The Most Popular Rom-Com in Each State (And Where to Stream It) [2025]

With love in the air this February, romantic comedy fans (and their partners) are looking forward to cuddling up and watching their favorite actors fumble into meet-cutes, agonize over long-distance love, and finally get “the one that got away.” Luckily for streaming fans, there’s no shortage of options to choose from in the ever-popular genre this Valentine’s season.

So what can rom-com lovers watch, and where can they watch it this February? Our team at All About Cookies analyzed search trends for more than 100 of the highest-rated romantic comedies of all time to find out which ones are the most popular in every state in the country. To make it easier for movie lovers looking to unwind with a beloved rom-com classic, we also found which streaming platform(s) each top-ranking film can be viewed on.

Key Findings

• The classic musical “Grease” was the most popular rom-com overall, claiming the top spot in 5 different states. “The Break-Up” and “Coming to America” were tied for second.
• Most states were on-brand with their favorites. State popularity had a strong connection to the states where iconic rom-coms were set or filmed (Like “What Happens in Vegas” for Nevadans, “Sweet Home Alabama” for Alabamans, or even “The Proposal” for Alaskans).
• VPNs unlock viewing options: The most popular romantic comedy in 21 states can currently be watched via a major streaming platform’s current US-based library, while the majority are only available via rental in the U.S. or available on streaming platforms internationally.

The most popular romantic comedy in each state

Romantic comedies are a longstanding and beloved genre, with hundreds of beloved classics available for viewers looking to get some laughs and romance side-by-side. So which rom-coms do people across the country love most?

In terms of overall popularity nationwide, the winner is the beloved musical “Grease,” starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, which was the most popular romantic comedy in 5 different states.

Across the country, 38 different movies were most popular in at least one state. The full state-by-state results can be seen below.

Many romantic comedies are popular in states with a connection to the movie

Looking beyond the overall trends, the data did present one major trend: movies with notable connections to specific states tended to be very popular in those places. For instance, the 2009 movie “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds is the most popular rom-com in Alaska, where the film is set.

Other notable ties between movie and state can be seen when it comes to the most popular romantic comedies in California (“Clueless”, set in Beverly Hills), Hawaii (“50 First Dates,” shot in Oahu), Michigan (“Grosse Point Blank,” set in Grosse Point, Michigan), and Pennsylvania (“Silver Linings Playbook,” set in and around Philadelphia), among others.

Some connections are so strong that the name or nickname of the state is in the title of the most popular rom-com, such as the case with “Sweet Home Alabama,” the top romantic comedy in Alabama, and “Garden State,” the most popular rom-com in the titular state of New Jersey.

Use a VPN to stream rom-com classics

In addition to reviewing the most popular in each state, we also wanted to find out where viewers can stream them.

Interestingly, only 15 of the 38 movies that come out on top in at least one state are currently on major streaming libraries available to US-based subscribers. Of these 15 movies, 4 can be found on Netflix, 3 each on Max and Disney+, 2 each on Paramount+ and Hulu, and 1 on Peacock, PlutoTV, and AMC+. Most, however, are available for purchase for a few dollars through digital storefronts like Amazon Prime Video or Apple TV.

Those who aren’t willing to pay for additional costs beyond their subscriptions, however, are still in luck.

Using a VPN for streaming has a number of benefits, chief among them the ability to access streaming content on major platforms like Netflix that is only available in other countries. For instance, using a VPN to stream Netflix and other platforms can greatly improve the value of a subscription by giving users access to thousands of additional titles that would otherwise be unavailable to them, including many of the most popular romantic comedies of all time.

As long as someone has a valid subscription to a streaming service, using a VPN to access geo-restricted content is legal (though it may break terms of service on various platforms), and generally pretty easy to do.

With that in mind, every single romantic comedy that was most popular in at least one state but isn’t currently available on streaming services in the United States is available internationally on at least one of Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Paramount+, or Hulu, with many movies being available on multiple platforms overseas. All told, 17 top rom-coms can be found on Prime Video in other countries, 12 each on Netflix and Max, 10 on Disney+, 3 on Paramount+, and 1 on Hulu.

Where to watch the most popular rom-coms in each state

Movie	State(s) it is most popular in	Streaming platform(s) it is on	Where it is available to stream
10 Things I Hate About You	Washington	Peacock, Disney+	United States
50 First Dates	Hawaii	Netflix, Prime Video, Max	Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, others
Adventureland	Iowa	Paramount+	United States
Anyone But You	Minnesota	Netflix	United States
As Good as It Gets	Massachusetts	Netflix, Prime Video	Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, others
Clueless	California	Prime Video	Brazil, Denmark, Spain, others
Coming to America	Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina	Prime Video	Cuba and Senegal
Date Night	Wyoming	Disney+	Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, others
Don Jon	Virginia	Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu	United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, others
Friends with Benefits	Kansas	Netflix, Prime Video, Max	Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, others
Garden State	New Jersey	Disney+, Hulu	United States
Grease	Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas	PlutoTV	United States
Grosse Pointe Blank	Michigan	Disney+	Australia, Canada, New Zealand
Groundhog Day	New Hampshire	Netflix, Prime Video, Max	Australia, New Zealand, France
High Fidelity	Oregon	Disney+	Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, others
Hit Man	District of Columbia	Netflix	United States
Love Actually	Vermont	Netflix	United States
Mamma Mia!	Florida, Rhode Island	Max	United States
My Best Friend's Wedding	Maine	Netflix, Prime Video, Max	Ireland, Mexico, Denmark, others
Paper Towns	West Virginia	Disney+	Australia, Canada, New Zealand, others
Pitch Perfect	South Dakota	Netflix, Prime Video, Max	Australia, Canada, Phillipines, others
Pretty Woman	Nebraska	Max	United States
Runaway Bride	Delaware	Paramount+	United States
Serendipity	New York	Netflix, Prime Video	Canada, Belarus, Japan, others
Silver Linings Playbook	Pennsylvania	Max	United States
Sweet Home Alabama	Alabama	Disney+	Australia, Canada, Ireland, others
The 40-Year-Old Virgin	Connecticut, Wisconsin	Prime Video, Max, Paramount+	Australia, Canada, Mexico, others
The Bounty Hunter	Missouri	Netflix, Max	Mexico, Brazil, Denmark
The Break-Up	Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee	Prime Video, Max, Paramount+	Australia, Germany, Philippines, others
The Girl Next Door	North Dakota	Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video	Australia, Ireland, United Kingdom, others
The Other Woman	Montana	AMC+	United States
The Princess Bride	Utah	Disney+	United States
The Proposal	Alaska	Disney+, Prime Video, Max	Australia, Denmark, France
This Means War	Mississippi	Hulu	United States
Trainwreck	Colorado	Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video	Canada, Brazil, India, others
Valentine's Day	Idaho	Max	France, Phillipines, Thailand
What Happens in Vegas	Nevada	Disney+, Prime Video	Australia, Ireland, Nicaragua, others
You People	Arkansas, Oklahoma	Netflix	United States

Bottom line

• Block ads to improve your streaming experience. Knowing how to block ads on popular streaming services like Paramount+ and Hulu can cut down on unwelcome interruptions and help to maximize your streaming entertainment
• Watch on the go. Watch your favorite international rom-coms and shows on the go by using a VPN on your phone to take them with you wherever you go
• Find the right VPN for your favorite streaming platforms. Whether you prefer Netflix, Disney+, Paramount+, or another top platform, using a top VPN while streaming can unlock the full potential of your subscription.

Methodology

All About Cookies collected data on top-rated movies on IMDB that met the following parameters:

• Fell under both the “Romance” and “Comedy” genres
• Had received more than 100,000 votes/user ratings on IMDB

Movies were then manually evaluated to determine if they were true romantic comedies or if they fit better into a different genre. All told, data was collected on 129 different movies.

Search data was collected on 1/29/2025 using Google Trends, with search parameters set to cover "The United States" for the time frame covering "Past 12 months." Ties within a state were broken by comparing tied shows directly with the specific state chosen as the geography.

We then searched the current libraries of content available in the United States on major streaming services (as of 1/29/2025) for every movie that was most popular in at least one state to see where each can be watched. For movies not currently available to stream on major platforms in the US, we used Stream With VPN to find out if any major streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Max, Paramount+, Peacock) offer those titles as part of their catalog in other countries.