Ellen Huerta
Founder of Mend

When you’re going through a breakup, a little escape can be welcome relief. While some people prefer to cope by laughing, others prefer to be met right where they are with plenty of angst. Whatever your style, here are some Netflix picks to get you through.

Classic Fave: Bridget Jones’s Diary

Our list had to start with the ultimate lovable-average-girl, played by Renée Zellweger.

Classic Fave: Legally Blonde

Who can forget the opening breakup scene of this movie, where Elle (Reese Witherspoon) mistakes a dumping for a proposal? Oof.

Darker Fave: Fatal Attraction

A man’s one-night stand has lasting implications when his lover, played excellently by Glenn Close, stalks him and his family.

‘90s Fave: Sliding Doors

Gwyneth Paltrow’s breakup with her cheating boyfriend, and post-breakup transformation, is one that never gets old.

‘90s Fave: Someone Like You

After an unexpected and brutal breakup, one woman (Ashley Judd) starts looking for answers, and she finds herself garnering national attention as a columnist on the subject. Also, Hugh Jackman shirtless.

More Recent Fave: Silver Linings Playbook

A bipolar, obsessive divorcé (Bradley Cooper) meets his match (Jennifer Lawrence), and we watch the two learn to recognize value in relationships where it hadn’t quite existed before.

Book Adaptation Fave: Pride & Prejudice

The ultimate breakup and reunion!

Period Fave: Mona Lisa Smile

A radical Wellesley professor (Julia Roberts) challenges her pupils to reject the 1950s cultural imperative that the university years are for husband hunting.

Drama Fave: Chocolat

OK, so this isn’t technically about a breakup. But, in most post-breakup circumstances, Johnny Depp and copious amounts of chocolate make for a winning combination.

Documentary Fave: Meet the Patels

This doc follows the dating trials and tribulations of an Indian-American man who, freshly 30 years old and out of a breakup, tries to meet his Indian parents’ traditional expectations.

New TV Fave: Grace and Frankie

An already strained friendship between two women (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) takes a turn when they find out that their husbands are romantically involved. Proof that you can handle heartbreak at any age.

Old TV Fave: Ally McBeal

If you’ve ever had to work with an ex, you’ll find this comedy about looking for love and happiness relatable.

New TV Fave: New Girl

The event that launches the series is a cataclysmic breakup, which sends Jess (Zooey Deschanel) reeling and catapults her into a new and very funny life with male roommates.

Old TV Fave: One Tree Hill

When I asked around, nearly all of my girlfriends confessed that this teen drama with Sophia Bush was their guilty pleasure go-to breakup series.

‘80s Fave: Can’t Buy Me Love

What does love mean when you’re a high schooler (a very young and dreamy Patrick Dempsey) who decides to purchase the affections of the coolest gal in school?

Also, see our previous picks here and here, and check out how Netflix affects your love life.

Links to other posts:

https://batleyfamilylaw.com/top-10-divorce-cliches/

https://batleyfamilylaw.com/9-movies-to-get-you-through-the-dark-days-after-divorce/

https://batleyfamilylaw.com/10-things-nora-ephron-taught-us-heartbreak/

https://batleyfamilylaw.com/7-totally-reasonable-ways-handle-divorce-according-hollywood/