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12 Great LGBTQ Rom-Coms to Stream During Pride Month

Celebrate love (and happy endings!) with this delightful dozen


spinner image Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis hold hands in the film Happiest Season; Tomás Matos, Matt Rogers, Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho and Torian Miller embrace together in Fire Island; Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane walking next to each in the film Bros
(Left to right) Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis in "Happiest Season"; Tomás Matos, Matt Rogers, Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho and Torian Miller in "Fire Island"; Luke Macfarlane and Billy Eichner in "Bros."
Lacey Terrell/Hulu; Jeong Park/Searchlight; Nicole Rivelli/Universal Pictures

​As we celebrate Pride Month this June, there are plenty of movies you could watch to learn about the centuries-long struggle for gay rights, including Philadelphia, Milk, Pride and Stonewall. But that’s only one side of this celebratory occasion. Pride festivals are just as much about unbridled exuberance and joy as they are about protest and perseverance. In that spirit, we’ve put together a watch list of that most joyful of cinematic genres, the romantic comedy, featuring LGBTQ couples. These 12 films prove, as Lin-Manuel Miranda once said, that love is love is love is love ...

The Wedding Banquet (1993)

The premise: More than a decade before his acclaimed drama Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee, 68, wrote and directed this decidedly more lighthearted comedy, which earned an Oscar nomination for best foreign film. Young Taiwanese landlord Wai-Tung Gao (Winston Chao, now 63) lives with his American boyfriend in Manhattan, unbeknownst to his conservative parents back home. When they hire a dating service to find him a wife, Wai-Tung decides to enter into a marriage of convenience with his tenant, a poor artist named Wei-Wei (May Chin, 57) who needs a green card — and who also happens to have a crush on Wai-Tung. The plan seems like it might go off without a hitch until his parents announce they’re planning to visit from Taiwan to host a grand wedding celebration for the new couple. 

The part you’ll love: The intergenerational relationships end up being surprisingly warm and sweet, with late Ang Lee regular Sihung Lung proving a particular standout as Mr. Gao.  

Watch it: The Wedding Banquet on Prime Video

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Jeffrey (1995)

The premise: Set in New York City during the AIDS crisis, this groundbreaking ’90s rom-com based on an off-Broadway play follows the titular actor-waiter (Wings star Steven Weber, 62), who takes a vow of celibacy because of his paranoia surrounding the plague; he’s not only afraid of catching the disease but of falling for someone who might end up dying and leaving him heartbroken. But fate has other ideas, and Jeffrey soon finds himself falling for the handsome — and HIV-positive — Steve (Michael T. Weiss, 61). For advice, he turns to his friends, interior decorator Sterling (Patrick Stewart, 82) and his partner Darius (Mad Men’s Bryan Batt, 60).

The part you’ll love: Despite being a relatively modest indie hit, the film has an absurdly stacked cast, including Christine Baranski (71), Sigourney Weaver (73), Robert Klein (81), Nathan Lane (67) and more.   

Watch it: Jeffrey on Peacock, Prime Video

​​But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)

The premise: In this camp satire, Poker Face’s Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents begin to suspect she’s a lesbian thanks to her vegetarianism and love of Melissa Etheridge. With the help of an “ex-gay” counselor named Mike (played by RuPaul, 62, out of drag), they send her away to a conversion therapy camp designed to turn teens straight. But their plan backfires when she strikes up a relationship with a fellow camper named Graham Eaton (Clea DuVall from Veep). Lovers of queer culture might recognize John Waters regular Mink Stole, 75, as Megan’s mom.

The part you’ll love: Raging Bull Oscar nominee Cathy Moriarty, 62, makes for an appropriately menacing camp founder.

Watch it: But I’m a Cheerleader on Apple TV, Prime Video

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)

The premise: Actresses Jennifer Westfeldt (53) and Heather Juergensen (53) wrote and produced this indie romantic comedy, which netted them an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best first screenplay. Following a series of failed blind dates, uptight New York City copy editor Jessica Stein (Westfeldt) stumbles upon a personal ad that features her favorite Rilke quote — and it just so happens to be in the paper’s “women seeking women” section. She throws caution to the wind and meets up with free-spirited gallerist Helen Cooper (Juergensen), and the two soon begin to get closer and closer as Jessica wrestles with whether this is a budding friendship or something more. 

The part you’ll love: Broadway star Tovah Feldshuh, 74 — who’s currently starring as Mrs. Brice in Funny Girl — earned critical acclaim as Jessica’s mother, Judy.

Watch it: Kissing Jessica Stein on Apple TV, Prime Video

Imagine Me & You (2005)

The premise: If you’re a fan of witty British rom-coms like Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, you’ll love this winning romance by writer-director Ol Parker, 53, of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again fame. On her wedding day, Rachel (Piper Perabo) begins to second-guess everything when she makes eye contact with her florist, Luce (Lena Headey), as she walks down the aisle; they soon have a proper meet-cute as Luce helps Rachel fish her wedding ring out of a punch bowl into which she’s dropped it. Could this be love at first sight — even if it happens on the worst day possible?

The part you’ll love: Expect heaps of rom-com cliches, including a climactic scene during a London traffic jam set to the Turtles song “Happy Together” that gave the film its title. 

Watch it: Imagine Me & You on Apple TV, Prime Video

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​​Love, Simon (2018)

The premise: It might be hard to imagine that this 2018 romance was the first film by a major Hollywood studio to focus on a gay teenager coming out. Simon (Nick Robinson) is a closeted high schooler who begins an anonymous email correspondence with a fellow classmate who’s also struggling with his sexuality. When class clown Martin (Logan Miller) finds out Simon’s secret, he threatens to expose him to his friends if he doesn’t help Martin get a date. It’s a sensitively told story that drew many comparisons to the 1980s films of director John Hughes, and it was so popular that it even inspired a Hulu spinoff series called Love, Victor.

The part you’ll love: Jennifer Garner, 51, and Josh Duhamel, 50, play Simon’s loving and supportive parents. 

Watch it: Love, Simon on Apple TV, Prime Video

​​Alex Strangelove (2018)

The premise: Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) is the straight-A president of his high school class, and he decides to cross one final task off his list of teenage milestones before graduating: lose his virginity to his longtime girlfriend, Claire (Madeline Weinstein). But when he meets a gay kid from across town named Elliot (Antonio Marziale) at a party, he starts to question his own sexuality. Critics loved the movie’s realistic portrayal of teenage life — sure, they occasionally say a few bad words, but they feel like living, breathing human beings instead of high school archetypes, which makes for a refreshingly modern take on the genre.

The part you’ll love: There’s a poignant scene right before the end credits that features coming-out stories from real people, including YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen.

Watch it: Alex Strangelove on Netflix

Happiest Season (2020)

The premise: Abby (Kristen Stewart) and Harper (Mackenzie Davis) travel to Harper’s family’s house to celebrate the holidays. Abby plans to propose on Christmas morning, but on the way, she learns that her girlfriend has never come out to her conservative parents, played by Mary Steenburgen (70) and Victor Garber (74). The ensemble cast includes a roster of recognizable faces, such as Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy as Abby’s best friend and Alison Brie as Harper’s sister, and the clever soundtrack comprises holiday classics covered by queer artists like Sia and Tegan and Sara.

The part you’ll love: The White Lotus actress Aubrey Plaza is a standout as Harper’s ex-girlfriend Riley.

Watch it: Happiest Season on Hulu

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The Thing About Harry (2020)

The premise: Fans of Grey’s Anatomy will recognize the two leads of this sweet rom-com: Jake Borelli (who plays Dr. Levi Schmitt on the medical drama) and Niko Terho (who plays the new intern Lucas Adams). When Sam (Borelli) sets out on a long drive back to his Missouri hometown for a friend’s Valentine’s Day engagement party, he reluctantly agrees to give a ride to his high school bully (Terho), but he’s shocked to learn that Harry has since come out as pansexual. Much like When Harry Met Sally before it, the film takes place over several years as they slowly warm to each other and learn to set aside old animosities.

The part you’ll love: Known for playing Emmett Honeycutt on the groundbreaking 2000s ensemble drama Queer as Folk, Peter Paige, 53, directed, cowrote and produced the film and costars as Sam’s roommate, Casey.

Watch it: The Thing About Harry on ABC, Freeform

Single All the Way (2021)

The premise: In this holiday rom-com by Tony-winning Broadway director Michael Mayer, 62, L.A. social media strategist Peter (Michael Urie) faces nonstop judgment from his family about his long-term bachelorhood; to avoid their criticism, he convinces his best friend, Nick (Philemon Chambers), to come home for the holidays with him and pretend to be his boyfriend. The only catch: Peter’s mother (Kathy Najimy, 66) has already set him up on a blind date with her spin instructor, James (Luke Mcfarlane). Could Peter and Nick become more than friends? Or is James about to pedal his way into Peter’s heart?

The part you’ll love: Jennifer Coolidge, 61, steals scenes as the kooky Aunt Sandy, who directs the town’s Christmas pageant, which Urie said in an interview was “the gayest thing to happen to Christmas since Mariah!”

Watch it: Single All the Way on Netflix

Fire Island (2022)

The premise: Comedian Joel Kim Booster — who recently appeared alongside Maya Rudolph, 50, in her new sitcom Loot — wrote and starred in this modern-day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, set in the titular Long Island gay beach hamlet. Jane Austen fans will get a kick out of figuring out how the updated characters correspond to P&P favorites: Booster plays the Elizabeth Bennet stand-in, Noah; SNL breakout Bowen Yang is an amalgamation of Jane Bennet and Charlotte Lucas; and Conrad Ricamora, who played Oliver on How to Get Away With Murder, keeps ’em swooning as the Mr. Darcy–inspired Will.

The part you’ll love: One of the most groundbreaking comedians and LGBT social activists of her generation, Margaret Cho (54), plays Erin, the “house mother” who owns the property where the friends stay every summer.

Watch it: Fire Island on Hulu

Bros (2022)

The premise: Best known for his manically energetic series Billy on the Street, comedian Billy Eichner showed a somewhat softer — and definitely more romantic — side in last year’s rom-com, which he cowrote alongside director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Touted as the first gay rom-com by a major Hollywood studio, the film stars Eichner as a podcaster and museum curator who finds himself falling for a macho lawyer named Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), despite both of their long histories of commitment-phobia. 

The part you’ll love: With an eye toward gay history, Bros features an entirely LGBTQ+ cast — with a few notable exceptions that we won’t spoil for you! — including such fan favorites as Harvey Fierstein (68), Scandal’s Guillermo Díaz and Bowen Yang.

Watch it: Bros on Apple TV, Prime Video

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