Top 6 Best Long Distance Relationship Movies on Netflix
This summer, no sunbathing on the beach for us!
We preferred to devour the Netflix catalog with two goals in mind:
- To spend quiet evenings together to enjoy even more being together physically
- To find you the best long distance relationship movies on Netflix
After a dozen movies seen (and reviewed for some), here is our ranking of the best long distance relationship movies on Netflix.
Was it long? A little… Was it worth it? Definitely!
We’ve got you covered so you don’t waste time or worse, feel like you’ve wasted 1.5 hours of your life.
Between the bad movies, the ones that don’t talk about long distance relationships at all (thanks to the misleading synopsis), the gems that were recommended to us and the movies that unfortunately won’t be on the streaming platform by the time you read these lines (hello The Notebook. We loved you, though!); we selected 6 movies related to long distance relationships.
All available on Netflix!
Our rating criteria were as follows:
- Overall rating
- Is the long-distance relationship a major, highlighted element?
- Can it be useful for our own relationship?
Warning!
Here, we are talking about films about long-distance relationships and not about long-distance love.
This is what complicated our research and the fact that there are only 6 films in our top. We saw twice as many, but they were not relevant enough to appear here.
The small (but crucial) difference between the two is that there are only exchanges, in a long distance relationship. The works dealing with long distance love will deal more with the aspect of finding a forgotten love after years.
This is not what we are interested in here.
You are ready to discover movies where one of the parents is systematically dead (why? no idea… it must reinforce the dramatic side) and to spend a relaxing moment with your partner from a distance, let’s start right now!
For an ever more fulfilling long distance relationship, you can read these articles:
Note:
We wrote this list during the summer of 2021.
Because the Netflix catalog is constantly changing depending on the day and your geographic location, you may not find any of the movies on the streaming platform.
All the movies are present from the United States, and in english.
We recommend using a VPN and the Teleparty extension to get the most out of this list. Have a good read!
I also wrote an article where I analyze each of these films, so that you don’t make the same mistakes as the protagonists.
This gives you the opportunity to discover another side of the LDR movies on Netflix that you just saw, in addition to making your couple solid as concrete.
6. 6 Years
Running time: 1h19
Release date : 2015
Genre: Romance / Drama
IMDB Synopsis:
« A young couple, bound by a seemingly ideal love, begin to unravel as expected opportunities spin them down a volatile and violent path and threaten the future they had always imagined »
Our opinion:
Certainly the film which disappointed us the most !
The length is ridiculous (1h19) which prevents a good development of the characters. It’s the shortest movie on this list, and the one that took us the most time to finish. But fortunately, the closer we get to the end, the more interesting the film becomes.
It’s a film that will appeal to younger people, especially those who have been in relationships since their teens and have stayed with their first love for a long time.
This was not our case, hence the fact that it was hard to get into the proposed atmosphere.
What we liked least: the synopsis is misleading!
The issue for the two protagonists is whether their couple can continue to flourish after 6 years together. The « career opportunities » are only introduced very late and are not really impactful.
One thing we particularly liked was the similarities between the LDR couples and the couples who have been together for a long time.
We recognized ourself in many of the situations that Melanie and Daniel experience, especially with their entourage. A parallel is easily made, and that’s what gives it the merit to be in our top.
A nice movie that touches on the aspect of long distance relationships without ever really stopping there.
The next two films are also special and approach long distance relationships in a unique and original way.
Top 5 long distance relationship movies on netflix: The Half of it
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Release date : 2020
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Synopsis:
Shy and nerdy, Ellie helps Paul, a lovable but awkward young jock, win over the heart of a popular student by writing love letters for her. The situation gradually becomes more complicated when Ellie discovers that she has more and more in common with the girl.
Our opinion:
Inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac, we both liked this film, without loving it. It does not revolutionize its genre and struggles to convey strong emotions.
The relationship between the three main characters (Ellie, Paul and Aster) is however quite successful and the evolution between each of them is pleasant to follow.
Between the nerd who has trouble making friends, the guy who is sure of himself but awkward with his feelings and the popular girl who is only happy in appearance, we are entitled to some pretty funny situations full of sarcasm.
At first glance, this film has nothing to do with long-distance relationships. The protagonists know each other and all go to the same high school. However, there are some commonalities such as:
- Learning to love a person with only words
- The budding relationship between two people without experiencing physical contact
- The « flirting » phase, that is, the moment when you start talking to someone and the moment when you make the relationship official.
In conclusion, this is a nice movie to watch but it doesn’t stand out that much. The long-distance relationship is not really one.
That’s why this movie is at the second last place in this list.
Rest assured, the others are much better!
4. Always be my maybe
Running time: 1h42
Release date : 2019
Genre: Romance / Comedy
IMDB Synopsis:
« Childhood friends Sasha and Marcus have a falling out and don’t speak for 15 years. But when Sasha, now a celebrity chef in Los Angeles, returns to her hometown of San Francisco to open a new restaurant, she runs into her old pal – a happily complacent musician still living at home and working for his dad. Though the two are reluctant to reconnect, they soon find the old sparks – and maybe some new ones – are there. »
Our opinion:
We had a great time in front of this movie!
It will be able to please men as well as women, no matter your age.
The confrontation between a woman in search of adventure and success, and a man who prefers his comfort and what he has always known is interesting to follow.
The whole thing is sprinkled with a light humor with repetitive comics that constantly made me smile.
The casting and acting are an undeniable advantage of Always Be My Maybe. Special mention to the Hollywood star who shows up without warning about halfway through the film. We didn’t expect it at all and besides having our jaws dropped, we laughed until our ribs hurt!
The long distance relationship is introduced at the beginning of the film, but is also overshadowed halfway through.
Anyway, you will spend a relaxing and pleasant moment if you watch it with your partner.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a movie whose main plot is long distance relationships, you can skip it. It’s clearly not the main topic, even if you can learn something from it for your relationship.
Fortunately, the trend is reversed for the last three in our top.
3. Sweet & Sour
Running time: 1h42
Release date : 2021
Genre: Romance / Comedy
Synopsis (from Asian Wiki):
« Jang Hyeok (Jang Ki-Yong) is in a romantic relationship with Jung Da-Eun (Chae Soo-Bin), who works as a nurse. When they first started to date, Jang Hyeok was a sweet boyfriend to Jung Da-Eun, but he is not anymore. Meanwhile, Jang Hyeok begins to work as a temporary worker for a large company. »
Our opinion:
One of our favorite of the list!
The relationship between Hyeok, a clumsy but determined boy, and Da-Eun (a girl living in her own world, with her head in the clouds) is forcibly structured.
We quickly become attached to the characters, even if the film has difficulty in making us experience powerful emotional situations. Fortunately, the last minutes are exceptional and make up for it!
Leo loves the reversal of situations at the end: the kind of movie where once finished, you only want to see it again to understand everything!
And Sweet & Sour is one of them. The ending is completely unpredictable, and even if the film suffers from some length, the denouement made us swallow our saliva and forget this detail in a snap.
Expect to talk about this ending for long minutes, especially if any of you spent too much time on your phone instead of following along.
The long distance relationship gradually builds up, starting about a third of the way through the film until the end.
On the other hand, it’s far from a long-distance relationship where the protagonists stay away for several months. It is rather a matter of weeks.
We loved the fact that we could see the consequences that this causes to each person in the couple, and how each one manages the absence of the other.
One last nice touch: the messages the couple sends to each other are displayed directly on the screen, reminding us of our own situation.
It’s a clever way to involve the viewer, especially if he or she is in a long distance relationship.
Now let’s make way for the two nuggets on this long distance relationship movies on Netflix !
2. Dear John
Running time: 1h48
Release date : 2010
Genre: Romance / Drama / War
Synopsis:
Savannah, an idealistic college student, and John, an American Special Forces soldier on leave, fall madly in love. For two weeks, they get to know each other, meet their in-laws and swear eternal love, but John must return to the mission and Savannah to college. Will their passion survive the distance and trials that lie ahead?
Our opinion:
I was a little afraid at the beginning of the American cliché: the handsome military man who meets the pretty blonde on a beach, the perfect couple who makes everyone they meet jealous…
We were far from imagining that behind this film was a story overflowing with emotions, and that finally deals with a long distance relationship as we know it. The most sensitive among you will drop a tear, I promise!
The secondary characters are endearing (special mention to John’s father and his lasagna!) and give more at stake than a long distance love to maintain. We would have liked an ending a little more worked out, but the general direction and the acting make up for it with ease.
You will have no trouble finding situations that only LDR couples can know: the film is full of them! We are unanimous: of all those on this list, this was our favorite!
If you had to see only one, we recommend you this one.
This LDR movie allows us to put our situation into perspective, and even if the atmosphere of the movie is not very cheerful, we feel good while watching it.
We strongly invite you to watch this movie with your partner. It is clearly the kind of film that can be shared and enjoyed with your lover, even from a distance! Be careful though, the most sensitive among you will shed a tear.
Its only small flaw (without really being one) is that it does not take place exactly in the same period as today but in the early 2000s.
The ways of communicating are therefore « old-fashioned ». In « Dear John », no smartphones and even less video calls.
It is only for this reason that it is in second place.
Top 1 long distance relationship movies on netflix: The Kissing Booth 2
Running time: 2h11
Release date : 2020
Genre : Teen Romantic Comedy
Synopsis of The Kissing Booth 1
Elle Evans is a 16-year-old high school girl who has tried but never been kissed, until one day she finds herself in the kissing booth. She is swept up in a forbidden romance with the most handsome boy in her high school who is also her best friend’s older brother. In their friendship, there are rules and rule 9, Elle broke it. Is love stronger than friendship?
An excellent film that takes the time to develop what a long distance relationship is in 2021. Finally!
The Kissing Booth takes all the codes of the movies for teenagers. We find for example:
- The super handsome and popular guy
- The group of beautiful and superficial girls
- The big American-style parties
- And many more!
If you like this kind of movies, the trilogy is made for you!
If the first one of the saga doesn’t talk about long distance relationships at all, it’s the main subject of the second one!
You are probably asking yourself:
Can you understand the second movie without seeing the first one?
The answer is: Yes!
A small summary is made in the introduction to remember the events. Of course, you will miss some elements and winks if you haven’t seen the first one, but the understanding of the story remains obvious.
Nevertheless, if it is the long distance relationship in movies that interests you, here is a quick summary of the first movie. Read the synopsis above first!
To discover my concise summary of the first part of the saga, click on « What happened in The Kissing Booth 1 ».
The story focuses on the birth of the love relationship between Ella and Noah. The challenge for Ella is to preserve her friendship with Lee, while fully embracing her relationship with Noah. This is what she manages to do after many adventures and arguments.
The last scene shows Noah leaving for college, thousands of miles away from Los Angeles. The couple promises to continue to love each other, opening the second film on how they will manage their long distance relationship and the new challenges that await them.
Our opinion:
You will find yourself in many situations that only LDR couples can experience.
We both love movies where you can hear the protagonist’s thoughts (like in the movie Limitless, for example). It helps to understand the deeper emotions and where the line is between thoughts and words.
The good and bad aspects of distance are addressed. We loved this contrast between the secondary characters who don’t believe for a second in the long distance relationship and the ways Noah and Ellie fight against these prejudices.
The settings are simple but terribly effective.
One constantly wants to see the continuation and to know if the couple Noah-Ella will hold, in spite of all the problems which they must face!
Anyway, it’s one of the best long distance relationship movies on Netflix that will help you to live better and manage the distance.
It deserves its #1 spot because it’s the movie we identified with the most, in relation to the long distance relationship.
Nevertheless, it remains a teen movie: it will surely please the youngest! If this detail blocks you, you will appreciate Dear John much more.
Best Long Distance Relationship Movies on Netflix: Conclusion
In this article, you have discovered 6 long distance relationship movies on Netflix.
We recommend you start with Dear John or The Kissing Booth. These are the best (by far!).
Download a VPN if they are not available in your country, and find a software or website to synchronize your screens.
Now you know how to spend your next date night!
And if you want an analysis of each of these films from the point of view of a couple in a long-distance relationship, it’s over here.
You’ll learn from the protagonists’ mistakes and strengthen your LDR couples in the best way
Don’t hesitate to tell us in the comments if you know of another LDR movie on Netflix that can be added to this list.
And if you’re tired of always spending your evenings in front of Netflix, you can download 26 challenges to do remotely, by entering your email address below.
If you do one a week, you’ll have something to do for half the year!
Or discover 105 activities to do remotely. It’s a gift!
Download my 26 LDR Challenges and Activities
One idea done every week
= 6 months of activities
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Hello !
We are Léo & Kyomi, a French-Peruvian couple in a long distance relationship since 2019. Welcome to this blog entirely dedicated to this way of life.
We decided to create
My Sweet LDR
to help people who want to live their relationship serenely and who don’t know how to do it.
To read our entire story
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