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There are two kinds of Super Bowl watchers: the ones that watch for the game and the ones that watch for the halftime show.

But, every now and then, a halftime show comes along that is so electrifying, it definitively overshadows the actual sporting event. A good halftime show has the power to transcend barriers, unite viewers all over the world, and make, break, or revitalize a career (no pressure, Rihanna). These shows also light up the internet with memes and takes (see: left shark).

This is by no means a comprehensive list. But below, in no particular order, are some of the most memorable performances to grace the football field. Actual football performances not included.

Prince (2007)

For Super Bowl XLI, the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears braved the pouring rain and driving winds (Colts won 29-17). But Prince fought those same elements while playing a live electric guitar, a pretty metal move considering water and electricity are a dangerous combination. 

Unfazed, Prince set a high bar for halftime shows. He started with Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and transitioned into his own “Let’s Go Crazy,” eventually bringing the stadium down with “Purple Rain.” Watching him shred on his signature Prince symbol guitar in the pouring rain instantly became an iconic sight and solidified Prince’s status as one of the best performers of all time. 

Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé but really just Beyoncé (2016)

Wait, the 2016 halftime show was headlined by Coldplay? We forgot because Beyoncé’s special guest appearance completely stole the show. First Bruno Mars crashed the stage with “Uptown Funk,” to which Beyoncé responded by storming the field with her perfectly synchronized backup dancers, performing “Formation.” 

Wearing a military-style getup, a nod to Michael Jackson’s halftime show outfit, Bey strutted to the stage and slayed (sorry) in a dance-off with Bruno Mars. By the time Coldplay’s Chris Martin came back to the front, even he seemed to realize this was Beyoncé’s moment.

Katy Perry (2015)

(Stefon voice) This show had everything: a giant lion puppet, a historic viral moment, inspired guest appearances, ample costume changes, and a shooting star. The 2015 halftime show may be best remembered for the left shark, but Katy Perry also put on a hell of a show. Perry came riding in the lion, then passed it off to Lenny Kravitz singing “I Kissed a Girl.”

Then the left shark captivated the internet with its blasé dance moves. Through it all, Perry brought strong energy and impressively sang live. By the time Perry brought on Missy Elliot who performed “Work It” and “Lose Control,” we knew this halftime show was one for the record books. Perry capped it all off by singing “Firework” as she was lifted up onto a shooting star. Bravo.

Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent (2022)

In the comments of the official recording, one YouTuber said, “This is not just a concert, this is also a history class,” which sums it up pretty well. Rapper and producer Dr. Dre’s influence on hip hop can’t be overstated. He’s credited with launching the careers of Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar, and many others. And during the 2022 halftime show he brought his famous friends to the stage for a legendary performance. 

The “history lesson” started with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performing “The Next Episode” and “California Love.” The show played off the West Coast vs. East Coast rivalry with New York native 50 Cent rapping “In Da Club,” while hanging upside down. Then Mary J. Blige belted out “Family Affair” and “No More Pain,” followed by Kendrick Lamar delivering powerful renditions of “m.A.A.d City” and “Alright,” and Eminem giving everyone goosebumps with “Lose Yourself.” Dre even fit in a tribute to 2Pac. The show closed out with everyone on stage performing “Still D.R.E.” A perfect close to a celebration of Dre and historic hip hop moments.

Diana Ross (1996) 

Pyrotechnics, mass-coordinated dance routines, and costume changes are de rigueur for halftime shows these days. But not only was Diana Ross the first to do it, her performance still holds up today. Ross performed a medley of some of her biggest hits including “Baby Love” and “Stop in the Name of Love” with her signature smile. Then, in the middle of singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” her gold cape spread across the entire stage as she rose on a scarily high platform. Then, the platform descended and she covered a banger version of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” 

Up until this point, Ross’s performance was solid, but what happened next proves she is the ultimate diva queen. Ross casually said “Oh, here comes my ride,” as a helicopter literally came to pick up. She sat on the edge of the chopper and waved to the crowd as it ferried her away, legs still dangling from the open helicopter door. That’s how you make an exit.

Apple’s new HomePod (2023) is, at first glance, a dead ringer for the original HomePod, which launched in 2018. In the meantime, Apple launched the HomePod mini, which was the company’s only speaker for nearly two years, as the original HomePod was discontinued in early 2021.

The new HomePod and the HomePod mini share a similar set of features, though at very different price points. So should you go for one HomePod, or buy two HomePods mini instead (leaving you with a hundred bucks to spare)? Let’s dive in.

Cute, small and colorful versus big and beautiful

Just like the original, the new HomePod has a cylindrical shape, and is dressed in an interwoven mesh fabric, with volume controls, and an animated touch display on top, which lights up when you invoke Siri. The HomePod mini is smaller, cuter, and way lighter (5.16 pounds vs. 0.76 pounds), but its basic features are the same: Mesh fabric cover, touch display and volume controls on top. It is way more colorful, though, as you can get it in Space Gray, Blue, White, Yellow, and Orange, whereas the HomePod only comes in Midnight and White colors.

It’s worth noting that, due to the sheer size difference, the HomePod is a far more striking and beautiful object to place in your home. Mini is almost inconsequential; I’ve owned it for a year, and over time it got pushed behind the TV by other objects such as fruit baskets and candles. The HomePod, especially if you buy two, is something that you definitely want to be seen.

The same set of features

In terms of features, the HomePod and the HomePod mini are remarkably similar. They both support Bluetooth 5 and Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity, come with an accelerometer as well as humidity and temperature sensors, and have sound recognition capabilities.

Despite the fact that the HomePod mini has an older chip (Apple’s S5 vs. HomePod’s S7), it’s hard to point at a feature that the HomePod mini doesn’t have. It seamlessly integrates with other Apple devices, runs Siri just the same, and can be paired with another mini to get stereo sound. It even has four microphones listening for input, just like its bigger, younger brother. If you want to nitpick, the HomePod has a detachable power cable, whereas the HomePod mini has a non-detachable USB-C cable which has to be plugged into an external, 20W power adapter. Neither speaker is designed to be moved around too often, so once you set them up, you probably won’t notice.

The similarities stop at the way these two speakers produce sound. The HomePod has an array of five tweeters firing in all directions, coupled with a 4-inch woofer. The HomePod mini has an entirely different design, with a single speaker and two passive radiators, which improve its bass response, but cannot get it to sound as deep as the new HomePod.

HomePod likes pop, HomePod mini likes rock

I’ve compared the HomePod to the HomePod mini side-by-side. When you listen to each speaker separately, they sound similar, with lots of bass and a surprising airiness to the sound. But when you actually compare them directly, switching from one to the other at same volume, the difference is astounding. Switching from the smaller to the bigger speaker is like listening to a concert through a closed door, and then opening it and stepping inside.

The HomePod is louder and has more bass, but it also has tons more clarity and definition across the entire frequency range. That’s not to say the HomePod mini sounds bad; it just cannot hold a candle to the bigger speaker.

The difference is most pronounced when reproducing bassy pop and hip hop, like something from Rosalia or Drake. Interestingly, even though the HomePod still sounds better, the difference is much smaller when listening to rock, like Queens of the Stone Age or All Them Witches. The HomePod offers more clarity, but the HomePod mini has a better sound mix, with the instruments nicely tied together, the bass and the distorted guitars happily producing a punchy, deep sound. In contrast, the HomePod puts too much treble in the mix. I’ve said this in my HomePod review, and I’ll repeat it here: It’s a pity that Apple doesn’t offer any sort of equalizer for the HomePods, as they could both benefit from some fine tuning.

The real question for prospective buyers, I think, is whether to buy two HomePods mini for $198 or one HomePod for $299. Adding another speaker to the mix gives you stereo and vastly improves the overall sound. Given that the feature list between the HomePod and HomePod mini is practically identical, going for two minis is a good cost-conscious option. Of course, if money is no object, go for two HomePods; doubling down does wonders for the sound and makes the speakers a great option for home cinema audio.

When Rihanna takes the Super Bowl stage on Sunday for her hotly anticipated halftime show performance, tens of millions of viewers just might get a glimpse into the singer’s philanthropy.

If she nods to empowering Black girls and women of color as leaders, or to the critical importance of preparing Caribbean nations like her own Barbados for climate change, she’ll be hinting at more than a decade’s worth of work done through her philanthropic organization, the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF).

Rihanna founded the nonprofit, named after her grandparents, in 2012. The foundation has primarily focused on climate resilience and justice initiatives in communities of color, with an emphasis on partnering with leaders who are most affected by the crisis of climate change but least likely to receive support from major foundations. One study found that environmental justice groups groups only received $18 million of $1 billion awarded by environmental grantmakers. In 2022 alone, CLF awarded $15 million in grants to 18 organizations advancing climate justice in the U.S. and Caribbean.

“At the Clara Lionel Foundation, much of the work is rooted in the understanding that climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change,” Rihanna said on the CLF website.

So far, neither the NFL nor Rihanna have suggested her philanthropy will factor into her performance. (The NFL didn’t respond to inquiries sent by Mashable.) Justine Lucas, CLF’s executive director, told Mashable that she didn’t know whether Rihanna would incorporate the themes of her philanthropy into the show, either. No doubt most viewers would be just happy to watch a guest-star packed medley that includes hits like “Rude Boy,” “Diamonds,” and “Umbrella.”

If her philanthropy does go unmentioned, it’s worth remembering that the Super Bowl halftime show can be a fraught event for Black female performers, especially if they’re perceived as political. Janet Jackson endured long-lasting repercussions when Justin Timberlake briefly exposed part of her breast thanks to a “wardrobe malfunction” during their 2004 performance. Beyoncé faced an intense backlash when her 2016 appearance included imagery associated with the Black Panthers and Black Lives Matter movement. Rihanna previously declined the NFL’s Super Bowl invitation, citing the league’s treatment of Colin Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who kneeled to protest police violence.

Lucas said that regardless of what Rihanna features in her performance, she wants Super Bowl viewers to know CLF as a foundation that is “on a mission to make the Caribbean the world’s first climate-resilient zone.” One of its major initiatives invests in emergency preparedness to help communities better withstand natural disasters before they strike.

In 2021, the foundation awarded $7.5 million to more than 80 partners in seven Caribbean countries. This includes the Barbados Family Planning Association, along with other health clinics in the Caribbean, which received support to “harden” their facilities in order to deliver sexual and reproductive healthcare before, during, and after a hurricane. CLF also recently launched the With/Stand climate pledge that anyone can sign.

“It is our invitation to the world to join us and support our vision for a climate-ready Caribbean,” Lucas wrote in an email.

“That type of leadership does not exist in the legacy of what philanthropy looks like.”

Isabelle Leighton, executive director of the Donors of Colors Network, a cross-racial community of high net wealth donors that doesn’t have a formal relationship with CLF, praised Rihanna’s approach to philanthropy. She says traditional giving strategies, led predominantly by white funders, tend to “otherize” people of color and give from a “sense of charity.” By contrast, CLF points to a statistic that 95 percent of its partners focus on or are led by women, youth, people of color, or Black, Indigenous, or LGBTQIA+ communities.

“[Rihanna] is giving back to her home in a very bold way, and also making very public statements about how she’s investing in Black women and girls,” says Leighton. “That type of leadership does not exist in the legacy of what philanthropy looks like.”

Last month, CLF co-signed an open letter to philanthropy challenging foundations and grantmakers to collectively meet a $100 million commitment to the Black Feminist Fund. The campaign launched in 2021 with the goal of supporting “Black women and Black feminist agendas,” which include issues like violence prevention, land resource rights, and food and water security.

Leighton says that she’s excited by the possibility that the Super Bowl will draw attention to the causes that Rihanna supports — and the way she supports them. Yet she also understands that the average viewer might perceive discussion about the topic as another rich person “grandstanding” about their giving.

“This is one of those moments where you have to understand you can’t please everybody,” says Leighton.

But for high net worth donors of color who can relate to Rihanna’s journey of coming from a humble background and using her wealth to help empower her community, Leighton says the Super Bowl will be a powerful moment of representation.

“Leaders of color like Rihanna are actually what we need to be able to model and to show what new systems of power really need to look like for communities that are often left out of the decision-making process,” says Leighton.

Apple’s HomePod is back after a few years of absence, and frankly, it hasn’t really changed much.

The original HomePod, which launched in 2018, was discontinued early in 2021, leaving an empty void in the lives of people who wanted an Apple speaker that can produce a bigger sound than the HomePod mini. It was an ambitious product for its time, with an array of 7 tweeters, 6 microphones, and Apple tech wizardry which allowed it to adapt its sound for every room. It also had an ambitiously high price to match at $349, which probably contributed to its quick demise.

Things have changed since then. On the one hand, smart speakers are so ubiquitous that you can now buy a decent-sounding speaker at Ikea for $99; on the other, you can easily spend $2,000 decking out your house with an array of Sonos or Bose smart speakers.

Same old design, but it still looks great

With the new HomePod, Apple seemingly decided to walk the middle of that road. The new HomePod is 0.2 inches shorter, a little cheaper at $299, and a little less powerful, with 5 tweeters and 4 microphones (the subwoofer is still here and it still has the same 4-inch diameter). It’s powered by Apple’s new S7 chip, and it now comes with humidity, temperature, and sound recognition sensors.

You wouldn’t notice the changes just by looking at it from afar. The new HomePod still looks pretty much the same, the only major design difference being the new, Midnight color (replacing the Space Grey which wasn’t all that different). I don’t mind the unchanged design, because HomePod is still beautiful. The mesh fabric body is soft to the touch and pleasing to the eye, especially when you get close enough to notice the latticed weaving pattern. The eye of Siri that pops up on top when you invoke it is bigger than on the first generation, and is still really cool to look at, especially in a dark room. But the most important thing about the design, to me, is that the HomePod will fit well into any home.

The new sensors (which, surprisingly, have also been built into the HomePod mini all this time, but Apple only decided to enable them now, two years after launch) are a nice addition, but not groundbreaking. They make the HomePod a little more viable as a hub for your smart home, enabling you to quickly check the temperature in various rooms in your house (if you have more than one HomePod), and informing you when, say, a carbon monoxide alarm has gone off.

Apple’s warm embrace

The best thing about the HomePod, if you own a lot of Apple gadgets, is just how great they all work with one another. Setting up one HomePod was incredibly easy; I plugged it in, scanned it with my iPhone, and I was all set. Adding another was even easier, with Apple immediately asking whether you want them to reproduce stereo sound (you can only do that with two identical HomePods; you cannot have stereo playback with a HomePod and a HomePod mini). I used eARC on my LG television set to get the HomePod to act as speakers for my TV, with the help of Apple TV 4K, and it worked seamlessly. I even started using Apple’s Home app, which I rarely did before, to overview and control all aspects of my smart home setup, and found it to be quite capable.

Thanks to its built-in mics, the HomePod is great at catching your voice commands, even if you shout them over several other Apple gadgets which are also listening for input. Siri is still the same old Siri, often surprisingly smart, sometimes frustratingly unable to understand what you want (and no, you can’t get any other voice assistant to work on the HomePod).

Most of my frustrations with Siri are due to Apple’s lack of integration with third-party services such as Spotify. I’d ask her to play a song, and she’d refuse, simply because Spotify has that particular song and Apple Music doesn’t. Sure, I can beam a Spotify song to the HomePod via AirPlay, but it takes that extra second that you often just don’t want to spend. Full integration for Tidal and Amazon Music is similarly absent, though Apple supports some third-party services, namely Deezer and Pandora.

Even when confined to the warm, cozy world of Apple’s ecosystem, you’ll occasionally experience bugs. Sometimes, playback would pause for no discernible reason (fortunately, it quickly resumed again). Unlike the Home app on my iPhone, that same app on my MacBook Pro never displayed the two HomePods in my living room. Overall, though, the integration between all the moving parts of my system, especially those bearing the Apple logo, is great.

If I could change one major thing about the HomePod, I’d make it battery-powered. It’d be nice if I were able to just plug it out and carry it to the terrace, or to another room, or even on a trip. It is fairly heavy at 5.16 pounds, but it’s not so unwieldy that it couldn’t be a portable product; Sonos’ portable Move speaker, for example, is larger and heavier (an obvious caveat to this is that the HomePod would also be larger and heavier if it included a battery). Perhaps Apple could include a battery-powered version in the future.

Sound that fills up the room

The sound coming out of the HomePod (or two HomePods) is surprisingly big. Thanks to the way the HomePod is designed, with five tweeters firing sound in all directions, and Apple’s computational audio magic, it produces an airy, loud sound, and it sounds good no matter where you stand in the room.

As if trying to prove that a small speaker can reproduce deep bass, the sound signature coming out of the HomePod is incredibly bass-heavy. This may be desirable at a party, but for home listening, the bass was too loud and distracting. Hidden in the HomePod settings in the Home app is the option to “Reduce Bass,” but I feel it does too much reducing. An equalizer of some sort, or at least a few more presets, would be a good thing to add (Apple Music does offer a number of presets in the settings, but they don’t work on the HomePod).

Partially thanks to that booming bass, the HomePod has a slightly muffled sound in the treble and mid-range. I compared it to my $149 Audio Pro T3 speaker, which produces an incredibly bright and detailed sound for its size, and when I switched from the T3 to the HomePod, it sounded like the vocals took a step back. To be fair, the T3 gets lost when forced to reproduce anything with more than two instruments, whereas the HomePod has a more balanced sound, and sounds better when you’re not sitting directly in front of it.

I’ve had the luxury of connecting two HomePod speakers to get a stereo sound. Unsurprisingly, everything got exponentially better; the sound stage became decent in size, both horizontally and vertically, the sound got a lot louder, drums and percussion were rich and detailed, and bass was precise and surprisingly deep. The vocals and acoustic guitars still weren’t as clear as I would’ve liked. Again, if Apple would just give me an equalizer, I think I could get the HomePod to sound even better with some fine-tuning.

Sonically, the HomePod is at home when you play modern pop; The Weeknd, Billie Eilish and Rosalia all sounded great. It wasn’t too content with the crunchy rock sounds of The Arctic Monkeys and The Mars Volta, offering a slightly thin sound, but it still did a decent job. Intimate, acoustic performances such as Fink’s Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet will give you an amazing sense of space, as if you were there in the auditorium, but the vocals will sadly always stay a little too subdued.

The HomePod is good, but consider the HomePod mini

The new HomePod is one of those product upgrades that’s typical of Apple: Not groundbreaking, but offering just enough novelty to nudge you towards a purchase. The reduced starting price helps, too. This goes for people who want a HomePod but don’t have one. That is: If you own the original HomePod (or two), you probably don’t need to upgrade.

If you’re starting from scratch, the competition is tough. If you look hard enough, you’ll find better-sounding speakers, and you’ll find cheaper ones too. You’ll probably find a speaker that’s better suited to your musical taste. But you definitely won’t find a speaker that sounds this good will playing so nice with all the other Apple gadgets. Oddly, perhaps the HomePod’s biggest competitor is Apple’s HomePod mini; you can buy three for the price of one HomePod, and it comes with a near-identical set of features.

Is there anything more romantic than cuddling on the couch?! Of course not. There’s a reason modern dating can be summarized with the phrase “Netflix and chill.” Netflix is for lovers! 

With a deep catalog and a seemingly endless supply of rom-coms, the streaming giant has a lock on the love department. Whether you’re looking for something to make you cry, make you sigh, or put you in the mood, Netflix has a movie for you.

Here are the 25 best romantic movies on Netflix.

1. Notting Hill

As the movie that cemented Hugh Grant’s place in cinema history as one of the most lovable bumbling Brits of all time, Notting Hill is a rom-com hall-of-famer. This dreamy and captivating love story is just as poignant now as it was in 1999. If you aren’t moved by the final scene, then we’re sorry, your heart is simply made of stone, and there’s not much we can do about that. 

Julia Roberts absolutely glows as international movie star Anna Scott, who wanders into a humble book store owned by William Thacker (Grant) to hide from the paparazzi. Because, as previously mentioned, Grant is at his most criminally charming here, an unlikely romance blooms between this pair from completely different worlds. A superb supporting cast and an airtight script from rom-com veteran Richard Curtis (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Four Weddings and a Funeral, About Time) makes Notting Hill the definitive take on the “celebrity falls for regular person” genre — the standard to which all subsequent romances have been held. — Kristina Grosspietsch, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: Notting Hill is streaming on Netflix.

2. Lady Chatterley’s Lover

This modern adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s scandalous 1928 novel will leave you absolutely swooning. Emma Corrin (The Crown) is spectacular as Connie Reid, the titular Lady Chatterley. Her marriage to Clifford Chatterley seemed like the perfect match before the war, but when he returns paralyzed, withdrawn, and uninterested in her happiness, Connie feels utterly alone and isolated in their empty countryside manor. She finds a refuge for her oppressive loneliness in the estate’s gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell). Very quickly the two begin a torrid affair that is both passionate and tender, exuberant and profound — and a threat to both of their lifestyles. 

Much like the source material, Lady Chatterley’s Lover puts sex on full display. Their trysts are steamy and explicit, but thanks to the incredible vulnerability of Corrin and O’Connell, and the steady hand of director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, it never feels pornographic. The lovers’ stolen moments are deeply intimate and personal. Together, in the sumptuous woods of the Chatterley estate, they explore each other’s bodies and souls with unbridled joy. It’s an elegant and sensual adaptation that makes an age-old story feel like a breath of fresh air. — K.G.

How to Watch: Lady Chatterley’s Lover is streaming on Netflix.

3. Really Love

Kofi Siriboe (from Queen Sugar and Girls Trip) is Isaiah Maxwell, an artist trying to make a name for himself in Washington D.C. With his mind focused on his career, falling in love is the last thing on his radar — until he meets a law student named Stevie Richmond (Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing).

Really Love is a tender and beautiful love story written by Felicia Pride and Angel Kristi Williams, and directed by Williams. The supporting cast here is top-notch, with Uzo Aduba, Mack Wilds, Naturi Naughton, Suzzanne Douglas, Jade Eshete, Blair Underwood, and Michael Ealy all sparkling on the sidelines as the two young lovers explore their place in the world. Sweet, touching, and authentic, Really Love is Black romance at its best.* — K.G.

How to Watch: Really Love is streaming on Netflix.

4. When We First Met

Groundhog Day meets Some Kind of Wonderful in this delightful romantic comedy from director Ari Sandel. Adam DeVine and Alexandra Daddario star as Noah and Avery, friends who could’ve worked as a couple but didn’t get the timing right. So when the pining Noah discovers a magical photo booth that will transport him back to the night he and Avery first met, he’s willing to do anything to get it right this time(s). Funny and surprisingly sweet, When We First Met is a hidden gem time-travel romp with spectacular supporting performances and a predictable ending you’ll like all the same. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: When We First Met is streaming on Netflix.

5. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Karan Johar’s directorial debut became an instant Bollywood classic when it hit theaters in 1998. Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) and Anjali (Kajol) are college besties until Rahul falls in love with Tina (Rani Mukerji) and Anjali realizes her true feelings for him. The friends become estranged before Tina dies, leaving behind a daughter, also named Anjali in honor of their old friend. Little Anjali grows up reading letters from her late mother, and she learns about her father’s old friend — his first love. Tina tasks her daughter with tracking down Anjali and reuniting the friends as lovers, once and for all.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai remains Johar’s best work to date, a film that made his name synonymous with pure power in the Hindi film industry. Khan and Kajol’s chemistry captivates throughout, from their Gap-clad days of college teasing to the unfathomable sexual tension of the gazebo scene. Despite being famous for its love triangle, the movie never pits Anjali and Tina against each other, instead depicting a beautiful friendship between the two women as well as their respective relationships to Rahul. “Pyar dosti hai,” Rahul declares early on: Love is friendship. And Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is nothing if not a timeless story about friends. — Proma Khosla, Senior Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is streaming on Netflix.

6. Set It Up

Rom-coms are back, baby — and Set It Up, written by Katie Silberman (who also penned Booksmart) and directed by Claire Scanlon (The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), is one of the best entries of this new golden age! Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell are young assistants who hatch a plan to set up their high-strung, demanding bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs) so they can finally get a weekend off. What these two schemers never anticipated, of course, was that they might find themselves in their own romance in the process. Whoops!

Set It Up is a fun, hilarious romp that feels exponentially more real than your standard, candy-coated romantic comedy. The characters are charming because they’re flawed, and they talk like people you know (Zoey uses insider nicknames like “Golf Guy” when chatting with her friends about her dating life). If you’re looking for a romantic comedy that leaves you feeling like you just had the night out with your crew, this is the movie for you. * — K.G.

How to watch: Set It Up is streaming on Netflix.

7. Sir

First-time feature director Rohena Gera sticks the landing with 2018’s Sir, which only released in cinemas in November 2020 and hit Netflix early in 2021. Sir is essential Indian cinema. Tillotama Shome stars as Ratna, a live-in housemaid to upper-middle–class Ashwin (Vivek Gomber). Housemaids are common in India, where the film is set, but Ratna and Ashwin develop a slow-simmering and socially unthinkable love. 

With Gera’s writing and direction, this unlikely story never feels forced. The love blooms organically, in furtive looks and hefty silence, and the trust they develop as Ashwin recovers from a broken engagement and Ratna tells him about her late husband. The result is a film so soft and stirring that it will stay with you long after it ends.* — P.K.

How to Watch: Sir is streaming on Netflix.

8. Been So Long

Do you love musicals, romance, and Michaela Coel? Then Been So Long is the movie for you. This stylish musical epic follows Simone (Coel), a young, single mother in London completely wrapped up in caring for her differently-abled daughter. After her friends and family tell her she’s too uptight, she finally agrees to a night out and meets the handsome, complicated Raymond (Arinzé Kene). The two tentatively begin a flirtation, though they’ll each have to contend with their own baggage before the relationship can thrive.

Directed by Tinge Krishnan and adapted from the successful stage show of the same name, Been So Long is a bright and buoyant musical for the modern era. The stories are grounded and complex, the characters are relatable, and — perhaps most importantly —the songs are absolute bops! * — K.G.

How to watch: Been So Long is streaming on Netflix.

9. Call Me by Your Name

Timothée Chalamet became a household name with his raw and passionate performance in Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name. Chalamet plays Elio, a teenager living with his parents in 1980s Italy. When his father, a professor of archaeology, invites a grad student to live with them over the summer, sparks fly between the two young men. When so many LGBTQ romances are centered on repression, Call Me By Your Name is defined by joy. The romance between Elio and Oliver (Armie Hammer) is both tentative and ardent, and as Mashable‘s Laura Prudom put it “will make you believe in love again.” Though Armie Hammer’s multiple allegations of sexual misconduct have cast a shadow on his former work, there’s no denying that Call Me By Your Name is a hopeful, romantic triumph. — K.G.

How to Watch: Call Me By Your Name is streaming on Netflix.

10. Our Souls At Night 

Quiet, sweet, and touching, Our Souls at Night is a beautiful meditation on companionship and love. Jane Fonda and Robert Redford are excellent as two widowed, long-time neighbors who decide to start spending the night in the same bed to stave off loneliness. The arrangement is purely platonic, a simple solution to a problem — but as they get to know each other, a deeper love begins to bloom. 

Fonda and Redford are truly mesmerizing here, completely self-assured in bringing this spare, sophisticated script to life. There aren’t a ton of films about romance in our twilight years, but the poignancy of Our Souls at Night proves that the power of love will never get old. — K.G.

How to Watch: Our Souls At Night is streaming on Netflix.

11. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Netflix’s rom-com revival kicked off in 2018, a year whose slate included this criminally charming movie based on the novel by Jenny Han. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is a hopeless romantic in the habit of writing letters to her most epic crushes — writing, not sending. When the letters are leaked, she starts pretending to date Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) to divert attention from her real crush on her sister’s boyfriend.

With a bouncy pop soundtrack and visual style that is the envy of your entire Instagram feed, To All the Boys is the kind of movie you can return to again and again, a comfort watch as sweet as Lara Jean’s baked goods. Will we ever tire of watching fictional characters fake love until it becomes real? If they’re even half as adorable as these two, the answer is no. — P.K.

How to watch: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is streaming on Netflix.

12. Falling Inn Love

As a genre, romance can offer us a deep exploration of human relationships and what they demand of us — vulnerability, bravery, emotional intelligence — or it can simply be delightfully mindless fluff. Falling Inn Love is a truly excellent example of the latter. Christina Milian is delightful as Gabriela, a city girl from San Francisco who somehow wins a rustic New Zealand inn. And who happens to be the only person qualified to help her fix up the ramshackle property? That’s right — the hunkiest guy in town, Jake (Adam Demos, who co-stars in Netflix’s steamy series Sex/Life).

Look, you’re not here for the plot. You’re here to watch hot people fall in love in a beautiful location, and Falling Inn Love absolutely delivers, with charm to spare. — K.G.

How to Watch: Falling Inn Love is streaming on Netflix.

13. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Though this 1940s-set title is a bit of a mouthful, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a straightforward tale of boy-meets-girl. Or boy in a book club meets lady author who is staying in town to do research on the German occupation and uncovers WWII secrets. Lily James (Downton Abbey, Cinderella) and Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones) star as a bookish couple whose interest in history — and the author Charles Lamb — brings them together even as the world tries to move them away from each other. — Alexis Nedd, Senior Entertainment Reporter 

How to watch: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is streaming on Netflix.

14. The Half of It

Director Alice Wu’s The Half of It hinges on straight-A student Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) and her journey towards self-acceptance. It does wonders for the streaming service’s rom-com catalog, not because it’s especially new in its ideas but because Wu executes them with a flair all her own.

A charming combination of unique subject matter and clichéd storytelling, The Half of It explores the perspectives of characters rare to the genre — namely, Ellie who is a queer, Chinese-American teenager — with some pretty predictable narrative turns. You haven’t seen this story done with these characters anywhere else before, but you’ll feel like you have. That’s a victory for the genre in its own right.* — A.F.

How to Watch: The Half of It is streaming on Netflix.

15. She’s Gotta Have It

31 years before it was a Netflix series, She’s Gotta Have It was the daring comedy that launched Spike Lee’s career and became a landmark in America’s emerging independent film scene. Filmed on a tight budget on black-and-white stock, this Lee joint centers on Nola Darling (Tracy Camilla Johns), a charming Brooklyn-based graphic artist who is juggling three lovers. When these jealous men demand she choose just one of them, Nola is pushed to consider what she wants from love, sex, and relationships. Critics championed how Lee captured a side of Black experience rarely shown in mainstream movies. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival honored him with the Award of the Youth, while the Independent Spirit Awards gave him the award for best first feature, and Johns best female lead.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to Watch: She’s Gotta Have It is streaming on Netflix.

16. Always Be My Maybe

The thrill of a new romance often lies in just that — the fact that it’s new. But what if your truest love lies in one of your oldest relationships? Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as a pair of childhood besties who lost touch in their teens but find their way back to each other as grownups. With a delightful supporting cast that also includes Daniel Dae Kim, James Saito, and Keanu Reeves, Always Be My Maybe is as deliciously cozy as a bowl of Mom’s kimchi jjigae — and just as satisfying. — Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor

How to watch: Always Be My Maybe is streaming on Netflix.

17. Brokeback Mountain

Directed by Ang Lee, 2005’s Brokeback Mountain was a major turning point for queer cinema. Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger both gave career-defining performances as Jack and Ennis, two cowboys on a job to herd sheep together for the summer. Slowly, meaningful glances give way to deep emotion and a night of passion. Though the pair go on to live separate lives with their own families, they keep finding their way back to each other for stolen moments over the years.

This is a story of a love that cannot be, an ache that stretches on for decades. It’s a heartbreaking Western epic with a top-notch cast — Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway are both fantastic as Jack and Ennis’s wives. If you haven’t seen this absolutely unforgettable film yet, then now’s your chance! Just don’t forget the tissues. — K.G.

How to watch: Brokeback Mountain is streaming on Netflix.

18. La La Land

Nothing says romance like a little song and dance! Damien Chazelle’s ode to Hollywood dreamers is both shiny and bittersweet. Emma Stone is Mia, an aspiring actress running out of hope, and Ryan Gosling is Sebastian, a jazz musician looking who just can’t seem to fit in. The two cross paths and fall deliriously in love. We follow the whole course of their relationship, from meet-cute to moving in, to trouble brewing as their careers take them in different directions.

Stone and Gosling’s fantastic chemistry, the whimsical set pieces, and a few grand, breathtaking dance numbers come together to make La La Land a superbly magical movie. — K.G.

How to watch: La La Land is streaming on Netflix.

19. A Knight’s Tale

Hot off the success of the contemporary Shakespearean adaptation 10 Things I Hate About You, Heath Ledger returned to the spotlight in another anachronistic mash-up of love and romance. And it had plenty of action to boot!

Born a humble thatcher’s son, Will (Ledger) seems destined to live a life of poverty and no consequence. Well, that is until he masquerades as a knight with a little help from his friends (Alan Tudyk, Mark Addy, and Paul Bettany). Together, they build a legend of a champion, pitching Will into jousting competitions for money and love. Because, of course, amid scenes of horse-striding battle, there’s also time for romance with a devastatingly chic princess (Shannyn Sossamon).

Written and directed by Brian Helgeland, A Knight’s Tale blends a medieval fable with modern sensibilities, a rockin’ soundtrack, and the vibes of a teen comedy with a rousing sports epic. It’s an intoxicating blend that’s sure to make your heart race and your belly rock with laughter. — K.P.

How to watch: A Knight’s Tale is streaming on Netflix.

20. The Incredible Jessica James

Get a masterclass in self-confidence and healthy communication from The Incredible Jessica James. Jessica Williams stars opposite Chris O’Dowd, with a supporting performance from LaKeith Stanfield. This charming tale of a woman who will stop at nothing to be loved the way she deserves explores so much of what makes romance the sticky business that it is. But this rom-com boasts just the right amount of optimism to keep you invested until its stunningly grounded happily ever after.* — A.F.

How to watch: The Incredible Jessica James is streaming on Netflix.

21. Grease

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 50 years, you know what Grease is. If you’re anything like us, the entire candy-colored musical about an unlikely romance between good girl Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and bad boy Danny Zuko (John Travolta) has been seared into your memory. (Those su-u-mmer ni-iiiiiiiights!) It’s iconic. It’s ubiquitous. And it’s a classic for a reason. Questionable messaging about changing your personality aside, Grease, with its toe-tapping soundtrack and its top-notch cast (Stockard Channing!), is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. — K.G.

How to Watch: Grease is streaming on Netflix.

22. The Last Letter From Your Lover

The sweeping, soapy melodrama The Last Letter From Your Lover spans half a century and checks off all the romance tropes: love letters, deceit, impeccable costumes, and ill-timed amnesia. It’s The Notebook meets An Affair to Remember, with a dash of every period romance sprinkled in for good measure. Don’t think about it too hard, and you’ll be sure to enjoy the ride. 

It’s the ’60s, and Shailene Woodley is Jennifer Stirling, a woman putting the pieces of her life back together after a car accident damages her memories — and her connection to her husband, Laurence (Joe Alwyn). When she discovers a love letter between “J” and “Boot,” she can’t help but wonder what else she’s forgotten. At the same time, we also follow Ellie (Felicity Jones), a present-day reporter who stumbles across the letter in her publication’s archives and becomes determined to find out what happened to the mysterious, passionate pair. The Last Letter From Your Lover is moody, glamorous, and boasts a stellar cast — a cozy, stylish pick for movie night. — K.G.

How to Watch: The Last Letter From Your Lover is streaming on Netflix.

23. Love and Leashes

For those looking for an unusual romance, then the South Korean rom-com Love and Leashes might do just the trick. Ji-hoo and Ji-Woo are two co-workers who enter into a consensual BDSM relationship. At first, their meetings are purely sexual, but sooner or later, of course, someone catches feelings. Love and Leashes is a surprisingly sweet movie, hitting all the rom-com beats while having an open and refreshing conversation about kink. This is a one-of-a-kind story, both heartfelt and taboo-busting. — K.G.

How to Watch: Love and Leashes is streaming on Netflix.

24. Wedding Season

Fluffy, energetic, and fun, Wedding Season is a cheerful, low-stakes rom-com. Pallavi Sharda and Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi, How I Met Your Father) are Asha and Ravi, two thirty-somethings tired of being set up on Indian dating websites by their parents. So, what do they do when faced with a long season of weddings where they’ll face endless questions about their dating lives? You guessed it! They fake-date! It’s the only reasonable course of action!!!

The best romantic comedy trope gets new life in Wedding Season with its super charismatic cast and delightful wedding montages. If you like bright and shiny comedies and romantic leads with great chemistry, then RSVP “Yes!” to Wedding Season. — K.G.

How to Watch: Wedding Season is streaming on Netflix.

25. The Duff

Based on the novel by Kody Keplinger, The Duff is one of those movies you think will be totally insensitive to the teen troubles it plods through. Instead, director Ari Sandel and screenwriter Josh A. Cagan deliver something so wholly charming that you’ll forget you ever had misgivings.

Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a high school senior struggling with the realization that she may be her friend group’s “Designated Ugly Fat Friend.” Wesley (Robbie Amell) is Bianca’s former childhood pal, current captain of the football team, and boyfriend to mean girl Madison (Bella Thorne). When Bianca enlists Wesley’s help in a glow-up, the pair’s dormant friendship is revived. They learn some important lessons, and…well, you can guess the rest.* —A.F

How to watch: The Duff is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry has been modified from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Feb. 9, 2023, 1:09 p.m. EST This list has been updated to reflect Netflix’s current selection.

If you have questions about the big red boots all over your feeds you’re not alone.

For one, they’re officially called Big Red Boots, and yes, they are real and available to buy. MSCHF, the art collective that created the Big Red Boots, was cheekily cryptic about its latest product, but here’s what we know.

What are the Big Red Boots?

The Big Red Boots are oversized cartoonish boots recently spotted on influencers and other fashion folk that have gone viral for their ridiculous look. Much like Crocs’ evolution from dorky dad shoes to an ironic fashion statement, the Big Red Boots are both trendy and a subversion of trends.

The short answer is that they’re big cartoony boots. The long answer is that they’re a critique of capitalist mass consumption and the impermanence of trends. More on that below.

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Who is the creator behind the Big Red Boots?

The Big Red Boots are made by the art collective MSCHF. According to its website, MSCHF “subverts mass/popular culture and corporate operations and tools for critique and intervention.”

The collective was also behind the “Satan Shoe” collaboration with Lil Nas X, a.k.a. the Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that contained a drop of blood in the air bubble. Nike sued MSCHF for the unauthorized sale of its Nike Air Max 97 sneakers.

No word yet on how Boots from Dora the Explorer feels about his boots being copied.

Why is MSCHF selling Big Red Boots?

“The aesthetic Overton Window continues to stretch open towards the unreal,” said the description on the product page. In other words, this aesthetic reflects the increasingly merging worlds of virtual and reality. “The continued blending of virtual and IRL aesthetic has us chasing supernormal stimuli. When half the sneakers we see on social media are renderings, we come to expect a baseline of unreality. Big Red Boots are VR chat boots.”

Hopefully, that clears things up.

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What are the Big Red Boots made of?

The Big Red Boots are made of TPU, which is what many phone cases are made of, rubber, and an EVA foam outsole and midsole. EVA is the same stuff Crocs are made of. So yes, the boots are bouncy, a little bit squishy, and might be fun to chew on.

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How much do the Big Red Boots cost?

They cost $350, which depending on your interest in fashion is decently priced for a pair or boots, or ridiculously expensive for novelty rubber boots.

Where can I buy the Big Red Boots?

You can buy them on MSCHF.com and the MSCHF Sneakers app.

When are they available?

The Big Red Boots go on sale to the public on February 16 at 11 a.m. EST.

Help, how do I get the Big Red Boots off?

Good question. Some people have been struggling with this. Try enlisting a friend or two to help. Also, maybe wear some kind of grippy sock underneath to help the rubbery suctioned boots slide off.

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How do I style the Big Red Boots?

Another good question! Wear with baggy pants and loud colors like IMG model Wisdom Kaye. Or tuck pants into them and complete the outfit with an American flag sweater, like Jannik Diefenbach a.k.a. @jaadiee’s grandpa. With cartoonish big red boots, the possibilities are beyond your imagination.

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Co-creators Everett Downing Jr. and Patrick Harpin join the cast of Netfix’s My Dad the Bounty Hunter to give us all the backstory we need before watching. The show can be seen on Netflix as of February 9th, 2023.

If the Super Bowl is your introduction to national treasure Sheryl Lee Ralph, welcome. The veteran singer-actress is set to take the Super Bowl stage Sunday to perform what is known as the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” She’s joined by country singer Chris Stapleton singing the national anthem and R&B star Babyface performing “American the Beautiful.”

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be singing at the Super Bowl,” said Ralph at a press conference ahead of the big day. She made her allegiances known by carrying an Eagles purse. To Ralph, the Super Bowl is all about “good food, great friends, and a great game.”

Her career-defining Super Bowl performance comes after years in the entertainment industry. Her breakout role was in the original production of Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1982. She starred as Deena Jones — the same role Beyoncé played years later — and was nominated for a Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal. But even before Dreamgirls, Ralph was making a name for herself in the late ’70s appearing on TV shows such as Good Times and The Jeffersons.

Currently, Ralph stars as Barbara, a hilarious and dignified Kindergarten teacher, in the charming comedy series, Abbott Elementary. She recently won an Emmy for her role, becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series since 1987. And in her acceptance speech she gave the audience a taste of her vocal talent by singing Dianne Reeve’s “Endangered Species.” She went on to say, “Anyone who has ever, ever had a dream and thought your dream… couldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like. This is what striving looks like. And don’t you ever, ever give up on you.”

In the years between Dreamgirls and Abbott Elementary Ralph stayed busy. In 1984 she released her debut album In the Evening, which is pure ’80s R&B fun (and I suspect you may be streaming it post-Super Bowl). Last year she followed-up with a Christmas album, Sleigh. In the late ’90s Ralph also starred as the titular character’s step-mom, Dee, in the television series Moesha.

Aside from singing and acting, Ralph also founded The DIVA Foundation in 1990 memory of the friends and colleagues she lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic when she was in Dreamgirls on Broadway. For the past 32 years the foundation has hosted DIVAS Simply Singing! Raising Health Awareness, a living memorial and fundraiser.

May 2023 continue to be Ralph’s year!

Elon Musk lost his claim as having the most powerful space-worthy rocket when NASA blasted its own mega rocket to the moon in November.

But the SpaceX founder could win back the title with his company’s next big project. Starship, SpaceX’s skyscraping rocket and spacecraft, will launch on its first mission soon. During the test flight, the colossal booster will separate about three minutes after liftoff and land in the Gulf of Mexico, according to federal filings(Opens in a new tab). The ship will fly in space around Earth at an altitude of over 150 miles, then splash down off the Hawaiian coast(Opens in a new tab).

This will be a crucial demonstration of hardware NASA is depending on to get humans back on the moon in the next few years. And, if successful, it’ll mean Musk is one small step closer to realizing his personal dream of building a city on Mars.

The billionaire business magnate has oversold timelines in the past, but here’s what we know so far.

A fleeing tide of advertising giants has been a dismal indicator of Elon Musk’s new vision of Twitter, one defined by employee mismanagement, abysmal site choices, and a clambering to replace lost revenue in any way possible. But, according to new research by The Center for Countering Digital Hate, Musk might already be making up that billion-dollar gap — just from reinstating the site’s most problematic tweeters.

The report, released Feb. 9, used the site’s new publicly viewable tweet impressions metric to calculate approximate revenue earned by just 10 accounts that had previously been banned from the site for violating user guidelines. The figures estimate that the accounts, which include the likes of embattled far-right influencer Andrew Tate, COVID vaccine denier Robert Malone, and disinformation site Gateway Pundit, could rake in more than $19 million in ad revenue a year.

“The data shows that, on an average day, tweets from the ten accounts received a combined total of 54 million impressions. Projecting this average across 365 days, the accounts can be expected to reach nearly 20 billion impressions over the course of a year,” the report stated. “Assuming this rate is broadly representative of how often Twitter serves ads, the ten accounts can be estimated to generate 2.9 billion ad impressions throughout the course of a year.”

The Center for Countering Digital Hate is a nonprofit advocacy and education organization working to limit harmful online content. The organization focuses specifically on how institutional structures, including the “online architecture” of sites and economic incentives, enable bad actors.

“The estimates demonstrate that Twitter will make millions of dollars from a deliberate decision to reinstate accounts that are known to spread hate and dangerous misinformation, and have already had enforcement action taken against them,” the organization wrote.

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Musk has made a point to demonstrate his support of “free speech” by reinstating previously banned users across political delineations. In November, the site reinstated the polarizing accounts of comedian Kathy Griffin, author Jordan Petersen, and conservative satire publication The Babylon Bee, following the return of former President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

The next month, Twitter seemingly took on the free press, as a slew of tech and Musk-critical journalists were summarily suspended and then reinstated to the site shortly after. In January, the site reinstated the account of white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

That lack of discrimination (potentially influenced by projected revenue brought to the site by these controversial figures) is part of the problem. Following initial rumors of Musk’s takeover, human rights groups published warning after warning about the potential for unadulterated hate speech proliferating on a poorly moderated site. In the first 24 hours of Musk’s Twitter, researchers had already reported steep spikes in hate speech, with users testing the limits of the new “free speech absolutist” owner.

And those numbers are still going up, especially for members of the LGBTQ community. According to a new report by Amnesty International, the social media giant has seen a sharp increase in instances of hate speech toward both LGBTQ activists and LGBTQ rights organizations.

Based on a survey of 11 LGBTQ organizations with large Twitter followings and nine high-profile LGBTQ advocates, 65 percent of respondents said that there is “more hateful and abusive speech on Twitter compared to other platforms they use” and 88 percent of them had received no support from Twitter to mitigate or remove abusive content. Around 60 percent of organizations said the presence of hate speech has impacted how they use the platform, but the problem seems to be more severe for individuals — eight of the nine activists reported Twitter’s practices have changed how they tweet.

“Twitter considers itself a ‘common digital town square,’ yet it’s a town square where LGBTQ+ voices are all too often shouted down and silenced by constant hateful speech and harassment,” wrote Michael Kleinman, Senior Director of Technology and Human Rights at Amnesty International USA. “According to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, all companies have a responsibility to respect human rights — it’s disappointing, to say the least, to hear that the problem of hateful and abusive speech on Twitter is only getting worse.”

In July, LGBTQ organization GLAAD issued its “Social Media Safety Index,” which gave Twitter a failing grade at instituting, and enforcing, policies that protect users from threats, hate speech, harassment, violence, and attacks based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. In the era of Twitter 2.0, the grade can’t have improved — Musk gutted the platform’s Trust and Safety Council in December, as well as its Global Human Rights team.

This further raises the question: If the presence of accounts spreading disinformation and hate speech brings in money, what further incentive is there for a profit-driven CEO like Musk to enforce any kind of safety precautions?

While the answer is being weighed by executives, users have to shoulder the burden, stepping up where the site is failing and acting to protect themselves online.