Best Romance Movies You Can Watch for Free on YouTube

Summary

• Free romance movies on YouTube offer classic screwball plots and feel-good rom-coms for cozy nights in.
• From The Accidental Husband to Ball of Fire, there’s a range of romances available with a simple click on YouTube.
• Keep up with YouTube’s latest free offerings for rom-com fans like What Women Want and The Back-Up Plan for a heartfelt movie night.

Nothing screams a cozy night in quite like a good Romance movie. With so many streaming platforms at our disposal, each with their own select user fee, it’s hard not to spend an arm and a leg to tame that love story fix. Viewers who know where to look, however, can find some of their favorites go tos free of charge if they know where to look. Fortunately, the number of no-charge streaming options has soared in recent years. Those willing to sit through an ad or five will find their options ripe for watching.

Oldie but goodie YouTube just so happens to be one of these options.YouTube has a plethora of movies to choose from that are free (with ads). While obvious favorites like TheTwilight Saga and forgotten cult classics like Cry, Baby abound, there are far more options for those looking for a classic screwball or drama. From Ball of Fire to A Walk to Remember, to What Women Want, here are some of the best romance movies you can watch for free on YouTube.

Updated March 9th, 2024 by Amanda Minchin: Rom-com fanatics and the like will be glad to know this article was just updated to include YouTube’s most up-to-date listings!

10 The Accidental Husband (2008)

The Accidental Husband is a romantic comedy from 2008 that starred Uma Turman as Emma and The Walking Dead‘s own Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Patrick. In this film, radio host and relationship advice guru Emma’s world is turned upside down when her upcoming marriage to Richard (Colin Firth) is delayed because she is still technically married to a man named Patrick. Patrick is a firefighter and the cunning mastermind behind Emma’s troubles. He fabricates an elaborate plan for revenge that eventually leads to an unintentional and unexpected love story.

A Classic 2000s Delight

The title alone practically guarantees a formulaic, feel-good time. Uma Thurman provides a knock-out performance worthy of screwball originals, and her co-stars aren’t too shabby either. Colin Firth is notorious for his leading male roles in romcoms like Bridget Jones’ Diary, so his casting is perfect. Jeffrey Dean Morgan shows a familiarly scheming, but far more wholesome side to his acting repertoire. The film is chock-full of the typical screwball plot devices, from overly complicated problem-solving to impractically dramatic stakes, and has all the makings of a comfortable rom-com binge.

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9 The Back-Up Plan (2010)

Continuing on the romantic comedy train, 2010’s The Back-Up Plan, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O’Loughlin, is a solid choice for a free movie on YouTube. This rollercoaster of a plot starts with a desperate Zoe (Lopez), whose internal clock is ticking into overtime. Tired of waiting for the perfect relationship, she decides to get artificially inseminated in order to start a family. She then meets Stan (O’Loughlin) and the two completely hit it off. Zoe might have found her one and only, but is that one and only ready for fatherhood?

A Surprisingly Poignant Rom-Com

Kudos are in order for an early 2010s film about artificial insemination and its surrounding cultural questions. Jennifer Lopez is an icon in more ways than one, including her romcom lead prowess. While Alex O’Loughlin may perhaps be better known for his stint as Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett on Hawaii Five-0, he manages to bring his comedic genre-mashing chops to the role. While the premise is fresh, the momentum of this film can be a bit still at times, its ending is far worth the wait.

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8 What Women Want (2000)

What Women Want is a classic pairing of rivals to relations. In it, Mel Gibson plays chauvinist advertising exec Nick Marshall who, after a freak accident with a blow dryer, is suddenly able to eavesdrop on women’s thoughts. Having recently lost a promotion and with his company looking to conquer the more feminine market, he uses this newfound skill to his advantage to listen in on his new boss, Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt). Of course, this causes him to fall hard for her in the process. Between repairing his relationships with his female co-workers (and his young daughter) and coming up with the perfect ad campaign to impress his bosses, he takes full advantage of this newfound gift for as long as it lasts.

A Formula that Works

Acclaimed filmmaker Nancy Meyers is at her best in this film, as are Hunt and Gibson. Both actors were at the top of their game at the time, and their onscreen chemistry is absolutely electric. The message of empathy for one’s fellow man (or woman, in this case), is hard to deny. Marshall’s behavior is shown to stem from his upbringing in a casino, an insight that might otherwise have been lost in less adept hands. There’s a formulaic nature to this film, yes, but it only serves to punctuate the story and its message all the more.

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7 Penelope (2006)

Penelope tells the story of a family cursed by the decisions of their ancestors to not accept a pair of young lovers. In the present day, Penelope (Christina Ricci), an aristocratic heiress, is born with a pig snout as a result. The only way to break the curse is to find her true love, someone who will wholeheartedly accept her, snout and all. Her well-meaning, but utterly misguided parents hide her from the world for years… that is until, sometime after her 18th birthday, when they decide to take her love life into their own hands. Their attempts to set her up with a fellow blueblood, however, go horribly awry, leading Penelope to strike off on her own in search of acceptance.

Elevated by a Brilliant Ensemble Cast

Released during the height of fable fantasy fervor, this modern take on classic fairy tale tropes is nothing short of delightful. There is a message of acceptance hidden deep beneath the overtures of classism. Plus, this cast reads like an understated who’s who, from Catherine O’Hara as Penelope’s mother, to James McAvoy as a kind, but subterfuging suitor, to Peter Dinklage and Reese Witherspoon as newfound friends Penelope finds along the way. And, with a PG rating, the film is wholesome enough to binge with some younger loved ones in tow.

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6 Ball of Fire (1941)

Ball of Fire is a classic screwball comedy featuring Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper. The story centers around a group of bachelors (and one widower) who live and work together in a prim and proper pad. Desperate to understand and learn some more modern colloquialisms to add to the work, the youngest of them, Professor Potts, a grammarian in American slang, turns to Katherine “Sugarpuss” O’Shea for advice. A nightclub performer by trade, she only agrees to stay after finding herself on the run from police as a result of her mob boyfriend’s shenanigans. The pair, of course, take a liking to each other, but are forced to put their feelings aside momentarily for the sake of the book and their lives after Sugarpuss’ angry boyfriend comes a’calling.

A Screwball Comedy that Stands the Test of Time

This title perfectly encapsulates Stanwyck’s character, a firecracker with a silver tongue for ‘modern’ American colloquialisms. Obvious references to the fable of Snow White aside, this juxtaposition of stuffiness and flamboyance makes for some incredible screwball shenanigans. The chemistry between the two leads is rife, though they are at times outmatched by those of their academic companions. A common matter in romantic comedies, the couple’s attempts to save each other are of course what ultimately keep them apart for so long. Viewers will have to refrain from yelling at the screen for some more open and honest communication, which really would have solved just about all the woes of these two lovebirds to begin with.

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5 The Wedding Singer (1988)

The Wedding Singer features Adam Sandler as Robbie and Drew Barrymore as Julia, two features of the wedding circuit who are just perfect for each other. The only problem? Both of them are already engaged… to other people. That is until Robbie is dumped at the altar by his fiancé, who fell in love with his rock star persona and just can’t stomach his new career as a wedding singer. This puts an obvious damper on both his personal and professional life as his gigs turn more and more sour. What follows is the ultimate will-they-won’t-they as the newfound work pair finds their feelings for each other growing in spite of or because of their current and ex-spouses to be.

Irresistible Chemistry Between Sandler and Barrymore

This one is a classic on must-watch weekend re-runs for a reason. An early pairing between Sandler and Barrymore, it’s no wonder after watching this film why they would go on to star alongside each other in so many more films. This film is easily one of Sandler’s all-time best comedies, with just the right mix of oddball to offset the otherwise romantic tropes. Set in the ’80s with the costumes and soundtrack to match, this film has an understated realness of work relationships amid the ridiculousness of wedding day jams. Plus, it’s a chance to check out the comedic stylings of the always hilarious Ellen Albertini Dow as Rosie.

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4 Every Day (2018)

Based on the novel by David Levithan, Every Day follows the love story between 16-year-old Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), who falls in love with the mysterious ‘A’ (who is played by far too many actors to list here). ‘A’, you see, is a traveling spirit, an entity that wakes up in a different living teenage body, regardless of gender, every day. Rhiannon first meets ‘A’ when they wake up in the body of Justin, her otherwise neglectful boyfriend. A day spent alongside her, of course, causes ‘A’ to fall madly in love with her, which leads them to seek her out long after he leaves her boyfriend behind. Upon learning his secret, Rhiannon is challenged to fall and stay in love with someone whose gender-fluid, outward-facing form is forever in flux.

A Romance with Philosophical Undertones

This film does a stellar job of creating purpose for the characters in a cohesive narrative, it also manages to sneak in a handful of ethical conundrums, mostly centering around the agency of ‘A’ as they take over the lives of others. The bodies ‘A’ possess do not usually remember their previous day(s) spent taken over by ‘A’. This begs the question of whether it is fair for ‘A’ to exist in others, especially when they take over bodies for an extended period of time, living their lives for them. The answer is, in a word no, a sad fact that both Rhiannon and ‘A’ both come to accept after time. Thankfully, ‘A’ manages to use their powers for good, for the most part, and still manages to leave an indelible impact on the lives they briefly possess.

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3 The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)

There’s nothing like a bit of time travel to up the stakes for romance. The Time Traveler’s Wife stars Eric Bana as the traveler in question, Henry DeTamble, and Rachel McAdams as Clare Abshire, his wife. Based on Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 novel, the film follows DeTamble’s entrances and exits into Clare’s life, which is the result of an uncontrollable para-genetic disorder. As a result, he travels back and forth between different important moments of his life without notice. Unable to change much about them, he struggles to develop a relationship with the love of his life, for whom his sudden appearances and reappearances throughout the course of her life eventually take their toll.

Another Sci-Fi-Tinged Romance

There is a graceful fluidity to this romance in what might otherwise have been marred with overwrought science-fiction explanations. While it is at first unsettling to watch DeTamble meet up with his wife in her pre-pubescent years and beyond, their involvement over time serves to both bond them together and tear them apart. There is an uneasy feeling of knowing what will pass, reliving old memories in real-time, and not being able to spend moments in said real-time with the ones you love. The mystery of not knowing when and where the main character will appear and reappear makes for some brilliant dramatic moments, which are only punctuated further by the unknown of just when they might happen.

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2 Overboard (1987)

Overboard is an ’80s comedy classic. Starring real-life partners Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, this film follows a bratty socialite (Hawn) who loses her memory after falling overboard her yacht. The repair person she recently fired, Russell, comes to her aid but decides to use her loss to his advantage. Claiming to be her husband, he brings her home from the hospital to take care of his brood of rambunctious boys in their stuffed to the seams house. What will happen when she falls wise to his ploy? Will she stay ‘married’ and give up her former lifestyle? Or abandon this strange man and his family altogether. This film, which was remade in 2018, is available on YouTube alongside the remake.

A Strange Premise that Has Aged Surprisingly Well

While the concept in this film is undoubtedly alarming, there is a deftness to the handling of this gaslighting plot. This is due, in part, to the skill of screenwriter Leslie Dixon, who would go on to create even more cult favorites like Mrs. Doubtfire just a few years later. The chemistry between Russell and Hawn, as well as their ability to play so well off of each other comedically, is why this film stands out as so crazily re-watchable years later, Stockholm syndrome and all. By some magic of filmmaking, both Russell’s character and that of his rambunctious brood, seem to somehow, inexplicably, grow on the viewer with each watch.

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1 A Walk to Remember (2002)

The iconic teen drama A Walk to Remember is based on an early Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. The film stars Shane West as Landon and Mandy Moore as Jamie. What starts out as a classic ’50s Romeo and Juliet story meets 10 Things I Hate About You takes a hard turn into reality as forces beyond their control serve to push them apart. Will Jamie’s illness push them apart? Love, understanding, and passion are constants as they navigate their youth with what time they have left.

A Timeless Tearjerker

There’s nothing like young love and a coming-of-age romance, particularly when that film is as highly rewatchable as this one is. Melodramatic to its core, A Walk to Remember features iconic performances by both Shane West and Mandy Moore in one of her earliest roles. Moore’s musical performance is expected, but stellar. Perhaps more poignant for fans of tearjerkers are their matrimonial scenes. Be prepared to break out the tissues for this one.

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