The romance genre has been a staple of fiction since long before the first movies were made. Love's one of those rare universal themes, after all, and both romantics and cynics have always been able to find - and enjoy - different stories about fictional characters falling in (or out of) love. And like many broad genres, it's possible to combine romantic storylines with various other tried and true genres, which can add extra emotional engagement to a story, or otherwise ensure it attracts a wider audience.
Depending on one's definition of "romance," it might well be one of the most well-represented genres in cinema, thanks to the popularity of romantic subplots. However, when it comes to deciding the greatest romance movies of all time, it's best to focus on those films where the romance-focused aspect of the story feels like a priority. What follows are some of the best movies that emphasize - and thereby epitomize - the romance genre, and are ranked below from great to greatest.
60. 'Fallen Angels' (1995)
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai
Though it’s more than just a romance movie (it simultaneously functions as a crime film and a piece of arthouse cinema, too), Fallen Angels does have a certain dreaminess to it, and a focus on longing/loneliness, that makes it oddly romantic. Two people live lives defined by crime, intersecting in various hazy ways, with one pining for the other.
Well, that’s sort of a way to summarize it, but Fallen Angels isn't too concerned with narrative. You get out of it what you put into it, or maybe what you want to take out of it. It’s a great experience to just sink into, tackling all the emotions in the world, or maybe none, or maybe some quantity between such extremes. Talking about it might make one sound pretentious, but that’s just a consequence of a movie like Fallen Angels being difficult to put into words (in a good way).
59. 'The Crowd' (1928)
Directed by King Vidor
Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Crowd is about two people who love each other trying to survive in a bustling city; one where it’s inevitable that most people will usually feel like one small part of a large crowd. Similarly large is the sheer number of difficulties the two main characters face here, going through all sorts of ups and downs one might expect (and then some) during their adult years.
It’s a bittersweet silent film that does inevitably speak to the power of love and its capacity to persevere no matter what, ensuring that the ending of The Crowd satisfies, and feels fitting considering everything that came before. Even those who might not love silent cinema could well find enough to appreciate here to make it worth a watch, especially because so much of this still feels relatable and timeless.
The Crowd
Release Date March 3, 1928
Runtime 98 minutes
Cast
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Eleanor Boardman
Mary Sims
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James Murray
John 'Johnny' Sims
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58. 'Y Tu Mamá También' (2001)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Image via 20th Century Studios
Plenty of coming-of-age movies are set in high school, but Y Tu Mamá También is not your typical coming-of-age movie. Part of that is due to it being set on the road, rather than in a school, and part of it is due to Y Tu Mamá También being extremely mature, eye-opening, and ultimately downbeat, more so focusing on the grim and difficult parts of growing up over anything that might feel inspiring or liberating, at least in the long run.
Narratively, it’s focused on two young men and their experiences on a road trip with a slightly older woman who they meet, and both ultimately fall for. Also, they're discovering certain things about themselves sexually that could well complicate their friendship, and the woman they meet has her own things she’s grappling with, too. Okay, so Y Tu Mamá También is a bit of a downer, but it’s powerful and very engaging, with the acting being extremely believable and the look of the film often being gorgeous.
57. 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' (1988)
Directed by Philip Kaufman
Image via Orion Pictures
The Unbearable Lightness of Being was originally a novel, and one that shares a premise with the film of the same name, though the approach taken by each is rather different. The film and novel alike both center around a womanizing doctor and the two primary women in his life, but the novel is a bit more abstract and plays around with non-chronological storytelling to a much greater extent.
The film version of The Unbearable Lightness of Being still feels mature and quite artistic, though, with the quality of the acting certainly giving it prestige; the leads – Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, and Lena Olin – are all great. This film is also very blunt about sexuality for a U.S. release, which is par for the course when it comes to the underrated Philip Kaufman, a director often unafraid to go to places thematically and content-wise that other filmmakers might not want to.
56. 'Anora' (2024)
Directed by Sean Baker
Image via NEON
One of the steamiest (and best) movies of 2024, Anora is partly definable as a romance, but it’s also a good deal more. It follows a young woman and man engaging in a whirlwind romance filled with partying, sex, and massive spending, all of it capped off with a surprisingly sudden marriage. That marriage causes problems, though, considering the young man is the son of a Russian oligarch, and has a family who objects to the marriage.
Once this conflict comes into play, Anora flips between being funny, stressful, and sad, all with remarkable ease. It’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster, but it’s a consistently entertaining and impressive one, standing as perhaps Sean Baker’s greatest film to date, and one of the very best movies released by NEON so far, too.
Anora
Release Date October 18, 2024
Runtime 139 Minutes
55. 'Wings of Desire' (1987)
Directed by Wim Wenders
Image via Road Movies
A German fantasy film that provides a unique exploration of love and other broad human emotions, Wings of Desire takes place largely from the perspective of two angels. One of them is so fascinated with the human world that he longs to become a mortal being and live on Earth, even if that means giving up certain benefits that come with his apparent angel lifestyle.
It’s all quite lofty and abstract at times, but there’s a boldness to how it looks and a relatability to the emotions it explores that ensure Wings of Desire rides an odd but compelling line between arthouse cinema and entertainment. It’s a unique experience and a distinctive trip worth taking, not to mention being an overall much better film than its American remake, City of Angels.
Wings of Desire
Release Date May 17, 1987
Runtime 128 minutes
54. 'What's Up, Doc?' (1972)
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Image via Warner Bros.
The screwball comedy genre was at its peak during the 1930s and 1940s, with What’s Up Doc serving as a genuinely great throwback/homage to the genre, to the point where it almost feels like it was plucked out of Hollywood’s Golden Age and colorized before being released in the early 1970s. Farce is the name of the game here, with various overnight bags getting mixed up, thrusting numerous colorful characters together for some cinematic chaos.
The comedy shines brightest in What’s Up Doc, but it also manages to be a light-hearted romance movie at the same time, with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal’s mismatched characters eventually falling in love after their various misadventures. It’s not so much about what happens, but how it happens, with What’s Up Doc being energetic and easy to like, as well as a skillful blend of comedy and romance.
What's Up, Doc?
Release Date March 9, 1972
Runtime 94 Minutes
53. 'Scenes from a Marriage' (1974)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
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Image via SVT
Scenes from a Marriage was released in the same decade as What’s Up Doc, but couldn’t be more different tonally, thematically, and narratively, which speaks volumes to the versatility of the romance genre overall. This film runs for nearly three hours and is all about the gradual breakdown of a marriage, focusing intensely on a central couple with most supporting characters ultimately playing minimal parts.
Seeing two people argue with, mistrust, and resent each other for such a long time might sound tedious, but Scenes from a Marriage is blisteringly well-written and phenomenally acted by its two leads, Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. It explores a less sunny side of love than most movies, being about falling out of love rather than falling in love, but it’s nevertheless compelling and expertly put together. It’s hard to watch, but also essential.
52. 'Harold and Maude' (1971)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Image via Paramount Pictures
An unconventional romantic dramedy that aims to be both uplifting and kind of sad, Harold and Maude sounds like it might be too unusual to work on paper… but it somehow does in execution. It’s about a disturbed young man who’s obsessed with death, and the odd friendship that he enters into with a carefree 80-year-old woman, with this connection complicated when romantic feelings begin developing.
It's all done in a way that works shockingly well, ultimately being a movie about the unusual qualities of love, and the way bonds can form between people who might seem like complete opposites. There’s also an inherent nervous energy to Harold and Maude that sets it apart from just about anything else. In the 50+ years since its release, there’s been very little – if anything – released that ends up scratching the same itch.
51. 'Love Exposure' (2009)
Directed by Sion Sono
Image via Omega Project
Sure, many of the best Japanese movies of the 2000s happened to be animated, but just focusing on anime means missing out on so much. Take, for example, Love Exposure, which is a genre-blending and overall gonzo epic that defies easy categorization. As the title implies, it is something of a romance film, but it’s also a dramedy, an over-the-top action film, a crime movie, and so much more.
Love Exposure certainly has room to do many things all at once, thanks to a runtime that ends up coming close to the four-hour mark. It is a dizzying, exhausting, and unapologetically maximalist movie, but anyone with the time to spare and the desire to see something strange ought to give it at least one watch. To call the whole thing unique would be a monumental understatement.
50. 'Notorious' (1946)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Image via RKO Radio Pictures
The words “romance” and “Alfred Hitchcock” don’t tend to go together in the minds of most, given the director was best known for making thrillers, dark comedies, and crime movies. But Alfred Hitchcock's great films were often accessible and broadly appealing, and part of this sometimes meant including romance elements. With something like Notorious, those romance elements actually appear in a surprisingly prominent way, with the thriller/mystery stuff almost taking a backseat to the romance at times.
Notorious takes place in the wake of World War II, and follows the way a romantic bond between two people threatens to undermine an attempt to unearth a high-ranking Nazi hiding out in Brazil. It’s a film that expertly looks at love while also being a gripping spy movie and one of the best post-World War II films made immediately after the conclusion of the war itself.
Notorious
Release Date August 15, 1946
Runtime 101 Minutes
49. 'Trouble in Paradise' (1932)
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Image via Paramount
Ranking among the greatest movies of the 1930s, Trouble in Paradise may well be more than 90 years old, but much of it feels pretty well timeless. It blends a crime-related storyline with romance and comedy in a way that still feels rather fresh and engaging, following a man and woman who are romantically involved and make their money through pickpocketing.
Complications ensue when a love triangle ends up developing, since the man begins to fall in love with a wealthy woman the pair have set their sights on as their next target. Trouble in Paradise sees the somewhat underrated Ernst Lubitsch firing on all cylinders as a filmmaker, and it’s easy to see how a film like this proved influential for the genres it tackles in the decades since its release.
Trouble in Paradise
Release Date October 30, 1932
Runtime 83 Minutes
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Herbert Marshall
Mariette Colet
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Miriam Hopkins
Gaston Monescu
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Edward Everett Horton
The Major
48. 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012)
Directed by David O. Russell
Image via The Weinstein Company
Silver Linings Playbook might be fairly recent in the overall scheme of things, but it still feels good enough to label as something of a modern classic that future decades will hopefully be kind to (admittedly, it can be hard to know for sure how a film will age and be viewed in the years to come). It centers on a troubled man being released from a psychiatric hospital and moving back in with his parents, all the while trying to reconnect with his ex-wife, yet finds a connection between him and another woman complicates matters.
It was a significant movie for its two stars, showing that Bradley Cooper could do more than just be in The Hangover movies while working in tandem with a very different mainstream hit - The Hunger Games - to demonstrate that Jennifer Lawrence was a force to be reckoned with. Those two plus a great supporting cast that includes Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, and Chris Tucker make Silver Linings Playbook an approachable and engaging film, and one that blends comedy, romance, and drama genres well.
47. 'Wings' (1927)
Directed by William A. Wellman
Image via Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation
Serving as a bit of a genre-buster, Wings is a romance film, a melodrama, a World War I movie, and also something of an action movie, given how many dogfighting sequences are featured. It centers on two fighter pilots who are both in love with the same woman, and how this eventually threatens their friendship, all the while they also have to deal with the dangers of serving in World War I.
It’s understandably old-fashioned, but that’s a word that can be thrown at most movies that are almost a century old. So long as one’s okay with silent movies and some pacing that feels a little slow by modern standards, Wings has a ton to offer, with a simple but effective romantic narrative, and action set pieces that genuinely hold up extremely well.
Wings
Release Date January 5, 1929
Runtime 144 Minutes
46. 'The Lady Eve' (1941)
Directed by Preston Sturges
Image Courtesy via Paramount Pictures
Preston Sturges may not have directed many movies, but the ones he did make were generally winners, to the point where it’s possible to say he was a quality-over-quantity type of filmmaker. The Lady Eve is rightly considered one of his best and most enjoyable efforts (even by the oftentimes dour Paul Schrader), following a female con artist who targets a wealthy man, falls for him, has her con exposed, gets dumped by the man, and then tries to win him back by posing as a different person altogether.
If that all sounds a little screwball comedy to you, that’s because The Lady Eve is one! It takes a premise that's perfect for this old-school and endearing style of comedy and runs with it for a fast-paced and entertaining 97 minutes, with the romantic heart of the film ultimately shining just as much as the broader comedic elements.
The Lady Eve
Release Date March 21, 1941
Runtime 94 minutes
45. 'Closer' (2004)
Directed by Mike Nichols
Image via Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
Those who are after a nice or pleasant movie probably won’t find it with Closer, which is a surprisingly dark and emotionally intense romance film. It takes an approach that might normally be played for comedy – a tangling of romantic partners when two couples clash and form a complex web of infidelity and lies – but looks at the ramifications of doing such a thing with grit and plenty of hard feelings.
Closer is, therefore, something of a miserable movie, but it’s also captivating and admirable for how brutally honest it gets in its exploration of the hazards of love. Also helping things immensely is the fact that the four lead actors here all give genuinely great performances, with Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen all getting ample opportunities to shine.
Closer
Release Date December 3, 2004
Runtime 104 Minutes
44. 'The Man Who Loved Women' (1977)
Directed by François Truffaut
A movie about love that’s well-loved by Wes Anderson, The Man Who Loved Women feels like one of the more under-appreciated efforts from French filmmaker François Truffaut (best known for The 400 Blows). The Man Who Loved Women begins with the titular man’s funeral, and a series of flashbacks play out among all who are gathered there… most of them being women the man was once involved with in some romantic capacity.
It's a cinematic eulogy for a flawed womanizer, and though his behavior is hard to admire or agree with, it doesn’t really feel like The Man Who Loved Women is glorifying its protagonist. It gets a good deal of mileage from its neat structure and never feels boring thanks to the various episodic misadventures one gets to continually see play out in flashback. Any fan of Truffaut ought to give it a shot, as it’s one of his most distinctive films.
43. 'A Scene at the Sea' (1991)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
Though it revolves around a relationship, A Scene at the Sea is hard to place into a genre, simply because it screams “slice of life” more than just about any other film out there. Indeed, it mostly plays out by the seaside, with the very simple story centering on two young hearing-impaired people who are a couple, and what happens when one of them develops an interest in surfing.
In that sense, A Scene at the Sea eventually morphs into a sports movie of sorts, all the while being genuinely sweet/quietly romantic, and showcasing a gentle sense of humor every now and then for good measure. It’s warm and endearing as a film, and certainly different from many other movies directed by Takeshi Kitano, given he’s most well-known for directing numerous violent gangster/yakuza movies.
42. 'Challengers' (2024)
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Image via Amazon MGM Studios
Sure, Challengers is a very recent movie, and there’s always a risk of calling something an all-time great when the dust hasn’t yet settled, and it still feels like a film’s reputation could grow or shrink. But, for now, Challengers does feel like a modern classic and is yet another great entry within the vast and always exciting filmography of Luca Guadagnino, who’s one of the most exciting filmmakers working today.
To describe the plot of Challengers might not make it sound very exciting, given it is, ostensibly, a “love triangle movie.” But in combining this concept with an inventive structure, exciting tennis sequences, expressive and honest performances, and a true sense of visual style, Challengers ends up being even better than the sum of its already very good parts. It’s a romance film that’s able to do things differently, and most of the risks pay off, making it likely that it will continue to feel like a great romantic movie well into the future.
Challengers
Release Date April 26, 2024
Runtime 131 Minutes
41. 'A Star Is Born' (1954)
Directed by George Cukor
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
There are many versions of A Star Is Born, and it’s probably more a matter of personal taste which one’s considered the best. The 1954 version could, however, be the best when judged as a romance film, because the relationship at the film’s core just feels extra passionate, tragic, and achingly real here, with both Judy Garland and James Mason giving – arguably – the greatest performances of their respective careers.
Like any other A Star Is Born, the plot here contrasts a young woman’s rise to fame with an older man’s fall from it, and the way they try to stick by each other, even if life seems to have vastly different plans for them. Beautifully shot and also containing numerous great musical sequences, 1954’s A Star Is Born is excellent all around, and one of the best tragic romance films ever made.
A Star Is Born
Release Date October 1, 1954
Runtime 176 Minutes
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Judy Garland
Vicki Lester
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Charles Bickford
Oliver Niles
40. 'Jules and Jim' (1962)
Directed by François Truffaut
Image via Cinédis
Alongside Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut was perhaps the most famous of all French directors in the history of cinema (coincidentally, Goddard and Truffaut apparently didn’t get along, but that’s another story). Truffaut is likely best known for 1959’s The 400 Blows, a coming-of-age drama, but many of his films are definable as romantic dramedies, and in the latter category, Jules and Jim is one of his very best.
The two titular characters are friends living lives defined by youth and a carefree attitude (the whole thing taking place before World War I increases the sense of optimism), with both also falling for the same young woman, Catherine. Jules and Jim has a certain energy and vibrancy to it that prevents it from ever feeling too downbeat, though it’s perhaps one of the less outwardly comedic movies about romance that Truffaut made. Nevertheless, it should strike a chord for those who are young, those who remember being young, or those who still sometimes feel young at heart.
Jules And Jim
Release Date April 23, 1962
Runtime 105 Minutes
39. 'The Band Wagon' (1953)
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Image via Loew's, Inc
Vincente Minnelli had a few types of movies that he generally stuck to making, and did them all very well. He could make melodramas, he was adept at romantic comedies, and he was perhaps most well-regarded for his classic musicals. The Band Wagon keeps things light overall, certainly staying away from melodrama but seeing Minnelli take on the romance, comedy, and musical genres all at once, and succeeding immensely.
It's a somewhat underappreciated movie, honestly scratching the same itch as better-known light-hearted musicals from the time, like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris (Minnelli himself directed the latter, too). The Band Wagon is all about a doomed play that a fading film star takes part in to revitalize his career, but it’s all good-natured, much of it’s played for laughs, and there’s very little drama. It’s colorful, charming, funny, and has Fred Astaire at his toe-tapping best. What’s not to like?
The Band Wagon
Release Date August 7, 1953
Runtime 112 Minutes
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Cyd Charisse
Gabrielle Gerard
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Oscar Levant
Lester Marton
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Nanette Fabray
Lily Marton
38. 'Farewell to the Ark' (1984)
Directed by Shūji Terayama
You can try to summarize Farewell to the Ark, if you want, but most attempts will be in vain. Broadly speaking, it does revolve around, let’s say, complicated love and desire, as well as loneliness, being haunted by the past, the fleeting nature of memory, the mysteries of time, and insanity. It also all takes place in a small locale so bizarre that it makes the town of Twin Peaks look like Normal, Illinois (yes, that’s the name of a real town; one assumes it’s quite normal there).
Farewell to the Ark isn’t, therefore, a traditional romance, but it looks at an unusual side of life while also unpacking complicated – yet relatable – themes within what could be called the fantasy genre. It’s obscure, haunting, calming, mysterious, nightmarish, and kind of beautiful all at once. It offers an experience that’s impossible to put into words but is certainly something; words and thoughts fail, but the feelings it’s able to cause are undeniable.
37. 'The Earrings of Madame de…' (1953)
Directed by Max Ophüls
Image via Gaumont Film Company
Given its status as a classic, it’s safe to say that there are a great many fans of The Earrings of Madame de…, but Wes Anderson ranks among the most high-profile. He’s got good taste, because this classic French romance/drama film takes a simple premise and milks a great deal of thematic complexity out of it, being about the consequences that follow the selling of an important pair of earrings for the purpose of getting out of some gambling debt.
The characters of The Earrings of Madame de… are generally wealthy, but nevertheless miserable in many ways, and find the privileges of their way of life diminish because of the continually building incidents the initial act of selling leads to. It might not sound gripping on paper, but its look at class and love – or lack thereof – is surprisingly riveting, and the control displayed when telling the central story is admirable, making the whole thing also feel timeless.
The Earrings of Madame de…
Release Date July 19, 1954
Runtime 105 Minutes
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Charles Boyer
Général André de...
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Danielle Darrieux
Comtesse Louise de...
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Vittorio De Sica
Baron Fabrizio Donati
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Jean Debucourt
Monsieur Rémy
36. 'Tropical Malady' (2004)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
One of the more underrated romance/drama films of its decade, Tropical Malady is a film of two halves: one quite digestible, and the other more mysterious and open to interpretation. The first half of the movie follows a slow-building romance between two men in Thailand, while the second half shifts gears and mostly seems to be – at least on the surface – about tracking down a shaman in the jungle.
Whether one wants to take both stories separately or look into how the second one might thematically reference aspects of the first (albeit in a darker way), Tropical Malady is interesting, unsettling, and quite haunting, however you want to cut it. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s style is one that can be difficult to get a handle on, but Tropical Malady is probably the ideal entry point, with later films of his like Syndromes and a Century and Memoria also being compelling while having similar strange vibes.
35. 'Eat Drink Man Woman' (1994)
Directed by Ang Lee
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Image via Central Motion Pictures
A Taiwanese/U.S. co-production with an Asian-led cast, Eat Drink Man Woman can count itself among the greatest within Ang Lee’s body of work, which is no small task. In essence, the plot of the film is rather simple, following three daughters of a widowed chef, exploring the bonds they have with their father and the ups and downs of all their love lives.
Eat Drink Man Woman is sometimes funny and sometimes a little heavy, but keeps things tonally balanced well while also successfully exploring the trials and tribulations of trying to make a relationship work while one is a young adult. Those in the mood for a great romantic dramedy ought to check it out, but fair warning: it’s the sort of movie best watched on a full stomach, because there’s so much delicious-looking food on-screen throughout that Eat Drink Man Woman is likely to make one feel starving by the end of it otherwise.
34. 'Past Lives' (2023)
Directed by Celine Song
Image via A24
Past Lives is a sad sort of romance movie, intently focused on exploring what could have been rather than building up something that will presumably exist once the credits start rolling. The plot revolves around two adults who were once childhood friends reconnecting and perhaps feeling some sort of connection beyond friendship… which could cause complications, given that one of them has settled down and is herself married.
It's a slow film and an oftentimes quiet one, but Past Lives has the capacity to sneak up on you and prove disarming and surprisingly devastating. It’s a movie that needs one’s complete attention to really work, but those who can get on the film’s level will find it to be emotional like little else out there, with its overall mood and capacity to feel heartbreaking adding up to make it one of the very best releases of the 2020s so far.
Past Lives
Release Date January 21, 2023
Runtime 106 minutes
33. 'The Lovers on the Bridge' (1991)
Directed by Leos Carax
Like Past Lives, The Lovers on the Bridge is another rather sad romance film, but unlike Past Lives, The Lovers on the Bridge is more soul-crushing and despairing than quietly bittersweet. It’s one of the more ambitious and in-your-face efforts from the always-interesting Leos Carax, and tells the story of two troubled vagrants who fall in love, all the while dealing with their respective lives falling apart in different ways.
There’s a grimness to The Lovers on the Bridge that makes it an oftentimes difficult movie to watch, and though it deals with love at its center, it definitely doesn’t feel like the kind of romance film that would make for a good date movie. It’s a movie that’s unapologetic about depicting hardships felt by the main characters and showing the more desperate/angry side of love, which is indeed a feeling that can itself inspire strong emotions, both good and bad.
32. 'Annie Hall' (1977)
Directed by Woody Allen
Image via United Artists
Annie Hall is something of a landmark movie, distinguishing itself for being one of the most romance-focused movies to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and also for being one of the funniest Best Picture winners in Oscar history. Like a good many films about love, the storyline at its center is simple, with Annie Hall running for just over 90 minutes and showing how two people fall in - and then out of - love while living in New York City.
Plenty of great romantic movies are honest about love, but few released so long ago were quite as to the point and cutting as Annie Hall managed to be. It’s not exactly a cynical movie, and neither could it be called anti-love, but it’s keener than many romance films to show the upsetting side of love, and the way that sometimes, things just don’t work out, even if there’s nothing by way of a fiery meltdown or vicious confrontation to conclude things.
Annie Hall
Release Date April 19, 1977
Runtime 93 minutes
31. 'All of Us Strangers' (2023)
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Image via Searchlight Pictures
An intoxicating blend of low fantasy, romance, and very hard-hitting drama that feels as though it could one day become a classic, All of Us Strangers is something truly special, and a film that lives up to the critical praise thrown its way. The story follows a man who finds himself reconnecting – somehow – with his long-dead parents, meeting them and discussing how his life turned out around the same time he also meets a younger man, and strikes up a relationship with him.
All of Us Strangers explores loneliness, love, and the way childhood shapes a person, all in a remarkably organic way while never coming across as silly or over-ambitious (and there are many points where the film could’ve gone off the rails in lesser hands). It’s emotional throughout, hitting particularly hard in the final act, and also features amazing performances from a surprisingly small cast of just four main actors: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy.
30. 'Roman Holiday' (1953)
Directed by William Wyler
Image via Paramount Pictures
Even if Roman Holiday didn't entirely invent the romantic comedy genre, it can be seen as a 1950s classic that at least helped reshape what audiences now know as a rom-com. It's sort of a modern fairytale, following a princess from Europe falling in love with an American reporter while they're both in Rome, following the brief series of adventures they have together.
It's a movie that remains incredibly charming and perfectly bittersweet, with the 70 years since its release doing nothing to sap it of its humor or emotional power. It also largely succeeds thanks to the chemistry between its stars, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, both of whom do some of their best work (which is really saying something) in this 1953 film; an undeniable classic of its genre.
Roman Holiday
Release Date August 26, 1953
Runtime 119 minutes
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Audrey Hepburn
Princess Ann
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Eddie Albert
Irving Radovich
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Hartley Power
Mr. Hennessy
29. 'Love & Basketball' (2000)
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Fans of basketball and romance will obviously be enamored with Love & Basketball, which is a sports movie, a dramedy, and a romance film all in one. The must-see sports rom-com movie centers on two long-time childhood friends who are both passionate about basketball, and find themselves having feelings for each other now that they've reached adulthood.
Like many romance-focused movies, Love & Basketball looks at the sacrifices or compromises that need to be made sometimes to make a partnership work, and grapples with whether other passions in life can (or sometimes should) take precedence. It explores such things well while balancing several different genres to great effect - including being something of a sports movie, as its title implies - overall offering a tremendous amount of entertainment value.
28. 'West Side Story' (1961)
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
Image via United Artists
Given West Side Story is a 20th-century update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it's fairly safe to say that it's perhaps not the best romance film to watch for those who like their stories about love free of tragedy. It's about two young people falling in love, despite being from very different walks of life; namely, each is associated with the members of a different street gang, with the two gangs having a fierce - and sometimes violent - rivalry.
West Side Story tells this epic, crime-related romance story while also being a genuinely great musical, filled to the brim with memorable songs and scenes of impressive dance choreography. It was very efficiently updated (and, in some key areas, improved) by a Steven Spielberg remake in 2021, but the original film version from 1961 is still the most essential and feels like more of a classic; time will tell, however, how future generations feel about the two takes on the same great story.
West Side Story
Release Date December 13, 1961
Runtime 151 Minutes
27. 'Cold War' (2018)
Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
Image via Curzon Artificial Eye
Cold War clocks in at under 90 minutes in total, and feels at once simple and complex. It's a slow-paced movie, and more or less focuses on a single, highly emotional romance between two unlikely lovers, but also has a unique, sometimes confounding flow to its various scenes, and also blends genres quite confidently throughout (it's a war film, a romance, a drama, and a music film).
Its technical qualities also make it stand out, thanks to the eye-catching black and white cinematography, as well as the fairly unique (at least for modern movies) aspect ratio of 1.37:1. It's odd and even perplexing, so perhaps not the most accessible romance film out there by any means, but Cold War is worth giving a chance for the goal of experiencing a truly singular movie.
Cold War
Release Date June 8, 2018
Runtime 88 minutes
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Tomasz Kot
Zuzanna "Zula" Lichoń
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Borys Szyc
Lech Kaczmarek
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Agata Kulesza
Irena Bielecka
26. 'Away from Her' (2006)
Directed by Sarah Polley
Image via Lionsgate Films
Filmmaker/ex-actress Sarah Polley might be best known for her 2012 documentary Stories We Tell and her 2022 feature film Women Talking, but her feature debut was the lesser-known 2006 romance film Away from Her. It's about an unlikely romance developing between two elderly people at a nursing home; one living with Alzheimer’s disease, and the other being a person who uses a wheelchair and is mute.
Naturally, given the subject matter, it's heavy-going stuff, but is likely to pack an emotional wallop for those who feel ready to experience such an intense story. Away from Her is tender and empathetic, too, handling the story at hand - and the character drama - with grace and care, as well as being noteworthy for containing one of the greatest performances ever given by legendary actress Julie Christie.
25. 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991)
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Animated Disney movies don't get much more acclaimed than 1991's Beauty and the Beast, and it holds the distinction of being the first animated movie to ever get a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Its story is a familiar but well-told one, being about the unlikely romance that develops between a young woman and a prince who's been turned into a beast.
Of course, she's also his prisoner, at least early on. It could be all kinds of uncomfortable, but the story is handled surprisingly well, and it has that rare timeless quality that all the greatest Disney films have. It's a family-friendly animated movie that's funny, entertaining, and romantic, and certainly deserves its classic status. Similarly worth watching is 1946's live-action Beauty and the Beast, itself a film that's considerably better than the 2017 Disney live-action film.
Beauty and the Beast
Release Date November 21, 1991
Runtime 84 Minutes
24. 'The Worst Person in the World' (2021)
Directed by Joachim Trier
Image via SF Studios
The Worst Person in the World is proof that not all great romance movies would necessarily make great date movies. That's because this Norwegian romantic dramedy is unafraid to get very real and surprisingly downbeat at times, following a young woman who's struggling with the professional and romantic sides of her life, and increasingly feeling like she doesn't have a place in a rapidly changing world.
To anyone who's intensely felt the struggles of being in your 20s or 30s while not having any idea where your life is going, it can be a cathartic watch. The Worst Person in the World does offer a great deal of commentary towards - and insight into - the difficulties of modern-day dating, and as such, is a fantastic movie that deals with the realities of romance... it's just not entirely romantic in a way that makes it a good date movie in the traditional sense. However, it can easily be called one of the best movies of the 2020s so far.
The Worst Person in the World
Release Date October 13, 2021
Runtime 127 minutes
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Anders Danielson Lie
Julie
23. 'Gone with the Wind' (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Image via Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Film fans will often point to 1939 being one of the greatest (or most important) years in cinema history, thanks to the high number of influential classics that were released during it. One of those historically significant titles is Gone with the Wind, a gargantuan film when it comes to things like runtime, scope, and box office intake.
Much of it takes place during the American Civil War, so while it feels like a historical drama/war film, the romance between the two lead characters - Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler - gets much of the focus. It's all very over-the-top and melodramatic (not to mention the non-romance parts of the movie can be uncomfortable for different reasons), but Gone with the Wind endures as a landmark romantic epic, and it builds to an ending that is admittedly legendary.
Gone With the Wind
Release Date December 15, 1939
Runtime 238 minutes
22. 'Carol' (2015)
Directed by Todd Haynes
Image via The Weinstein Company
One of the most compelling films directed by the always interesting and somewhat underrated Todd Haynes, Carol is a good film made great by two lead performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. It follows a younger woman falling in love with an older woman, though complications arise because the older woman's married, and this all happens during the far more conservative 1950s.
Carol is among the best romance films in recent memory for how it handles its story, feeling approachable while also staying away from clichés or overdone tropes. It also captures the period in history with great detail, and in case you need any more reasons to watch it, it's also a surprise Christmas movie, making it a perfect movie to watch for those feeling romantic during the holiday season.
Carol
Release Date November 20, 2015
Runtime 119 minutes
21. 'The Princess Bride' (1987)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Image via 20th Century Fox
The Princess Bride is one of those movies that ends up feeling like it belongs in many genres, but balances all its various tones and genre elements incredibly well. At its core, though, it is ultimately a fairytale with a romance between a princess and a farmhand at its center, even if it's also a comedic and gently satirical take on fairytale adventures themselves.
It's surprising it works as well as it does, but the core romance plus the balance of everything else is what makes The Princess Bride an undeniable classic. Even if viewers initially find themselves like the grandson character ("Is this a kissing book?"), they'll likely be won over by the film's charms by the end. In fact, it might not even be too much of a stretch to label this beloved film one of the closest-to-perfect movies of all time.
20. 'Sense and Sensibility' (1995)
Directed by Ang Lee
Image Via Sony
Ang Lee is a filmmaker who's made movies spread across a wide variety of genres, though he seems particularly good at tackling romance movies. While something like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon blends romance and martial arts (and also happens to be one of the best action movies of all time), his take on the Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility is mainly concerned with romance.
It's set near the end of the 1700s, and follows a group of sisters who all have to deal with life, love, and heartbreak after their mother's husband is left out of an inheritance after his death. It's an entrancing period film that features a great cast, and is notable for having its Oscar-winning screenplay written by Emma Thompson, who also stars in the movie.
Sense and Sensibility
Release Date December 13, 1995
Runtime 136 minutes
19. 'All That Heaven Allows' (1955)
Directed by Douglas Sirk
Image via Universal Pictures
Anyone who likes their romance movies heavy on melodrama need not look any further than the filmography of Douglas Sirk. He's best known for his mid-20th-century melodramas that have sweeping emotions, bold colors, and some very theatrical acting that suits the overall bombastic nature of the stories he liked to tell.
All That Heaven Allows might be his most famous movie when it comes to this style that he was known for, and depicts the (for the time) scandalous romance that blossoms between a widow and a younger man who's out of her social class (gasp!). It's the kind of thing that does feel outdated now, but when viewed through the appropriate lens, there is something attention-grabbing about what's on offer here, and undeniably, Sirk was in a class of his own for the time.
All That Heaven Allows
Release Date December 25, 1955
Runtime 89 Minutes
18. 'Weekend' (2011)
Directed by Andrew Haigh
Not to be mixed up with the bizarre 1967 Jean-Luc Godard movie of the same name, Weekend (2011) is one of the best and most underrated LGBTQ+ movies of the past decade or so. It's about two men who meet at a gay club and find their feelings towards each other grow unexpectedly, despite intending for things to simply be a one-night stand, rather than a multiple-night stand.
It's all presented in a very human and down-to-earth fashion, and it's the realism and grounded nature of Weekend that makes it surprisingly powerful. Tonally and visually, it's the complete opposite of a melodramatic romance film like the aforementioned All That Heaven Allows, which ultimately goes to show how versatile films about human connection and love can be.
Weekend
Release Date October 23, 2011
Runtime 96 minutes
17. 'It Happened One Night' (1934)
Directed by Frank Capra
Image via Columbia Pictures
Old-school Hollywood screwball comedies don't get much better or more iconic than It Happened One Night. It was a game-changing film for its time, one of the best-ever made by legendary director Frank Capra, and set the groundwork for what would become the modern romantic comedy, pairing a man and woman together who are both trying to achieve the same goal, but at first dislike each other... only to develop strong feelings for the other as the story approaches its end.
It's surprising how funny and entertaining it still is, even though it's decades old at this point, and has influenced plenty of other great rom-coms that admittedly feel more modern. Still, it remains charming and endearing to this day, and is also notable for being one of only three movies to win the "Big 5" awards at the Oscars.
It Happened One Night
Release Date February 22, 1934
Runtime 105 Minutes
16. 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' (2019)
Directed by Céline Sciamma
Image via Pyramide Films
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a slow-burn romance in the best way possible. It's set at the end of the 1700s and follows two women on an island: one is a painter tasked with painting a wedding portrait of the other woman, who's mysterious and reserved, yet soon the two reveal their feelings for one another, and so begins a passionate yet short-lived romance.
2019 was one of the best years for cinema in recent memory, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire was one of the best to come out within such a stacked 12 months. It's fantastically acted, deliberately paced without being boring, has plenty of striking imagery, and contains a final scene that, once seen, is hard to forget. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a film that's certainly established Céline Sciamma as a filmmaker to keep one's eye on going forward.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Release Date September 18, 2019
Runtime 120 minutes
15. 'La La Land' (2016)
Directed by Damien Chazelle
Image via Lionsgate
There are many ways an old-school romantic musical set in detached, hipster-heavy L.A. during the 2010s could have ended in disaster, but La La Land was somehow a huge success. The story is about as simple as it gets: two young people fall in love, but since both are passionate about their professional lives, there's tension, and the possibility that things won't work out in the long term.
La La Land is a very well-balanced film, as it starts light and funny, gets a little heavier in its second half, and then builds to an amazing, inevitable, and bittersweet finale. For any other musicals post-2016 that want to capture the grandeur and sweeping nature of old-school musicals in a modern setting, La La Land has set the bar scarily high, being an all-time great musical.
La La Land
Release Date December 9, 2016
Runtime 128 Minutes
14. 'Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans' (1927)
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Image via Fox Film Corporation
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans was one of the first movies to win Best Picture at the Oscars... sort of. In the first Academy Awards ceremony, there were two awards for Best Picture - one called "Outstanding Picture" and the other called "Unique and Artistic Picture" - with Sunrise winning the latter, and the epic war/romance/action movie Wings winning the award for Outstanding Picture.
It's since been considered the "lesser" of the two original Best Picture winners, thanks to the Unique and Artistic Picture award only being a one-time thing. Still, it's hard to argue that Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans didn't deserve recognition, because it's a creatively shot romantic drama that was indeed innovative for its time, and remains one of the easiest-to-watch movies of the silent era.
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
Release Date November 4, 1927
Runtime 94 Minutes
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George O’Brien
The Man (Anses)
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Janet Gaynor
The Wife (Indre)
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Margaret Livingston
The Woman from the City
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13. 'Titanic' (1997)
Directed by James Cameron
Image via 20th Century Fox
Titanic might well be the deadliest romance film of all time, because it's a film that ultimately aims to be a romantic drama and a disaster movie at the same time. And it succeeds surprisingly well at doing both of these things, though with a runtime well over three hours, it can certainly afford the time and space to essentially be two movies in one. In many ways, it represented filmmaker James Cameron realizing his full potential as a blockbuster director.
Jack and Rose make up one of the most famous couples in cinema history, with their tragically short love giving Titanic its heart, and surely being one of the main reasons it's so beloved. It also delivers as a disaster movie, with the sequences involving the titular ship sinking still holding up to this day, making Titanic an emotional and hard-to-resist film on two fronts.
Titanic
Release Date December 19, 1997
Runtime 3h 14m
12. 'Before Sunrise' (1995)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Image via Columbia Pictures
In Before Sunrise, two young people strike up a conversation on a train. They're both traveling, and decide to continue spending time with one another in Vienna. They each acknowledge they need to go their separate ways in the morning, but as the night goes on, they fall for each other more and more, making their eventual parting feel remarkably sad.
It ends up not being the end of their story, however, due to sequels Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) showing what happens when they reunite by chance, and then decide to have a relationship together. For as great as the follow-ups are, Before Sunrise does feel the most romantic and heartfelt, with the other two movies feeling a little more drama-focused, given the characters naturally get a good deal older between movies.
11. 'Moonlight' (2016)
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Moonlight's a movie that's certainly more than "just" a romance, though that plays a considerable part in the overall unique coming-of-age story the film tells. Its first third follows a boy named Chiron, with its second act showing his teenage life, and then the final act of the film spending time with him as a young adult.
Part of Chiron's story involves him coming to terms with his sexuality, and the bond that develops between him and Kevin, who's also shown at three different ages throughout the film. Director Barry Jenkins also followed Moonlight up with the romantic drama If Beale Street Could Talk, further showing his mastery of intimate, personal relationship-focused films.
Moonlight
Release Date October 21, 2016
Runtime 111 Minutes
10. 'Her' (2013)
Directed by Spike Jonze
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
The premise of Her initially sounds absurd, which makes the powerful nature of the film all the more surprising and impactful for viewers willing to give it a shot. It's essentially about a man in the future who falls in love with an operating system that's only supposed to act as a personal assistant of sorts.
Her uses this premise to explore humanity's relationship (here literal) with technology, and the way it can sometimes make people feel distant from others, and sometimes bring them closer. As far as science-fiction movies go, Her is quite gentle, and depicts a warmer future than most, even if it can be a moving and even emotional film to watch at times. The fact it also contains one of Joaquin Phoenix's very best performances also helps Her feel like an instant modern classic.
Her
Release Date December 18, 2013
Runtime 126minutes
9. 'Cinema Paradiso' (1988)
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Image via Titanus
Easily ranking among the greatest Italian films of all time, Cinema Paradiso is about as close to perfect as movies get. It's a coming-of-age drama that begins shortly after the end of World War Two and covers multiple decades thereafter, being about a young boy who develops a love for film, and sets out to become a great director.
The film does spend time on its protagonist falling in and out of love, though ultimately, it's perhaps his passion for film that ends up as the strongest "romantic" element of the movie. It's a movie about how much people love movies, and how movies reinforce feelings of love and give opportunities for people to present stories about heartbreak, romance, and anything in between. In being the ultimate love letter to cinema, Cinema Paradiso is arguably one of the most romantic movies of all time.
Cinema Paradiso
Release Date February 23, 1990
Runtime 174 Minutes
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Enzo Cannavale
Spaccafico
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Antonella Attili
Maria Di Vita - Younger
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8. 'When Harry Met Sally' (1989)
Directed by Rob Reiner
Image via Columbia Pictures
When Harry Met Sally is one of the best movies of the 1980s, and perhaps the gold standard for the traditional romantic comedy. As far as simple stories about mismatched people who initially dislike each other but grow to have feelings for one another, it's essentially a tie between this and It Happened One Night when it comes to which is the most iconic.
Thanks to two iconic lead performances from Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, and a sharp script by Nora Ephron, When Harry Met Sally is a blast to watch from beginning to end. When the jokes are so consistent and the chemistry is as believable as it is here, even those who dislike romance films with a formula will find this one hard to resist.
When Harry Met Sally
Release Date July 21, 1989
Runtime 95 minutes
7. 'Happy Together' (1997)
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Image via Netflix
Wong Kar-wai's a director who often makes movies that focus on love and relationships, though usually with a focus on the more emotional or difficult parts of love. While something like Chungking Express explores bittersweet feelings like longing and (a romantic sort of) loneliness, his 1997 film Happy Together is ultimately about a relationship falling apart.
It centers on a gay couple who believe a holiday might help mend their struggling relationship, only to find things get worse when they go away together. It's not a fun or easy-to-watch movie, but it's incredibly powerful and remarkably well-acted, and as far as darker romance movies centered on break-ups go, it's undoubtedly one of the very best. As a character study and a break-up-themed romance film, Happy Together is undeniably a success.
6. 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004)
Directed by Michel Gondry
Image via Focus Features
The premise of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is an instantly intriguing one, given it revolves around two people who, after breaking up, both undergo a procedure that will erase all memories of their ex. Eventually, they cross paths again, and it leads to a difficult situation once they realize that they used to know each other in such an intimate capacity.
Once again, it's a romance film about the sad parts of being in a relationship, but such stories are just as valid - and important - as the sunnier ones. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind emerges as a haunting, sad, yet not entirely hopeless film, and its unique story and striking imagery make it one film that's difficult to forget, much like somebody important that you used to know.
5. 'Days of Heaven' (1978)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Image Via Paramount Pictures
Though Days of Heaven is about a complicated and eventually dangerous love triangle, it's one of those movies where the plot feels like it takes a backseat. There is a believability to the romantic interactions, sure, but much of the film's passion and spectacle come about due to the way it's shot, and because of the music by Ennio Morricone.
It's hard to put into words, but there is something intoxicating and quite moving about the whole thing, even if on paper its story sounds a little clichéd, and it's overall a fairly simple film. Still, it's hard to deny that few directors could make films as beautiful as Terrence Malick could at his peak, and Days of Heaven might well be his best, and perhaps one of the best films of his for newcomers to his unique - and sometimes daunting - body of work.
4. 'Brokeback Mountain' (2005)
Directed by Ang Lee
Image via Focus Features
Though it infamously didn't win the Oscar for Best Picture (does anyone actually remember Crash?), Brokeback Mountain endures to this day as one of Ang Lee's best films, and holds up now as arguably the best movie of 2005. It's a tragic gay romance about two cowboys who, in the 1960s, meet and fall for each other, even though it's at a time when being gay was considered taboo and unacceptable to many.
There seem to be more tragic gay romance movies than tragic heterosexual romance movies, though that appears to be changing in more recent years. It can make Brokeback Mountain a difficult watch at times, but it's hard to deny the powerful filmmaking and acting on display here, with career-best performances from Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Brokeback Mountain
Release Date December 9, 2005
Runtime 134 minutes
3. 'In the Mood for Love' (2000)
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
Image via Block 2 Pictures
In the Mood for Love stands as perhaps Wong Kar-wai's most famous film, and - unsurprisingly, given the title - one of his most romance-heavy. That being said, the romantic elements are very subdued, though Wong Kar-wai's film is all about love, heartbreak, and desire, and the way such things can complicate one's life.
It's a slow and very restrained movie, but it sticks in the mind long after watching, and is also gorgeously shot and scored. In fact, it's the evocative look, sound, and overall feel of the film that makes In the Mood for Love as memorable as it is, because the plot is, on paper, extremely simple. It's a classic of international cinema for a reason, and has earned its status as one of the most well-known Hong Kong films of all time.
In the Mood For Love
Release Date March 9, 2001
Runtime 98 Minutes
2. 'City Lights' (1931)
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
Image via United Artists
A well-paced romantic dramedy that doesn't waste any time, City Lights is one of Charlie Chaplin's very best movies, and certainly his best romantic film, being even stronger than any of the great movies he starred in and/or directed during the 1920s. It follows Chaplin's Tramp character as he falls in love with a blind flower girl and sets about doing what he can to help raise enough money for her to have an operation that'll restore her sight.
City Lights is funny, touching, and bittersweet at all the right moments, feeling like an essentially perfect movie for the majority of its runtime. The best Chaplin movies are undeniably timeless, and given City Lights is absolutely one of his best, it also stands as one that seems most resilient to aging or having its impact wither in time.
City Lights
Release Date March 7, 1931
Runtime 87 Minutes
1. 'Casablanca' (1942)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Image via Warner Bros.
Romance movies don't get much better than Casablanca. Made and set during World War II, it follows two lovers who cross paths by chance, and have their feelings reignited, with the only problem being that one has become jaded in time due to the love lost, and the other has remarried.
The story naturally gets wider in scope, thanks to it being set in WWII, and so the characters find themselves grappling with personal stakes and how their actions will affect the world at large. It pulls off this ambitious story with a tight runtime, plenty of memorable side characters, some surprisingly funny humor, and a pace that still feels pretty quick, even by modern standards. It's hard to fault and stands as a classic in every sense of the word, and deservedly stands as arguably the greatest romance film of all time.
Casablanca
Release Date January 15, 1943
Runtime 102 minutes
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Humphrey Bogart
Rick Blaine
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Paul Henreid
Victor Laszlo
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Claude Rains
Captain Louis Renault
NEXT: The Best Romance Movies of All Time, Ranked According to IMDb
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