The best of Netflix right now if you're looking for... romance

It ain't easy picking what to watch on Netflix

If you're anything like us, you're confronted with that same question everyday. What will I watch on Netflix tonight?

The streaming service has soooo much content between TV series, movies, documentaries and specials. How is one meant to choose?

Well we know when it comes to Netflix, mood is a major factor. Sometimes you're in the mood for something dark and brooding. Other times, you just want something light you can switch your brain off to. At times, you're in the mood for something new. Then again, you may want to re-watch an old reliable.

With that in mind, we're assembling a series of Netflix recommendations with plenty to choose from. Every month, we'll give our top picks of shows, filums and specials with a different theme in mind each time.

Given it's that time of year, we picked romance. Spanning series and features, rom coms and romantic dramas, here are our picks on Netflix if you're in the mood for romance.

Ghost

They say the classics are classics for a reason and 'Ghost' has very much earned its status. That iconic pottery scene is still referenced and parodied with frequency. You've got a great cast too between Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg (who won an Oscar for her performance). And it's not just romantic but thrilling and very funny too.

The Young Victoria

Aside from 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'The Young Victoria' is another early performance from Emily Blunt that showed her talent as an actress. The movie takes the romance between the titular queen and Prince Albert (played here by Rupert Friend) as its focus. Director Jean-Marc Vallée would go on to helm 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'Big Little Lies', so you know this isn't any old costume drama.

Gilmore Girls

As indicated by its opening song 'Where You Lead I Will Follow', 'Gilmore Girls' is the ultimate comforting TV show. The pick-me-up-then-make-me-cry seven season-long series follows the highs and occasional lows of single mom Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and daughter Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). The goings on of the quirky town of Stars Hollow that they call home are never dull.

Isn’t It Romantic

We’re aware not everyone feels the same way. But we’re sticking to our guns and arguing that ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ is great craic altogether and more to the point, it gives you exactly what you want from a Netflix movie. Rebel Wilson is the best she has ever been as a cynical singleton who lands in her worst nightmare – a PG13 romantic comedy. It’s fun, sweet, snappy, chockablock with movie references (that aren’t limited to rom coms) and genuinely entertaining.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Given all the terrible teen dramas on Netflix (like 'The Kissing Booth' and 'The Perfect Date', to name just a couple), we're surprised ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ is as good as it is. Storywise, it's about a teenage girl whose secret love letters get distributed to her crushes. Lana Condor is perfection as the lead and Noah Centineo makes for a charming support. The movie is entertaining, insightful and fun. Audiences beyond the YA target market will find much to enjoy.

Dirty Dancing

A dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) at a 1960s resort hotel fears his career will be jeopardised when his regular partner is forced to pull out of an important show in which they are due to perform. Luckily, a naive teenager (Jennifer Grey) is happy to step in, and gets a whirlwind holiday education in life, love and expressing herself for her troubles. This movie classic will give you the time of your life.

About Time

This underrated gem from Richard Curtis stars our own Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams in yet another film where she plays a Time Traveller's Wife. At least in this case our protagonist Tim (Gleeson) has agency over his ability, which is a gene he inherited from his father (Bill Nighy). Look out for some early career performances from Margot Robbie and 'The Crown's Vanessa Kirby.

When Harry Met Sally

We couldn't exclude the most romantic comedy of all romantic comedies! Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan play the titular characters, two friends that can't seem to keep away from each other. Their relationship commences with a cross-country drive, after which they share twelve years of chance encounters in New York City.

P.S. I Love You

We may never forgive Gerard Butler for that dreadful Oirish accents - and fans of Cecelia Ahearn's novel were unimpressed with how much the movie adaptation changed the original. Still, 'P.S. I Love You' is a guilty pleasure for many. And with its narrative of a deceased husband leaving letters to his widow (Hilary Swank) to help her cope with grief, it is most definitely rom,antic.

Sense and Sensibility

Another star-filled cast populates 'Sense and Sensibility' between Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. Thompson also penned the Academy Award-winning screenplay which is expertly adapted from Jane Austen's renowned novel.

The Theory of Everything

This engrossing romantic drama depicting the life of Stephen Hawking and his relationship with his wife Jane earned Eddie Redmayne an Oscar and was a breakthrough performance for Felicity Jones, who would go on to star in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' and 'On the Basis of Sex'.

Adrift

To get the emotional impact of this one, it's best to not read the real-life story behind the movie until after seeing it. The extremely talented Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin play a young couple who set sail together but get caught in one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. They fight for survival against impossible odds.

Mary Shelley

This biopic about the author of 'Frankenstein' flew under the radar when it was released a couple of years back. But it is definitely worth a watch. Elle Fanning plays the titular character while Douglas Booth plays the writer Percy Shelley, who she falls for and quickly marries, only to discover his many inner demons.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

The quintessential Richard Curtis movie, 'Four Weddings And A Funeral' followed Charles (Hugh Grant) searching for love and SPOILER #1 eventually finding it with Carrie (Andie MacDowell). In the process he SPOILER #2 attends four weddings and a funeral with his friends. Curtis went on to write 'Love Actually', 'Notting Hill' and 'About Time'.

Five Feet Apart

The life of cystic fibrosis patient Stella Grant (Haley Lu Richardson) utterly changes when she meets a fellow CF patient named Will Newman (Cole Sprouse). Will is a joker and a rule breaker, and tries to encourage Stella to take more risks. Eventually, they fall in love, but a relationship seems impossible given CF patients have to stay at least 6 feet away from one another to prevent cross-infection. Expect a heavy 'The Fault in Our Stars' feel.

Dear John

When your movie is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel - author of 'The Notebook' and 'A Walk to Remember' - it's a guaranteed tearjerker. This one follows a soldier, played by Channing Tatum, and his girlfriend, played by Amanda Seyfried. They are torn apart when the former is deployed to war. They keep in contact via letters, telling each other everything. Can't get enough of Sparks? 'The Best of Me' and 'Safe Haven' are also on Netflix.

The Duff

This indie teen comedy starring Mae Whitman ('Arrested Development', 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower') ended up winning the hearts of critics all over. A high school senior instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF - Designated Ugly Fat Friend - by her prettier, more popular counterparts.

Call Me By Your Name

‘Call Me By Your Name’ follows the blossoming romance between a seventeen year-old student and an older man, hired as his father's research assistant, in 1980s Italy. It ended up being a runaway success and was responsible for luanching the career of Timothee Chalamet. But the course of true love never did run smooth...

Set It Up

Every so often, Netflix produces a great original film and 'Set It Up' is one of them. Reuniting 'Everybody Wants Some!!' stars Glen Powell and Zoey Deutsch, the two young actors play the respective PAs of Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu's characters. They hatch up a plan to set their bosses up with one another. That way they can finally get their own free time. Eating pizza drunk in the middle of the night has never seemed more romantic.

50 First Dates

Look, say what you want about Adam Sandler. But when he's put on the screen with Drew Barrymore, something magic happens. '50 First dates' marks his first on-screen outing with the actress since the delightful 'The Wedding Singer'. Set in Hawaii, Barrymore plays a woman with anterograde amnesia, meaning her brain can't form new memories, and she wakes up every morning thinking it's the same day. Sandler has quite a task ahead making her fall for him.

The Great Gatsby

Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby is something we could watch over and over. And 'The Great Gatsby' is the perfect film to watch on repeat. The costumes and sets of Baz Luhrmann's feature are stunning and the music is divine.

Always Be My Maybe

Starring Ali Wong (whose Netflix specials 'Baby Cobra' and 'Hard Knock Wife' should also be checked out on Netflix) and Randall Park (probably best-known for playing Asian Jim on 'The Office'), 'Always Be My Maybe' sees two childhood friends reconnect later in life. As adults, she is now a celebrity chef and he still works for his dad's plumbing business. The Keanu Reeves cameo alone makes this a must-see.

A Royal Affair

Before 'Ex Machina', 'Testament of Youth' and 'Tomb Raider', Alicia Vikander came to moviegoers' attention in the award-winning historical drama 'A Royal Affair'. She plays a young queen, who is married to an insane king, and falls secretly in love with her physician. Mads Mikkelsen and Mikkel Følsgaard co-star and are also incredible.