25 Films for Lovers Who Love Love
It’s become fashionable to hate on Valentine’s Day, and I get it – commercialization; unreasonable expectations; the soft commercialization of a deeply human experience. But that’s why I explain that it’s okay to love love too. It’s normal to look forward to Valentine’s Day because you’ve found your own storybook romance (whatever that looks like) or because you enjoy watching other people navigate the many potential complications in relationships.
Here are 25 movies that celebrate love, ranging from dark to downright comedic. If the anticipation of V-Day is starting to feel overwhelming, watching a movie can give you a break or a reminder of why you’re making the effort in the first place.
Moonlight (1987)
Cher and Nicolas Cage are so original and original that it is difficult to imagine a romantic couple between them as anything other than a cartoon. Instead, it’s one of the greatest movie romances of all time, as engaged widow Loretta Castorini falls in love with her boyfriend’s younger brother. This love triangle is the core of the film, but the troubled marriage of Loretta’s parents, played by Olympia Dukakis and Vincent Gardenia, is an important part of the film’s heart. While most rom-coms focus on young people and first loves, Moonstruck suggests that there is a place for romance, even when life becomes increasingly difficult in middle age. You can stream Moonstruck on Prime Video , Tubi, Freevee and The Criterion Channel.
God’s Country (2017)
Until relatively recently, gay romances (even many comedies) with happy endings were shockingly rare, and God’s Own Country represented a solid departure from what seemed like a dramatic necessity when such stories end in tragedy. It’s more pronounced here because it just doesn’t seem like the kind of movie that’s going to end well. Josh O’Connor ( Crown Prince Charles) and Alec Secareanu play Yorkshire farmer Johnny and Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe. The initially developing tumultuous relationship does seem to be heading towards tragedy (a la Brokeback Mountain ), which makes the film’s unexpected twist all the more joyful. You can rent God’s Own Country from Prime Video .
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
This is one of the most successful teams in Hollywood: director George Cukor is behind the wheel of Katharine Hepburn’s car, in which she is pursued by Cary Grant and James Stewart (and, of course, her fiancé, played by John Howard, but he never stands a chance). It’s hard to know who to root for. On the one hand, this was Hepburn’s own attempt to manage and soften her public image – it worked, but only at the expense of adding nuance to the perception of her as a female commander. Even when the men in her life take a backseat to her, she still puts on quite the show, delivering brilliant dialogue in a film that moves effortlessly from sophisticated to eccentric. You can stream The Philadelphia Story on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Love and Basketball (2000)
As the title suggests, the film and its characters are divided between forces that seem to be in opposition. Monica and Quincy (Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps) have shared hoop dreams since they first met as children, and an attraction that grows over the years. What separates them is the game they both love and their dedication to different sports careers. It’s partly a sports movie, but it’s about a central relationship that’s more important than any big game. You can stream Love & Basketball on Max and Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Fire Island (2022)
A group of friends go on holiday to this strange place only to discover that social class among modern gay friends is no less common than it was in the lead roles in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice , on which it is very clearly based. Joel Kim Booster plays Elizabeth Bennett’s character Noah, who is interested in Conrad Ricamora’s wealthy lawyer Will, and Bowen Yank plays his friend Howie – fat (at least by movie standards), female and Asian, and insecure about it all. As in the novel, the path to (almost) true love faces some obstacles, but it’s a reminder that things haven’t changed much in romance narratives. You can stream Fire Island on Hulu .
Palm Springs (2020)
If you could live your life without consequences, what or who would make you want to truly change? In this twist on Groundhog Day , Andy Samberg plays Niles, who we learn has been stuck in a time loop on his wedding day in Palm Springs for quite some time, basically doing whatever he wants when he’s not being hunted by Roy (J.K. Simmons), who is stuck in the loop with him and blames Miles for his terrible fate. Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, soon becomes attracted to them, but when real feelings begin to develop between her and Niles, life without forward movement begins to seem less than ideal. You can stream Palm Springs on Hulu .
Before Sunset (2004)
This middle chapter of director Richard Linklater’s trilogy may not have the most definitively happy ending of the three, but it is the most memorable—in fact, it’s one of the greatest romantic film endings of all time. Reunited nearly ten years after Before Sunrise , Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) spend the day wandering around Paris, after which they both have to decide whether they’re ready to leave their current unsatisfying lives and relationships—a scene perfect for Nina Simone. You can rent Before Sunset from Prime Video .
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Family is the biggest barrier to lasting love in Crazy Rich Asians , a rare example of a popular modern blockbuster that doesn’t feature car chases or capes. Constance Wu plays New Yorker Rachel Chu, a poor economics professor who discovers too late that her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) is the scion of one of Singapore’s wealthiest families. Unprepared for the level of visible wealth, nor for the snobbery she encounters when she goes with him to a family wedding – Rachel is forced to decide whether she can handle the pressure and judgment from Nick’s family, and whether she even wants it. A happy ending doesn’t come easy for anyone here. You can stream Crazy Rich Asians on Max or rent it on Prime Video .
The Shape of Water (2017)
In Guillermo del Toro’s film, in this story about a Cold War lab cleaner and the charming fish man with whom she develops a relationship, the path to true love is unlikely to ever run smoothly. What follows is a dark fairy tale romance with elements of horror that place it firmly in the classic Brothers Grimm tradition, but with an uncharacteristically happy ending. You can rent The Shape of Water from Prime Video .
Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Having launched a thousand similar films, most of which aren’t half as good, The Shop Around the Corner isn’t the first time a mistaken identity has played a central role in a romance, and it’s not the first time mutual hatred has turned (slowly) into love, but it’s never actually been done to this level of style. The story takes place in a store in Budapest ahead of the Christmas season. Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart play rival colleagues who are always at each other’s throats, even as they develop a romantic relationship through anonymous correspondence (unaware that they are falling in love with their real-life enemy). It’s cute without being silly at all, and with all the hallmarks of director Ernst Lubitsch. You can rent The Shop Around the Corner from Prime Video .
Love, Simon (2018)
Nick Robinson is an introverted high school student, Simon, who draws inspiration from an anonymous confession from a similarly introverted student at his school. Unaware of “Blue’s” true identity, Simon begins an online friendship that develops into something more. Think “The Shop Around the Corner ” or “You’ve Got Mail ” with modern-day weird high school students. You can rent Love Simon from Prime Video .
It Happened One Night (1934)
The blueprint for a million rom-coms to come, It Happened One Night , despite appearing during the awkward early years of the film and the equally awkward end of the pre-Code era, remains unrivaled in its charm and sexiness. Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable have amazing chemistry and their relationship is one of almost equals, and the upcoming Production Code will make that virtually impossible for decades. In this sense, it feels more modern than any other much later film. It’s also one of only three films to win Academy Awards in all major categories, and deservedly so. You can stream It Happened One Night on Tubi and The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video .
Rafiki (2018)
Kena (Samantha Mugatsia) is the daughter of a Nairobi store owner who helps her father run the store while she prepares for nursing school. Ziki (Sheila Munyiwa), on the other hand, mostly just hangs out with her friends and makes up dances. Their attraction is immediate, but they only meet because their fathers are competing against each other in the district assembly elections. Their love story in a place where it is illegal threatens to complicate their family’s lives as well as their own, but the film still maintains a wonderfully bright, colorful and musical atmosphere leading to a happy ending, even if that ending takes a while. Rafiki can be rented from Prime Video .
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
A modern classic with a ’90s twist, this rom-com retells The Taming of the Shrew in an American high school. And without any ugly misogyny. The final guitar swap for the title poem is delightfully memorable—no wonder the film made stars of Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. You can stream 10 Things I Hate About You on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Shelter (2007)
Aspiring artist Zach (Trevor Wright) has had to give up his art school dream and literally flips hamburgers to support his disabled father and young nephew. The atmosphere is so Californian that Zack spends all the free time he has painting and surfing, and starts hanging out with his best friend’s older brother, Sean (Brad Rowe). It’s almost love at first sight, but none of this solves Zach’s family problems – luckily Sean doesn’t go anywhere and they end up forming not just a relationship, but a family. You can stream Shelter on Here TV .
Love Jones (1997)
Smart and atmospheric , Love Jones wasn’t a big box office success in 1997, but has since gained something of a cult following. Larenz Tate plays Chicago poet Darius, who develops an instant attraction to photographer Nina Mosley (Nick Long). The film’s bluesy, bohemian setting in the world of black middle-class artists and intellectuals was unusual in the ’90s, and is no less unusual today, giving the film a distinct style and intelligence. The essential question of any romantic drama (will they or won’t they?) is left here for the very last moments. You can rent Love Jones from Prime Video .
My Fair Lady (1964)
In short, a movie about a rich aristocrat who turns a poor young woman into his feminine ideal doesn’t sound like the stuff a romantic relationship is made of. Audrey Hepburn plays Galatea Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney street vendor whose social rehabilitation becomes the personal project of Henry Higgins, played by Rex Harrison, who seeks to prove that even the poor can mix with the upper classes if they are given the right training and elocution (not exactly a regressive concept). She’s in the game for a while, but begins to realize that she doesn’t like being an experiment, which in turn leads Higgins to realize that what he’s come to love about her doesn’t need fixing. Oh, you realized that a woman has free will! Take the cookies. You can rent My Fair Lady from Prime Video .
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
The company’s latest big 2D animated princess story is based on the classic Disney production, set in New Orleans during the Roaring ’20s. Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) works several jobs, hoping to save enough money to open her own restaurant. When she is asked to make beignets for the wedding of the arrogant Prince Naveen, fate mistakes her for a princess – both she and Naveen are turned into frogs by the machinations of a villain bent on stealing the prince’s fortune. By the end of this enemies-to-lovers story, each of them proves that they are willing to sacrifice their human lives if it means they can be together. You can stream The Princess and the Frog on Disney+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Barefoot in the Park (1967)
A bit old-fashioned even in 1967, there’s so much chemistry between the cast, led by Jane Fonda, Robert Redford and Charles Boyer, that the whole thing plays out like a charming comedy (based on Neil Simon’s play) about newlyweds who very quickly come to the conclusion that they’ve made a terrible mistake. Comedy and romantic complications follow, followed by a drunken climax on the roof of an apartment building, drawing applause from the supporting cast. You can rent Barefoot in the Park from Prime Video .
Photography (2020)
A photo left behind by her dead mother prompts Mae (Issa Rae) to explore her own family’s past and also brings her into the orbit of a young journalist played by Lakeith Stanfield. In this beautifully shot, multi-generational love story, May will think twice about giving up on love after learning of her mother’s mistakes. You can stream The Photograph on Freevee or rent it from Prime Video .
Desert Hearts (1985)
Desert Hearts was an absolute breath of fresh air in an era where strange characters were usually either serial killers or dying of HIV/AIDS themselves. Here, Vivian (Helen Shaver), an English professor going through a divorce, meets Kay (Patricia Charbonneau), an uninhibited sculptor, at a ranch in Reno. Vivian struggles a bit with an unexpected lesbian attraction, but this romantic drama never descends into tragedy and is all the better for it. After years of being a gem of queer cinema, the film’s recent reception places it more in the category of an outright classic. You can stream Desert Hearts on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video .
Loving (2016)
Based on the true story of a couple who fought their marriage all the way to the Supreme Court, Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga play a couple arrested shortly after their wedding under Virginia’s anti-miscegenation laws. This is a love story that literally changed the course of history. You can stream Love on Peacock or rent it on Prime Video .
Lady Eve (1941)
I’m not sure many real-life romances start out as a scam, but it seems to work in movies, and rarely better than in this Preston Sturges classic. Barbara Stanwyck is about to rob shy and clueless beer heir Henry Fonda. Stanwyck is never anything less than completely shameless, and yet somehow you’re still rooting for her to find her man. You can stream The Lady Eve on The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video .
The Princess Bride (1987)
The Princess Bride has many beautiful romantic moments leading up to a brilliant fairytale ending. But it’s the silly, swoon-worthy moment when Westley (Cary Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright) reunite after a long absence that might be the film’s most romantic, with Buttercup realizing she’s only found her true love after throwing him off a hill. When you’re in the grip of one of the greatest romances of all time, there’s only one thing to do: dive straight for it. You can stream The Princess Bride on Disney+ or buy it on Prime Video .
Little Women (1994)
As a Louisa May Alcott obsessive, I prefer Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version of Little Women ; appreciate the way her version blurs Alcott’s background with Jo’s character in the final act, cleverly acknowledging that Jo’s affair with the older and boring Professor Bhaer was a mischievous move on the author’s part, and not something we should swoon over (if not for the demands of the editor and the audience, Alcott would have allowed Jo to remain happily single). However, this 1994 take pulls off an equally impressive feat of centering that romance and actually making us care about it. By the time Winona Ryder and Gabriel Byrne kiss in the rain in the final moments, it’s hard not to cheer them on. (Although Laurie is still an idiot.) You can rent Little Women on Prime Video.