10 Best Childhood-Friends-to-Lovers Movies
You know the feeling: a film has you hoping two people finally notice each other, and the next thing you want is a story where the couple already shares a long history. Childhood-friends-to-lovers romantic movies deliver that comfort, because the romance builds on years of birthdays, arguments and shared jokes rather than a first meeting at a party.
This list gives you ten films where the friendship comes first, the feelings arrive slowly and the past does real work in the story. You will find teen comedies, sports dramas, grown-up romances and a few sweet fantasies, so there is something to suit a cosy night in or a longer, more emotional evening.
Childhood friends have a built-in advantage on screen. The audience already knows who they were at seven, at twelve and at eighteen, so a glance or a clumsy joke carries extra weight. A kiss can land harder when we know the person has seen every awkward phase.
The trope also carries risks, and the best films know it. Growing up together can create a comfort zone, but it can also mean one person has always been the safe choice. When the feelings change, the friendship has to survive that change, and that tension gives these stories their bite.
We chose movies where the childhood history is central to the plot, not just a background detail. Each title has a clear before and after in the friendship, and each one works on its own terms without needing you to read the source novel or watch a sequel first. We also looked at how believable the childhood bond feels on screen, how strong the chemistry is between the leads and whether the film still feels good on a second viewing.
Here is how the list works. The countdown runs from No. 10 to No. 1, and every entry starts with a premise so you know exactly what you are about to watch. Each one then gets a short note on what works, a line on who should watch it and a line on where to find it. Streaming rights change often, especially across the UK, so always check your local listings before you press play.
The mix is deliberately broad, and it is a binge-worthy set of picks for any romance fan. You will find a 1999 teen comedy, a 2000 basketball romance, a 2004 fantasy rom-com, a 2010 coming-of-age story and a 2019 Netflix comedy. Some are light and quick, others are bittersweet and adult, and a few sit somewhere in between. If you want something easy, start near the bottom. If you want a long, emotional story that takes years to unfold, the top of the list is where to go.
One note on taste: a film can be well made and still not work for you. Friends-to-lovers stories depend on whether you believe the history, so each entry tries to explain why the childhood bond does or does not convince. Let's get into it 👇
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10. Drive Me Crazy (1999)
Nicole Maris (Melissa Joan Hart) is a popular high-school student who expects to go to the school's centennial dance with basketball star Brad. When Brad asks someone else, she needs a new plan. Chase Hammond (Adrian Grenier), a rebellious prankster, has just been dumped by his girlfriend Dulcie. Nicole proposes that they pretend to date to make their exes jealous, and Chase agrees. The two were next-door neighbours and best friends as children, but their bond faded in junior high, and the fake romance slowly starts to feel real.
Hart brings the quick, bright energy she was known for on television, and Grenier gives Chase a loose, slightly sulky charm. The film leans on makeovers, party scenes and clique politics, so it feels like a time capsule of late-1990s teen comedy. The childhood history is more a reason to trust Chase than a real emotional engine, which suits a lightweight comedy but limits its depth.
Why it ranks here: It starts at the bottom because the childhood bond is mostly backstory and the comedy is the lightest on the list. It sits below The DUFF because that film gives its friendship a sharper emotional sting and a clearer reason for its leads to rethink who they are.
Who should watch it: Viewers who want a light, nostalgic teen comedy with a fake-dating plot.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
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9. The DUFF (2015)
Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a senior in suburban Atlanta with two best friends, Jess and Casey, who are far more popular than she is. At a party, Wesley (Robbie Amell) tells her she is the group's DUFF, a label that stings. Bianca cuts ties with her friends and feels lost. Wesley is her childhood friend and neighbour, and he is at risk of losing his football scholarship over a failing grade. Bianca offers a deal: she will help him pass his class if he helps her gain social standing. The plan begins with a mall makeover and quickly gets complicated.
Whitman gives Bianca a sharp, defensive humour that stops her from becoming a passive victim, and Amell has fun playing a football star who is more thoughtful than he first appears. Ari Sandel keeps the film bright and quick. The childhood history gives their scenes an easy familiarity, so the romance feels earned rather than rushed.
Why it ranks here: It ranks above Drive Me Crazy because its heroine has a clearer emotional arc and the friendship matters more to the story. It sits below The Kissing Booth because the romance is less developed and the friendship carries less at stake.
Who should watch it: Teen movie fans who like a makeover plot and a childhood friendship that slowly turns into something more.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
8. The Kissing Booth (2018)
Elle Evans (Joey King) is a quirky teenager in Los Angeles who has had a secret crush on Noah Flynn (Jacob Elordi) for a long time. Noah is the popular older brother of her best friend, Lee (Joel Courtney), and the two have been best friends since they were small. When Elle starts junior year, Noah steps in when a classmate makes her uncomfortable. Elle and Lee then propose a school fundraiser called a kissing booth, and that idea pushes Elle's feelings into the open. Any change to her friendship with Lee feels like a huge risk.
King is the film's strongest asset, giving Elle a warm, goofy energy that makes her easy to root for. Courtney gives Lee a loyal, low-key presence, and Elordi brings easy confidence to Noah. The pacing is brisk and the teen tone is mostly sincere, though several scenes lean on a familiar high-school formula.
Why it ranks here: It ranks above The DUFF because the childhood friendship drives the story more directly. It sits below Flipped because its romance follows a more predictable route and its supporting characters have less depth.
Who should watch it: Fans of teen romance with a secret crush, a big school event and a best friend caught in the middle.
Where to watch: Netflix, check your local listings.
7. Flipped (2010)
Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll) has been crushing on her neighbour Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe) since he moved in next door when they were both young children. Bryce is unsettled and keeps his distance, while Juli follows him everywhere. Years later, Bryce pretends to date a popular girl that Juli dislikes just to get rid of her, and the ploy backfires. When his grandfather, Chet (John Mahoney), moves in, Juli bonds with him over her love of a sycamore tree that is about to be cut down. The story alternates between the two children's narration, so each sees the same moments differently.
Carroll and McAuliffe have a lovely, awkward chemistry, and the young actors carry the film's charm. Rob Reiner makes the nostalgic setting feel warm rather than fussy, and the sycamore gives the story a simple, memorable symbol. The alternating narration is the real hook, because it shows how one moment can feel completely different to each child.
Why it ranks here: It ranks above The Kissing Booth because its childhood history is fully developed and its storytelling is more original. It sits below Keeping the Faith because that film's adult romance has bigger consequences.
Who should watch it: Viewers who enjoy gentle coming-of-age stories and a childhood crush that builds slowly.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
6. Keeping the Faith (2000)
Jake Schram (Ben Stiller) is a rabbi and Brian Finn (Edward Norton) is a Catholic priest, and the two men have been close since childhood. In New York they want to modernise religious services, and they are planning an interfaith karaoke community centre. Then their childhood friend Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman) returns to the city after 16 years. Jake and Anna start a secret, casual relationship that becomes more serious. Brian then begins to have feelings for Anna too, and those feelings clash with his vows as a priest.
Stiller and Norton play off each other with ease, and the film works best when the two men are simply talking like old friends. Elfman brings warmth and spark to Anna, although the character sometimes exists mainly to set the men's relationship in motion. Norton, making his directing debut, gives the comedy a gentle, relaxed rhythm.
Why it ranks here: It ranks above Flipped because the adult love triangle carries higher stakes. It sits below Always Be My Maybe because that film gives both leads more room to grow and its comedy lands more often.
Who should watch it: Viewers who enjoy warm romantic comedies with mature themes and lifelong friendships.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
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5. Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Sasha Tran (Ali Wong) and Marcus Kim (Randall Park) grew up as next-door neighbours in San Francisco, and their friendship deepened as teenagers. A brief fling ended badly, and they fell out of touch. Years later, Sasha is a celebrity chef who returns to the city to open a restaurant after ending her engagement. When Marcus and his father are hired to install air conditioning in her temporary home, the two slowly reconnect. Marcus starts to realise he still has feelings for her, but before he can say so, Sasha announces that she has a new love interest.
Wong and Park make the long friendship feel lived-in through teasing, shared references and the small habits that only old friends notice. Wong is funny and blunt, and her timing lands as often as her quieter moments. Park gives Marcus a patient, bruised warmth that makes him easy to root for. Nahnatchka Khan directs with a light touch that keeps the story from sinking into melodrama. Keanu Reeves appears as himself, a fun, self-aware bit of casting.
Why it ranks here: It ranks above Keeping the Faith because its characters are more fully drawn and the comedy works more often. It sits below Love & Basketball because that film's childhood story grows across decades, while this comedy works on a shorter, more modern timeline.
Who should watch it: Anyone who wants a grown-up second-chance romance with sharp jokes and a long friendship.
Where to watch: Netflix, check your local listings.
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4. Love & Basketball (2000)
Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) are next-door neighbours in Los Angeles who meet as children and bond over basketball. Monica is the better player, and she beats Quincy in their first one-on-one game. Their friendship grows, but it is strained by a clumsy accident and by the pressure of growing up. In high school, Quincy is a star who dates the most popular girl in school, while Monica leads the girls' team and struggles to keep her emotions in check. Both want pro careers.
Lathan and Epps bring real intensity to the leads, and the chemistry feels built from years of rivalry rather than a single spark. Gina Prince-Bythewood, who wrote and directed the film, uses sport to show how each character grows. The structure moves through childhood and high school into adulthood, so the friendship changes at every stage. It is a slower film than many romantic comedies, and the payoff comes in the detail: the games, the family scenes and the arguments that sound true.
Why it ranks here: It ranks fourth because its childhood-to-adult structure makes the friendship feel like a lifelong story. It sits above Always Be My Maybe because its emotional range is wider, and below 13 Going on 30 because that film hooks viewers faster and is easier to rewatch.
Who should watch it: Viewers who like sports dramas with a romance at the centre and a slow-burn friends-to-lovers story.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
3. 13 Going on 30 (2004)
In 1987 New Jersey, thirteen-year-old Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen as a child, Jennifer Garner as an adult) wants to be popular more than anything. A humiliating prank at her birthday party leaves her wishing to be thirty and flirty and thriving. She wakes up as a 30-year-old in 2004 Manhattan with no memory of the last 17 years. She is now a fashion magazine editor, and she slowly discovers that her adult self is far from the kind, shy girl she used to be. Her best friend and next-door neighbour, Matty (Mark Ruffalo), secretly loved her, and the two are now estranged.
Garner does terrific work as a teenager trapped in an adult's life, swinging between panic, confidence and vulnerability. Ruffalo is charming as Matty, a man who has spent years quietly keeping a torch alight. Gary Winick keeps the film bright and playful, and the 1980s and 2000s set pieces add energy. The fantasy device is silly, but the film is really about regret and second chances, and the childhood friendship becomes its emotional spine.
Why it ranks here: It ranks third because it has the strongest comic energy and the most immediate hook. It sits below Brown Sugar because that film's adult friendship feels more grounded, and above Love & Basketball because its warmth and rewatch value are higher.
Who should watch it: Anyone who wants a feel-good romantic comedy with a fantasy twist and a childhood friend who waited too long.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
2. Brown Sugar (2002)
Sid Shaw (Sanaa Lathan) and Dre Ellis (Taye Diggs) have been close friends since childhood, when their love of hip-hop started on a New York street corner. Sid is named editor-in-chief of a hip-hop magazine, while Dre works for a record label that prefers marketable acts to real talent. Dre falls for Reese (Nicole Ari Parker) and gets engaged. The night before his wedding, he and Sid kiss and nearly sleep together, then stop. Sid soon starts dating pro athlete Kelby (Boris Kodjoe), and the two friends must face feelings they have buried for years.
Diggs and Lathan have a grown-up chemistry that feels lived in, and their banter carries much of the film. Mos Def brings a quirky, scene-stealing presence as Cavi, while Queen Latifah and Wendell Pierce add warmth. Rick Famuyiwa grounds the romance in music and work, so the characters have real career pressures to balance against their feelings. The soundtrack and the New York setting give the film a vivid sense of place.
Why it ranks here: It ranks second because it pairs the strongest adult friendship on the list with a real sense of place. It sits below Love, Rosie because that film's childhood history carries more emotional weight, and above 13 Going on 30 because its adult characters feel more real.
Who should watch it: Viewers who want an adult friends-to-lovers romance with music, careers and a New York backdrop.
Where to watch: Disney+, check your local listings.
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1. Love, Rosie (2014)
Rosie Dunne (Lily Collins) and Alex Stewart (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were children. On Rosie's eighteenth birthday, they share a drunken kiss that she does not remember. When she tells Alex she wishes it had never happened, he takes that to mean she wants only friendship, and he steps back. Rosie accepts a date to the school dance with Greg (Christian Cooke), and her plans to study hotel management in Boston take shape. Alex is drawn to Bethany (Suki Waterhouse). Each of them tries to move on, and the friendship starts to crack.
Collins and Claflin have an easy, playful rapport that makes the friendship feel real before the romance ever starts. Collins gives Rosie a sharp, funny energy and a stubborn streak, so she never becomes a passive heroine. Claflin is warm and slightly awkward as Alex, and his restraint makes the emotional near-misses sting. Christian Ditter directs with a bright, polished style that follows them across years. The long gaps can be frustrating, but they are exactly what make the bond convincing.
Why it ranks here: It ranks first because the childhood friendship is the whole engine of the story. It beats 13 Going on 30 because Rosie and Alex's history unfolds in real time, not through a fantasy device. It beats Brown Sugar on emotional range and Love & Basketball on warmth.
Who should watch it: Viewers who like bittersweet, long-running friends-to-lovers stories that take years to play out.
Where to watch: check your local listings.
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Our Final Verdict
The strongest picks on this list share one thing: a moment when a friend suddenly sees the other person differently. In Love, Rosie that moment is a drunken kiss and the regret that follows. In Brown Sugar it is a near miss the night before a wedding. In 13 Going on 30 it is a grown woman discovering how far she has drifted from the friend who once adored her. The best films make that shift feel earned, not like a twist for the sake of it.
Different viewers will want different picks. If you want something light, Drive Me Crazy and The DUFF give you a fake-dating or makeover plot and a comic tone. If you like sweet, nostalgic romance, Flipped and 13 Going on 30 are the easiest to love. If you want something grown-up with more bite, Keeping the Faith, Always Be My Maybe and Brown Sugar offer adult consequences and sharper dialogue. Love & Basketball is the choice for anyone who likes sport, slower pacing and a story that lasts decades.
Love, Rosie wins No. 1 because it puts the childhood friendship at the centre of everything and keeps it there. Other films on the list are fun, and some are more polished, but none makes the audience feel the cost of a friendship changing as clearly. It beats Brown Sugar and 13 Going on 30 on emotional range and sincerity, and it gives the leads enough room to feel like real people rather than plot devices.
Now it is your turn. Which childhood-friends-to-lovers film is your favourite? Did we rank one too low, or miss a title that belongs on this list? Tell us in the comments, share your own rankings and let us know the next friends-to-lovers film we should watch.
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Before the questions, here are a few more picks for your next movie night:
Frequently Asked Questions
Which childhood-friends-to-lovers movie is the best on this list?
Love, Rosie takes the top spot. Lily Collins and Sam Claflin play best friends whose relationship is tested by one drunken kiss and years of unspoken feelings. The childhood bond is the backbone of the story rather than a side detail, and the film's emotional range is wider than most of the titles here. If you want a slightly lighter choice, Brown Sugar and 13 Going on 30 are both excellent alternatives.
Which film on the list follows the friends over the longest period?
Love & Basketball covers the most ground in the story. Monica Wright and Quincy McCall meet as children in a 1981 Los Angeles neighbourhood, and the film then moves on to their high-school years in 1988 before carrying the friendship into adulthood. Because the film follows them through so many stages, it feels like a lifelong bond rather than a single summer. If you prefer a shorter timeline, Always Be My Maybe offers a neat reunion story.
Is 13 Going on 30 a friends-to-lovers film?
Yes, although the romance is more of a reunion than a slow build. Matty is Jenna's childhood best friend and next-door neighbour, and he has secretly loved her for years. The fantasy device lets Jenna skip ahead to thirty, where she finds that their friendship has drifted apart. The film is light and warm, and it is a good pick if you want a comedy that uses the childhood connection as its emotional hook.
Is Brown Sugar about music and hip-hop?
Yes, music is central to the story. Sid Shaw is named editor-in-chief of a hip-hop magazine, and Dre Ellis works for a record label that prefers marketable acts to real talent. Their careers and their friendship grow out of the same love of hip-hop they discovered as children. The film is set in the music world, so the romance has real professional pressures to play against the feelings between the leads.
Does The Kissing Booth fit the childhood-friends theme?
It does. Elle Evans and Lee Flynn are described as best friends since they were small, and Elle's crush on Lee's older brother Noah puts that bond at risk. The film is a Netflix teen romance, so the tone is bright and sometimes silly. If you want the childhood history to carry more of the weight, Flipped or Love, Rosie may suit you better.
Which movie is the lightest watch?
Drive Me Crazy is the lightest choice on this list. It is a 1999 teen comedy about two former neighbours who pretend to date to make their exes jealous, and it moves quickly. The childhood history is more of a backstory than a driving force, so it works well for a relaxed evening. If you want something warm but a bit more emotional, 13 Going on 30 is a good step up. It has a playful fantasy hook, and the friendship between Jenna and Matty gives it real heart without making it heavy.
Are these movies available on UK streaming services right now?
Availability changes often, so it is worth checking your local listings before you plan a movie night. Some titles on this list have appeared on Netflix or Disney+ in other regions, but that does not guarantee the same picture in the UK. Many of the films can also be rented or bought digitally from the usual stores. Always confirm the current option on the service itself before you commit.
What should I watch after Love, Rosie?
If you want movies like Love, Rosie, Always Be My Maybe is a strong follow-up. Sasha Tran and Marcus Kim are childhood friends who fall out of touch and reconnect as adults, and the comedy is sharper and more modern than Love, Rosie. Ali Wong and Randall Park bring a lot of warmth to the leads, and the film is a good pick if you want a grown-up romance with plenty of laughs.
Does Keeping the Faith count as a childhood-friends-to-lovers film?
It does, in a more complicated way. Jake Schram and Brian Finn have been close friends since childhood, and their childhood friend Anna Reilly returns to New York after 16 years. Jake and Anna begin a romance, and Brian develops feelings of his own, which creates a love triangle. The film mixes comedy with serious questions about vows and belief, so it is more grown-up than most titles here.
Where can I find cast lists, release dates and critic scores for these films?
Start with IMDb for cast lists, release dates and user reviews. Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic are useful for critic and audience scores, and Wikipedia usually has a clear summary of the plot and production history. Use them to check a film's details before you watch, then come back here to see how the picks compare. Each site is a fast way to confirm the release year and the main cast.
More Places to Find Great Movies and TV Shows
IMDb: cast lists, release dates, crew credits and user reviews for almost every film.
Rotten Tomatoes: critic and audience scores with short reviews.
Metacritic: weighted critic scores that show how reviews compare.
Wikipedia: plot summaries, production notes and release history.
TV Guide: TV listings, streaming news and recommendations.
Entertainment Weekly: film and TV news, reviews and feature stories.
Deadline: industry news on film deals, casting and box office.
The Hollywood Reporter: film and TV news with trade coverage.
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