Movies like Hard to Give Up (2016)
The best movies like Hard to Give Up (2016) are The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), Holiday Date (2019) and Finding Mr. Right 2 (2016). If Hard to Give Up hooked you with its romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedGabriel's Rapture: Part I (2021)7.8/10 from 200 votes
- NewestA Love Too Captivating (2025)Released 2025
- In ChineseFinding Mr. Right 2 (2016)Also in Chinese
The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018)
After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus, and he's putting his extensive skills with women to work as one of the masterminds behind a successful and secretive dating service. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet. As Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin' hot, Ian realizes he's in danger of breaking his cardinal rule....
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoliday Date (2019)
When Brooke’s boyfriend, Ethan, breaks up with her just before the holidays, she agrees to go home with Joel, an actor who will pose as her boyfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFinding Mr. Right 2 (2016)
Continuing the story of Beijing Meets Seattle I from 2013, the new movie has the couple fall in love again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChateau Christmas (2020)
Margot, a world-renowned pianist, returns to Chateau Newhaus to spend the holidays with her family and is reunited with an ex who helps her rediscover her passion for music.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Brush with Love (2019)
As she considers giving up on her artistic dreams, Jamie paints a vision board that brings her success and love—only to discover that the mystery man in her painting isn't who she thinks.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisA Gift to Remember (2017)
After colliding with a pedestrian on her bicycle who loses his memory following the accident, Darcy Archer becomes determined to help the handsome guy figure out who he is. In the process, she finds out a lot more about who she is, what she wants from life, and how this too-good-to-be-true guy might just be the man she’s been waiting to bump into all her life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDebbie Macomber's Dashing Through The Snow (2015)
Stranded at an airport at Christmastime, Ashley Harrison accepts a ride from Dash Sutherland, who has just rented the last car in town. As the pair heads north, their adventures include car trouble, adopting a puppy and being secretly tailed by federal agents, who believe Ashley is up to no good. With a hint of romance gradually filling the air will these two fall in love or will their journey bring about an unexpected road bump to romance?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel's Rapture: Part I (2021)
In the fourth instalment of the Gabriel's Inferno series, Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student Julia Mitchell, but when they return from their romantic holiday in Italy, their happiness is threatened. Will Gabriel succumb to Dante's fate?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIt Was Always You (2021)
Elizabeth's engagement plans are thrown into disarray when her fiancée's free-spirited brother David returns home. David's unexpected influence prompts Elizabeth to question her life decisions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChristmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (2019)
A skeptical writer shows up in Evergreen to get the scoop on the town's famed passion for Christmas during a search for a long-lost time capsule.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Perfect Christmas Present (2017)
Tom Jacobs is Mr Christmas! He's built an entire business around helping clients find the perfect gift. But what happens when he falls for one lucky recipient?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParis, Wine & Romance (2019)
Isabella is the ambitious new owner of her family’s Oregon winery whose dream of becoming world-renowned takes a big step forward when she enters a prestigious wine competition in Paris. Upon arrival, Isabella meets her biggest competitor, Jacques, from one of the world’s foremost winemaking families. Impressed by Isabella and her expertise in wine, a budding romance develops between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarry Me at Christmas (2017)
Organizing a Christmas wedding is a true treat for bridal boutique owner Madeline Krug. She loves the challenge of finding the perfect dress for the bride and orchestrating an exquisite event. What Madeline didn’t expect was to be swept off her feet by the bride’s gorgeous brother, movie star, Jonny Blaze. Jonny came to the quirky town of Fool’s Gold to support his sister -- not to fall in love. Yet Madeline is the most extraordinary woman he’s ever met, and she finds the real Jonny even more captivating than her celebrity crush. Will the action star be brave enough to take on the role of a lifetime?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChristmas Next Door (2017)
Eric Randall, an author of bachelor lifestyle books, is left in charge of his young niece and nephew for the holidays. Eric turns to his neighbor April, a lover of all things Christmas, for help.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisEating Out 2: Sloppy Seconds (2006)
How far would you go to get the person of your dreams? With the help of Gwen and Tiffani, Kyle pretends to be heterosexual in order to land Troy, the new guy (and nude model) who's turning the heads of both men and women. He soon finds himself joining the campus ex-gay support group and nabbing a girlfriend! Kyle's ex-boyfriend Marc is horrified at the plan and decides to pursue the confused Troy with his own tactic -- being his "out" gay self. Who will win Troy first?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Little Christmas Charm (2020)
Holly, a jewelry designer finds a lost charm bracelet and teams up with investigative reporter Greg in hopes of finding the owner and returning it by Christmas Eve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGolden Swallow (1968)
Golden Swallow revolves around the further adventures of its title character. This time around, she is forced into violence when a figure from her mysterious past goes on a killing rampage while leaving evidence that holds her responsible. Golden Swallow also makes room for a love triangle involving a mad, but righteous, swordsman named Silver Roc and a gentle warrior named Golden Whip. The three team up to conquer the evil forces of the martial world, but their joint venture only lasts so long, due to the two men's egos. Ultimately, a duel to the death is planned between them, leaving Golden Swallow caught between two men, both of whom she admires.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGabriel's Rapture: Part II (2022)
In the fifth installment of the Gabriel's Inferno series, Gabriel and Julia’s happiness is threatened by a conspiring student and academic politics. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante's fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA Glenbrooke Christmas (2020)
As Christmas nears, heiress Jessica Morgan seizes what seems like her last chance to experience a relaxed Christmas and heads off to the small town of Glenbrooke, where she meets a handsome fireman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMerry & Bright (2019)
Cate, CEO of the Merry and Bright Candy Cane Company, meets Gabe during the busy Christmas season. She assumes Gabe is the suitor her well-meaning mother is trying to set her up with when in reality, he works for Empire Corporate Recovery, which has been hired to take a closer look at Merry and Bright's operation and find ways to make the company more profitable. As Cate and Gabe begin to work together, they find ways to elevate the business and find that they have more in common than savvy business sense.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRainbow Boys (2008)
The film tells the bittersweet love life of a group of young men who could not be more different from each other: Ryuji is a teenager passionate about rugby, Akira is a beautiful and popular kabuki actor, and Yutaro is the son of a yakuza leader. Their paths come across after they fall in love with the aspiring actor Makoto Hayakawa
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Kirepapa. (2008)
Chisato is a beautiful 35-year-old writer, who looks like 18, and the father of Riju, a cute 15-year-old boy. Chisato's hobby is to drive away all of Riju's friends because he thinks they want to corrupt his precious child, so he shows his good side to these boys while he poisons the cake he brings them with a smile; however, there is one guy, Shunsuke, who doesn't fall for the tricks. But is Shunsuke really aiming for Riju? Who is that mysterious writer Chisato loves so much? And why is Chisato convinced that Riju's friends want to take advantage of him?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Nobody Knows But Me (2015)
An Zi Yan and Mai Ding's love is tested when their family and friends complicate their relationship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Weather Forecast Love (2023)
Ban Dong-uk, a university student struggling with chronic insomnia and lingering anxiety, discovers that the only time he can sleep peacefully is when he is near Lee Do-hyeon, the confident captain of the school’s basketball team. The two share a complicated history from their high school days, when misunderstandings and unspoken feelings drove them apart. Reuniting on campus forces them to confront that past while navigating the pressures of college life and athletics. As Dong-uk grows increasingly dependent on Do-hyeon’s calming presence, their renewed closeness gradually reveals the affection they once buried. What begins as an unusual need for comfort slowly turns into a deeper emotional bond, pushing both young men to face their vulnerabilities and reconsider what their relationship truly means.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Kissable Lips (2022)
Having spent the past five hundred years wandering through history as an immortal vampire, Kim Jun Ho now finds himself tired of his endless existence. Having lived more lifetimes than anyone ever should, Jun Ho knows that the only way to end his miserable life is to drink the blood of a pure-blooded human and thus become human himself. But finding a pure-blood isn’t nearly as easy as one might think.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
A Love Too Captivating (2025)
Misuzu was branded a delinquent when a small incident left him isolated. But one day, he sees the top student, Kitahara, get surrounded by bullies and decides to help him out. That sparked Kitahara's interest in the lonely boy, but Misuzu pushes Kitahara away. "If you get involved with me, you'll get ostracized by everyone else too." But it won't take long for Misuzu's resolve to falter...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Tasty Florida (2021)
College freshman Hae Won butts heads with his cold boss at a rooftop restaurant—until unexpected feelings stir, challenging both their walls and hearts.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
The Right Man: Because I Love You (2016)
Than, who is trying to have a relationship with Palm while texting his neighbor, who helps him with his problems and deals with his mother...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Insomnia (2018)
A young man, alone in his room, is visited by a mysterious voice, who forces him to reveal the murder he committed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Takumi-kun Series: Rainbow Colored Glass (2009)
Takumi and Gii are now a couple, but Takumi is still uncomfortable with showing affection. Not only that, but Takumi grows jealous when Gii starts paying attention to a good-looking first year student. Is Gii's love really that fickle?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
Like Hard to Give Up and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hard to Give Up?
The closest matches to Hard to Give Up are The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), Holiday Date (2019) and Finding Mr. Right 2 (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hard to Give Up?
Start with The Matchmaker's Playbook (2018), the closest match to Hard to Give Up.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hard to Give Up?
Gabriel's Rapture: Part I (2021), rated 7.8/10 by 200 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hard to Give Up?
A Love Too Captivating (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Chinese movies like Hard to Give Up?
Yes: Finding Mr. Right 2 (2016), Golden Swallow (1968) and Nobody Knows But Me (2015).
How are movies similar to Hard to Give Up chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hard to Give Up, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.