15 Movies To Watch If You Like Love Actually (& Where To Stream Them) (2024)

Love Actually is considered one of the best holiday-season movies of all time, and with its ensemble star-studded cast and a feel-good story, it might not seem like there are many more movies like Love Actually out there. The movie notably tells more than one love story at a time, exploring different phases of relationships, and it also features a large cast with each character getting plenty of screen time. Despite having unique stories, individuals are shown to be interlinked throughout its holiday season storylines.

Several movies have attempted to use this structure but only a few have managed to be entertaining at the same time. The romantic experiences of different individuals are what stand out as they do in these similar movies. Not all movies like Love Actually are set in the days leading up to Christmas, but surround different other family events, like weddings or funerals. Still others are romantic comedies that strike a similar tone to Love Actually, giving fans of the movie something else to watch instead of Love Actually on repeat.

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Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

Starring Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell

Love Actually's writer and director, Richard Curtis, had achieved quite a lot of success on TV by the mid-90s but his breakout movie success was his charming screenplay for the smash hit movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. It was also the breakout moment of star Hugh Grant's movie career, propelling him to global fame and cementing a long-running working relationship with Curtis.

The sweet and sentimental plot follows a group of romantically unlucky friends and their search for personal happiness through the years, punctuated by the titular get-togethers. Like Love Actually, the movie examines the bonds and love present in the ensemble.

Watch on Hoopla

About Time (2013)

Starring Domnhall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams

A much more recent movie from Richard Curtis, also directed by him, brings a lot of the same charm that made his early screenplays such massive successes but also adds a relatively high-concept sci-fi twist to the usual proceedings about life, love, loss, and laughter.

Domnhall Gleeson plays a young man who discovers an inherited ability to travel through time but, unlike the usual star-studded blockbuster fare, his struggles are grounded in his simple, relatable, goals like wooing Curtis' typically beautiful and enigmatic American love interest, in the form of Rachel McAdams, and starting a family of his own.

Rent on AppleTV+

The Family Stone (2005)

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Keaton

In The Family Stone, a man named Everett brings his girlfriend Meredith to his family home in New England with the intention of proposing. Sadly, due to her uptight personality, his family doesn't receive her well. She thus asks her sister Julie to join her for support. But then Everett ends up getting attracted to Julie. Elsewhere, Everett's gay brother happens to have a brilliant relationship with his partner and he can't help but wonder what the fuss is all about.

The film had an ensemble cast, but it was Sarah Jessica Parker who was outstanding. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. This was thanks to her portrayal of Everett's girlfriend Meredith.

Watch on Hulu

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan

A stone-cold classic in the romantic comedy genre, When Harry Met Sally follows the will-they-won't-they relationship of the title characters across many years in a similar way to what Four Weddings and a Funeral would later do with its main characters. This is different from other movies like Love Actually, which usually seek to tell their stories in a more condensed time period.

Nora Ephron's Oscar-nominated screenplay explores ideas about love and friendship between men and women in a witty and insightful way that's sure to strike a chord with fans of Love Actually and its memorable dialogue. The movie has a different format though, acting like a documentary with interviews with fictional couples about their own love lives interspersed in Harry and Sally's story.

Rent on AppleTV+

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan

Years later, Sleepless in Seattle screenwriter Nora Ephron found a similar level of smash-hit success in the romantic comedy genre as a director with her second feature film, Sleepless in Seattle.

The movie reteamed Ephron with star Meg Ryan from When Harry Met Sally and the addition of Tom Hanks as a lonely single father in this tale of long-distance romance would make for an iconic duo. The three would team up again for the similarly-themed You've Got Mail a few years later, making them the faces of the rom-com movie genre for the 1990s.

Watch on AMC

Four Christmases (2008)

Starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn

Despite being panned by critics, Four Christmases was a hit with audiences. After its release, it went on to make $164 million globally. The comedy also had a stellar cast that included Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, and John Voigt.

In the movie, Brad and Kate, a couple from San Fransisco, decide to go on a getaway during the Christmas holidays. Sadly, flights get canceled, and they decide to visit their parents. The problem is that both their parents are divorced and each is living with their new partner. They are thus forced to visit four homes and end up learning a lot about the four elderly couples and revisiting incidents from their own pasts.

Watch on Hulu

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles

10 Things I Hate About Youis a modern take on William Shakespeare's playThe Taming Of The Shrew. Many elements of the play are sampled and retold in a modern-day high school setting.

In the film, a student named Cameron falls for a good-looking female student named Bianca but he has a huge challenge ahead of him since her father is overprotective and won't allow her to date until her older sister does. In order to go around his rule, he sets Bianca's sister up with a bad boy so that her father can focus on keeping him away. The love lives of the two sisters thus end up getting very complicated.

Watch on Disney+

The Best Man Holiday (2013)

Starring Morris Chestnut and Taye Diggs

The film, which is the sequel to The Best Man (1999) was received favorably by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 71%. At the box office, it made a decent amount of $71 million.

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The plot revolves around a group of nine college friends who reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays. It doesn't take long for old romances and old rivalries to be reignited. Instead of the getaway being peaceful, dirty secrets are revealed. These end up making or breaking most of the characters.

Rent on AppleTV+

Think Like A Man (2012)

Starring Taraji P. Henson and Kevin Hart

Think Like A Man has a star-studded cast that includes Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Gabrielle Union, Regina Hall, Megan Good, and Sherri Shepard. Chris Brown and Steven Harvey make appearances too.

Just like Love Actually, the 2012 romantic comedy follows the love lives of different people. The plot revolves around different women who read Harvey's popular book Think Like A Man and decide to implement the teachings in it. After learning what they are up to, their boyfriends seek to counter their moves.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

Starring Nia Vardalos and Jon Corbett

One of the most infamous sleeper hits in the history of romantic comedy movies, My Big Fat Greek Wedding broke box office records for rom-coms without even ever reaching the number one spot, highlighting it as one of the most successful independent movies of all time.

Nia Vardalos' semi-autobiographical story struck a chord with movie fans the world over, as did her performance as the lead character, chronicling her trials while combining her life with her fiancée with her strongly Greek family. Her beloved screenplay was nominated at the Oscars and spawned two sequels beginning 14 years later.

Watch on Max

New Year's Eve (2011)

Starring Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Garner

Following the success of a similarly holiday-themed romantic comedy ensemble movie from the previous year, Valentine's Day, director Garry Marshall assembled a staggering collection of A-list actors, including several Oscar winners, for this collection of love stories set across New York City on New Year's Eve. Like many of the movies like Love Actually, the movie sought to draw connections between those different love stories.

Though not a critical success, Marshall's unabashed love for all things fluffy and schmaltzy makes it a guilty pleasure of rom-com lovers, and that's an indulgence that Love Actually fans can surely sympathize with. The cast, which includes Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Abigail Breslin, and Jon Bon Jovi works amazingly well, as do the various connections between their stories.

Watch on Max

The Holiday (2006)

Starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet

The Holiday had a stellar cast that included Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, and Jude Law. Eli Wallach—famous for playing the smooth-talking outlaw Tuco Ramirez in The Good, The Bad & The Ugly—also had a supporting role. It's one of the movies like Love Actually with a much smaller ensemble.

RELATED: 10 Most Heartwarming Christmas Movies

In the movie, a female executive whose company produces movie trailers swaps homes with a columnist for the Daily Telegraph during the Christmas period so that they both can escape their complicated love lives. But things become even more complicated for them when they both end up falling for local men.

Rent on AppleTV+

Trust The Man (2005)

Starring David Duchovny and Julianne Moore

Trust The Man wasn't received so well by critics, but it was highly praised for emphasizing the importance of making a marriage work. The plot closely follows three different relationships.

In the film, a married couple takes on the possibility of separation. Though they have sacrificed so much for one another, they begin to grow apart. They only have sex once a year so they end up cheating. Their two friends who are also a couple also become involved in their lives in ways they didn't expect. Eventually, they realize what really went wrong.

Rent on AppleTV

Let It Snow (2019)

Starring Isabela Merced and Kiernan Shipka

The Netflix film is based on a series of stories penned by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson. Events take place on Christmas Eve in a small fictional town in Chicago, Illinois.

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The plot revolves around a group of teenage friends who end up getting stranded in a snowstorm. Within a short time, conflicts arise between them, testing their love lives as well as their friendships. Let It Snow is very much Love Actually for a younger audience, and was received well by critics. It holds a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Watch on Netflix

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Starring Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth

Bridget Jones's Diary is based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name, and loosely inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Fielding also served as a screenwriter in the movie. For her performance as Bridget, Renee Zellweger received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. This marked the first time that a cast member of a rom-com had received a Best Actress nomination.

The plot revolves around Bridget, a 32-year-old woman, who decides to pen down every little wish she has in her diary, including getting the perfect man. Her desire to have a loving partner is more than fulfilled when several strong suitors show up in her life and try to win her affection. It's easy to imagine Bridget Jones fitting right into the Love Actually ensemble.

Rent on AppleTV+