Every year, Netflix adds more movies to its Christmas romantic comedy selection. While these movies haven’t been out for very long, they are definitely really popular on the internet. Many of these movies are popular because they are delightfully bad in the way that Hallmark movies are, but they have their own unique Netflix spin on things.
To date, there are nine Netflix Christmas rom-coms, with more to come soon. We’ve ranked all of the Netflix Christmas romantic comedies leading up to the best and most iconic of them all. Find out which is the best in our list!
HOLIDAY IN THE WILD (2019)
Of all of the movies on this list, Holiday in the Wild is the least lovable because it’s the most problematic. While a movie that takes place at an elephant rescue should be endearing, the actual human characters make this movie bad. Case in point: the film is set in Africa, yet the two romantic leads are both white people.
All of the black people in the film are secondary characters at best, and it’s unfortunate that this movie didn’t tell the same story but use black leads instead. It’s not a very Christmassy movie either, and even the adorable baby elephants aren’t enough to save this mess.
A CHRISTMAS PRINCE: THE ROYAL BABY (2019)
This film is the third in the Christmas Prince trilogy, and while the first movie in this franchise might have started it all as far as Netflix holiday rom-coms are concerned, The Royal Baby isn’t that inspired.
While these movies are clearly very loosely tied to real-life stories about royalty like Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, a Christmas romantic comedy centered around a baby is just a bit too full of cringe. This film is as corny as it gets.
CHRISTMAS INHERITANCE (2017)
While films with Vanessa Hudgens and the Christmas Prince trilogy might be the stars in the Netflix holiday crown, there are a few others that are completely separate. Christmas Inheritance is one of these.
The story is all about a woman taking over her father’s business who falls in love with a small-town boy who owns an inn. The movie just isn’t that forgettable, and the two leads didn’t have a lot of chemistry. It’s definitely cheesy, but it’s not memorable enough to need to watch more than once.
THE KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (2019)
The Knight Before Christmas is one of the most recent holiday romances that Netflix has released as it came out earlier this year. In this story, Sir Cole, a knight from the 1300s, is sent by a good witch to the modern day where he falls in love with a teacher played by Vanessa Hudgens.
This movie is extra ridiculous because of the whole time-traveling thing, and it’s hard to forgive the plot sometimes. There are so many plot holes here, and it’s just bad in all the wrong ways and none of the good ways you’d expect from a movie like this.
A CHRISTMAS PRINCE: THE ROYAL WEDDING (2018)
The Royal Wedding is the sequel to the original and continues the story of Amber and Prince Richard. This movie follows up on all the corny and lovable moments from the first, but it’s just not quite as charming.
This is probably because of all of the silly things that were forgivable the first time around start to get even more out there when repeated. While it’s a fun watch if you just want to chill and watch something next to a fire, it’s definitely not as good as the first one.
THE HOLIDAY CALENDAR (2018)
The Holiday Calendar might not get talked about as much as some of the other films on this list, but it’s actually pretty good. This movie stars Kat Graham who plays a photographer named Abby.
It’s got all of the trope-filled moments you would expect from a movie like this, and it’s also diverse. Unlike every Hallmark movie ever, both leads in this film are people of color. The acting is fairly believable here, and it’s a fresh take on the typical rom-com notes you love.
THE PRINCESS SWITCH (2018)
Other than A Christmas Prince, The Princess Switch is definitely the most talked-about Netflix holiday romance so far. This movie stars Vanessa Hudgens who plays two characters. These characters look exactly alike, and so they decide to change places for the holiday.
It’s a ridiculous premise, but it combines so many tropes in the romance genre it’s hard to resist. It’s got princesses, love, switching roles, Christmas moments, and much more. So, while it’s, of course, a bit over the top, it’s also rather endearing.
LET IT SNOW (2019)
Let It Snow is definitely a lot different than the other movies on this list. It’s a movie that combines a variety of different storylines of a group of high schoolers in the same small town. This is a film that’s more for a teen audience, but many adults will enjoy it, too. While it’s not necessarily groundbreaking, the acting in it is good, and it’s surprisingly less cheesy than most of the other movies on this list.
Starring the likes of Kiernan Shipka, this movie also features a queer couple which is definitely refreshing to see from a Christmas romance. Hopefully, Netflix and others will take note and make more holiday movies that star diverse characters and tell love stories that represent many kinds of people.
A CHRISTMAS PRINCE (2017)
Of course, no movie could be at the top of this list but the original A Christmas Prince. This movie is really what started it all for Netflix and put them on their way to becoming the new stop for delightfully silly Christmas romances. Amber is a journalist who tries to get information on the royal family by pretending to be a tutor for the princess.
But, of course, she ends up falling in love with the prince of Moldavia, and the two get together in the end. This movie might not be good in any way, but this is what makes it great.
