Netflix‘s growing collection of rom-coms and romantic films expanded even more in 2024 with 10 new originals.
This year’s fresh rom-coms featured plenty of A-listers, including Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Lindsay Lohan, and Brooke Shields. Not all of these films were well-received, however.
Here’s how this year’s new original rom-coms from the streamer stacked up, according to critics.
Note: Rotten Tomatoes scores were current at the time of publication and are subject to change.
10. The characters in “Mother of the Bride” lacked depth and complexity.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 13%
Summary: In “Mother of the Bride,” Brooke Shields stars as Lana Winslow, the mother of the bride-to-be and lifestyle influencer Emma Winslow (Miranda Cosgrove). As part of Emma’s six-figure sponsorship deal, she and her fiancé RJ (Sean Teale) head to Thailand for their wedding ceremony
The milestone event becomes complicated when Lana learns that RJ’s father is Will Jackson (Benjamin Bratt), her college boyfriend who broke her heart.
Critics said the film ticked off the boxes of a typical rom-com but recycled the genre’s familiar tropes without adding anything memorable. Even a cast of seasoned actors like Shields and Bratt couldn’t do much for the underdeveloped, dull characters.
“No matter how contrived this premise may feel, ‘Mother of the Bride’ skids off into its many equally predictable subplots with abandon, despite none being staged with the kind of charm required for us to forgive their inevitability,” Manuel Betancourt wrote for The A.V. Club.
9. Lindsay Lohan’s latest holiday rom-com “Our Little Secret” disappointed critics.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%
Summary: “Our Little Secret” stars Lohan and “Pretty Little Liars” actor Ian Harding as exes Avery and Logan, respectively, who unexpectedly spend the holidays together because their new partners are siblings.
Avery and Logan try to keep their past relationship a secret, but when they reconnect, they realize that they may be more compatible now than they were 10 years ago when they broke up.
Critics felt that Lohan, who carved out a space for herself as Netflix’s latest rom-com queen, and Kristin Chenoweth, who plays the fiery potential mother-in-law, stood out in the cast. Overall, though, the movie fell short of expectations.
“The screenplay, from Hailey DeDominicis, lacks the vibrancy you expect from a lighthearted holiday movie,” Emily Zemler wrote for The Observer. “Sure, there are a few genuine emotional moments and Lohan aptly gives Avery as much dimension as possible, but there’s only so much she and Chenoweth can do to liven things up.”
8. Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron’s combined star power wasn’t enough to save “A Family Affair.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%
Summary: Personal assistant Zara Ford’s (Joey King) dynamic with her self-absorbed, high-maintenance movie star boss Chris Cole (Zac Efron) becomes complicated when he starts dating her mom, a writer and widow named Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman).
Although some critics said the movie had a few redeeming qualities, “A Family Affair” was largely deemed a dud and devoid of the chemistry Kidman and Efron shared when they last played romantic interests in the 2012 film “The Paperboy.”
“Despite a starry cast and endearing performance from Joey King, ‘A Family Affair’ is as messy as the conflicting professional and personal relationships it depicts,” Hanna Ines Flint wrote for IGN. “A convoluted and superficial script and yawning direction fail to deliver character stakes worth getting behind.”
7. “Lonely Planet” was heavy on gorgeous scenery but low on chemistry.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 41%
Summary: “Lonely Planet,” written and directed by Susannah Grant, follows a reclusive novelist named Katherine (Laura Dern) who goes to Morocco for a writers’ retreat.
Katherine, who’s older than the other retreat attendees, just wants a quiet place to snap out of her writer’s block and has no interest in participating in group activities. But while there, she develops a connection with Owen (Liam Hemsworth), a man in finance who’s at the retreat with his girlfriend Lily (Diana Silvers). As Owen’s relationship with Lily falters, he and Catherine get swept up in an age-gap affair.
The movie — which falls more into the romantic drama category than the rom-com group — doesn’t generate enough steam between the two main characters or tell a memorable story.
“If the Netflix romance depicts a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, the experience of actually watching it is decidedly more mundane,” Angie Han wrote for The Hollywood Reporter. “Neither dull enough to be painful nor fun enough to be engaging, it’s simply too bland to make much of an impression at all.”
6. “Irish Wish” was charming and watchable.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 42%
Summary: Lohan stars as a book editor named Maddie Kelly who is in love with Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos), an author she’s worked with for years. Before Maddie can tell Paul how she feels about him, Paul falls in love with her best friend, Emma (Elizabeth Tan) and they get engaged.
When the trio head to Ireland for Paul and Emma’s wedding, Maddie makes a wish on an ancient stone and wakes up as Paul’s bride-to-be.
Critics said that Lohan’s chemistry with Ed Speelers, who plays the photographer that audiences know Maddie is bound to actually fall in love with, made the movie enjoyable amid its clichés.
“The movie is as frothy as the foam on a pint of Guinness, as formulaic as the last disposable Netflix rom-com,” Owen Gleiberman wrote for Variety. “Yet these two make you believe that they belong together, and not every romantic comedy does that.”
5. “Find Me Falling” failed to balance its romantic tone with serious subject matter.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 43%
Summary: In “Find Me Falling,” real-life musician Harry Connick Jr. plays John Allman, a rock star in a career slump. So, he moves to a home in Cyprus with a picturesque view to take a break from his career. Unbeknownst to John, he got a good deal on the property because the cliff-side area is known as a “suicide hot spot.”
As fate would have it, he bumps into an old flame named Sia (Agni Scott), who he met years prior and inspired his most popular love song.
Critics said that one of the film’s biggest flaws was its mishandling of the subject matter.
“The subplot about suicide just outside John’s doorstep feels strangely glib, dampening the mood of this escapist rom-com from the jump: the movie is called ‘Find Me Falling after all,” Monica Castillo wrote for RogerEbert.com, adding that this aspect of the plot is “played for laughs” at times.
4. Netflix’s PG holiday riff on “Magic Mike,” titled “The Merry Gentleman,” didn’t sizzle enough.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 44%
Summary: After a Broadway dancer named Ashley Davis (Britt Robertson) is replaced by a younger performer, she returns home for the holidays. When she learns that her parents’ venue, The Rhythm Room, is in danger of shutting down due to overdue bills, Ashley concocts a plan to bring in money and save it before Christmas: an all-male revue called “The Merry Gentleman.”
Along the way, she develops feelings for Luke (Chad Michael Murray), an attractive local carpenter and handyman who reluctantly agrees to participate in the show.
Critics said the film was formulaic with little excitement to offer audiences beyond the male characters baring their abs while dancing shirtless onstage.
“Murray and Robertson feel tired as leads, and while Murray is making it work onstage, the more conventional scenes all feel like they’re missing some holiday spice (among other things),” Samantha Bergeson wrote for IndieWire.
3. Gina Rodriguez anchored the flawed but serviceable rom-com “Players.”
Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
Summary: “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez plays Mack, a 33-year-old sportswriter who has spent years creating successful hookup schemes as part of a playbook with her friends. When she sets her sights on Nick Russell (Tom Ellis), a war reporter and eligible bachelor, Mack and her crew devise a plan to reel him in. As Mack starts falling for Nick, she realizes that she wants a serious relationship.
Critics had mixed feelings on “Players,” but many agreed that Rodriguez’s charm, along with other winning components, made the film worth watching.
“It’s not reaching for unique twists or spectacular splashes. It’s not trying to reinvent, reimagine, or re-do anything about the pursuit of love,” Lovia Gyarkye wrote for The Hollywood Reporter. “No, it’s trying to win you over with the basics: attractive leads with chemistry, a bit of triangular tension, a gallery of witty friends, and a lesson tucked into a heartwarming story.”
2. “Meet Me Next Christmas” was a breezy and entertaining holiday film.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%
Summary: In “Meet Me Next Christmas,” Christina Milian stars as Layla, a woman who has a magical encounter with a man named James (Kofi Siriboe) at an airport lounge.
The pair make a deal to meet up again next Christmas at the concert of the a cappella group Pentatonix, but when the time comes, Layla’s dismayed to learn that tickets are all sold out. Determined to reconnect with her dream guy, Layla taps a concierge service to help her get a coveted ticket to the show.
But along the way, Layla finds herself torn by her feelings for James and Teddy (Devale Ellis), her concierge.
Critics said that “Meet Me Next Christmas” contained familiar rom-com tropes, but it was an enjoyable watch.
“While it certainly isn’t breaking new ground in any capacity, the movie is a feel-good moment that gets us into the holiday spirit,” Ben Gibbons wrote for Screen Rant.
1. The premise of “Hot Frosty” was so silly that it worked.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Summary: “Hot Frosty” centers on Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert), a woman who magically brings a snowman to life two years after her husband’s death. As Kathy helps the snowman-turned-human named Jack Snowman (Dustin Milligan) acclimate to real life, she finds herself laughing and falling in love again — and desperate to save him from melting.
Even with an absurdly goofy plot, “Hot Frosty” delighted critics.
“It’s cheap and it’s silly and it has a laughable premise that some people will mistake for terribleness. But it’s also winking and whimsical. It knows what it’s doing and it’s doing it on purpose. Somehow it actually kind of works,” William Bibbiani wrote for The Wrap.
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