“Here’s looking at you, kid.” 45 Best Romantic Movies of All Time, Ranked

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.

45 ‘Closer’ (2004)

Directed by Mike Nichols

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.

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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.

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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.

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42 ‘Challengers’ (2024)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

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.

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41 ‘A Star Is Born’ (1954)

Directed by George Cukor

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.

40 ‘Jules and Jim’ (1962)

Directed by François Truffaut

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.

39 ‘The Band Wagon’ (1953)

Directed by Vincente Minnelli

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?

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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.

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37 ‘The Earrings of Madame de…’ (1953)

Directed by Max Ophüls

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.

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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.

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35 ‘Eat Drink Man Woman’ (1994)

Directed by Ang Lee

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.

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34 ‘Past Lives’ (2023)

Directed by Celine Song

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.

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.

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32 ‘Annie Hall’ (1977)

Directed by Woody Allen

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.

31 ‘All of Us Strangers’ (2023)

Directed by Andrew Haigh

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

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.

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.

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28 ‘West Side Story’ (1961)

Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins

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.

27 ‘Cold War’ (2018)

Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski

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.

26 ‘Away from Her’ (2006)

Directed by Sarah Polley

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.

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