These Are the 55 Swooniest, Most Romantic Movies of All Time

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."

There's a reason some of the most memorable moments in movie history happen in great love stories. There's just something about the swelling of the music, the elongated anticipation, and the eventual lean-in and kiss that just gets the heart pounding.

When the longing strikes, check out one of these best romantic movies of all time. They range from funny rom-coms to heartfelt weepies, so there's something no matter what type of romantic movie you're in the mood for. (But, to be honest, I tried not to overload the list with romantic comedies, because they're genre unto themselves.) Whether you're looking to snuggle up to a date or just want to be swept away in the emotions, these are the tales that will get the pulse racing.

Before heading out to the theater to see Emerald Fennell's version of Wuthering Heights, check out one of the previous adaptations—of which there have been many. There was one by director Andrea Arnold in 2012 (with Kaya Scodelario and James Howson); a set-in-the-modern-day MTV adaptation in 2003 (with Erika Christiansen and Mike Vogel); a mini-series from 1998 (with Orla Brady and Robert Cavanah); a famous film version from 1992 (with Juliette Binoche and Ralph Fiennes); and a black-and-white William Wyler version from way back in 1939 (with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier), among many others. Only the new one has the Charli XCX soundtrack, though.

The People We Meet on Vacation (2026)

Based on the best-selling book by Emily Henry, this is a classic case of opposites attract...as friends. (Right?) Poppy is a free spirit, while Alex is an uptight planner, and together they even each other out—theoretically. The story is told through flashbacks to the vacations they've gone on together over the years—and how their relationship evolves after each one.

Dakota Johnson plays a woman—ironically, a professional matchmaker—who finds herself asking that classic romantic-triangle question: Should she choose to be with the wealthy and handsome man who can give her all the material things she wants in life (Pedro Pascal), or her college boyfriend, the never-made-it actor (Chris Evans) who still has roommates and drives a beat-up old car? Is love truly all she needs?

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON HBO MAX

For those who like yearning, there's yearning all over the place in this movie. It follows Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones), a woman who is about to embark on a new chapter of her life when her boyfriend, Lee (Will Poulter), returns home from the Korean War. Muriel also has feeliings for Lee's brother, Julius (played by Jacob Elordi again), and when Lee and Muriel and Julius go their separate ways, they all try to find their own version of fulfillment.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON NETFLIX

This movie follows a relationship over a course of a decade, but the "in time" part comes into play in the way the story is told: It hops around from the beginning of the relationship to the end. It comes courtesy of director John Crowley, who previously took a stab at the romance genre with the Academy Award-nominated Brooklyn, which has a similar mix of romance and sadness.

It's romance and true crime all rolled into one. Glen Powell— romance actor du jour—plays an unassuming teacher who somehow winds up helping local police by pretending to be a hit man for hire in sting operations. When a potential client wants to be romantically involved, he gets pulled in over his head. Though the romance is fabricated, the story is inspired by a real guy that director Richard Linklater read about in a Texas Monthly article.

It's a May/December romance when a 40-year-old single mom gets involved with a 24-year-old heartthrob. The twist? He's also the singer of a red-hot boy band. (The whole thing is said to be inspired by Harry Styles.) Can the romance survive the celebrity scrutiny?

Bea and Ben don't really like each other. But when Ben wants to make his ex jealous, and Bea wants to keep her family from getting on her case about settling down, they agree to pretend to be in a relationship for the duration of a destination wedding. But you know what they say about best-laid plans, and things start to change when they catch feelings.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON HULU

Everyone has the one that got away, the one that inspires daydreams about what could have been. In Past Lives, a girl named Nora is separated from her childhood sweetheart, Hae Sung, when her family immigrates to North America. Years later, Nora and Hae Sung reconnect for a week in New York City, though Nora already has a fiancé. Is he worth pursing and giving up her established life for, or does he just represent the idea of possibility?

The love story of Cyrano de Bergerac is nothing new, but feels fresh in this adaptation through original songs, written by members of The National. Peter Dinklage gives a career-best performance as the title character, co-starring alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Haley Bennett.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON MGM+

RELATED: The Best Movie Musicals

This is a movie for people who like their romances to be rolled up in danger and mystery. The noir-ish film from director Park Chan-wook, who won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for it, follows a detective investigating a murder—only to fall for the prime suspect. He has to figure out if she's as innocent as she claims, or if it's all part of her ploy.

This movie is based on the super-steamy, often-banned novel by D.H. Lawrence, and it lives up to its source material in intensity. It follows the life of Constance Reid, an aristocratic wife whose eye turns toward her estate's gamekeeper when her husband returns from the war paralyzed from the waist down. Their affair would upend social norms in a variety of ways, but can she resist his allure?

The Worst Person in the World (2021)

This Norwegian film, from the director of Sentimental Value, is a coming-of-age story and romance melded together, focusing on the loves that come in and out of your life when you don't have yourself 100% together. (Who can't relate?) It mostly focuses on Julie (Renate Reinsve) and her journey to young adulthood, but Anders Danielsen Lie co-stars as the man she crosses paths with over and over.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON APPLE TV

Sylvie and Robert meet when Robert gets a job at Sylvie's father's Harlem record shop in 1957. The movie then follows the couple through the years, as they navigate their ambitions, their unexpected setbacks and their feelings for each other.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

This film-festival and awards favorite follows a woman who is commissioned to travel to a remote island to paint a portrait of a woman as part of an arranged marriage; of course, she falls in love with her subject, and a forbidden romance ensues.

If you're looking for a story about people brought together by talent and torn apart by fame, you can watch a number of takes on A Star Is Born: There's the 1937 original with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason or the 1976 remake with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. But only the most recent one, with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, has a performance of the heart-rending song "Shallow."

RELATED: Lady Gaga Spills the Hidden Meaning Behind “Shallow” Song Lyrics

If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)

From Barry Jenkins—director of Moonlight, which is its own sort of romance—comes this James Baldwin adaptation. It's about a couple, madly in love and expecting a child, whose relationship is upended when one of them is accused of a crime he didn't commit.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON AMC+

First love is often the most intense, for better or for worse, and Call Me By Your Name captures all of those roiling emotions. Based on the book by André Aciman, it follows the young son of academics, who while on summer break in Italy, falls hard for one of his dad's grad students. It stars Timothée Chalamet in one of his breakthrough roles.

WATCH ON PRIME VIDEO WATCH ON PARAMOUNT+

Based on the novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, Carol tells the story of an affair between two women in the 1950s, so you get the pleasure of watching all the sumptuous period dresses and interiors in addition to being swept away by the romance. This film also features an Oscar-nominated performances from Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara.

RELATED: The Best LGBTQ+ Movies Ever Made

There have been many movies that have attempted to master the romance-and-vampires genre (to varying success), but this Jim Jarmusch movie is the only one that gets at how wearying it would be to keep a marriage intact across centuries. Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston play estranged but married vampires named Eve and Adam. (Get it?) When Adam is sunk by a depressive episode, Eve finds him again and tries to cheer him up.

Is ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ Related to the TV Show?

How to Stream ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ for Free

Morena Baccarin Has Major Career News

How to Stream ‘Michael’ at Home

Every ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’ Easter Egg We Spotted

When Is the Next ’Hannah Swensen Mystery'?

Valerie Bertinelli Reveals First Movie in a Decade

Where to Stream ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’

Two Bravo Stars Will Be in ‘Devil Wears Prada 2’

‘Project Hail Mary’ Author Discusses the Movie

22 Best Kids' Movies Coming Out in 2026

Is Jaafar Jackson Really Singing in ‘Michael?