What to Watch With Your Boyfriend Tonight
Short answer: pick the mood before you pick the movie. Most “what do you want to watch?” fights aren’t about the movie at all. One of you wants to laugh, the other wants to feel something, and you’re both scrolling titles hoping the other one gives up first.
So settle the mood first. Funny, tense, or a little romantic? Then pick from that one row. If you can’t agree on a mood, go for a comedy with some action in it or a good thriller. Those are the two genres almost every couple will sit through. Animated movies come third, and they get there more often than you’d think.
Below are 24 picks in 4 groups (not too romantic, funny, thrillers he’ll pick that you’ll like too, and shows), plus a plan for nights when you can’t decide. We left out the usual Notebook-and-La-La-Land list on purpose. That one is our 30 best movies for couples if you want it.
Movies to Watch With Your Boyfriend That Aren’t Too Romantic
For when he’s said “nothing mushy” and you’d still like somebody to kiss somebody at some point.
- Palm Springs (2020). Two wedding guests stuck living the same day over and over. It’s a rom-com, but it plays like a sci-fi comedy, so nobody complains.
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Tom Cruise dies on repeat until Emily Blunt trains him into a better soldier. Action for him, and she’s the best part of it.
- The Fall Guy (2024). A stuntman, a missing movie star, and Ryan Gosling getting thrown through things. There’s a love story in there, but it doesn’t slow anything down.
- Ready or Not (2019). A bride’s new in-laws play a wedding-night game of hide and seek, and they’re not kidding. Half horror, half comedy, very fast.
- Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). Okay, it’s romantic. But it’s mostly a comedy about guys being bad at dating, and the twist near the end gets everyone.
- Free Guy (2021). A video game background character figures out he’s in a game. Funny, bright, and nobody needs to have played a game to follow it.
Funny Movies You’ll Both Laugh At
- The Nice Guys (2016). Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe as two terrible detectives in 1970s LA. Gosling screaming in a bathroom stall is worth the whole movie.
- Hot Fuzz (2007). A too-good London cop gets sent to a quiet village where everyone is hiding something. Rewatches well, because you catch the setups the second time.
- Bridesmaids (2011). If he says he won’t like it, put it on anyway. The airplane scene settles it.
- The Other Guys (2010). Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the desk cops nobody respects. Dumb in a way that’s very hard to pull off.
- Glass Onion (2022). A murder mystery on a billionaire’s island that’s as much comedy as whodunit. You’ll both be guessing out loud.
- Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Animated, funny, and genuinely beautiful to look at. It’s a safe yes for people who “don’t do cartoons”.
Thrillers and Action He’ll Pick, That You’ll Like Too
- Prisoners (2013). Two kids go missing and a father stops trusting the police. Heavy, tense, and you’ll talk about the ending for a while.
- Arrival (2016). Aliens land and a linguist has to figure out how to talk to them. It looks like a sci-fi movie and turns out to be about something much closer to home.
- John Wick (2014). Simple story, great fights, one very good dog. If he’s never seen it, now’s the time.
- Baby Driver (2017). A getaway driver who times every chase to his playlist. The music does half the work.
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001). A casino heist with a cast that’s having the most fun of anyone in Hollywood. Easy, stylish, nobody gets stressed.
- Dune (2021). Big, slow, gorgeous. Best on the largest screen you have, with the lights off and phones somewhere else.
Shows to Watch With Your Boyfriend
When neither of you has two hours of focus left, one episode is an easier yes.
- Only Murders in the Building. Three neighbors start a true-crime podcast about a death in their building. Funny and cozy at the same time.
- Severance. Office workers have their work memories split from their home memories. You’ll want the next episode right away, so pace yourselves.
- Abbott Elementary. A mockumentary about underfunded teachers in Philadelphia. 20 minutes, always a laugh.
- Ted Lasso. An American football coach ends up coaching English soccer. Sweeter than it sounds, and he’ll like it more than he lets on.
- The Bear. A chef takes over his late brother’s sandwich shop in Chicago. Stressful, but the good kind.
- Schitt’s Creek. A rich family goes broke and has to live in a motel in the one town they still own. Starts slow, then you can’t stop.
What to Watch With Your Boyfriend on Netflix Right Now
Streaming catalogs change every month, so this list pulls from JustWatch and updates daily. If one of the picks above isn’t on your services, the picker shows you what is.
Checking what’s on Netflix in the US today… If nothing shows up, try the movie picker.
Availability: JustWatch, via TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
How to Pick a Movie With Your Partner Without a 30-Minute Scroll
- Say the mood out loud. Funny, tense, romantic, or “something I don’t have to think about”. Takes ten seconds and kills most of the arguing.
- Each of you names one title. Then stop. Two options, not twenty. Flip a coin if you have to.
- Or let something else pick. The CoupleMoment movie match asks if you’re staying in or going out, what mood you’re in, and which services you have. Then it shows one movie at a time, starting with what’s on your services tonight.
Planning the whole evening, not just the film? Here are 12 movie night at home ideas, and if you’re still choosing a service, which streaming service is best for couples.
Questions About What to Watch With Your Boyfriend
What's a good movie to watch with my boyfriend for the first time?
Something funny with a bit of action, like Palm Springs or The Nice Guys. You'll laugh at the same moments, which is a better first movie night than a long drama where you're both too quiet.
What do you watch with a boyfriend who hates romance movies?
Thrillers and action-comedies with a love story on the side: Edge of Tomorrow, The Fall Guy, Baby Driver, Free Guy. He gets the explosions, you get the chemistry.
What can we watch together when we're long distance?
Start the same movie at the same time and stay on a call, or use Teleparty if you both have Netflix. Shows work better than movies here, since episodes are short and easy to sync.
How do couples decide what to watch?
Pick a mood first, then each person names one title. Two choices is a decision, twenty is a scroll. If that still stalls, hand it to a picker and agree in advance to watch whatever comes up first.