29 Catholic Date Night Movies on Netflix – 2025 Update

There’s smut galore on streaming services–HBO Max, I’m looking at you. Where are obscenity laws when you need them?

Fortunately, you’ve stumbled across this list of movies on Netflix for Catholic Date Night.

Am I suggesting you cuddle with your boyfriend alone in the dark watching these with no roommates home? Absolutely not. Let’s be prudent, people!

[If it’s your husband…be prudent, too!]

Let’s be virtuous and get entertained!

Comedies

Mamma Mia
If you want a lighthearted singalong, this one’s a Catholic Date Night classic. Sure, it’s got messy family dynamics (and questionable messages on premarital sex), but the music is fun and there’s something about Greece and the Mediterranean setting that makes you dream of the early Church.

This is one of those movies for Catholics who don’t mind a little goofiness with their popcorn.

⚠️ Content warning: lots of innuendo, the whole “who’s the dad?” plotline is basically shrugged off as “well, she was just experimenting.” Skip “Lay All Your Love on Me” song to avoid the only steamy moment in the movie. (And the plot isn’t affected at all by the skip!)

Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
A claymation comedy that reminds us all that Brits have excellent humor. Completely wholesome—no true smut, no obscenity, just a quirky plot that made me (and my girls) laugh out loud. A great Catholic movie idea if you want something both kids and adults can enjoy without skipping.

Happiness for Beginners
A sweet rom-com that’s surprisingly clean. A woman signs up for a wilderness survival course and learns about love, hope, and resilience. It’s light enough for a Catholic Date Night, and it may even spark a conversation about vocation, trust, and God’s timing.
⚠️ Content warning: mild language/innuendo, standard rom-com beats. Nothing graphic but not squeaky-clean either.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
I mean, c’mon—this is basically a parable about virtue and vice. Greed, gluttony, pride… all punished. Humility and obedience rewarded. Kids today need this! Honestly, one of the most fun Catholic movie ideas to put on a family-friendly and Date Night friendly list! I am partial to the Johnny Depp version, myself. I think he plays Wonka in a fabulously off-putting way. The traditional oompa-loompas in the Gene Wilder can’t be beat, though.

I’m counting this as 2 Catholic Date Night movies because you can compare and contrast!

Annie
A hopeful story about orphans finding love and belonging. This movie is SUPER ProLife! Adoption (we’re all adopted children of God) and redemption are central to our Catholic faith—this movie hits those notes sweetly.

The music is also #classic. “It’s the Hard Knock Life” is an anthem for like 27 different saints I can think of. Also, soooo many saints made it their life’s work to care for orphans. I find watching a movie about their plight (even fictional) grows empathy toward children in that real situation.

For Catholic Date Night, I definitely recommend the original. Carol Burnett? Bernadette Peters?? Tim Curry??? An OG Broadway fan’s movie night dream!

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Documentary

The Most Reluctant Convert (Prime)
Okay okay…not on Netflix, but Catholics everywhere should see this. It’s the true story of C.S. Lewis’s conversion from atheism to faith. Honestly, if you’re looking for movies for Catholics that feed your soul instead of drain it, this is it.


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TV Series

The Chosen
Yes, yes, you’ve probably already watched it. But for Catholic Date Night, you can’t go wrong with Jesus on screen. Jonathan Roumie is a national treasure. His portrayal of Jesus is absolutely breathtaking.

It’s emotional, it’s refreshingly well produced for a Christian venture, and you’ll probably cry.

⚠️ Content note: made by Evangelicals—so while it’s inspiring, Catholics should remember not every theological detail lines up with Magisterium or the Bible.

Love, Death, Robots
Okay, this one is edgy. Definitely not for kids, and some episodes cross the line. But if you’re a Catholic couple who likes to discuss art, culture, and where the world’s going wrong, it can actually be a fascinating “Catholic movie idea” to critique together.

⚠️ Content warning: MANY episodes contain nudity, sexual themes, and gore—often needlessly. It always amazes me how there are some INCREDIBLE stories in this series and some hot garbage. Please screen prudently depending on your personal situation/temptations. Parent guides are always great!

Here are the only ones I would recommend:

S1E1 – Three Robots
Funny, quirky, and clean by this show’s standards. Three robots wander through a post-apocalyptic world commenting on humanity’s follies. A safe pick that leans satirical rather than dark.

S1E2 – Suits
Farmers in mech suits defend their land from alien creatures. A bit violent, but no smut. If you’re okay with sci-fi battle action, this one’s great!

S1E5 – Zima Blue
Philosophical, abstract, and thoughtful. A meditation on art, meaning, and simplicity. Great discussion starter for Catholics (themes of vocation, humility, and the meaning of life).

S1E7 – Ice Age
A couple finds a tiny civilization living in their freezer. Funny, odd, but clean. Definitely safe.

S2E1 – Automated Customer Service
Weird, humorous take on machines gone wrong. Goofy, not offensive. Safe.

S2E2 – The Drowned Giant
Strange but thought-provoking. A giant washes up on shore, and the villagers slowly desecrate him. It raises questions about reverence, mystery, and human callousness. Worth discussing from a Catholic lens.

Great British Baking Show
No filth, no politics, no agenda—just cake. Sometimes date night needs a a break from culture wars, and this show is charming, fun, and stress-relieving. Yes, they rainbow cast for all sorts of silly reasons, but it’s not forced down your throat. Just the cake and bread is.

Downton Abbey
Nobility, duty, family scandals, and yes, Catholic undertones. Tbh, I should write a blog post on the Catholic elements of Downton Abbey. It’s basically a period drama full of beautiful costumes and constant talk of tradition versus the constantly shifting morals of the world—Catholics will feel right at home.

⚠️ Content note: some adultery/subplots involving affairs, though handled discreetly compared to modern shows.


Drama

The Thursday Murder Club

A lovely murder mystery movie about 4 crimesolving retirees. It’s quite light for a murder mystery–perfect for Catholic Date night!

Operation Mincemeat
A true World War II story about espionage and sacrifice. It’s intense but clean—one of those movies for Catholics who love history and virtue under pressure. One of my favorite Catholic Date Night options on this list!

Downton Abbey (the movie)
If you’re already hooked on the show, the movie is a Catholic Date Night no-brainer. Class, duty, and a longing for beauty—that’s Catholic life in a nutshell.

La La Land
A bittersweet musical about love, art, and sacrifice. The ending isn’t Hallmark-happy, but it raises real Catholic questions about vocation, calling, and how relationships fit into God’s plan.

⚠️ Content warning: some innuendo, but actually (unintentionally) illustrates the dangers of playing house before committing to marriage.

Uglies
Based on the dystopian novel about beauty standards gone wild. Catholics will see through this instantly: we don’t need plastic surgery and perfection to have dignity. A thought-provoking Catholic movie idea for teens too.
⚠️ Content warning: features a trans actor, and the themes of body modification/identity can be interpreted through gender ideology—parents, preview first. Ironically, the trans actor plays a character who has been modified to be pretty. This is something the audience is supposed to look down on and reject as a distortion of true humanity. I’m unsure how everyone involved did not realize that this casting choice was in itself a commentary on transgender ideology.

Look Both Ways
What if your life split into two different paths? This drama shows the power of choices and timing. Catholics will immediately start talking about discernment, free will, and God’s providence—so it’s a great conversation starter.

⚠️ Content warning: premarital sex at the very beginning (you can skip the unsavory ‘hook up’ scene easily), pregnancy outside of marriage—it’s part of the premise, so not “fluff.”

I honestly enjoy this as a rom-com /drama. It’s not heavy. But the subject matter (single motherhood, pro-life issues) is something real humans are going through right now.

Her friend suggests abortion, but she denies in both ‘life pathes.’ How easy would it have been for them to write a 3rd ‘path’ where she chooses that? Praise God that she in all her worldliness still showed that innate sense of: this was my choice. This is a human life.

Pride and Prejudice (Prime)
Jane Austen was not Catholic, but her stories are basically Catholic morality tales. Love, humility, virtue—this is one of the safest Catholic Date Night movies you can pick. I highly recommend the novel as well. It’s a quick and page-turning read and illustrates multiple courtships–moral ones and immoral.

Banshees of Inisherin
Dark, haunting, and absolutely not uplifting. If you enjoy Catholic movie nights wrestling with sin, isolation, forgiveness, and the pain of human stubbornness—these are deep waters.

⚠️ Content warning: bleak tone, violence, despair—definitely not a light pick.

The Prince of Egypt
This was on my original list from years ago, and I stand by it! Still an EXCELLENT story with fabulous music. I love the portrayal of Biblical stories like this. Helps my simple brain remember and more deeply comprehend Old Testament culture, life, and stories!

Not on Netflix (it feels like things come and go quickly from there anyhow!)

The Lord of the Rings
Tolkien. Catholic symbolism everywhere. Sacrifice, friendship, providence—if this isn’t a Catholic Date Night movie, I don’t know what is. This will give you date night movie ideas for days–weeks, even. Highly recommend the 4 hour extended editions! Go big, people!

I’m reading the books now, and I can’t say enough incredible things about LOTR. I am an official Tolkienite.

This counts for 3 movies!! And in run time honestly probably counts for 7.

The Hobbit
Another trilogy! More Tolkien, more Catholic themes. Humility saves the day, not power or wealth. Plus, dragons and Martin Freeman!

Not as faithful to the book, unfortunately…but still good movies.


Awakenings
Robin Williams and Robert De Niro in a drama about dignity, compassion, and the mystery of the human soul. A Catholic movie idea that’ll remind you every life matters, even the ones the world forgets. This one hits hard for me, personally, as one set of my grandparents were isolated in a retirement community during Covid. Not the same as this mental institution, but similar themes of loneliness and being forgotten.

This is one of those Catholic movie ideas where I was scrambling to Google “what really happened?” And “is he real?”

Becket
A movie about Saint Thomas Becket–win! This a Catholic Date Night masterpiece. It’s about King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket—faith, martyrdom, courage. This is basically a required movie for Catholics who love history.

⚠️ A couple bottoms and breasts shown and a couple beginning to…procreate, unfortunately. Simple skips to shield the eyes will do the trick.

Second Hand Lions
Two eccentric old uncles, a boy, and lessons about truth, virtue, and courage. Surprisingly wholesome. A great Catholic family movie night choice.


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis is basically Anglican Tolkien. A straight-up allegory for Christ. If you want Catholic Date Night movies that remind you why we believe, this is top of the list.

I love this one as a Catholic family movie idea as well–sparks excellent conversations about the allegorical nature of Aslan, Narnia, Lucy, their kingdom, where is Aslan going? Etc.

And that is all! I hope you try at least one of these movie ideas for Catholic date night!

I also hope I didn’t miss any content warnings. If you struggle with temptation by even seeing before skipping through immodest movie scenes, I recommend always checking the parent’s guide beforehand / trying to stream it through VidAngel!