You always remember your first love, and the movies on this list will find their way into your head and heart in a similar fashion. The 12 best teenage romance movies on Netflix You always remember your first love, and the movies on this list will find their way into your head and heart in a similar fashion. By Ilana Gordon, :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ILANAGORDONHEADSHOT80577598f8ed442cacff5de184ceb9f5.jpg) Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

You always remember your first love, and the movies on this list will find their way into your head and heart in a similar fashion.

The 12 best teenage romance movies on Netflix

You always remember your first love, and the movies on this list will find their way into your head and heart in a similar fashion.

By Ilana Gordon,

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

EW's editorial guidelines

Chris Snellgrove,

and James Mercadante

March 8, 2026 9:00 a.m. ET

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Anna Chlumsky as Vada Sultenfuss in 'My Girl'; Lana Condor as Lara Jean Song-Covey in 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'; Hadley Robinson as Vivian Carter in 'Moxie'. Credit:

Columbia; Netflix (2)

Memories fade, but not all of them. The ones that stick around tend to be tied to feeling and novelty: a first kiss, first dance, first heartbreak. For better or worse, we take these loves and losses to the grave. That's why teen romance movies hit so hard — the memories might be buried, but certain kinds of stories bring them right back up to the surface.

If you're in the mood for romantic comedies about young love that transport you back in time, the streamer offers *Moonrise Kingdom* (2012) and *Licorice Pizza *(2021), which take place in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively. For more suggestions, keep reading **'s list of the 12 best teenage romance movies on Netflix.

20th Century Girl (2022)

Park Jung-woo as Baek Hyun-Jin and Kim Yoo-jung as Na Bo-Ra in '20th Century Girl'.

While *20th Century Girl* features many of the teen romance movie tropes you grew up with, this Korean film energizes even the most tired clichés. The story is familiar: A girl (Kim Yoo-jung) plays matchmaker for her ill friend (Roh Yoon-seo) by learning everything about her crush (Park Jung-woo). It doesn't take long, of course, for her to fall in love with the boy she's investigating. Between the charms of first love and the nuances of friendship, this teen movie is a winner. *—Chris Snellgrove*

Where to watch *20th Century Girl*: Netflix

**Director:** Bang Woo-ri

**Cast:** Kim Yoo-jung, Byeon Woo-seok, Park Jung-woo, Roh Yoon-seo

Crossroads (2002)

Anson Mount as Ben, Britney Spears as Lucy, Zoe Saldaña as Kit, and Taryn Manning as Mimi in 'Crossroads'.

Richard Foreman/Paramount Pictures

What do you get when you mix Shonda Rhimes, Britney Spears, and the great American highway? The answer is *Crossroads* — the ultimate coming-of-age road trip movie. Spears makes her leading lady debut as Lucy Wagner in this film written by Rhimes about three childhood best friends who have grown apart throughout high school, and decide to drive across the country together to reconnect.

Featuring Oscar winner Zoe Saldaña (2024's *Emilia Pérez*) and Taryn Manning in the roles of Lucy's friends and road trip buddies, the movie is, as EW's critic notes, designed to deliver Spears "to the big screen safe and sound." Even so, Spears is charming, and the film uses the drive from Georgia to Los Angeles to delve into issues like teen pregnancy, abandonment, and young love. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *Crossroads*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B+

**Director: **Tamra Davis

**Cast: **Britney Spears, Zoe Saldaña, Taryn Manning, Anson Mount, Dan Aykroyd

Dumplin' (2018)

Jennifer Aniston as Rosie Dickson in 'Dumplin''. Netflix

A coming-of-age Southern charmer imbued with the soul of Dolly Parton, *Dumplin' *is the story of Willowdean Dickson (Danielle Macdonald), a teenager who enters a local pageant overseen by her mom as an act of protest. When Willowdean's rebellion spurs other misfits to sign up for the pageant, too, Willowdean struggles to manage the relationships in her personal life, especially with her semi-estranged mother, Rosie (Jennifer Aniston).

Parton wrote 12 new songs for the movie, filled with mantras, melodies, and the motivation to just be yourself. EW's critic promises, "Like a pillow cross-stitched with sassy aphorisms, *Dumplin' *is kitschy and squishy and, if you let yourself, pretty sweet to sink into." *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Dumplin'*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Anne Fletcher

**Cast: **Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush, Maddie Baillio, Bex Taylor-Klaus

The Half of It (2020)

Leah Lewis as Ellie Chu and Daniel Diemer as Paul Munsky in 'The Half of It'. KC Bailey/Netflix/Everett

*The Half of It* is about a Chinese American ace student (Leah Lewis) who overcomes her shyness enough to help a tongue-tied jock (Daniel Diemer) win over the girl of his dreams (Alexxis Lemire). There's just one problem: She's fallen in love with her, too! The result is both refreshing and bittersweet; as EW's critic notes in their review, the movie's "examination of first love, and how our messy, well-intentioned attempts to do right by our own hearts can both wound and help us fumble toward the people we're meant to be, lands nicely." *—C.S.*

Where to watch *The Half of It*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B

**Director:** Alice Wu

**Cast:** Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire, Enrique Murciano, Wolfgang Novogratz

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The Kissing Booth (2018)

Jacob Elordi as Noah Flynn and Joey King as Shelly 'Elle' Evans in 'The Kissing Booth'.

The later films in this successful franchise feel more phoned in, but this first tale involving a teenage girl (Joey King) whose desire for the local bad boy (Jacob Elordi) threatens her friendship with his younger brother (Joel Courtney) still feels fun and fresh. When she ends up running the titular fundraiser, she must face her feelings far sooner than she was expecting. It's cheesy and over-the-top, but the characters are quite charismatic, and the idea that love can be very, very messy remains evergreen. *—C.S.*

Where to watch *The Kissing Booth*: Netflix

**Director:** Vince Marcello

**Cast: **Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Meganne Young, Molly Ringwald

Licorice Pizza (2021)

Cooper Hoffman as Gary Valentine and Alana Haim as Alana Kane in 'Licorice Pizza'. MGM

Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the San Fernando Valley with *Licorice Pizza*, a coming-of-age romance set in the 1970s. Alana Kane (Alana Haim) is a 25-year-old school photo assistant; Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is a 15-year-old actor and aspiring entrepreneur. The two have nothing in common, but after meeting during school picture day, they begin to build a friendship. PTA's script is a playful meditation on the life of a Valley kid in the '70s, a time when it felt like anything was possible, even when nothing was happening. EW's critic writes that the film "is a love letter to an era, and more than that a feeling: a tender, funny ramble forged in all the hope and absurdity of adolescence, one wild poly-blend rumpus at a time."* —I.G.*

Where to watch *Licorice Pizza*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Paul Thomas Anderson

**Cast: **Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper

Love at First Sight (2023)

Haley Lu Richardson as Hadley Sullivan and Ben Hardy as Oliver Jones in 'Love at First Sight'.

Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection

People can endlessly debate whether love at first sight exists, but this film asks what would happen if two young adults (Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy) fell head over heels on a plane and then lost touch immediately afterward. The answer is simple: They move heaven and earth to find one another again. Everything about the plot is saccharine-sweet, of course, but there is something strangely motivational about watching these lovebirds refuse to let life get in the way of their inevitably sappy reunion. *—C.S.*

Where to watch *Love at First Sight*: Netflix

**Director:** Vanessa Caswill

**Cast: **Haley Lu Richardson, Ben Hardy, Jameela Jamil, Rob Delaney, Sally Phillips

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Bill Murray as Mr. Bishop, Frances McDormand as Mrs. Bishop, Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward, and Bruce Willis as Captain Sharp in 'Moonrise Kingdom'.

Wes Anderson knows whimsy, and in *Moonrise Kingdom*, the director constructs a beautiful elegy to young love. Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, this coming-of-age dramedy follows two 12-year-old misfits as they become pen pals and agree to run away together.

Visually constructed using Anderson's pastel palette and cast with some of his favorite stock players, the film combines dreamy, youthful fantasy with religious allegory, and ends up with a story that feels both edgy and innocent. Edward Norton is a treat in his role as the scoutmaster in charge of a local summer camp, but it's the performances by the film's child actors — Jared Gilman as Sam and Kara Kayward as Suzy, both industry novices — that make *Moonrise Kingdom* one of Anderson's most compelling projects. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Moonrise Kingdom*: Netflix

**Director: **Wes Anderson

**Cast: **Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton

Moxie (2021)

Hadley Robinson as Vivian Carter in 'Moxie'.

Netflix channels the rebellious spirit of '90s magazines like *Sassy* with *Moxie*, their adaptation of Jennifer Mathieu's YA novel. Vivian Carter (Hadley Robinson) is a 16-year-old who befriends Lucy (Alycia Pascual-Peña), a new student who awakens her to all the harassment and abuse the girls at their school face. Inspired to make a change, Vivian starts an anonymous feminist zine, which helps her discover her voice as she contends with a new relationship and familial challenges. Amy Poehler appears in a supporting role as Vivian's mother, but it's her directorial work that lends this project its progressive and feisty backbone. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Moxie*: Netflix

**Director: **Amy Poehler

**Cast: **Hadley Robinson, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Lauren Tsai, Nico Hiraga, Patrick Schwarzenegger

My Girl (1991)

Macaulay Culkin as Thomas J. Sennett and Anna Chlumsky as Vada Sultenfuss in 'My Girl'.

*My Girl* is the movie that traumatized a generation, but it's also a sweet coming-of-age rom-com. Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin star as Vada Sultenfuss and Thomas J. Sennett, two 11-year-old friends who experience a memorable summer together in 1972. Though known for its devastating climax, the heart of the film lies in Vada and Thomas's relationship, a platonic friendship that starts to seem less so as the summer wears on.

Chlumsky is charisma personified in her breakout role, and the relationship between supporting players Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis gives the film another layer of romantic energy. *My Girl *got flak upon its release for its seemingly saccharine tone, but as the world has gotten scarier, *My Girl* is a rom-com reminder of simpler and sweeter times. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *My Girl*: Netflix

**Director: **Howard Zieff

**Cast:** Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky, Griffin Dunne

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)

Noah Centineo as Peter Kavinsky and Lana Candor as Lara Jean Song-Covey in 'To All the Boys I've Loved Before'. Netflix

*To All the Boys I've Loved Before* has a nightmare premise: A teen (Lana Condor) writes intense love letters to five boys she fancies (including Noah Centineo) but never sends them. That changes when her little sister (Anna Cathcart) mails each confession and unleashes chaos as each crush confronts her about their unrequited love. Even with its fluffy plot, the film still has much to say about dating, friendship, and the line between them.

EW's critic admits this is "strictly Disney Channel stuff, but it's got more substance than you expect. And Condor as Lara Jean has a winning, be-true-to-yourself sense of independence that's infectious." *—C.S.*

Where to watch *To All the Boys I've Loved Before*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director:** Susan Johnson

**Cast: **Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

Adam Sandler as Danny Friedman (center) and Sunny Sandler as Stacy Friedman (right) in 'You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah'. Courtesy of Netflix

Producing and starring in this full-blooded Sandler soirée, Adam Sandler steps aside for his youngest daughter, Sunny, to shine in her debut starring role as Stacy Friedman: a seventh grader experiencing a world of firsts — from trading Converses for heels to planning the ultimate bat mitzvah, complete with a private yacht on the Hudson River and Olivia Rodrigo cruising by on a jet-ski.

However, when Stacy's parents (Sandler and Idina Menzel) disapprove of her grand plans, and BFF Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) defects to the middle school's popular clique — dating Stacy's longtime crush (Dylan Hoffman) in the process — the soon-to-be woman won't let anything prevent her from hosting a "kick-ass party." The film presents a charming yet cringe-worthy peek into pre-teen shenanigans through fierce Gen-Z wit.—*James Mercadante*

Where to watch *You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah*: Netflix

**Director: **Sammi Cohen

**Cast: **Idina Menzel, Jackie Sandler, Adam Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movie"

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Source: Movie

Published: March 8, 2026 at 11:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

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