The Most Romantic Movies of All Time

Andrew Haigh’s directorial portfolio is full of ruminations on queer identity and humanity. From Weekend, to Looking, to Lean on Pete, each work is gorgeously shot and brilliantly told. All of Us Strangers is no exception. Starring Andrew Scott as an isolated screenwriter whose parents died when he was 12, the film offers its protagonist the ability to reconnect with them. While processing that grief, he and his lonely neighbor, played by Paul Mescal, find comfort in each other.

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Not the breeziest watch, Fallen Leaves is no doubt a cinephile’s reward. The narrative captures a love story between two hapless souls in Helsinki who meet at a karaoke bar but are kept apart because of missed connections, lost phone numbers—those sorts of things. With little dialogue, deadpan humor and rich pop music fill the void, but in less than 90 minutes, the credits of Aki Kaurismäki’s Finnish film will roll, and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it.

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Set in the city of Lahore, this Pakistani drama swirling with love and desire tells the story of a married man who scores a gig as a backup dancer performing in a cabaret then falls for the trans starlet headlining the show. So much more than just the relationship between Haider and Bebe, this international gem, which was temporarily banned in its origin country, is as much a hopeful romance as it is an aching depiction of repression.

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Coachella, Paris, the Please U Diner: Public places where strangers bump into each other offer ideal locales to get those initial sparks flying. In Vanessa Caswill’s film, based on the 2011 novel by Jennifer E. Smith, the point of contact is the airport—specifically, JFK International. It’s there where the romance between Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver (Ben Hardy) takes off. But their romantic journey really begins after they land: Separated, they turn to fate to find each other again.

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How far would you go for the one you love? Rose Glass, the director of Saint Maud, answers that question with her latest visionary feature. It stars Kristen Stewart as the manager of a rural New Mexico gym and Katy O’Brian as a bodybuilder passing through on her way to a competition in Vegas. Drawn to each other like magnets, the two fall into an intimate affair before taking on the dark, seedy underbelly of the small town. Things get steamy, sticky, and steeped in revenge.

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Camila Mendes and Rudy Mancuso dazzle in this musical that offers a peek into the mind and spirit of its writer, director, and star. Mancuso is a creator who has synesthesia, a neurological condition that causes him to turn everyday sounds into rhythmic beats, and has trouble focusing on anything else. That is, until he meets Isabella. Electrifying on and off the screen, the chemistry between these two is so good that they end up together in real life, too.

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Mi-so, a carefree spirit, and Ha-eun, a reserved academic, are total opposites. Which might be why they get along so well. They first meet when Mi-So transfers to a new school on Jeju Island, with the 11-year-old girls becoming fast friends. Over the next several years, the two drift apart and reunite, but always keep their bond intact. A nuanced portrait more interested in emotional depth than anything sexual, Young-keun Min's debut is a dreamy take on the female bond.

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Before David Leitch became a Hollywood director (Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde), he was a stuntman in movies like The Bourne Legacy and The Hangover. It was during this time that he and producer Kelly McCormick fell in love. The two used the genesis of their 10-year romance for the bones of this action rom-com starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. About a stuntman who gets beat to a pulp to win back his old flame, the result a wildly entertaining and hopelessly romantic hit.

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One of the most classic romance movies on this list, The Idea of You is also one of the newest. The film, directed by Michael Showalter and co-written by Jennifer Westfeldt, premiered at SXSW to raves. Not only because Anne Hathaway stars as Solène, a stunning single mother whose better half is about 20 years her junior, but because that stud is up-and-comer Nicholas Galitzine. As a member of the fictional boy band August Moon, he knows how to work a stage, a screen – and Solène.

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John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Paper Towns) sees his 2017 best seller get the big-screen treatment with a coming-of-ager from Hannah Marks. The story follows a 16-year-old whose crippling anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder prevent her from having any sort of love life. When Aza reunites with her childhood crush, Davis, however, her OCD finally takes a backseat. A look at love as the ultimate healer, this one is also emotions all the way down.

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Mixing business with pleasure: a recipe for spicy onscreen love affairs. One in particular we can’t get enough of? Then-real life couple Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling as Noah and Allie in this soapy Nicholas Sparks adaptation. Their chemistry is so hot, it makes our teeth sweat. Watch Now

Nia Long and Larenz Tate get hot and bothered in this classic from writer and director Theodore Witcher. They play a couple whose happenstance meeting in Chicago blooms into a relationship the two can’t seem to define. Though it was a box office dud back in the ‘90s, this is one you’ll want to rekindle. Watch Now

You can’t mention romance without referencing Humphrey Bogart’s Rick and Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa. A wartime romance declaring only love can stand the test of time, Casablanca does what most romantic films dare never to do: Forgo the “typical” happy ending. And we’re so glad it does. Watch Now

Love is never simple in a Jane Austen narrative. In Pride & Prejudice, Mr. Darcy is a man in love with Elizabeth Bennet—but has a hard time making that known. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen do their duty as lady and gentleman, and the dialogue in Joe Wright’s romance might make you weak in the knees. Watch Now

Wong Kar-wai's melancholic period drama is as romantic as the costume silks are vibrant. A love square of sorts, the story charts the sexual tension blossoming between two neighbors who’ve just learned their partners are sleeping with each other. Like any good romp between the sheets, this one takes its time. Watch Now

Can men and women actually just be friends? It’s the predicament put to the test in Nora Ephron’s rom-com that made Billy Crystal a superstar, Meg Ryan every woman’s heroine, and Katz’s Deli the infamous New York City setting of the fake orgasm heard 'round the world. Watch Now

All aboard James Cameron’s epic melodrama about love on the high seas. Even though the film snagged a boatload of shiny statues, its narrative harbors a fate not nearly as joyous. Feelings about the extra real estate on the big floating door aside, we’d have it no other way. For Jack and Rose, our hearts will go on. Watch Now

Grab a plus-one for Malcolm D. Lee's wedding drama starring Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, and Morris Chestnut. Precluding the walk down the aisle, the film works between timelines to reveal the secrets, hookups and friendship fractures plaguing Harper (Diggs) and his pals. But, oh, the chemistry between Lathan and Diggs. Watch Now

Audrey Hepburn made Breakfast at Tiffany’s a pop culture phenomenon, but William Wyler made lunch, dinner, and riding a Vespa in Rome a cultural fixture. His film, winner of three Oscars, kick-started a crop of American movies filmed in Rome. But we’re here to talk about romance. So here. Watch Now

It's a fact: the love between Westley and his Buttercup is not only strong, but it is true. How true? Let us count the ways. “True love” may be mentioned more times in Rob Reiner’s fantasy-adventure-romance than there are actual adventures to be had, but it doesn’t get any more swoon-worthy than this. Watch Now