Do you believe in love at first sight? Because there are a lot more than three rom-coms like Netflix’s Love at First Sight. It’s a very popular trope in Hollywood, but it plays on our collective hope that we’ll find someone to love and possibly feel an intimate connection from the start. That’s one of the reasons why Love at First Sight has ended Woody Woodpecker‘s reign of terror on top of the ten most popular movies on Netflix.
Vanessa Caswill directed this adaptation of Jennifer E. Smith’s novel, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. Haley Lu Richardson stars in the film as Hadley Sullivan, a young woman who is traveling to London for her father’s second wedding. At the airport, Hadley meets and connects with Oliver Jones (Ben Hardy), who is coming home to London after a trip to the states. The pair end up sitting next to each other on the plane ride and they spend hours getting to know each other only to be separated when they arrive in the United Kingdom. The rest of the story is about them finding their way back to each other.
Love at First Sight is a charming rom-com, and if you’re looking for more stories like this then you’ve come to the right place. These are our picks for the three rom-coms like Netflix‘s Love at First Sight that you should watch on your next movie night.
Love at First Kiss (2023)
Despite the similar names, Love at First Kiss is not directly related to the recently released Love at First Sight. Although there are some thematic similarities, this film has one foot in the realm of fantasy because Javier (Álvaro Cervantes) has a bit of a superpower. When Javier kisses women, he can see the outcome of his romantic relationships with them. That’s the extent of his power, but it keeps him from settling down with the wrong woman.
One day, Javier plants a slight and friendly kiss on Lucia (Silvia Alonso) and sees everything he’s been hoping for: A fulfilling romance that leads to marriage, children, and a beautiful life together. The problem is that Lucia is the girlfriend of Javier’s best friend, Roberto (Gorka Otxoa), and Javier isn’t sure how to go forward with Lucia without destroying his bond with Roberto.
Watch Love at First Kiss on Netflix.
Notting Hill (1999)
There’s nothing magical about the kisses in Notting Hill unless you count the way that Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) and Will Thacker (Hugh Grant) seem to love each other more and more with each smooch. Before Will even knows who Anna is, he feels an instant connection with her. Will soon discovers that Anna is one of the most famous actresses in the world, which makes her seem far out of reach to an ordinary bookshop owner who lives in Notting Hill.
Will is clearly intimidated by Anna’s world, and yet he’s also completely captivated by her. The feeling is mutual, but Anna’s fame and the constant attention of the press may put too much pressure on the relationship for it to survive.
Watch Notting Hill on Hulu.
Serendipity (2001)
Both Sara Thomas (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) feel the power of love at first sight in Serendipity. They just happen to resist it. After meeting by chance and really hitting it off despite both of them being in relationships with other people, Sara convinces Jonathan to let fate reunite them if they were meant to be together. Unfortunately for Jonathan, a turn of bad luck keeps him from reuniting with Sara on the same day.
Years later, Jonathan is engaged to Halley Buchanan (Bridget Moynahan), while Sara is in a relationship with Lars Hammond (John Corbett). As predicted by Sara, fate seems to be leading her and Jonathan back together. But that’s assuming they’ll read the signs correctly and realize that their current romantic partners aren’t the ones that they are meant to be with.
Watch Serendipity on Max.
