The best teenage romance movies on Netflix – From rom-com classics to smash-hit originals, these love stories are certainly swoon-worthy
13 Going on 30 (2004) – teenage romance movies
13 Going on 30 is like Big (1988) only with a greater emphasis on romance. It features a teenager (Christa B. Allen) who dreams of being a successful grown-up (“Thirty, flirty, and thriving!”) and gets transformed into the woman she hoped she’d become (Jennifer Garner). From there, she learns that adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, but it has some perks, including a budding affair with an adorkable Mark Ruffalo. This film is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food, with EW’s critic deeming it “the rare commercial comedy that leaves you entranced by what can happen only in the movies.”
The Half of It (2020) – teenage romance movies
The Half of It is about a Chinese American ace student (Leah Lewis) who overcomes her shyness enough to help a tongue-tied jock (Daniel Diemer) win over the girl of his dreams (Alexxis Lemire). There’s just one problem: She’s fallen in love with her, too! The result is both refreshing and bittersweet; as EW’s critic noted in their review, the movie’s “examination of first love, and how our messy, well-intentioned attempts to do right by our own hearts can both wound and help us fumble toward the people we’re meant to be, lands nicely.”
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
No Hard Feelings (2023)
No Hard Feelings is an R-rated teen romance, but behind the hilarious raunchiness is a touching story about growing pains and pangs of heartache. The plot involves a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) who is hired to help the son (Andrew Barth Feldman) of a rich couple come out of his shell by dating him before he heads off to college. The laughs are rich and the softer bits are smooth, and according to EW’s critic, Lawrence is the movie’s real appeal, calling her a “chaotic temptress” who “attacks the role with gusto.”
Endless Love (2014)
This remake of 1981’s Endless Love successfully translates the charming tale for a new generation. Here, we follow a privileged girl (Gabriella Wilde) who falls in love with a working-class rebel (Alex Pettyfer), but their relationship is attacked by their parents (Bruce Greenwood and Robert Patrick, respectively). The film sands off the original movie’s rough edges, leaving something akin to chicken noodle soup for the hopelessly romantic soul. As EW’s critic said in their review, the movie works “as a swoony love story threatened by a basic, cornball Oedipal drama.”