- Netflix has been releasing a steady stream of original romantic comedies.
- This year the streamer dropped new favorites like "Wedding Season" and "The Noel Diary."
- But films like "Senior Year," "Love & Gelato," and "The Royal Treatment" failed to impress critics.
Critics fell in love with "Wedding Season."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Summary: Ambitious businesswomen Asha (Pallavi Sharda) pleases her matchmaking mother by pretending to date MIT dropout Ravi (Suraj Sharma) — until she realizes there's more to him than meets the eye.
Despite treading familiar territory, "Wedding Season" had the perfect ingredients for a charming modern rom-com.
"It may tick all the tropes of the rom-com bingo card, but when it does it this charmingly – who are we to complain?" wrote film critic Charlotte Harrison.
"Love and Leashes" was a surprise win for many reviewers.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%
Summary: The Korean romantic comedy follows Ji Hoo (Joon-Young Lee) and Ji Woo (Seohyun), two coworkers who agree to sign an intimate contract to experience play, pleasure, and pain.
Critics were genuinely endeared by the talent and storyline.
James Marsh wrote for South China Morning Post, "What emerges is a relatively sweet and well-meaning workplace romance between a pair of wholesome, fresh-faced leads that delivers some chaste fuzzy feels, but does so almost in spite of its supposedly salacious subject matter."
"The Noel Diary" had a surprising amount of depth.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
Summary: After finding an old diary while home for Christmas, novelist Jake Turner (Justin Hartley) must face unfinished business from his past, just as Rachel Campbell (Barrett Doss) shows up with questions about her birth mother.
A rom-com with a heavy dose of drama and heart, "The Noel Diary" enchanted critics who didn't mind a little schmaltz.
"Ditch the mistletoe and holly and it would still be a well-crafted, well-balanced character sketch, following two lost souls as they discover what they've been missing," Noel Murray wrote for the Los Angeles Times.
"Christmas With You" was stuffed with holiday cheer.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 65%
Summary: Pop star Angelina (Aimee Garcia) goes to meet a young fan near Christmas and finds herself falling for the fan's handsome music-teacher father, Miguel (Freddie Prinze Jr.).
Critics agreed that the sweet family-focused Christmas film earned points for having such a lovable cast.
"'Christmas With You' isn't going to win an Academy Award but will win your heart," wrote film critic Kate Sánchez. "It's the right kind of corny holiday cheer that hits the seasonal assignment."
"Tall Girl 2" was seen as a fun and fitting sequel.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%
Summary: After facing her insecurities in the first film, Jodi (Ava Michelle) finds them coming back in full force when landing the lead role in the school musical puts her front and center.
Like other romantic comedies, critics said that "Tall Girl 2" didn't do much to subvert expectations. But it did still fulfill them.
"The characters of 'Tall Girl 2' are familiar and sweet, the story is predictable and the ending is predictably happy, and there's also some accomplished singing and dancing from the teen cast," Jennifer Green wrote for Common Sense Media.
Critics adored Lindsay Lohan in "Falling for Christmas."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Summary: After hotel heiress Sierra Belmont (Lohan) wakes up from a ski accident with no memory of her former life, local lodge owner Jake Russell (Chord Overstreet) offers her a place to stay the week before Christmas.
The story recycled common rom-com tropes, but critics were excited to see Lohan back on the screen.
"Lohan excels in a heartwarming, delightfully predictable Christmas flick," Aurora Amidon wrote for Film School Rejects.
"Look Both Ways" was a star vehicle for Lili Reinhart.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 61%
Summary: In the unique rom-com, Natalie's (Reinhart) life goes down two totally different paths the night of her college graduation. In one, she becomes pregnant and stays in her hometown, while another version of her moves to Los Angeles with her best friend (Aisha Dee).
Both lives offer challenges, heartbreak, and second chances at love.
Despite a few complaints, "Look Both Ways" succeeded, especially with Reinhart's captivating lead performance.
"Reinhart is utterly endearing," Richard Roeper wrote for the Chicago Sun-Times.
On the other hand, critical reception was more mixed for "Along for the Ride."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
Summary: A summer in Colby leaves Auden (Emma Pasarow) feeling isolated, but her nightly romps around the beach town are forever changed when she bumps into Eli (Belmont Cameli).
The teen rom-com, based on the novel by Sarah Dessen, earned middling reviews from critics.
"'Along for the Ride' isn't a great movie. Nor is it a particularly memorable one," Allen Adams wrote for The Maine Edge. "But as far as disposable Netflix teen romances go, it's better than it needs to be."
Critics found a few slivers of redemption in "A Perfect Pairing."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
Summary: Wine connoisseur Lola Alvarez (Victoria Justice) travels across the globe to impress a potential client — and finds herself falling for sheep farmer Max Vaughn (Adam Demos) in the process.
Critics largely agreed that the plot was lacking, but the strong chemistry between its leads kept the movie from being a total dud.
"Justice and Demos are able to spark some credible moments of romantic chemistry," Natasha Alvar wrote for Cultured Vultures. "However, this isn't enough to save the movie from being utterly bland."
Critical reviews were less kind to "The Royal Treatment."
Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%
Summary: Salon owner Isabella (Laura Marano) is blown away when she's given the opportunity to be the hairstylist for a royal wedding. But soon, she finds herself falling for the groom-to-be, Prince Thomas (Mena Massoud).
Unconvincing accents and an unbelievable plot left critics more puzzled than charmed.
In a review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Carla Meyer wrote that the film "wavers between too little and too much fantasy, and between charming and simply odd."
"Love in the Villa" fell short of expectations.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%
Summary: After being dumped right before her romantic vacation to Verona, Julie (Kat Graham) is thrown for a loop when she finds out her villa is double-booked. Despite being stuck with cynical Charlie (Tom Hopper) for the trip, Julie decides to make the most of it.
Critics felt like the Italy-based rom-com fell far below the usual Netflix-original standards.
"'Love in the Villa' is something you'd probably find on that cable channel with low production value, stilted dialogue, and a cast that generally lacks chemistry with one another," Radhika Menon wrote for Decider.
"Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between" was deemed a tonal mess.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 29%
Summary: After making a pact to break up before college, high-school sweethearts Clare (Talia Ryder) and Aidan (Jordan Fisher) find themselves falling in love again as they reach the end of the road.
Critics said that one of the few upsides of the cheesy teen rom-com was that it was mercifully short.
"'Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In Between' is fortunately under 90 minutes long but still manages to get a bit lost in the middle before its insufficient wrap-up," Nicole Ackman wrote for Next Best Picture.
"Senior Year" was seen as a bit too absurd to be taken seriously.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%
Summary: In "Senior Year," after a cheerleading injury lands her in a coma for 20 years, Stephanie (Rebel Wilson) wakes up with a renewed dream of becoming head cheerleader and prom queen in her nearly 40-year-old body.
An over-the-top premise paired with overblown jokes made this throwback rom-com a critical miss.
"I would say 'Senior Year' is most likely to crash and burn, but the film does that itself two minutes in," Robert Kojder wrote for Flickering Myth.
"Love & Gelato" fell apart at the seams.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 22%
Summary: Following her mom's final wish, Lina (Susanna Skaggs) travels to Rome to drink in the sights, eat gelato, and fall head over heels in love.
Critics could see that the coming-of-age movie, based on Jenna Evans Welch's young-adult novel, had good intentions. But that couldn't save the bad rom-com.
"Better movies in this category have provided guides to growing up, but a miscast lead, poor direction, and mediocre writing overshadow any such attempt here," Barbara Shulgasser-Parker wrote for Common Sense Media.
Rotten Tomatoes scores were current on the date of publication and are subject to change. Films without a score were not included.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
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