There’s nothing quite like relaxing on a hot summer day or a cool summer night with a drink in hand and a good rom-com to get you in the right mood. Whenever the desire strikes to see a love story with some hearty laughs for good measure, Amazon Prime Video has tons of great rom-coms worth checking out this summer.
Some are older classics, others new movies that will have you laughing all the way through, and maybe getting a little emotional, too. Here, we have highlighted five rom-coms on Prime Video that are perfect to watch in the summer with the family, a partner, a group of friends, or even on your own.
Legally Blonde (2001)
Elle Woods is an icon that has bucked the “dumb blonde” stereotype. While the character, played by Reese Witherspoon, might come across as being shallow and maybe even ditzy, she’s anything but dumb. In this movie, the sorority girl becomes obsessed with getting her ex back and pursues a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School to prove that she’s worthy of his affection.
As Elle progresses through her studies, however, she begins to pick up the material better than she even realized she could. More importantly, she comes into her own, realizing that she’s more than just a pretty face and that Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) doesn’t deserve her. She also meets a man who sees her for the intelligent, driven woman she is, even if she doesn’t see him that way at first. It’s a predictable story, but that doesn’t make Legally Blonde any less entertaining.
Ticket to Paradise (2022)
Frequent collaborators George Clooney and Julia Roberts will have you laughing all the way through Ticket to Paradise, a breezy movie about a divorced couple forced to team up when they believe their daughter is about to make a huge mistake. After graduating from college, Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) meets the man of her dreams while on vacation, a Balinese seaweed farmer named Gede (Maxime Bouttier). She makes the rash and impulsive decision to forego her legal career aspirations, get married, and stay in Bali instead.
The shocked and concerned parents try everything they possibly can to tear the couple apart and bring their daughter back to her senses, going way too far in many cases. They’re worried she’ll make the same mistake they did. It’s all to hilarious effect, however, and Clooney and Roberts’ real-life friendship creates incredible chemistry between the two in Ticket to Paradise that make them believable as ridiculously feuding divorcees.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Rachel (Constance Wu) meets the man of her dreams in Nick (Henry Golding). But she soon discovers that not only is her boyfriend extremely wealthy, but no matter what she does, she’ll never be good enough for his family. In particular, her judgmental mother Eleanor (Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Michelle Yeoh) will never accept her. Rachel comes from a middle-class American family, and in Eleanor’s eyes, she is not worthy of her son’s affections.
In a typical tale of forbidden love, Rachel grapples with reconciling her deep feelings for Nick with the unwelcome feelings she gets from his family. While he’s willing to give it all up to be with her, does she want that burden on her shoulders? Crazy Rich Asians is a sweet story that has been told time and time again, but this one has some unique twists.
My Fake Boyfriend (2022)
Was My Fake Boyfriend well reviewed? No, although Digital Trends liked it enough. Is the movie sort of corny? Absolutely. But sometimes, that’s just what you want for a good summer movie you can watch in the back of the RV on a road trip, at a campsite while enjoying the great outdoors, or while relaxing in a cottage with a margarita or a cold beer with friends.
My Fake Boyfriend is about Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale) who follows his best friend Jake’s advice (Dylan Sprouse) to create a fake boyfriend on social media to prevent his ex from trying to get back together with him. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, Andrew meets a new man who he actually wants to date. Andrew soon discovers that breaking up with a fake boyfriend is even more difficult than breaking up with a real one.
The Big Sick (2017)
You’ll probably cry more than you laugh with The Big Sick, but the movie, written by Eternals actor Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon (and loosely based on their relationship) is worth watching. It tugs at the heartstrings as a relatable, modern-day story of an interracial couple dealing with their cultural differences.
Kumail (Nanjiani) meets and dates Emily (Zoe Kazan), but his traditional Pakistani parents are adamant that he participates in an arranged marriage. The pressure leads to a breakout, but then Emily gets sick. Emily’s parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) are pleasantly surprised with Kumail’s dedication to their daughter, especially as he sits by her side while she’s in a coma. It’s a sweet story about sacrifice and, more important, love, through thick and thin.
