush, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemire). You and your significant other will want nothing but the best for Ellie, and you’ll be invested in Paul and Aster’s stories, too.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
The hook of To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, which is based on the novel by Jenny Han, couldn’t be better: The love letters teenage Lara Jean (Lana Condor) has written to each of her five crushes mistakenly get mailed to each and every one of them, including her older sister’s recent ex Josh (Israel Broussard). To convince Josh that she is 100% over him, Lara Jean sets up a fake relationship with another boy she had written a letter for, Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo). But it turns out, she may not be as over Peter as she had thought. Lara Jean’s drama is perfectly balanced with humor from her younger sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart), my husband’s favorite character. The best news? If you love To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you can keep watching with P.S. I Still Love You and Always and Forever.
Thriller
It’s no secret that a thriller needs to keep you on the edge of your seat. But a good thriller should also give you something to talk about.
Secret Obsession
After being struck by a car while fleeing from an unknown pursuer, Jennifer (Brenda Song) wakes up in the hospital with amnesia, recalling nothing about the incident or her life. Russell Williams (Mike Vogel) introduces himself as her husband and shares that her parents died in a fire two years ago, she has quit her job, and she rarely talks to her friends anymore. When Jennifer returns home with Russell, she soon realizes that Russell may not be who he says he is and the danger is far from over. You’ll be holding your significant other close as you fear for Jennifer’s safety.
I Care a Lot
Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike) believes she is set for life. A con artist, she makes a living by convincing the legal system to grant her guardianship over elders she pretends are incapable of taking care of themselves. She then places them in assisted living facilities and sells their homes and assets, pocketing the proceeds. But when she gets mixed up with a dangerous gangster, her stability is at risk of crumbling. The satirical approach will keep you entertained and the serious topic will keep you analyzing the movie long after its surprising conclusion.
Historical Drama
If your significant other is resistant to watching something that takes place before the age of cellphones, all you have to do is remind them that the lack of cellphones sure could make things quite interesting.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
You have probably heard of Ted Bundy, but you have never known Ted Bundy like this. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile tells Bundy’s (Zac Efron’s) story through the eyes of his longtime girlfriend, Liz Kendall (Lily Collins), who refused to believe that Bundy was a serial killer for years. My husband and I were both glued to the screen watching this one, and that wasn’t just because of Zac Efron’s stellar performance. Afterward, we couldn’t stop talking about if we believed Liz’s side of the story or not.
The Last Letter from Your Lover
You know a movie is going to be good when it’s based on a book by an acclaimed author, such as Jojo Moyes of Me Before You. In a pair of interwoven stories set in the past and present, The Last Letter from Your Lover follows Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones), a journalist who finds a trove of love letters from 1965. As she unravels the mystery between Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) and Anthony O’Hare (Callum Turner), Ellie embarks on a relationship of her own with archivist Rory McCallan (Nabhaan Rizwan). The mystery of Jennifer’s past and the dual timelines will keep you and your significant other interested and give you plenty to discuss when the final relationships are revealed.