25 of the Best Holiday Romcoms
There are so many Christmas romcoms. Here are the ones you should watch.
With over 100 new holiday movies premiering this year alone, it can be daunting to decide on which ones to watch. My list of the 25 best holiday romcoms is a mix of classic films, Hallmark romances, and laugh-out-loud comedies.
My criteria for creating this list:
No obvious ones. I’m leaving out The Holiday and Love Actually because we’ve all seen those movies a thousand times. Side note: Could Elf be considered a romcom?
A rating of 6 or higher on IMDB.
Must have romcom elements: a leading couple, comedic moments, and a happy ending.
The Shop Around the Corner. Based on a play, Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) and Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) are employees at Matuschek and Company, an upscale store in Budapest. Klara and Alfred are constantly at odds with each other, butting heads and disagreeing on almost everything. Both are enamored of their respective pen pals, who serve as welcome distractions in their lives. Little do they know, they are each the other's pen pal and, despite outward differences, have unwittingly fallen in love through their letters. This movie was an inspiration for You’ve Got Mail. Streaming on MGM+. 8 on IMDB.
Catch Me If You Claus is a Christmas caper movie starring Luke Macfarlane and Italia Ricci. Macfarlane is Santa’s son, a himbo with a heart of gold who’s making the Christmas rounds for the first time. This movie got away with a lot for Hallmark! There’s even a steamy makeout scene. Streaming on Hallmark+. 6.6 on IMDB.
An Unexpected Christmas. Written by Paul Campbell, this movie is a young and fresh take on the Christmas rom com. Tyler Hynes’ character Jamie is the right mix of vulnerable and sarcastic. Bethany Joy Lenz plays his ex Emily, who gets roped into pretending they are still a couple to placate his family over the holidays. Streaming on Hallmark+. 6.9 on IMDB.
Love Hard. Starring Nina Dobrev, Darren Barnet, and Jimmy O. Yang. I loved the updated rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Streaming on Netflix. 6.3 on IMDB.
Christmas on Cherry Lane. Inspired by This Is Us, Christmas on Cherry Lane has an ensemble cast of familiar Hallmark stars: Catherine Bell, Jonathan Bennett, John Brotherton, Erin Cahill, James Denton, and Vincent Rodriguez III (Josh from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!). The movie follows three couples navigating the Christmas season, and there’s a fun twist that I didn’t see coming. 6.1 on IMDB.
Four Christmases. Starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughan. Okay, it scored less than a 6 on IMDB (it’s rated a 5.7). Four Christmases falls into the “so bad it’s good category” for me. By the middle of December, I need a laugh-out-loud comedy to help with the holiday stress. This movie is one of my go-tos. Streaming on Hulu.
Christmas Island. Starring Andrew Walker, Rachel Skarsten, and Kate Drummond. When a snowstorm diverts Kate's first private flight to the charming Christmas Island in maritime Canada, she must team up with an air traffic controller to secure her dream job as the family's pilot. Streaming on Netflix. 6.6 on IMDB.
The Preacher’s Wife. Starring Whitney Houston, Denzel Washington, and Courtney B. Vance. I grew up watching this holiday movie with my mom. Based on the classic Cary Grant movie The Bishop’s Wife, this updated version has an incredible soundtrack and a heartwarming story. Streaming on Hulu.
The Santa Summit. Starring Hunter King and Benjamin Hollingsworth. Jordin, a recently dumped art teacher, talks her coworker friends Ava and Stella into doing the Santa Summit: an all day event where people dress up as Santa Claus and participate in activities like line dancing and sledding. 6.9 on IMDB.
Round and Round. Starring Vic Michaelis and Bryan Greenberg. A time loop movie with a Hanukkah twist, this one premiered last year as part of Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. 7.1 on IMDB.
Three Wise Men and a Baby. Starring Andrew Walker, Tyler Hynes, and Paul Campbell. It was the most-watched cable TV movie of 2022. It’s light on the romance, but heavy on the comedy. In other words, a perfect movie for the Hallmark-hater in your life. And now there’s a sequel. Streaming on Hallmark+. 7.6 on IMDB.
The Holiday Sitter. Starring Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa, The Holiday Sitter is both a tender love story and a screwball comedy. It was nominated for Outstanding Film (Streaming or TV) by the GLAAD Media Awards. Streaming on Hallmark+. 6.6 on IMDB.
Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up. Starring Lacey Chabert and Wes Brown. Streaming on Netflix. It has one of my favorite lines of dialogue from any Hallmark movie:
Emily (Chabert): I’m really tired. I’m going to go to bed.
Jared (Brown): I can make you hot chocolate.
Emily: Not tonight. The hot chocolate window has officially closed.
Jared: Oh…It’s kind of early.
Emily: We’re closed.
Noel Next Door. Based on the book How the Grinch Stole My Heart, this movie stars Corey Sevier as Jeremy, the “Grinch” character. He’s a stroke survivor who struggles to navigate his life after his wife left him. Natalie Hall plays single mom Noelle who is in the middle of a bad divorce. She waits tables at the local diner where she meets Jeremy. Unbeknownst to them, they are also each other’s foes in their neighborhood. Streaming on Hoopla. 6.9 on IMDB.
Hanukkah on Rye. Starring Jeremy Jordan and Yael Grobglas. This was a fun twist on You’ve got Mail. A matchmaker connects two deli owners during Hanukkah, but their new romance gets put to the test when they realize they're competing against each other. Streaming on Hoopla. 7.3 on IMDB.
Ghosts of Christmas Always. Starring Kim Matula and Ian Harding. Inspired by A Christmas Carol. Structurally it was unique and didn’t follow the hallmark formula. Diverse cast + unpredictable twists that kept me guessing. Streaming on Hoopla. 7.5 on IMDB.
A Holiday Spectacular. Starring Gina Claire Mason. A visual delight set in 1950s NYC. The screenwriter based the script on the idea that Grace Kelly’s character from The Philadelphia Story ditched her fiancé and ran off to join the Rockettes. Streaming on Peacock. 7.3 on IMDB.
A Biltmore Christmas. Starring Bethany Joy Lenz and Kristoffer Polaha, this was my favorite Christmas movie that came out last year. Streaming on Netflix, this movie has a 7.8 on IMDB.
Christmas in Connecticut. Starring the iconic Barbara Stanwyck, this movie is credited with giving Hallmark and other networks the traditional Christmas romcom formula. A food writer who has lied about being the perfect housewife must try to cover her deception when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her home for a traditional family Christmas. 6.4 on IMDB.
Window Wonderland. Starring Paul Campbell and Chyler Leigh. This is a quippy romcom with lots of bantering dialogue between the two leads. There are three big twists, including a surprise role by a legendary country music singer. Streaming on Hallmark+. 6.7 on IMDB.
Crashing Through the Snow. Starring Amy Acker and Warren Christie. A divorced couple with two daughters spend the holiday with the ex-husband’s new girlfriend and her rich parents. When the new girlfriend’s brother comes to town, he and the ex-wife team up together to create a little Christmas mayhem. Streaming on Hallmark+. 7.1 on IMDB.
Nine Lives of Christmas. Starring Kimberley Sustad and Brandon Routh. Even though I don’t like cats, in this movie I found the cats to be adorable. Fireman Zachary Stone (Routh) is a confirmed bachelor who doesn’t believe in love or commitment. When a stray tabby cat named Ambrose shows up at his door, Zachary takes him in and slowly starts to see that a little companionship might not be so bad after all. Zachary’s commitment to solitude is further challenged when he meets Marilee (Sustad), an animal lover and veterinary student who teaches Zachary how to care for his new feline roommate. It’s a perennial favorite for a reason. Streaming on Hoopla. 7.2 on IMDB.
Something From Tiffany’s. Starring Zoey Deutch and Kendrick Sampson. A woman gets up-ended when a Tiffany engagement ring that was for someone else leads her to the person she's meant to be with. Streaming on Prime. 6.2 on IMDB.
The Christmas House. This movie was my gateway drug for Hallmark Christmas movies. The Christmas House is charming and heartfelt, with well-developed characters who have believable backstories. Robert Buckley is Mike Mitchell, a TV actor who has gone home for the holidays to help his parents and brother put on one last Christmas house for their community. Their family goes all out to decorate for the holidays, and with Phyllis in charge (Sharon Lawrence), not one branch will go unfluffed. If you have a Christmas movie cynic in your midst, I recommend showing them this one. Streaming on Peacock. 6.1 on IMDB.
While You Were Sleeping. Starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, and Peter Gallagher. I wrote a deep dive on this film because it’s one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. Streaming on Disney+. 6.8 on IMDB.
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