26 Movies for People Who Love Romance, Happy or Not
Love is hard, but movies? Movies are easy (well, at least watching them). The trials and tribulations of modern dating and romance are bound to feel like too much work at one point or another, so by all means, let your favorite (or future favorite) movie couples do all the work for you. Some of these movies are funny, some are poignant, and some are heartbreakingly tragic, but they all have one thing in common: they’re not you, so feel free to take a couple of hours out of your real life and let other people do the work for once.
When Harry Met Sally (1989)
An impressively realistic portrayal of a long friendship that blossoms into romance, When Harry Met Sally is sweet without being cloying. Featuring the most famous orgasm (real or not) in film history, the film clearly has more than just schmaltz in mind. You can stream When Harry Met Sally on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video .
River (2023)
We’ve all wanted to stop time in hopes of spending a few more days or a few more minutes with someone we care about, and this charming sci-fi rom-com from Japanese director Junta Yamaguchi loved the idea. Mikoto (Riko Fujitani), a waitress at a sleepy spa, wants so badly to spend a little more time with her boyfriend that it seems to disrupt time, forcing everyone to repeat the same two minutes over and over while the staff tries to make their customers happy. One of my favorite movies about comfort. You can stream River on Tubi and Prime Video .
Love and Basketball (2000)
Childhood friends Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) hope to play professional basketball, but life gets in the way of their athletic dreams, as well as their growing mutual attraction. The film takes place over several years, and the sizzling chemistry between the main characters makes it impossible not to cheer them on. You can stream Love & Basketball on Max and Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Apartment (1960)
This very dark ’60s-style satire of greed and misogyny pairs Jack Lemmon’s Bud Baxter and Shirley MacLaine’s Fran Kubelik as two of the purest but most damaged souls in a New York City insurance company. He’s a promising man with no killer instinct, but he has an apartment that his bosses like to use for dates, and she’s an elevator operator who’s having an affair with her boss. Their relationship is a difficult one, but director Billy Wilder’s absolute classic makes it clear that love is worth the sacrifice. You can stream The Apartment on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Brief Encounter (1945)
In David Lean’s wonderful and very British novel, a married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) meet at a train station, beginning a passionate, emotional affair that everyone knows is doomed. A classic of love and longing from director David Lean. You can stream Brief Encounter on Max , The Criterion Channel and Prime Video .
Dirty Dancing (1987)
Baby (Jennifer Gray) falls in love with her dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) at a retreat in the Catskills in the 1960s. It’s a mixture of believable and stupid, and it doesn’t work as well as it does now. You can stream Dirty Dancing on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video .
Best Man (1999)
Author and bachelor Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) is determined to hide from his friends the fact that his new best-selling book is based on their chaotic life, which becomes even more complicated as they prepare to get ready for their wedding. Gradually, everyone realizes that their characters are a daring romance, and everyone must decide if they like what they read, including Harper, who is dealing with the consequences of his choices involving his girlfriend Robin (Sanaa Lathan) and his old flame Jordan (Nia Long) .
His Girl Friday (1940)
Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are a pair of ambitious reporters on a murder case in this fast-talking screwball comedy (my favorite of the genre) from Howard Hawks. Forced to work together, the divorced couple gradually find their way back to each other, but not without a lot of incredibly sharp dialogue and sass. You can stream His Girl Friday on Tubi and Prime Video .
Mississippi Masala (1991)
Meena’s (Sarita Chowdhury) Ugandan-Indian family moves to Mississippi after Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians, surviving and trying to thrive despite the resulting clash of cultures. Mina falls in love with Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a young carpet cleaner, sparking a feud between their families that spills over into the local community. However, Mira Nair’s film not only deals with racial tension between these two compelling characters, but their relationship is also very sexual. You can stream Mississippi Masala on The Criterion Channel and Max , or rent it on Prime Video .
Carol (2015)
A glimpse through a department store in 1953 sets wealthy Carole (Cate Blanchett) on the path to a forbidden romance with a young photographer (Rooney Mara). Lush and eloquent, it is rightfully considered one of cinema’s greatest queer romances. You can stream Carol on Netflix, Tubi, The Criterion Channel and Prime Video .
Remains of the Day (1993)
Tears well up in my eyes as I think of the repressed affection between the dull English butler Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) and the housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson). Their love affair simmers amid their employer’s growing tacit support for rising European fascism, and Hopkins and Thompson have never been better. You can rent The Remains of the Day from Prime Video .
The Story of a Three Day Pass (1967)
An excellent American film by Melvin Van Peebles that has some clever nods to the French New Wave, The Story of a Three-Day Pass follows Turner (Harry Byrd), a black US Army soldier in France who spends the weekend with a white store clerk named Miriam (Nicole Berger). The film in no way softens the impact of this interracial romance by contrasting the Parisians’ reactions with the harsher assessments of Turner’s comrades, but the inevitably brief romance is nonetheless beautiful and entirely believable. You can stream The Story of a Three-Day Pass on The Criterion Channel or rent it on Prime Video .
Moonstruck (1987)
It still seems surprising that Cher and Nicolas Cage are one of the most beloved couples in American cinema, but here we are. Young widow Loretta Castorini abandons convention, family tradition and her boyfriend to spank a sweaty baker. This is great. You can stream Moonstruck on Tubi, The Criterion Channel and Prime Video .
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Romance and tragedy performed in the extravagant style of Baz Luhrmann against a jukebox of pop songs. The film is almost overwhelming in its incomparable scope, but still manages to bring tears to your eyes. You can watch Moulin Rouge! on Hulu .
Your Name (2016)
Two Japanese high school students periodically switch bodies after seeing the same comet, gradually falling in love not directly, but experiencing the life of the other. An all-time great anime and one of the most beautifully animated. You can stream Your Name on Crunchyroll .
God’s Country (2017)
Self-absorbed Yorkshire sheep farmer Johnny (Josh O’Connor) receives seasonal help from Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe. Having very little in common, they soon realize that sex is great, but perhaps an emotional connection is even better. You can rent God’s Own Country from Prime Video .
Casablanca (1942)
What more can be said about Casablanca , the World War II romantic love triangle starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid? A stunningly filmed story about the sacrifices needed to fight fascism. You can stream Casablanca on Max or rent it from Prime Video .
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Wong Kar-wai’s lush, extravagant tale of sex and longing finds Chow (Tony Leung) and Su (Maggie Cheung) developing feelings for each other after their spouses begin an affair. The film, set in the 60s, is much more than just style, but the style is impeccable. You can stream In the Mood for Love on Max and The Criterion, or rent it on Prime Video .
Love Jones (1997)
What appears to be a simple love story from the start, the film follows aspiring writer Darius (Larenz Tate) and photographer Nina (Nia Long), who instantly bond after meeting at a club. The resulting complex relationship is engaging but somewhat turbulent, leading to a spectacularly unexpected ending. You can rent Love Jones from Prime Video .
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
There are several love stories in the margins of Ang Lee’s martial arts masterpiece (and international blockbuster), but the most touching is the central story of retiring swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) and his confidante and associate Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Despite their mutual attraction, honor and loyalty separate them until the beautiful, tear-soaked final act. You can stream Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Max or rent it on Prime Video .
Paris Blues (1961)
Set against the backdrop of the comparatively more open and less overtly racist Paris of the 1960s, the film stars Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman as a couple of American expats and musicians living in the City of Lights. The two become involved in an affair with a couple of tourists (Diahann Carroll and Joanne Woodward), attracted by the charm of the city and the two women, but struggling with the idea of getting serious and returning to the United States, which will have life and career consequences for both men. You can stream Paris Blues on Tubi and Prime Video .
Up (2009)
The poignant (okay: heartbreaking) romance at the center of Up is only really seen in a brief sequence, but it’s the center of gravity around which the film revolves. Ed Asher plays grumpy widower Carl Fredricksen, who finds an unlikely ally in a 13-year-old wilderness explorer in his plan to move his entire house to Paradise Falls, South America, to honor his late wife. You can stream Up on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video .
Boy Meets Girl (2014)
A beautifully acted, very sweet rom-com starring Michelle Hendley as Ricky Jones, a young trans woman looking for love as well as a way to escape her job as a barista in Kentucky. She dreams of moving to New York to go to fashion design school, a dream she shares with her best friend Robbie (Michael Welch). The appearance of Francesca (Alexandra Turshen) in Ricky’s life sparks not only a passionate romance, but also forces Robbie to reckon with long-simmering feelings. You can stream “Boy Meets Girl” on Tubi and Prime Video .
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)
A romantic comedy by turns silly, musical and deeply poignant, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (the title doesn’t quite translate, but literally “something’s going on”) is a ’90s rom-com classic done in a distinctly Indian style. As letters from her daughter’s dead mother prompt her to track down her father’s longtime love, mother and daughter conspire over the years to give Dad the freedom to love again. Shah Rukh Khan leads the star-studded cast. You can stream Kuch Kuch Hota Hai on Netflix and Prime Video .
Weekend (2011)
The drama’s beautifully acted stars Tom Cullen and Chris New play a couple of guys who meet to hang out and then stay for the weekend. This is not the story of a long-term romance, as you might guess, but a story of the connections people can make even when time is limited. You can stream Weekend on AMC+ and The Criterion Channel, or rent it from Prime Video .
Holiday (1938)
There are some absolutely indelible pairings between Katharine Hepburn and her longtime life and screen partner Spencer Tracy, but I still slightly prefer her chemistry with Cary Grant in this George Cukor classic. Grant’s Johnny Case has risen from humble beginnings and made enough money that he looks promising enough to marry Julia, the daughter of an extravagantly wealthy and ambitious New York family. Enter Julia’s unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn), who forces Johnny to rethink his upcoming marriage and the entire course of his life. You can rent Holiday from Prime Video .