Few genres make audiences feel as good as a romantic comedy, and the best rom-coms of the last 5 years offer a variety of stories that deftly bring as many swoons as they do laughs. The genre remains as popular as ever, and the best romantic comedies that have come out in the last five years have told some of the most original stories so far. The rom-coms of today feature more diverse casts and often flip traditional romance conventions.

While romantic comedies are known for their tropes, some modern and recent rom-coms are trying different and creative setups while their characters are more representative of Millennials, Gen Z, and younger audiences. Modern rom-com characters still live fantastical lives filled with meet-cutes and deus ex machina moments while also reckoning with more serious themes like not being successful at work, being rejected, and being single after a long relationship. The best recent rom-coms are a breath of fresh air in the genre.

30 The Fall Guy (2024)

Starring Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt

It is always fun to see the rom-com genre collide with other genres, such as in The Fall Guy. A remake of the 1980s Lee Majors television series, Ryan Gosling stars as Colt, a Hollywood stuntman who leaves the business after a bad accident. However, when his former flame (Emily Blunt) has her directorial debut threatened following the disappearance of her leading man, he returns to the world of moviemaking to track down the missing movie star.

The electric chemistry between the two stars is a big part of the movie's success...

The Fall Guy manages to do a lot as it is a fun action movie with great set pieces and a hilarious comedy. However, one of the most successful elements is the romance between Gosling and Blunt. The electric chemistry between the two stars is a big part of the movie's success, but it is also bold enough to put their relationships front and center alongside the stunt sequences. The audience will find themselves cheering for this charming couple to make it work as much as they are cheering for Gosling to save the day.

29 Fly Me To The Moon (2024)

Starring Scarlett Johansson & Channing Tatum

Period rom-coms are very rare in the genre, but Fly Me to the Moon manages to not only tell a charming romance story set in the 1960s, but also have it revolve around a key moment of the era. Fly Me to the Moon stars Channing Tatum as the flight director of NASA's proposed trip to the moon, which is quickly losing public . Scarlett Johansson is introduced as a brilliant public relations agent who is tasked with making the mission more appealing to the average American.

The movie plays into the old trope of two people with very different approaches forced to reluctantly work together. However, the Apollo mission makes for a unique and exciting setting for a familiar story. It also helps that the two leads are endlessly charming with Johansson, in particular, having a lot of fun with her savvy professional who has a little bit of a con artist energy to her. While there have been plenty of space race movies over the years, the romance certainly adds a new element to the story.

28 Música (2024)

Starring Rudy Mancuso & Camila Mendes

Rom-coms can sometimes be dismissed as solely catering to fans of the genre who want to see the typical things rom-coms are known for. However, there are examples in the genre that are more inventive with their characters and stories, offering something fresh to this type of story. Rudy Mancuso co-wrote, directed, and stars in Música as Rudy, a young man suffering from synesthesia, hearing music in everyday sounds.

As he explores his love of music, his mother tries to set him up with a perfect match while he begins falling for a woman he just met, Isabella (Camila Mendes). The movie has a vibrant energy, especially through the eyes of Rudy. However, it is most charming when focusing on the relationship between Rudy and Isabella. Despite the fanciful flourishes of filmmaking, at its heart, it is a relatable story about someone finding one person who seems to understand how they see the world when no one else does.

27 Hot Frosty (2024)

Starring Lacey Chabert & Dustin Mulligan

Netflix's Christmas movies in 2024 were quickly a huge holiday hit for the streamer, but one has certainly emerged as the surprise gem of the Christmas season. Hot Frosty tells the story of Kathy (Lacey Chabert), a young widower in a small town who magically brings to life a snowman who turns out to be an attractive man (Dustin Mulligan). As she tries to hide this magical secret from the rest of the town, she teaches "Jack" what it means to be a human and forms a bond with him.

The premise is certainly silly, but it works thanks largely to Mulligan leaning into the tone with his funny, charming, and tongue-in-cheek performance. While the setup might bring up some questions about how this romance actually works, Hot Frosty's title should serve as a note for how serious the movie should be taken, as it wonderfully plays on the modern holiday rom-com tropes while also pleasing fans of the genre.

26 Upgraded (2024)

Starring Camila Mendes & Archie Renaux

Camila Mendes had a big year in rom-coms in 2024, cementing herself as one of the new stars of the genre. While Música was arguably more of a showcase for filmmaker Rudy Mancuso, Upgraded relies entirely on Mendes’ charms in the lead role. The movie serves as a modern update of Cinderella with Mendes playing Ana, an overworked and underappreciated intern working in the art world who is bumped up to first class during her work trip to London, which leads to a case of mistaken identity and a potential romance with the wealthy William (Archie Renaux).

The film has a lot of fun playing on the classic fairy tale, while Mendes makes for the ideal protagonist for such a story. She is charming, funny, and endearing, making the audience root for her each time she can’t catch a break. The movie wisely makes the focus more on Ana getting the recognition she deserves, but with a romance angle, with a conclusion that goes against conventions but is still a crowd-pleaser.

25 Anyone But You (2023)

Starring Sydney Sweeney & Glen Powell

It's clear that there have been many great rom-coms over the past five years, but Anyone But You drew a lot of attention for proving that these types of movies were still box office draws. It didn't hurt that the film starred two of Hollywood's biggest up-and-coming stars with Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell playing a pair of single people with a contentious history. When they find themselves invited to the same wedding, they decide to avoid the awkwardness by pretending to be a couple.

Powell and Sweeney cemented themselves as true Hollywood stars, sharing excellent chemistry that elevates the entire movie. Anyone But You is a throwback to the 90s era of rom-coms, embracing the well-known tropes and even serving as a loose Shakespearan adaptation with aspects of Much Ado About Nothing. The box office success of the movie will likely lead to more confidence in the genre.

24 Elemental (2023)

Starring Leah Lewis & Mamoudou Athie

The best Pixar movies showcase the excellent sense of humor the studio has. However, Elemental was the first time the animation studio has embraced a full-blown rom-com story. Of course, they do so in that typical Pixar way with a clever, family-friendly world to set the story in. Elemental deals with a world occupied by the four elements and follows a girl from a fire family named Ember and a boy from a water family named Wade who form a connection.

As with most Pixar releases, the world-building is one of the best aspects of the movie. However, along with being a story about this unexpected relationship blossoming, it is also a story of immigrants and community with some very worthwhile messages. Though the movie initially seemed to be another misfire at the box office to continue Pixar's recent woes, it held strong thanks to word of mouth and solid reviews, showing there is still a lot of magic in original Pixar movies.

23 Hit Man (2024)

Starring Glen Powell & Adria Arjona

Glen Powell landed another excellent rom-com recently, but one that is drastically different from Anyone But You. Hit Man is loosely based on a true story and stars Powell as Gary Johnson, a surveillance expert and college professor who moonlights helping the police take down people who try to hire hitmen to carry out murders. Gary proves to have a knack for undercover work, convincingly posing as a number of different guns for hire. However, it is all complicated when he falls for one of his would-be clients, played by Adria Arjona.

Powell co-wrote the movie with director Richard Linklater and the two do an excellent job of finding the perfect tone in this tricky story. It is funny and a bit elevated at times, but there is also a level of real suspense as well as terrific sexiness. The result is one of the most unique rom-coms in recent years and one that can appeal to those who typically avoid the genre.

22 Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022)

Starring Emma Thompson & Daryl McCormack

Age gaps in rom-coms can be off-putting and problematic in many instances, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande finds a way to make it work and even make it endearing. The movie also takes a unique approach to a relationship in a movie of this kind as it stars Emma Thompson as an older woman who feels unfulfilled in her sex life so far. She decides to make a list of various things she would like to try and hires a sex worker (Daryl McCormack) to help her cross these items off her life.

The movie is basically a two-hander, telling its story over the course of several meetings all within a small hotel room. Thompson and McCormack have wonderful chemistry as these two strangers embark on a very intimate journey with each other. However, the intimacy truly comes from their conversations in which they open up to each other and find similarities and differences. It is a rom-com in which the relationship is not really building to romance, but rather friendship.

21 Rye Lane (2023)

Starring David Jonsson & Vivian Oparah

Following David Jonsson's breakout performance in Alien: Romulus, there will likely be a lot more people seeking out his previously underrated rom-com Rye Lane. The movie seems to take inspiration from films like Before Sunrise as it succeeds in simply following two people throughout their day as they get to know each other and form a connection. Jonsson plays Dom while Vivian Oparah plays Yas, two strangers who have recently been through breakups and have a chance encounter and decide to spend the day making each other feel better.

The two leads have great chemistry in roles that allow them to be silly, heartbroken, and adventurous as they gradually see that the end of their previous relationship wasn't the end of the world. It is the kind of quiet and simple rom-com that can leave a big impact simply through its relatable characters, sharp humor, and engrossing conversations.