Some romance movies go beyond the ordinary boundaries of film, expressing deep truths about true love that resonate with anyone who has had a similar experience. These movies share universal experiences of love by telling specific stories about specific characters, proving that true love is a language understood by all.
While some romance movies merely gesture at the idea of love, or use relationships as a source for comedy and melodrama, there are some more ambitious stories which explore the meaning of true love and how the concept interacts with other elements of life. These are the kinds of romance movies that stick with audiences for years.
Richard Curtis has written some of the best British romcoms, includingLove Actually, Four Weddings and a FuneralandBridget Jones’s Diary. About Timeis one of just three movies that he also directed, and it should come as no surprise that it’s just as funny and just as heartwarming as any of his other work.Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams continue Curtis' long-running theme of transatlantic romances.
It’s the kind of movie that can renew someone’s passion for life.
About Timeis a clever love story, using its time travel sparingly and with care. What starts out as a joyous romance evolves into a deeply moving tale about a man’s relationship with his father, too. In both of Tim’s key relationships, he learns that love is best experienced without stress or anxiety. It’s the kind of movie that can renew someone’s passion for life.
Richard Linklater’sBeforetrilogyfollows a couple at three different points in their lives, as their roller-coaster courtship evolves into something more substantial and complex. Each movie delves into a different aspect of true love, which helps to construct a three-dimensional picture of love as Linklater sees it. This goes far beyond what other romances aim for.
10 Romance Movies With Deep, Complex, Relationship Stories
Romantic stories include some of the most powerful narratives ever depicted, as the complexities of love and heartache connect deeply with viewers.
TheBeforetrilogy shows that love isn’t always straightforward, and it often comes with considerable sacrifices, but it’s worth it nevertheless. Although the themes shift as the characters mature, the expertly crafted dialogue and the sizzling chemistry between the two leads are ever present, giving the trilogy a unique perspective on love across time.
Titanicmarked a strange departure for James Cameron at the time, since the director was primarily known for his sci-fi action movies. He promptly proved his doubters wrong, developing a period romance with surprising deftness and intelligence. His fascination with the story of the Titanic makes the movie an intriguing historical artifact, but the love story remains the focal point.
Many details about thetrue story behindTitanicmake their way into the movie, but Jack and Rose are completely fictional characters. Their story works because it speaks to timeless topics surrounding class, like the social divisions caused by class and the weight of familial expectations. Long before the ship strikes an iceberg, their love is doomed. In this way,the Titanic is merely a symbolic setting that mirrors their relationship, and many relationships just like theirs that are still unfolding today.
Wong Kar-wai’sIn the Mood for Loveis far from a typical love story. It starts as two friendly neighbors realize that their spouses are having an affair, but this peculiar beginning soon blossoms into a beguiling relationship. Wong follows the story across the years, as the two lovers drift apart and suffer a series of missed opportunities and emotional anguish.
In the Mood for Loveis part of a thematic trilogy that also includesDays of Being Wildand2046.
In the Mood for Loveis a devastating meditation on love, but it also explores regret, isolation, betrayal, fortune and much more.For a relatively short film,In the Mood for Lovepacks in a lot of substance, laying out the complexities of true love and its relationship to all other aspects of life. It’s a heartbreaking masterpiece, often beautiful and ponderous but never boring.
La La Landis reminiscent of lavish Hollywood musicals from the 1950s and 1960s, but its love story is firmly rooted in the 21st century, as Seb and Mia have to balance their relationship with their career aspirations and their personal troubles. This is an intelligent rebuttal to the old adage that “love conquers all”,butLa La Land’s mature approach presents a more realistic and relatable version of true love.
10 Most Controversial Romance Movies Of All Time
Romance movies can easily stir up controversy, and depending on how the relationships in them are portrayed, audiences might have varying opinions.
La La Land’s emotional endingproves that true love can change a person, even if circumstances conspire to derail things. It also suggests that love can last in different forms, and that it can change people without necessarily keeping them together.Such nuanced and intelligent conversations about love are rare in movies, and there are even fewer movies which can delve into these topics with such lightness and skill.
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan strike up a wonderful dynamic inWhen Harry Met Sally,an intelligent romcom that addresses the question of whether straight men and women can enjoy platonic friendships without other feelings getting involved. In Harry and Sally’s case, their disagreement on the topic barely conceals their perfect suitability for one another.
Harry and Sally’s love feels more authentic and substantial than other on-screen romances.
When Harry Met Sallyhas a brilliant script, pushing and pulling the two lovers around throughout their lives, never allowing them a smooth ride, despite their many moments of unadulterated bliss. What makes it stand out from so many other romcoms is that the two characters are an intellectual match long before romantic feelings start to pop up. This is just one reason why their love feels more authentic and substantial than other on-screen romances.
Roman Holidayturned Audrey Hepburn into a star, and it still stands out as one of her best movies. This is partly due to the effortless, breezy chemistry she shares with Gregory Peck. She plays a princess, and he a reporter, as they share a fleeting romance in Rome that constantly surprises each of them. To match their charming performances,Roman Holidayhas an outstanding script, brimming with witty dialogue.
Although a lot ofRoman Holiday’s appeal comes from the simple, entertaining scenes of the two leads soaking in the atmosphere of the city, there’s still plenty of drama to propel the plot forward. Even in their sweetest moments, the unfeasible nature of their relationship and their conflicting motives hangs over them. This all comes crashing down inRoman Holiday’s ending, which solidifies its place as a classic.
Portrait of a Lady on Fireexplores queer love during a period of history when such relationships were unthinkable for certain classes of people. Although the story begins as an artist is sent to surreptitiously paint a portrait of a woman so that she can be shown to potential suitors, it soon erupts into a passionate romance that rivals any period piece.
10 Most Wholesome First Dates In Romance Movies
A great romance movie can start anywhere in the love story, but the best include great first dates that set the tone for the rest of the relationship.
Other movies might veer into melodrama, but Céline Sciamma has the wisdom and restraint to show an idyllic snapshot of life as the two women share some time together without interference from the outside world. The inherent external pressures are put on the back burner for a while, as the intricacies of the relationship between the two characters take root.It’s utterly compelling, and shot with rare beauty.
Wes Anderson’s moviesare known for their picture-book charms, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t also filled with emotion.Moonrise Kingdomis one of Anderson’s sweetest stories, following two pre-teens who elope and have a makeshift wedding on the beach, much to the dismay of their parents, scout leaders, the local police, and Tilda Swinton’s menacing Social Services.
Adults have a tendency to view young love as idyllic and unserious, butMoonrise Kingdomargues that this is just as meaningful as other forms of love. Anderson’s two young protagonists form their own two-person society, free from the pressures of the adults seeking to rule their lives.Moonrise Kingdomevokes childish innocence and first loves, and it takes a hard heart to side with the grown-ups.
Although the age gap has taken up an unreasonable amount of the discourse surroundingLost in Translation,people who actually watch the film to decide for themselves often recognize that the layers of Bob and Charlotte’s relationship are more complex than they initially appear. They each represent a deep need in the other, something that extends beyond power and sexuality.
Sofia Coppola’s masterpiece is anchored by two superb performances from Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, who carry the story as it swings from tender emotionality to hilarious observational humor. Bob and Charlotte are drawn together in a sea of complete strangers, but their relationship represents an escape, a dream or a potential reset.Lost in Translation’s iconic ending leaves their fate unknown, but an individual’s reaction to it will reveal their own philosophy on love.
