Looking for a movie night filled with romance? Get ready to fall in love with the best romantic movies of all time, perfect to watch for couples and solo romantics alike.
Romance is the universal language, and what better way to embrace it than through the magic of cinema?
So grab some tissues, get comfortable with your movie partner, and get ready to fall in love over again with our list of best couple movies.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Best Romantic Movies of All Time
- 1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
- 2. Casablanca (1942)
- 3. Annie Hall (1977)
- 4. The Princess Bride (1987)
- 5. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
- 6. Pretty Woman (1990)
- 7. Ghost (1990)
- 8. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
- 9. Before Sunrise (1995)
- 10. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
- 11. Jerry Maguire (1996)
- 12. Titanic (1997)
- 13. Notting Hill (1999)
- 14. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
- 15. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
- Conclusion
Best Romantic Movies of All Time
- Gone with the Wind
- Casablanca
- Annie Hall
- The Princess Bride
- When Harry Met Sally
- Pretty Woman
- Ghost
- Sense and Sensibility
- Before Sunrise
- Romeo + Juliet
- Jerry Maguire
- Titanic
- Notting Hill
- 10 Things I Hate About You
- Moulin Rouge!
Let’s take a closer look at these best romantic movies of all time.
1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
IMDB Ratings: 8.2/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Max, and Fandango at Home.
Gone with the Wind is a must-watch for fans of classic romance movies. This timeless movie is based on a romantic novel from the American Civil War and Reconstruction era named Margaret Mitchell.
It is the story of a spoiled daughter of a rich plantation owner, Scarlett O’Hara. She falls in love with Ashley Wilkes. But he wants to marry his cousin whose name is Melaine Hamilton.
Later, Scarlett marries Melanie’s brother out of jealousy. But her life completely changed when his husband died in a war. After this, she returns back to her place to save Tara. Then she married Frank Kennedy for money and he also died.
Finally, she marries Rhett Butler who loves her deeply. But she was still behind Ashley. Consequently, Rhett also left her. Left alone, Scarlett tries hard to win Rhett back and believes that “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
Overall, the movie is a blend of multiple themes of resilience, love, and the complexities of human relationships.
2. Casablanca (1942)
IMDB Ratings: 8.5/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Max.
Casablanca is one of the old romance movies set during World War II. It is very popular for its romance-filled storyline and unique dialogue. The main characters of the movie are Rick Blaine, Ilsa Lund, Victor Laszlo, Captain Louis Renault, and Major Heinrich Strasser.
The story of the movie begins with Rick Blaine who is the owner of a known nightclub in Casablanca. The name of his cafe is Rick’s Cafe Americain and it is a common spot for criminals and locals.
And then comes another character, Ilsa Lund who once was the lover of Rick. One day his life changes drastically when she visits his cafe with her husband, Victor Laszlo. The couple wants to evade the nazis. Therefore, they need letters of transit to escape to a safe place. But Rick has these letters.
That’s all for now, watch the complete movie to see if Rick sacrifices for love or not.
3. Annie Hall (1977)
IMDB Ratings: 8/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
Annie Hall is another masterpiece among the best romantic comedies of all time known for its innovative and playful storytelling techniques. The movie opens with the story of comedian Alvy Singer who does stand-up comedy shows.
He often discusses his failed relationship with Annie to figure out the reason why it ended. Furthermore, the story explores the love complexities in a relationship, personal growth, and acceptance.
On top of that, Annie Hall has received various Academy awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. The film is also listed as one of the greatest American movies of all time.
4. The Princess Bride (1987)
IMDB Ratings: 8/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Fandango at Home.
The Princess Bride is one of the best romantic comedies that you should not skip watching. It starts with the story of a grandfather who is reading a storybook to his sick grandson. And as he reads, the story of the book, The Princess Bride comes live on the screen.
The main plot revolves around the story of Buttercup and Westley. Westley is a poor boy who falls in love with a princess, Buttercup. He wants to marry her but gets captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts.
Heartbroken, Buttercup is forcefully married to an evil prince who doesn’t even love her. Later, Westley returns to rescue her. They faced multiple challenges to defeat the prince.
However, in the end, they managed to escape and live happily ever after and here the story concludes with the grandfather closing the book. The overall theme of the movie reflects how true love can conquer it all.
5. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
IMDB Ratings: 7.7/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
When Harry Met Sally is one of the most romantic movies of all time, directed by Rob Reiner. The storyline of the movie is centered around the question, Can men and women ever truly be just friends?
In a similar vein, you will see many iconic moments in the film including the New Year’s Eve kiss, the debate on the topic of men and women not being friends, and more.
Moving further to the storyline, the film is about the beginning of a love story between two strangers, Harry Burns and Sally Albright who met each other on a plane. But wait, they don’t click at the first time.
It clicked when they met again after 5 years. Despite having different perspectives on love and relationships, they grow close and develop feelings for each other. In the end, both strangers turned into a couple. Now that you know enough story, watch When Harry Met Sally to uncover the magic.
6. Pretty Woman (1990)
IMDB Ratings: 7.1/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Max, and Fandango at Home.
Looking for the best movies to watch with girlfriend? Start with Pretty Woman, a timeless romance that will make it a night to remember. The main characters in the film are Edward Lewis who is a rich businessman and a Hollywood prostitute named Vivian Ward.
Edward is a rich but lonely corporate raider who meets Vivian Ward. He hires her to stay with him for a week as his escort. But the condition of her was not good enough. So, he gives Vivian money to buy some clothes and turn her into a classy woman.
At first, she feels discomfort in Edward’s world. But they come closer as they spend more time together.
One fine day, Edward introduces Vivian as a business associate which hurts her. He offers her financial help without any commitment after their week together. But she refuses, as she needs love and respect. The romance is heating up! Don’t miss out on the rest of the story.
7. Ghost (1990)
IMDB Ratings: 7.1/10
Find It On Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and Fandango at Home.
Ghost is one of the best love movies of all time that explains the power of love beyond death. Yes, you read it right. Ghost is a romantic thriller that blends romance and supernatural, directed by Jerry Zucker.
The story begins with a young banker named Sam Wheat and his girlfriend Molly Jensen. He becomes a ghost after his murder but still tries to protect his girlfriend and tell her the truth.
Being a ghost, he learns that his death was planned by his colleague and friend, Carl Bruner. Therefore, he enlists the help of a psychic medium to communicate with her. Somehow after a lot of hurdles, he finally uncovers the truth about Carl to her.
Before finally leaving the world, he can directly communicate with her for the last time. And this final goodbye of Sam to Molly will surely leave you in tears, making you realize that true love never dies.
8. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
IMDB Ratings: 7.7/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, YouTube, and Fandango at Home.
Sense and Sensibility is a beautifully captured story of sisterhood and love. The movie follows the story of two sisters Elinor and Marianne who are poles apart from each other. Elinor is a sensible and practical person, whereas Marianne is more emotional and impulsive.
They experience financial issues after their father’s demise as all of his estate is passed on to their half-brother, John Dashwood.
Later, Elinor falls in love with Edward who is already engaged and Marianne feels attracted to John Willoughby. While Elinor keeps her love secret, Marianne chooses to openly express her heartbreak when Willoughby leaves for London.
But that’s not all, one of their family friends fell in love with Marianne, but she rejected him due to the age difference. The movie kept reflecting themes like the struggle between reason and emotion, the power of love, and the social pressure and limitations faced by women in the early century.
Ultimately, the movie concludes with the happy ending weddings of Elinor to Edward and Marianne to Colonel Brandon.
9. Before Sunrise (1995)
IMDB Ratings: 8.1/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
Before Sunrise is one of the romantic movies to watch, known for its dialogue-driven narrative. The story is centered around two strangers who meet each other on a train from Budapest to Paris. The main characters in the movie are Jesse who is an American backpacker and Celine, a French student.
They both decided to spend a night together walking and talking in the street of Vienna. They talk about almost everything including life, love, relationships, dreams, and more, while exploring the city.
As the next day approaches, they realize that their time together is coming to an end and both of them will return to their lives. But they feel so connected that they decide to meet again after six months at the same place.
When all was said and done, Jesse and Celine parted ways at the train station in the hope of meeting again.
10. Romeo + Juliet (1996)
IMDB Ratings: 6.7/10
Find It On: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
Romeo + Juliet is a must-watch romance movie to experience the timeless tale of William Shakespeare’s classic but with a modern twist. The movie is about the tragic love story of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, two young lovers from rival families.
Romeo falls in love with Juliet but their love story seems to be impossible because of their family rivalries. Therefore, they decide to marry secretly with the help of Friar Lawrence. Later, Tybalt, cousin of Juliet comforts Romeo when they get into a fight and a lot of incidents happen.
Juliet fakes her death to avoid marrying another person but he is not aware of this plan. So, he thinks this to be true and poisoned himself. Juliet finds Romeo dead and stabs herself. And in the end, the two families reconcile after their tragic loss.
11. Jerry Maguire (1996)
IMDB Ratings: 7.3/10
Find It On: Netflix, SonyLiv, Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, Apple TV+, and Fandango at Home.
Jerry Maguire is known for memorable quotes like Show Me the Money, You Had Me at Hello and You Complete Me, and is one of the best movies to watch with girlfriend.
The story of the movie revolves around a successful sports agent named Jerry Maguire who represents many high-profile athletes. He decided to write a mission statement titled ” The Things We Think and Don’t Say” to form few but genuine relationships in his business.
As a result, he is fired from the agency. So, he decides to open his own sports agency. At the same time, when he struggles to set up his agency, he falls into a romantic relationship with Dorothy.
And it doesn’t stop here, there is so much more to discover. So, don’t miss out and watch the movie to unveil what happened next.
12. Titanic (1997)
IMDB Ratings: 7.9/10
Find It On: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Titanic is one of the best romance movies of all time, directed by James Cameron. The movie is about the story of a poor artist named Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater. She is engaged to a rich but controlling man.
This is just the beginning of a story where you will experience the difference between social class and inequality. Therefore, watch out for the movie Titanic to see the iconic moments including the ship’s grand staircase, the iceberg collision, and more.
13. Notting Hill (1999)
IMDB Ratings: 7.2/10
Find It On: Netflix, JioCinema, ZEE5 and Amazon Prime Video.
Notting Hill is one of the best romantic comedies that explores the complexities of relationships, love, fame, and identity. The main characters of the film include the following:
- William “Will” Thacker: the man who owns a small bookstore in Notting Hill, London.
- Anna Scott: famous American movie personality known for her glamorous lifestyle.
- Spike: William’s flatmate.
- Bella and Max: Will’s sister and brother-in-law.
- Homey Thacker: William’s younger sister.
The movie begins when Anna visits William’s bookstore which changes his life suddenly. They kind of start like each other in this cute meeting. As expected, the romance blossoms between Will and Anna.
But Anna being a famous movie star attracts continuous media attention, causing tension between them. As a result, frustrated Anna ended her relationship with Will.
Now, you must be curious to know if they will ever meet again. Well, yes they do reconcile their differences and live happily ever after.
14. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
IMDB Ratings: 7.3/10
Find It On: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and Hulu.
10 Things I Hate About You is a modern romantic comedy based on William Shakespeare’s play named the taming of the shrew.
The main characters of the film include Kat Stratford (a high school senior), Patrick Verona (a rebellious student), Bianca Stratford (younger sister of Kat), Cameron James ( a new student who falls for Bianca), Joey Donner (an arrogant student who wants to date Bianca to satisfy his ego), and Walter Stratford (overprotective father of Bianca and Kat).
The movie begins with two Stratford sisters Kat and Bianca. Out of the two, Bianca is desperate to date someone whereas Kat has no interest in dating. But Bianca can’t date anyone until Kat does, according to the rule of their overprotective father.
Consequently, Bianca hired Patrick Verona to impress Kat. But later they fall for each other. On the other hand, Bianca struggles to choose between Cameron and Joey.
Later Kat feels betrayed when she learns the truth that Patrick was paid to take her out. But will Kat be able to forgive and forget? Watch this one of the best romantic movies of all time to find out.
15. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
IMDB Ratings: 7.6/10
Find It On: Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and YouTube.
Moulin Rouge is among the must-watch romance movies about a tragic love story. The story of the movie is centered around Christian, a young English writer who falls in love with Satine, the sparking diamond who performs at the Moulin Rouge nightclub.
Satine attempts to seduce him to secure funding for the club. But later when she realizes that he is just a writer, she falls for his sincerity. And they started dating each other secretly.
Furthermore, this one of the best romantic movies of all time features many iconic moments like the Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend performance, the Come What May duet, etc.
And the romance doesn’t stop there! Here are some additional picks of the best romantic movies of all time that will capture your heart.
- Amélie | IMDB Ratings: 8.3/10
- A Walk to Remember | IMDB Ratings: 7.3/10
- Love Actually | IMDB Ratings: 7.6/10
- The Notebook | IMDB Ratings: 7.8/10
- Pride and Prejudice | IMDB Ratings: 7.8/10
- The Holiday (2006) | IMDB Ratings: 6.9/10
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) | IMDB Ratings: 8.3/10
- Silver Linings Playbook (2012) | IMDB Ratings: 7.7/10
- Her (2013) | IMDB Ratings: 8/10
- The Fault in Our Stars (2014) | IMDB Ratings: 7.7/10
Conclusion
So, there you have the ultimate list of the best romantic movies of all time, from timeless- classics like Casablanca, and Gone with the Wind to modern lover stories like Notting Hill and 10 Things I Hate About You.
Whether you are a couple or a fan of romantic love stories, this article has something for everyone. We have added IMDB ratings and platforms where you can watch these romantic movies to make your movie experience easier.
So what are you waiting for? Let the love fest begin!
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