Romance Movie Rankings
Romance movies are those where you know from the first moment that two people are going to fall in love, but that it might take the whole movie to get there. Whatever else comes in between, the ultimate goal of the movie is to make the viewer feel and root for the love between the protagonists.
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- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.This is the most powerful romance I've ever seen depicted on screen. It's just excellent all around.
- DirectorEmile ArdolinoStarsPatrick SwayzeJennifer GreyJerry OrbachSpending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances "Baby" Houseman falls in love with the camp's dance instructor, Johnny Castle.As a huge fan of 60s music, this classic has the best soundtrack I've ever heard. I'd watch it just to hear all the songs in the background, but I must admit that watching Jennifer Grey's character learn to dance is a lot of fun too. This is probably the best I've seen of Patrick Swayze since he's not going around busting heads and acting hard the whole film. He shows a lot of vulnerability here, and that makes him far more likable than has been the case in some of his other films.
- DirectorJeannot SzwarcStarsChristopher ReeveJane SeymourChristopher PlummerA Chicago playwright uses self-hypnosis to travel back in time and meet the actress whose vintage portrait hangs in a grand hotel."Is it you?"
Now this is real romance! This is a perfect blend of 70s and 80s and has two great leads who make you really believe it. - DirectorKevin SmithStarsBen AffleckJoey Lauren AdamsEthan SupleeHolden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.I enjoy this one for being pretty different and doing a good job of capturing that Gen X, hang-out-in-comic-book-stores and Ear-X-Tacy vibe of the 90s I grew up in. I also like how they kept the Jay and Silent Bob stuff to a minimum, not because they are bad or anything, but because it made the scene that much better.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsJake GyllenhaalAnne HathawayJudy GreerIn 1990s Pittsburgh, a medicine peddler starts a relationship with a young woman suffering from Parkinson's disease.I don't know if it's the future pharmacist in me or getting to see Anne Hathaway bare all on multiple occasions, but this movie really kept me interested all the way through. That's rare for a romantic film.
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsGena RowlandsJames GarnerRachel McAdamsAn elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.
- DirectorNora EphronStarsTom HanksMeg RyanRoss MalingerA recently widowed man's son calls a radio talk-show in an attempt to find his father a partner.Tom Hanks is really great in everything, even romances like this one, so it's hard not to call him one of the best actors ever. Before I saw this, I assumed it would be about a bunch of coincidences and the like, but it's really not. It's just a nice little story that isn't too far-fetched.
- DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsAudrey HepburnGeorge PeppardPatricia NealA young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.The problem with this movie is that Audrey Hepburn's character, while gorgeous, is not someone most men would really be interested in dating. She's dramatic and flip flops about everything in a matter of seconds. But that does make for a pretty funny film, especially the party scene in her apartment.
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsHugh GrantJulia RobertsRichard McCabeA set of circumstances makes Anna Scott, a famous actress, fall in love with William Thacker, owner of a bookstore in Notting Hill. But the paparazzi's fascination with her complicates their bond.Pretty likable leads make it enjoyable.
- DirectorRoss KatzStarsBenjamin WalkerTeresa PalmerAlexandra DaddarioTravis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events.I'm not a Nicholas Sparks fan; however, the girl in this makes it easy to keep watching. I didn't care for her attitude though.
- DirectorGarry MarshallStarsRichard GereJulia RobertsJason AlexanderA man in a legal but hurtful business needs an escort for some social events, and hires a beautiful prostitute he meets... only to fall in love."Stay."
This is one of the few classics that I just don't think is all that great. You'd have to find Richard Gere charming, which I definitely don't. Julia Roberts obviously steals the show and plays her role well, but I wasn't getting the intended Cinderella vibes. - DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJulianne HoughJosh DuhamelCobie SmuldersA young woman with a mysterious past lands in Southport, North Carolina where her bond with a widower forces her to confront the dark secret that haunts her.It mostly borrows the plot of Sleeping With The Enemy but throws in a few twists to keep you on your toes. The two leads did a great job of keeping me invested in it as they were both very likable.
- DirectorAlfonso ArauStarsKeanu ReevesAitana Sánchez-GijónAnthony QuinnPaul Sutton, a young married soldier, befriends a pregnant lady who is petrified her father will disown her, and agrees to pose as her boyfriend. As time passes, they start growing fond of each other.This was a different kind of romance; in fact, its plot seemed more like a romantic comedy. But, by placing it in Nappa around a Mexican family, it was not only a gorgeous but very passionate film. I was really attracted to it at times.
- DirectorMichael SucsyStarsRachel McAdamsChanning TatumSam NeillA car accident puts Paige in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo works to win her heart again.This is just about the saddest situation I can imagine, so it baffles me why women love to watch this stuff. I don't think I could think of anything more horrible than not being able to convince my wife that she was, in fact, in love with me.
- DirectorRobert SchwentkeStarsEric BanaRachel McAdamsRon LivingstonHenry DeTamble, a librarian, possesses a unique gene that lets him involuntarily travel through time. His wife, Claire Abshire, finds it difficult to cope with it.
- DirectorSam Taylor-JohnsonStarsDakota JohnsonJamie DornanJennifer EhleLiterature student Anastasia Steele's life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.The writing here is terrible - like it's written by a 14-year-old. But I have to admit that the sex scenes were nicely done.
- DirectorErnie BarbarashStarsRob LoweKristin DavisFezile MpelaJilted by her husband on the eve of embarking on an African safari, a woman travels to the continent solo and meets an elephant conservationist.There's nothing too great or too bad about this one. It's just about a couple of nice people who got the short end of the romance stick trying to do good things and live out their lives with a purpose. It's very rare for me to find a modern movie where you don't hate the main characters.
- DirectorThea SharrockStarsEmilia ClarkeSam ClaflinJanet McTeerA girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she's taking care of.Had its funny moments, but I really hated the ending.
- DirectorHoward DeutchStarsMolly RingwaldJon CryerHarry Dean StantonA poor girl must choose between the affections of dating her childhood sweetheart or a rich but sensitive playboy.Like the main character, I feel like the actors here did the best they could with what they had at their disposal. The writing and story weren't great, but everyone turned in a good, believable performance.
- DirectorBethany Ashton WolfStarsAlex RoeJessica RotheAbby Ryder FortsonAfter being gone for a decade a country star returns home to the love he left behind.It had a pretty good redemption story, especially for starting the guy out about as low as he could go. I didn't really care for the explanation as to why he turned out to be such trash, but at least he earned his way back in.
- DirectorShaun Paul PiccininoStarsLauren SwickardJosh SwickardAli AfsharWith his carefree lifestyle on the line, a wealthy charmer poses as a ranch hand to get a hardworking farmer to sell her family's land before Christmas.There's nothing overly great and nothing that stands out as really bad about this one. The couple feels authentic because apparently they are a real couple.
- DirectorForest WhitakerStarsSandra BullockHarry Connick Jr.Gena RowlandsBirdee Calvert must choose between her morals and her heart after her husband divorces her and a charming young man, who her daughter disapproves of, comes back into her life.This one was mostly a downer but a well-acted one with plenty of memorable characters.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsBen AffleckKate BeckinsaleJosh HartnettA tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story follows two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.Doesn't work as a war movie. Doesn't work as a romance. The girl is a total whore.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsRalph FiennesJuliette BinocheWillem DafoeAt the close of World War II, a young nurse tends to a badly burned plane crash victim. His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair.
- DirectorShaun Paul PiccininoStarsLauren SwickardJosh SwickardAli AfsharSequel to "A California Christmas". Follows Callie and Joseph one year after they fell in love, now running a dairy farm and winery, but their romance is threatened when business and family obligations call Joseph back to the city.It's a lot like the first one except it's trying hard to be a franchise. I enjoyed the villainous character because she was easy on the eyes, but the rest didn't affect me one way or the other.