Cinematic Romances of 2025 that were better than Bridgerton (in my opinion)

Before we get too deep into 2026, I wanted to take a moment to shout out some of my favorite cinematic romances enjoyed in 2025!

These are all, in my not-at-all-humble-opinion, superior to Bridgerton in every particular.

(Note: while, as a romance novelist, I know I’m meant to love Bridgerton, I find it far too heavy-handed and stuffed with superfluous storylines to be remotely swoony. The only season I’ve managed to watch most of was season 2. Even then, I was skipping around a lot.)

(Also Note: I will grant that Jonathan Bailey did an exemplary job of gazing adoringly at Simone Ashley in Bridgerton season 2. Those gazes definitely worked for me! But basically nothing else did. Alas.)

Okay, here are my Better than Bridgerton top picks. First . . .

THE GORGE

Okay, I know. I KNOW. Not exactly what you’d expect on a list of romances!

But hear me out.

This movie, which I went into expecting a sci-fi action flick . . . was an absolute ROMANCE. The whole entire point of it was the unfolding love story.

Our two leads are a pair of snipers (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy), who are tasked with guarding opposite sides of a mysterious, monster-filled chasm. Though they are strictly forbidden to make contact with each other, they fall in love from across the chasm, AND IT IS FREAKIN’ ADORABLE.

I went into this movie expecting thrills and chills.

I ended up squeeing my whole way through, grabbing my husband’s arm and declaring, “THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE!”

He laughed—but he’s a romantic, so he enjoyed it too.

Now, is it objectively a GOOD movie?

Um . . . maybe not. The big reveal at the end was nothing I haven’t seen before, and there were some pretty hefty logical leaps necessary to keep the plot going.

DO I CARE?

Nope. I just enjoyed it. Tremendously.

I loved that the two characters were well matched for each other, but not competitive or antagonistic. They worked TOGETHER, and it was truly romantic. Not enemies-to-lovers, they’re-fighting-all-the-time-to-manufacture-tension. ACTUALLY romantic.

I loved that our hero went above and beyond to pursue his heroine. His outright, unashamed adoration of her was just so delightful and refreshing. (My husband has always been overtly adoring toward me, so I particularly like that theme!) And while she’s certainly not some shrinking violet who needs to be “chased,” I loved that he had to "man up" and do the hard work of pursuing her. It’s just so attractive!

Me to my Handsome: “You would TOTALLY zipline across a monster-filled chasm for me, wouldn’t you?”

Handsome: “And would you parachute-dive into said chasm to save me from said monsters?”

Me: “In a heartbeat. I mean, we would both die within seconds. But I’d do it.”

Handsome: “Well, it’s the thought that counts.”

Anyway, this is my first "Better than Bridgerton" pick. 10/10 for romance and swoon. 6/10 for actual plot and originality.

My second pick? We’re moving into historical(ish) territory now with:

THE ARTFUL DODGER

(Though it came out in 2023, I didn’t see it until 2025 . . . so it makes the list.)

Here we find a reimagining of Charles Dicken’s beloved pickpocket/street rat (from Oliver Twist). He’s now a young man in 1850s Australia, posing as a respected surgeon, using all his well-honed dexterity and natural brilliance to his advantage . . . but trouble over a gambling debt throws him back into the  shadow of Fagin, his former crime boss.

On the “other side of the tracks,” is the governor’s daughter, smart and ambitious Lady Belle, who longs to become the colony’s first female surgeon—but the restrictions of society hold her at bay.

Shenanigans occur. Secret-identities, double-life, heists, life-and-death surgical procedures, disastrous secrets, corrupt officials . . . but most of all ROMANCE.

This show was so unexpectedly ROMANTIC. I mean, I figured there’d be at least a hint of romance along the way. I was NOT expecting it to be as well-written and compelling as it was, or for it to take such prominence within the narrative arc.

Don’t get me wrong—it’s a sloooooow-burn. But the tension and dynamic between the two leads is just delicious! It’s another case where they are so incredibly well matched. No weird power-dynamics (like some of the cringier aspects of Bridgerton), but a love-story of equals finding each other through crazy circumstances.

Also, he just absolutely ADORES her again. There’s nothing I love more than an ADORING hero. None of that Han Solo-esque, "I love her but I’m going to be nasty to her every step of the way." Nope. That’s not for me. Give me hero who is absolutely crazy about her, let him fight against it a little, then just go all-in.

That’s what I want. And that’s what this show gave me.

One major caveat: because it’s about a surgeon in the 1850s there is SO. MUCH. BLOOD. I had to watch a lot of it through my fingers and even fast-forward some portions. (I don’t do blood!)

And what was my last unexpected cinematic romance of 2025 pick?

Try not to laugh at me . . . but . . .

ZOOTOPIA 2

Okay, a kids’ movie featuring anthropomorphic animals? Not exactly the stuff of legendary romance.

And yet . . .

I had not seen the first movie since it came out in 2016, so we rewatched it as a family in preparation for taking the kids to the theater for the sequel. I remembered liking the first movie a lot, and I liked it all over again. The chemistry created between the leads is great, and their enemies-to-friends-to-partners storyline definitely had some romantic undertones.

I was curious to see where that dynamic would go for the sequel.

I was NOT expecting it to be such an outright ROMANCE.

Now, don’t get me wrong—it’s still a movie for kids. And you could, if you preferred , interpret everything through the lens of “best friends.”

But I’m telling you what, as a romance writer, I couldn’t help seeing ALL of the best romance beats/tropes PROMINENTLY on display.

Once more, we have two characters who are so well matched. Equals and compliments in strength.

And again, I love a hero who is absolutely CRAZY about his leading lady. Which is what we get in spades with this story. Nick (the fox) is still very much the reluctant hero from the first movie, but now his SOLE motivation is protecting Judy (the bunny) every step of the way. Her safety and wellbeing are the ONLY thing that matter to him . . . and it’s very swoony, I’m not gonna lie.

(Insofar as an anthropomorphic fox can be swoony.)

(Which, Disney's Robin Hood taught us long ago . . . can be pretty swoony!)

There’s also a beautiful “confession of feelings” scene at the end that made me want to sit up and take notes. It was really lovely! (I may have teared-up!)

Those writers knew exactly what they were doing. Honestly, it was a better-written romance than anything I’ve ever seen from Disney. Ever. Probably in large part because it’s slow-burn, building over the course of 2 movies, with possibilities for more in the future. Despite a long-standing dislike for all things Disney sequel-related . . . I’m officially on board for a Zootopia 3.

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Anyway, those are my unexpected, “Better than Bridgerton” picks for cinematic romances, enjoyed by me in 2025.

Romance tends to be dismissed in cinema these days, and often when it’s included at all, it’s very lust-fueled and unsubtle, and just totally fails to give me any swoony vibes. But these three (to various degrees) all managed to give me exactly what I'm looking for in a love story! Props to the writers for just GOING FOR IT. For treating romance as a theme worth exploring and celebrating.

(And more props for all those adoring heroes making gooey eyes at their leading ladies. I’ll have some more of that, thank you!)