Escaping Reality: A Review of Feel-Good Romantic Movies on Netflix

Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing; but I have never been in love; it is not my way or my nature; and I don’t think I ever shall. 

Jane Austen in her Novel Emma

I have always been a fan of romantic comedies. The genre always excites me to the core. They often awaken the hopeless romantic in me (guilty!).

Love is rare and at times, beyond our grasp. I try to find peace while watching such content. It instantly acts as an escapade from reality, making me believe that it only takes a moment to fall in love. However, I believe that one shouldn’t fall in love at first sight but rather gradually experience the love that makes you believe in the ever-existing goodness of the world, making you want to live, love, and be better. Of course, everybody wants to be loved but somewhere we are all stuck in a complicated era of relationships. But romantic movies give me a space to feel and introspect what real love could be. I wonder whether I will be able to experience such moments or know the ‘right’ way to fall in love. Nevertheless, as an ode to the rom-com fan in me, I present before you two of my current favorite rom-coms streaming on Netflix!

• LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (2023) was like a prologue to how a relationship could be. A refreshing watch, the two leads, Hadley and Oliver, begin to fall in love when they meet for the first time at an airport. Due to certain unfortunate events, they had to spend time together during the entire duration of the flight but they accidentally lost each other at the Customs. The story starts from here. Even though it had a typical love story plot, it was presented uniquely. The idea of finding ‘the one’ against all odds and powerful relationship dynamics are wonderfully depicted in the movie. There were several tearful moments and parallels in both of their stories but both of them have a commonality in navigating ways when they return to London, finding different ways to find each other. There’s also a narrator, who is surprisingly not a transcendental voice but shows up throughout the film like a guiding angel. It felt as if the movie communicated with me throughout. It touched upon pertinent human emotions such as fear, doubts, and insecurities in a meaningful and relatable way. Overall, it’s an amazing watch that can brighten up your mood.

• Love Again (2023) is different from a regular rom-com as its narrative has a distinctive plot involving meaningful and dramatic moments portrayed by enjoyable characters. It illustrates how a person must move on, cope with grief, and finally gain the strength to fall in love again. Although the film becomes the debut of the iconic singer Celine Dion, the plot itself sustains interest through the arc of Rob who finally understands the true meaning of love. It is a story where two people meet through technology. The story involves Mira, the female protagonist, who tragically loses her boyfriend, and two years later, her dead boyfriend’s cell phone number gets transferred to Rob’s work phone. He starts receiving texts from Mira and then Rob surprisingly falls in love with a person whom he’s never met. It’s a heart-touching story where the process of grieving and emotional and materialistic attachment has been articulately showcased. It also touches upon moving on and gaining the courage to search for the real meaning of life. 

I enjoyed watching them a lot. Hope my review helps you decide on your next rom-com watch! 

• #movie review
• #netflix
• #romanticcomedy