The 10 best LGBTQ comedies and comedies to watch at home

Among the new releases hitting streaming and VOD platforms this weekendOne in particular caught our eye: Fire Islandmodern gays Proud and prejudice Adapted by Andrew Ahn, written, and starring Joel Kim Booster. The movie is now available to stream on Hulu, and many of us at Polygon will be watching it later this week.

If, like us, you’re excited about this movie or you’ve seen it and are in the mood to see more LGBTQ comedies and romantic comedies: good news! We have compiled the following list just for you.

Here are 10 fun and heartfelt LGBTQ romantic comedies and dramas that you can watch right at home on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and others. Be sure to share any favorites in the comments!

Appropriate behavior

Photo: Peccadillo Pictures / Gravitas Ventures

“Um, I’m looking for a woman’s underwear that’s grown and doesn’t mind a change?”

Desiree Akhavan’s (Cameron Post’s Training) feature film debut on a story close to home – it follows Shirin (played by Akhavan), who (like the writer-director-star) is a bisexual native of New York City born in New York City. from Iranian immigrants. After a bad breakup, Shirin’s life becomes tumultuous, forcing her to engage in some uncomfortable conversations she’s been avoiding – both with her family and with herself. This unusual comedy always surprises and never loses its sense of humor or its heart. Just watch funny lingerie shopping scene; it will give you an idea of ​​how much this movie is for you. –Pete Volk

Appropriate behavior available to stream on the Criterion Channel, or free with ads on Channels Roku, Vudu, Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, and FreeVee.

Bird cage

Image: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists

It’s hard to imagine Nathan Lane not being confident about anything in his life, especially when it comes to the comedic, hilarious portrayal of drag queen Starina (and her alternate self, Albert not gentle) in Bird cage – but Lane was still in the closet at that time. What’s more impressive of all is that the 1996 film’s central joke is that Albert can’t get through frankly, not even for the sake of his son’s ultra-conservative family. Bird cage shows all the ways that gender is a performance through quick wit and absurd situations, away from the excitement you might expect of a comedy about forced conservatives. Face their fear of all the strange things. The best part of Bird cage It’s not a drag show, though it’s still a joy – instead, the film depicts the mundane middle-aged lives of two gay fathers that existed in the 90s. normal, and at the time, that felt very radical. –Maddy Myers

Bird cage available to stream on HBO Max.

But I’m a cheerleader

Image: Lionsgate Films

It’s hard to imagine talk therapy at the heart of a comedy, but somehow it’s the premise of But I’m a cheerleader. Young Natasha Lyonne plays a blond girl who doesn’t know why she wants to throw rocks every time her boyfriend kisses her, and Clea DuVall plays one of cinema’s most famous lesbian romances. Their cute meeting happened at the conversion camp, where both were sent by their families; it’s a setting that pleases audiences in part because of the colorful pink and blue set design and the overwhelming gender role training that gay kids are forced to go through. The terrifying reality of their predicament smolders beneath the surface, allowing the tit-for-tat comedy to be harder — and allowing for an even sweeter romantic climax. –MM

But I’m a cheerleader available to stream on Peacock, free with a library card on Kanopy or Hoopla, or free with ads on the Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Plex.

Plan B

Photo: Brett Roedel / Hulu

The Hulu-produced comedy set in South Dakota stars two teenage girls, one of whom is a known nerd who never steps out of line – except for one. a bad purse-pick at a party, then she couldn’t find it in the morning- after taking the pill due to conservative laws in the area. So the audiobook nerd and her best friend embark on a journey to track down the pill. There’s a weird romance on the left side of this movie so I won’t spoil the plot, except to say that me and my girlfriend already have enough gaydar to predict exactly what’s going on. before it airs. There’s also a lot of comedy in this movie (like an on-screen penis stabbing), but given the premise of being about the human body and all of its unexpected and inconvenient possibilities. them, it works. –MM

Plan B available to stream on Hulu.

The person I like

Photo: Brett Roedel / Hulu

A love triangle involving two siblings and an unlucky protagonist? Classic setting for a romantic comedy. Everyone knows if you date someone, you’ve locked yourself out of dating their sibling, because that’s completely disrespectful. But what if you’re also a weird teen girl, and you don’t even know that many other weird teenage girls? That is the premise of The person I like, a fun stroll through an old establishment feels fresher because it’s made of 100% sapphic. –MM

The person I like available to stream on Hulu.

Save face

Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment

Alice Wu’s early 2000s romantic comedy has become a classic in the Chinese-American film classic. In the film, mother Hwei-Lan and daughter Wil learn to live together under unique circumstances. Hwei-Lan is kicked out of her parents’ house after becoming pregnant out of wedlock and moves into Wil’s house – Wil is a lesbian, but lives aloof from her mother. Save face pursue each other’s romantic goals, but the twist about the film is that its arc is really between mother and daughter. Their relationship becomes the link of the story – they learn to support each other despite the differences between generations and cultures, as each of them battle to be accepted by their elders and Learn to trust your own desires. I am grateful to Wu for against the studio’s whitewash effortsand fight for the movie to have a happy ending. Save face has become a comforting watch for me and a reminder that love is possible in community people, even when it’s not easy. –Nicole Clark

Save face available to stream on Prime Video, Hulu, and the Criterion Channel, or free with ads on Tubi and Crackle.

My Beautiful Laundrette

Image: Mainstream image

Stephen Frears'(High Definition) 1985 dramady is often cited as one of the best British films of the 20th century, and it earned an Academy Award nomination for screenwriter Hanif Kureishi. It was also a breakout role by one of its young stars, Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis stars opposite Gordon Warnecke, who plays Omar, a young man taking care of his father who has the opportunity to run a launderette that is going bad. When he and some friends are attacked by a group of skinheads, Omar is surprised to find their leader is childhood friend/old romantic flame, Johnny (Day-Lewis).

What happens next is a transverse, endearing and vivid tale of love, cultural conflict and the struggles of Thatcher-era England. –PV

My Beautiful Laundrette available to view for free with a library card on Kanopy, or rent or purchase on digital platforms.

Half of it

Photo: KC Bailey / Netflix

Half of it is another excellent Alice Wu film, this time a coming-of-age story made for Netflix. The film explores familiar themes such as familiarity and misinformation, contrasting uncanny American-American identities against the very white backdrop of a small town, Squahamish.

In this Cyrano de Bergerac recounts, Ellie forms a close friendship with sweet Paul jock, agreeing to help him text his sweetheart Aster. But Ellie also has feelings for Aster, and it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain her charisma. But the mistaken identity rom-com also has a very sweet heart. Ellie and Paul’s friendship flourishes throughout the film. He has his faith tested and getting better for it. And Ellie knows that she has friends she can rely on, and a parent who truly cares for her, despite his stern appearance. –NC

Half of it available to stream on Netflix.

Fried green tomatoes

Image: Universal Pictures

My first time watching Fried green tomatoes as a teenager, with my parents. They got used to the movie and in the end I thought to myself, Oh, so this is gay right? My parents, meanwhile, were like, These two women are good friends 🙂. I ended up Googling the plot synopsis and discovered that the book it was based on was actually very, very gay. I’m right!

Even removing all overt romantic implications, Fried green tomatoes is a tender love story between two women in the Deep South. Idgie and Ruthie’s relationship is narrated in the present day by another woman (implied in the film as Idgie, but a completely separate character in the novel), and their story inspires for Kathy Bates’ character to regain control of her life. Even if only by subtext, Idgie and Ruthie are clearly meant for each other. Damn, they live together, open a coffee shop together, raise a child together, and fight together against Ruthie’s abusive ex – how romantic if you ask me. It’s about marginalized people coming together and forming a community and that’s great, I think. Besides, fight scene basically supposed to be a sex scene and it’s one of the best “not sex, but purely sex” scenes IMO. –Petrana Radulovic

Fried green tomatoes available for rental or purchase on the digital VOD platform.

Smart book

Photo: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures

Smart book not an LGBTQ rom-com, but it To be a comedy with a lesbian character as one of the two main characters. Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), two high-achieving high school seniors, realize they’ve been missing out on some quintessential high school experiences, so on the eve of their graduation, they trying to throw a party – and ended up walking across town, looking for the right place. It’s a teen comedy about pre-graduation partying, but this time with two best friends, and Amy happens to be a hopeless lesbian with a huge love for a young woman. hot girl she struggles to strike up a conversation with. No damage also much, but the result is a romantic scene that is both electric and incredibly awkward in the amplified way that high school experiences often have. –PR

Smart book available to stream on Hulu.