101 Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time - Parade
We ranked the 101 best science fiction movies of all time, from 'Metropolis' to 'Dune'. These are the best sci-fi movies to watch during your next movie night.
romantic movies
Jeff Bridges and Raiders of the Lost Ark's Karen Allen star in John Carpenter's critically acclaimed love story about an alien who falls for a young widow. Bridges garnered an Oscar nod in one of the best <anchor>romantic movies</anchor> of the 1980s.
75 Best Romantic Movies of All Time - Parade
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September 11, 2024

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_Titanic_

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# We Ranked the 75 Best Romantic Movies of All Time, From 'City Lights' to 'Moonlight'

Here are the finest love stories in all of film history.

- Author:

[Samuel R. Murrian](https://parade.com/author/samuelmurrian)

- Updated:

Sep 5, 2024


We're revisiting the most unforgettable **love stories** in film history. For this ranking of the **best romantic movies ever**, we're taking into account each picture's overall quality, impact on pop culture, how well they've aged and re-watchability. These are the old and new classics that make us believe in love.

For this list, any picture where [romantic](https://parade.com/936221/marynliles/romantic-love-quotes/) love is front and center is fair game. We've included Hollywood and foreign fare, modern audience favorites and essentials from the early days of cinema. Oh, and if you're wondering where your favorite rom-coms are, don't worry–we have a [separate list of those, as well.](https://parade.com/1153841/samuelmurrian/best-romantic-comedies/)

In ascending order, here are **the best romantic movies of all time.** All titles are available to rent and purchase across major streaming platforms.

## Best Romantic Movies of All Time

![Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep in "The Bridges of Madison County"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3ODg2MDM3MTE3/clint-eastwood-and-meryl-streep-in-the-bridges-of-madison-county.jpg)

The Bridges of Madison County

Warner Bros./Getty Images

### 75. _The Bridges of Madison County_ (1995)

**[Clint Eastwood](https://parade.com/tag/clint-eastwood)** directs, produces, and co-stars alongside **[Meryl Streep](https://parade.com/1053576/hilaryweaver/best-meryl-streep-movies/)** in a drama based on **Robert James Waller**'s novel about an Italian war bride who has a four-day affair with a photojournalist. It's a sad, affecting story of soul mates who met too late. It was adapted for the Broadway stage in a short-lived, Tony-winning 2014 show.

![Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire in "Jerry Maguire"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMzI2MzIwNzA2Njg1/1-19-jerry-maguire-ftr.jpg)

Jerry Maguire

Sony

### 74\. _**Jerry Maguire**_ **(1996)**

[**Cameron** **Crowe**](https://parade.com/tag/cameron-crowe)'s oft-quoted dramedy channels the great work of **Frank Capra**, with a selfish protagonist undergoing a crisis of conscience. **[Tom Cruise](https://parade.com/tag/tom-cruise)** plays a humbled, determined sports agent. _Jerry Maguire_ features a breakout turn from **[Renée Zellweger](https://parade.com/tag/renee-zellweger)**, and **[Cuba Gooding Jr.](https://parade.com/tag/cuba-gooding-jr)** swept awards season as a high-energy Arizona Cardinals wide receiver.

![A Room with a View](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc5NjI3NjYwNDIwMjIx/a-room-with-a-view.jpg)

A Room with a View

MGM

### 73\. _A Room With a View_ **(1985)**

Along with _Howards End_, this is perhaps the high point of the extraordinary, decades-long romantic and professional partnership of filmmakers **Ismail Merchant** and **James Ivory**. **Helena Bonham Carter** stars in the period piece as an Englishwoman torn between two beaus. Like the **E.M. Forster** book, the film succeeds as both a touching romance and a biting critique of English society at the dawn of the 20th century.

!["From Here to Eternity"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3ODg2NTYxNDA1/verdammt-in-alle-ewigkeit-from-here-to-eternity.jpg)

From Here to Eternity

Getty Images

### 72 _. From Here to Eternity_(1953)

**Burt Lancaster**, **Montgomery Clift**, **[Frank Sinatra](https://parade.com/tag/frank-sinatra)**, **Deborah Kerr** and **Donna Reed** star in **Fred Zinnemann**'s prestige drama, about the tribulations of three Army soldiers at the dawn of World War II. Adapted from **James Jones**' bestseller, the picture swept the [Oscars](https://parade.com/movies/oscars-2025-academy-awards) and was one of the 10 highest-grossing pictures of the 1950s. The endlessly referenced and parodied scene of a passionate kiss in the surf is about as iconic as filmic imagery can get.

![Halle Berry nude in "Monster's Ball"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3ODg0ODU3NDY5/monster.jpg)

Monster's Ball

Lionsgate

### 71\. _**Monster's Ball**_ **(2001)**

**Halle Berry** became the first woman of color to win a Best Actress Academy Award for **Marc Forster**'s unflinching Georgia-set drama—harrowing as a grieving widow who unwittingly begins an affair with a corrections officer ( **Billy Bob Thornton**) who executed her husband. The movie's greatness comes from the complexities of the characters, their flaws and secrets. There's no neatness or cliché. It's a tough, rewarding watch. **Roger Ebert** named _Monster's Ball_ the best film of 2001.

![Witness](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIwOTY5MDMwMzk1MzMx/witness.jpg)

Witness

Paramount Pictures

### 70. _**Witness**_ **(1985)**

Gripping, suspenseful and surprising, **Peter Weir**'s Oscar-winning crime drama stars **[Harrison Ford](https://parade.com/tag/harrison-ford)** in his most soulful performance—as a big-city cop protecting the young son of an Amish woman ( **Kelly McGillis**). In a rave four-star review, Ebert noted _Witness_ is "first of all, an electrifying and poignant love story. Then it is a movie about the choices we make in [life](https://parade.com/937586/parade/life-quotes/) and the choices other people make for us."

![Grease Movie](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwODcyMzkzNTMyNTQx/grease-spinoff.jpg)

Grease

Paramount Pictures

### 69\. **_Grease_**(1978)

Thanks entirely to time capsule-worthy, million-watt performances from leads **[John Travolta](https://parade.com/tag/john-travolta)** and **[Olivia Newton-John](https://parade.com/tag/olivia-newton-john)**, **Randal Kleiser**'s blockbuster '50's high school musical is a marked improvement upon its stage source material. Fox's 2016 _Grease LIVE!_ is, by a margin, one of the very best broadcasts of its ilk, a lively surprise.

![Amelie](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIwOTk5MzYzNjAxODU5/amelie.webp)

Amelie

UGC Fox Distribution

### 68\. _**Amélie**_ **(2001)**

Whimsical without being saccharine, **Jean-Pierre Jeunet**'s French-language rom-com made an international star of **Audrey Tautou**, who plays a waitress who wants to help others, and in doing so, finds love. Nominated for five Oscars, _Amélie_ was a critical darling, and a mammoth hit at the box office (it remains the highest-grossing French film in the U.S.), grossing about $175 million worldwide against a $10 million budget. It was adapted rather unsuccessfully into a Broadway musical. Jeunet wasn't shy about voicing his disdain for the stage show.

!["Love Actually" (2003)](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkzOTM1MzY5ODk1NDIxNjE3/love-actually.webp)

Love Actually

Universal Pictures

### 67\. _Love Actually_(2003)

**Richard Curtis**’ character-rich, sexy and romantic R-rated ensemble rom-com divided critics when it first arrived in theaters. But it was a huge hit with audiences from the outset, grossing about five times its budget on its way to becoming a modern classic.

**Related: [14 Can't-Miss Christmas Movie Classics](https://parade.com/943994/samuelmurrian/best-classic-christmas-movies/)**

![In the mood for love](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk3MzYyMjExNTU4MDA4MDA3/in-the-mood-for-love.jpg)

In the Mood for Love

Block 2 Pictures

### **66** **. _In the Mood For Love_(2000)**

Heart-stoppingly sumptuous and sensitively performed, **Wong Kar-wai**'s Hong Kong drama about adultery and unexpected feelings is regarded by many as one of the greatest [movies](https://parade.com/1222580/samuelmurrian/best-movies-all-time/) of all time. _In the Mood For Love_ was restored by the Criterion Collection in 2016.

![An american in Paris](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwODcxODY0OTg0NzAx/an-american-in-paris.jpg)

An American in Paris

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

### 65\. **_An American In Paris_(1951)**

Inspired by **George Gershwin**‘s 1928 composition of the same name, **Vincente Minnelli**‘s classic romantic musical stars **Gene Kelly** as an American ex-GI-turned-artist in a Parisian love triangle. _An American in Paris_ won the Academy Award for Best Picture, it’s preserved in the Library of Congress and the American Film Institute named it the ninth best musical of all time.

![On Golden Pond](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMDIyOTg1OTIyNDcx/on-golden-pond.jpg)

On Golden Pond

Universal Pictures

### 64\. _**On Golden Pond**_ **(1981)**

Directed by **Mark Rydell** and adapted from **Ernest Thompson**'s play, _On Golden Pond_ follows the summer of a retired couple ( **Henry Fonda** and **Katharine Hepburn**) and a reunion with their estranged daughter ( [**Jane Fonda**](https://parade.com/1108675/maggie_parker/jane-fonda-activism-self-care/)). It won three Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture.

![Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) embraces Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) in a famous scene from the 1939 epic film Gone with the Wind.](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk1ODgwOTgzMzY5NjIzMDA5/scene-from-gone-with-the-wind.jpg)

Gone with the Wind

[Bettmann/Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/517201466)

### **63. _Gone With the Wind_(1939)**

_Gone With the Wind_ swept the Oscars of what is considered the finest year of Hollywood film, and remains the [highest-grossing movie ever](https://parade.com/1099666/nate-millado/highest-grossing-films/) when adjusted for inflation. Based on **Margaret Mitchell**'s massive novel, **Victor Fleming**'s historical romantic epic stars an iconic **Vivien Leigh** as strong-willed daughter of a plantation owner struggling to survive in the Civil War and Reconstruction-era South. **Clark Gable** embodies Old Hollywood sex appeal as cynical philanderer Rhett Butler. Their love story is the stuff of film legend, and the sheer scope of Fleming and producer **David O. Selznick**'s vision is still breathtaking. Unfortunately, the whitewashed, sanitized depiction of slavery makes the whole enterprise hard to stomach these days.

![Best romantic comedies - The Apartment](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzg4MDI5NDE3MzQw/das-appartement-apartment-the.jpg)

The Apartment

Getty Images

### **62.** _**The Apartment**_ **(1960)**

One of the most successful, defining works of old Hollywood creative giant **Billy Wilder** is this romantic dramedy starring **Jack Lemmon**, **Shirley MacLaine** and _Double Indemnity_‘s **Fred MacMurray**. Witty and brilliant, _The Apartment_, about an insurance worker torn between career advancement and the girl of his dreams, won five Oscars including Best Picture, [Best Director](https://parade.com/1048720/maramovies/best-directors/) and Best Original Screenplay.

!["The Shape of Water"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4NDI1MDY5ODM5NDg1/shapeofwater.jpg)

The Shape of Water

Fox Searchlight

### 61. _**The Shape of Water**_ **(2017)**

**Guillermo del Toro** is at home with monsters, and this labor-of-love romantic Baltimore-set fable saw the master back at the top of his game. The romance between woman and fish is unconventional, sure, but the heart of _The Shape of Water_ is pure, unmistakable, timeless Old Hollywood swoon. From its very premise to a musical interlude straight out of a **Fred Astaire**- **Ginger Rogers** pic like _Top Hat_, this is one of our great dreamers operating with total [confidence](https://parade.com/989608/marynliles/confidence-quotes/) and freedom.

![Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in "La La Land"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4MzkwOTc3NzUwMTQx/la-la-land.jpg)

La La Land

Lionsgate

### **60\.** **_La La Land_**(2016)

The takeaway of **Damien Chazelle**'s acclaimed spin on the classic musical is the love story. At risk of understatement, it's one for the ages. Sharply written and performed, it's a kind of love story we haven’t seen on screen before, at least certainly not done this well. It's about two creative people ( **[Ryan Gosling](https://parade.com/tag/ryan-gosling)** and **[Emma Stone](https://parade.com/tag/emma-stone)**), wildly ambitious and all but defined by their lofty dreams, who really see each other and help each other. The dreams come true—at the cost of their union. Love it or hate it, it's hard to deny the picture's layers of brilliance.

**Related: [Here's Why You Must Watch _La La Land_ Over and Over](https://parade.com/545690/samuelmurrian/5-reasons-you-should-watch-la-la-land-again-and-again/)**

!["Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwOTI0MjExMTQ0NTcy/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner.jpg)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images

### 59. **_Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?_**(1967)

The final pairing of iconic screen and real-life couple **Spencer Tracy** and **Katharine Hepburn** is **Stanley Kramer**'s revolutionary dramedy about an impending interracial marriage, co-starring **Sidney Poitier** and **Katharine Houghton**(Hepburn's niece). A grieving Hepburn never saw the completed film, saying the memories of Tracy (who died two weeks after shooting wrapped) were too painful.

![James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in "Atonement"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE0NDU1OTMz/atonement.jpg)

Atonement

Focus/Universal

### 58. _**Atonement**_ **(2007)**

In 2006, filmmaker **Joe Wright** pulled off an unlikely feat in selling **Jane Austen**'s 1813 romantic novel of manners [_Pride & Prejudice_](https://clicks.trx-hub.com/xid/arena_0b263_parade?event_type=click&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F0141439513%3Ftag%3Dparadedigital-20%26linkCode%3Dogi%26th%3D1%26psc%3D1&p=https%3A%2F%2Fparade.com%2F1153839%2Fsamuelmurrian%2Fbest-romantic-movies%2F&ContentId=ci02a5147d0017247d&author=Samuel%20R.%20Murrian&page_type=Article%20Page&section=Movies&site_id=cs029e8b3f300026f4&mc=parade.com) to a young modern audience (that charming film almost made this list). A year later, Wright and star **[Keira Knightley](https://parade.com/tag/keira-knightley)** reunited for a picture of even stranger alchemy. An adaptation of [**Ian McEwan**'s book](https://clicks.trx-hub.com/xid/arena_0b263_parade?event_type=click&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F038572179X%3Ftag%3Dparadedigital-20%26linkCode%3Dogi%26th%3D1%26psc%3D1&p=https%3A%2F%2Fparade.com%2F1153839%2Fsamuelmurrian%2Fbest-romantic-movies%2F&ContentId=ci02a5147d0017247d&author=Samuel%20R.%20Murrian&page_type=Article%20Page&section=Movies&site_id=cs029e8b3f300026f4&mc=parade.com) about a crime, wrongful accusations and decades-spanning repercussions, _Atonement_ is stylish as hell without ever distracting us from a narrative that intrigues us at first—then finally shatters our hearts into a million pieces.

![Saoirse Ronan in "Brooklyn"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzQ4OTA0MDYx/brooklyn.jpg)

Brooklyn

Lionsgate

### 57. **_Brooklyn_ (2015)**

A simple story about the kinds of not-so-simple choices that define our lives, **John Crowley'** s period piece stars **Saoirse Ronan** as an Irish immigrant with beaus on either side of the pond. Adapted for the screen by **Nick Hornby**, _Brooklyn_ has an understated, triumphant power. It’s pretty much perfect.

![The English Patient](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMDQ3NjgxOTgzOTM5/the-english-patient.jpg)

The English Patient

Miramax

### 56\. _The English Patient_(1996)

With hindsight, who could deny the Oscar for Best Picture this year belonged to _Fargo_? Still, reality is **Anthony Minghella**‘s widescreen epic romance took home the gold, and it’s a respectable classic in its own right. **Ralph Fiennes**, **Kristin Scott Thomas** and **Juliette Binoche** deliver dynamite performances in a post-war drama set in the expanses of the Sahara, based on the book by **Michael Ondaatje**.

![Vicky Krieps as Alma and Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock in "Phantom Thread"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc2MDE2MTMxNjMwMjA1/phantom-thread.jpg)

Phantom Thread

Laurie Sparham / Focus Features

### 55\. _**Phantom Thread**_ **(2017)**

**Paul Thomas Anderson**‘s Oscar-winning period piece _Phantom Thread_ is, unequivocally, the best, richest movie about workaholism of all time. This is a bizarre, brilliant film whose triumphs are layered. That’s one of them. **Daniel Day-Lewis** stars as a [grief](https://parade.com/1089418/kimberlyzapata/grief-quotes/)-stricken, toxic fashion designer who meets his match in a beautiful waitress ( **Vicky Krieps**).

Some great films about toxic, conflict-heavy romance, written with a lot of thought and care, benefit from being watched twice in a row so you can follow the story from both perspectives; recent examples that come to mind include _Blue [Valentine](https://parade.com/1068641/kelseypelzer/valentines-day-jokes/)_ and _Revolutionary Road_. _Phantom Thread_ is one such film, too. The romantic power struggle at the core of Anderson’s magnum opus is as intoxicating as the filmmaking craft around it.

**Related: [Here’s Why You Must Watch _Phantom Thread_ Again and Again (And Again)](https://parade.com/647091/samuelmurrian/5-reasons-you-should-watch-phantom-thread-over-and-over/)**

!["The African Queen"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjIwMzU0MTcz/african-queen-african-queen-the.jpg)

The African Queen

Getty Images

### 54\. _**The African Queen**_ **(1951)**

Adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by **C.S. Forester**, **John Huston**‘s romantic adventure stars **Humphrey Bogart** and Katharine Hepburn (the two greatest screen legends ever, according to the American Film Institute). Set in 1914 as World War I is dawning, the frequently funny drama—about opposites who find love while navigating the Ulanga River in a 12-foot boat—earned Bogart the only Academy Award of his career. Hepburn (the all-time Oscars champ with 4 Best Actress wins) was nominated.

![Vertigo](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwODMxMzI2NjQ0MDky/vertigo.jpg)

Vertigo

Archive Photos/Getty Images

### 53. _**Vertigo**_ **(1958)**

These are the confessions of the cinema's most celebrated director ever. _Vertigo_ was a critical and commercial failure when it was released, but it’s now widely accepted as one of the greatest of all films. This is **Alfred Hitchcock**’s most personal work, a complex statement on masculinity and obsession, that will forever be a staple of film school curriculums. From a purely technical standpoint, it’s as intoxicating a piece of pure cinema as any, thanks to **Bernard Herrmann**‘s stirring, hypnotizing score and **Robert Burks**‘ cinematography, which ingeniously uses color to add layers of meaning to the narrative.

Audiences in 1958 weren’t ready to embrace lovable good-guy **James Stewart** playing against type as a deeply troubled individual in the throes of despair, but he is brilliant here. Many critics of that time also complained that **Kim Novak** was too stiff, but as a victim of psychological torture who stifles her emotions in order to survive, she really is perfect, just like the rest of the film. Every 10 years, esteemed British film magazine _Sight & Sound_ polls hundreds of critics for a list of the greatest films of all time. In 2012, for the first time in 50 years, _Citizen Kane_ wasn’t ranked No. 1; _Vertigo_ claimed its spot. It’s a work of genius, and it will continue to inspire filmmakers as long as the medium exists.

![Shakespeare in Love](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMTc4MTQxNjE1NTU1/shakespeare-in-love.jpg)

Shakespeare in Love

Miramax

### 52. **_Shakespeare in Love_(1998)**

One of the great upsets in Oscars history saw **John Madden**'s period tragicomedy win Best Picture over **[Steven Spielberg](https://parade.com/tag/steven-spielberg)**'s war landmark _Saving Private Ryan_. Don't get us wrong; we fell in love with this film. But there were other deserving movies that year. **[Gwyneth Paltrow](https://parade.com/tag/gwyneth-paltrow)** won Best Actress for a sexy, luminous and intelligent turn as a merchant's daughter who poses as a man to perform in theatre, ultimately bewitching none other than William [Shakespeare](https://parade.com/1071386/kelseypelzer/william-shakespeare-quotes/).

![Romeo and Juliet 1958](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE0NjUyNTQx/romeo-and-juliet.jpg)

Romeo & Juliet

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

### 51\. _**Romeo & Juliet**_ **(1968)**

The quintessential, rigorously faithful take on Shakespeare's tragedy has been a staple of classrooms for decades and counting. To this day, **Franco Zeffirelli**'s drama is surprisingly violent and racy with raw performances. Unfortunately, those performances of the titular characters are done by minors, making this one unsettling upon modern-day viewing, and **Olivia Hussey** and **Leonard Whiting** [sued Paramount over using images of them nude when they were underage](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/movies/romeo-and-juliet-nudity-lawsuit.html).

![Ninotchka - Best Romantic Comedies](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzg4MDMwNDAwMzgw/on-the-set-of-ninotchka.jpg)

Ninotchka

Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

### 50\. _Ninotchka_ (1939)

**Greta Garbo**‘s penultimate film, and only full comedy, was marketed with the simple tagline “Garbo laughs.” The icon plays a no-nonsense diplomat of the Soviet Union who falls for a carefree bachelor ( **Melvyn Douglas**) with conflicting allegiances.

1939 is often cited as the finest year of American cinema. Lubitsch’s _Ninotchka_ was one of 10 best picture nominees at the Oscars, alongside the likes of _Gone With the Wind_, _The [Wizard of Oz](https://parade.com/1280055/kaigreen/wizard-of-oz-quotes/)_ and _Mr. Smith Goes to Washington_.

![Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in "Bonnie and Clyde"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzg5OTA2ODkyNjY4/bonnie-und-clyde.jpg)

Bonnie & Clyde

Getty Images

### 49\. _**Bonnie & Clyde**_ **(1967)**

1967 was a landmark year for Hollywood, the year an age of innocence ended and a new age began. No film embodies this watershed moment better than **Arthur Penn**'s graphically violent, potently sexy biographical crime film starring **[Warren Beatty](https://parade.com/tag/warren-beatty)** and **Faye Dunaway** as infamous bank robbers. Conventions were shattered in a moment; this is first film of the New Hollywood era.

!["His Girl Friday"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDUzMDUzMjgyMTcy/his-girl-friday-film-still.jpg)

His Girl Friday

Getty Images

### **48\.** **_His Girl Friday_(1940)**

Fast-talking, lightning-paced and fully lacking schmaltz or sentimentality, **Howard Hawks**’ film remains arguably the finest of its kind. **Cary Grant** and **Rosalind Russell** star in a picture that set the record for fastest film dialogue, based on the stage play _The Front Page_ by **Ben Hecht** and **Charles MacArthur**. The stars play divorced journalists who rekindle old feelings over a twisted murder case.

![Manhattan](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMTk3NDY4OTY4Mzg3/manhattan.jpg)

Manhattan

United Artists

### 47. **_Manhattan_**(1979)

Two years after the career-high [success](https://parade.com/living/success-quotes) of _Annie Hall_, **[Woody Allen](https://parade.com/tag/woody-allen)** wrote a love letter (that's sometimes hate mail) to the Big Apple. **[Meryl Streep](https://parade.com/tag/meryl-streep)**, **Mariel Hemingway** and **[Diane Keaton](https://parade.com/tag/diane-keaton)** star in the black-and-white rom-com about a malcontent facing middle age alone—also, his anxieties and insecurities. Of course, it also features a grown man romancing a teenage girl, which, given the allegations against Allen, is pretty damning in modern viewing.

![A poster for Merian C. Cooper's 1933 adventure film 'King Kong'. (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk1ODgxNzg4MTM5MTIwMDk3/king-kong.jpg)

King Kong

[Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/552049971)

### **46\.** **_King Kong_(1933)**

It was beauty killed the beast in **Merian C. Cooper**‘s breathtaking, awe-inspiring and even quite touching adventure romance. It was remade several times, including a moderately well-received 1976 version with **Jessica Lange** and an overlong but often brilliant Oscar-winning 2005 epic by **Peter Jackson**.

!["Double Indemnity"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwOTI0MjExNzM0Mzk2/frau-ohne-gewissen-double-indemnity.jpg)

Double Indemnity

Getty Images

### 45\. _**Double Indemnity**_ **(1944)**

This is one of a handful of the finest crime movies in history, the first Hollywood studio film about murderers—groundbreaking stuff that was utterly shocking in 1944. It's still a disturbing watch. It's also fun and funny. And sleazy! **Barbara Stanwyck** is one of film's most manipulative and iconic villains as a femme fatale who ropes an insurance salesman ( **Fred MacMurray**) into a killing. AFI named Stanwyck's Phyllis Dietrichson her the eighth greatest villain ever. When Hitchcock saw _Double Indemnity_, he declared the two most important words in motion pictures were "Billy" and "Wilder."

![colonel-brandon-sense-and-sensibility-ftr](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc5NTIwODMxNDMyNTcy/colonel-brandon-sense-and-sensibility-ftr.png)

Sense & Sensibility

Sony Pictures Releasing

### 44\. _**Sense & Sensibility**_ **(1995)**

**Ang Lee**'s _Sense & Sensibility_ remains the big-screen high-water mark for Jane Austen adaptations. **[Emma Thompson](https://parade.com/tag/emma-thompson)** stars in (and won an Oscar for adapting) Austen's 1811 story of suddenly destitute sisters choosing respective suitors. **[Kate Winslet](https://parade.com/tag/kate-winslet)** and **[Alan Rickman](https://parade.com/tag/alan-rickman)** costar.

![Christmas movies: "The Shop Around the Corner"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc1ODgyOTg2MDcxMTY1/7-the-shop-around-the-corner-ftr.jpg)

The Shop Around the Corner

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images

### 43\. **_The Shop Around the Corner_(1940)**

James Stewart and **Margaret Sullavan** star as coworkers who can’t stand each other—only to realize they’re falling in love through anonymous letters. Sound familiar? _The Shop Around the Corner_ was remade decades later as _You’ve Got Mail_, starring **[Tom Hanks](https://parade.com/tag/tom-hanks)** and **[Meg Ryan](https://parade.com/tag/meg-ryan)**.

![Harold and Maude](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMjM1MDQ5OTMyNzEx/harold-and-maude.jpg)

Harold and Maude

Paramount Pictures

### 42\. _**Harold and Maude**_ **(1971)**

This is a cult favorite whose reputation seems to grow a little with each passing year. **Hal Ashby**'s uncanny blend of bildungsroman, dark comedy, existential drama and love story stars **Bud Cort** as a young depressed man obsessed with death and **Ruth Gordon** as an elderly concentration camp survivor who teaches him how to live.

![Kino. Die große Liebe meines Lebens, (AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER) USA, 1957, Regie: Leo McCarey, DEBORAH KERR, CARY GRANT, Stichwort: Händchen halten. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk1ODgyMTYyNjA2NTgxMjE3/die-groe-liebe-meines-lebens.jpg)

An Affair to Remember

[United Archives/Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/1262800123)

### 41\. _**An Affair to Remember**_ **(1957)**

Have tissues at the ready for **Leo McCarey**‘s fateful Cinemascope romantic drama starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr as lovers who meet aboard a transatlantic liner. It’s heavily referenced (particularly the iconic Empire State Building finale) in another New Year’s romance classic, _Sleepless in Seattle_. It is itself a remake of 1939’s _Love Affair_, once again remade in a lesser-known, critically-panned 1994 weepy film starring **Warren Beatty** and **Annette Bening**.

![A kiss from Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) can sweep you off your feet like it did for Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger).](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc5NjI3NjU4Mzg4NjA1/an-officer-and-a-gentleman.jpg)

An Officer and a Gentleman

Paramount Pictures

### 40\. _**An Officer and a Gentleman**_ **(1982)**

**[Richard Gere](https://parade.com/tag/richard-gere)**, **Debra Winger** and **Louis Gossett Jr.** are uniformly riveting in **Taylor Hackford**'s acclaimed drama about a Naval trainee, his lousy attitude and path to maturity. A million movies have attempted this kind of boys-becoming-men thematic material—almost none with this level of depth and artistry.

![Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor in "Moulin Rouge!"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwOTM3ODkyMTc3Nzg4/moulin-rouge.jpg)

Moulin Rouge!

20th Century Fox

### 39\. **_Moulin Rouge!_(2001)**

The genius of _Moulin Rouge!_—and there is a kind of genius in this melodramatic musical tragicomedy—is that it's a feature-length [music](https://parade.com/1239349/michelleparkerton/music-quotes/) video that works. On a scale of one to 10, every emotion is played to about an 18, but thanks to innovative, rapid-fire editing, confident direction by **Baz Luhrmann**, and flat-out brilliant turns from **[Ewan McGregor](https://parade.com/tag/ewan-mcgregor)**, **Jim Broadbent** and most notably **[Nicole Kidman](https://parade.com/tag/nicole-kidman)**(her first Oscar nod), it's impossible not to be bewitched. Surrender to its powers, and _Moulin Rouge!_ is a transporting experience. And it's aging beautifully.

**Related: [The Best Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked](https://parade.com/1038367/samuelmurrian/best-horror-movies-of-all-time/)**

![Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in "Ghost"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3ODg1MjUwNjg1/demi-moore-and-patrick-swayze-in-ghost.jpg)

Ghost

Paramount/Getty Images

### 38\. _Ghost_ (1990)

It's an understatement to call _Ghost_ a phenomenon of its day: it was the highest-grossing movie of 1990, and at the time, the third highest-earning movie ever. **[Demi Moore](https://parade.com/tag/demi-moore)** stars as the endangered lover of a murdered man ( **[Patrick Swayze](https://parade.com/tag/patrick-swayze)**). In an uncategorizable, inspired turn, **[Whoopi Goldberg](https://parade.com/tag/whoopi-goldberg)** plays a medium who reluctantly becomes involved in the lovers' plight. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

!["Breakfast at Tiffany's"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzQ3Nzg5OTQ5/bat2.jpg)

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Paramount Pictures

### **37\.** _**Breakfast at Tiffany’s**_ **(1961)**

Iconic and enchanting if shy of great, _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_ hasn’t aged as well as **[Audrey Hepburn](https://parade.com/977293/alexandra-hurtado/audrey-hepburn-quotes/)**’s breakthrough _Roman Holiday_—but it’s a cultural touchstone all the same. Aside from a racially insensitive subplot that’s aged like milk, the other major issue with the big screen adaptation of **Truman Capote**‘s book is that the charms of Hepburn and **Patricia Neal** upstage star **George Peppard** throughout. Still, there’s no denying the transporting power of the opening scene, or Hepburn singing “Moon River” on a New York fire escape.

![Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in "Dirty Dancing"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc5NTIxNjMzNzI0Mjg0/dirty-dancing-quotes-ftr.jpg)

Dirty Dancing

Vestron Pictures

### 36\. _Dirty Dancing_ **(1987)**

One of the most iconic romances of the ’80s stars **Jennifer Grey** as a listless teen who falls for a dance instructor ( **Patrick Swayze**). [Quotable](https://parade.com/262841/jesswozinsky/10-memorable-quotes-from-dirty-dancing-for-valentines-day/), immensely re-watchable and unusual, it’s a time-capsule tale of rebelliousness and blossoming sexuality.

**Related:** **[Best '80s Movies](https://parade.com/1047441/gwynnewatkins/best-80s-movies/)**

![Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger and Tom Hanks in "Sleepless in Seattle"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4MTcwNTk2MzAzOTk3/sleepless-in-seattle-ftr.jpg)

Sleepless in Seattle

Entertainment Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo

### 35\. **_Sleepless in Seattle_(1993)**

Stars [**Tom Hanks**](https://parade.com/1136778/npond/tom-hanks-facts/) and **Meg Ryan** and director/co-writer **Nora Ephron** are in top form in this swoon-worthy, often hilarious [romantic comedy](https://parade.com/1153841/samuelmurrian/best-romantic-comedies/) about a widower and a reporter who fall in love over the airwaves. Nominated for two [Oscars](https://parade.com/979119/alexandra-hurtado/oscars-2020/), _Sleepless in Seattle_ was a big hit with critics and a major force at the box office, grossing roughly ten times its budget worldwide.

![Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in "The Way We Were"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDUzMDUyOTU0NDky/the-way-we-were_streisandredford-ftr.jpg)

The Way We Were

Getty Images

### 34\. **_The Way We Were_(1973)**

Generous performances from **[Barbra Streisand](https://parade.com/tag/barbra-streisand)** and **[Robert Redford](https://parade.com/tag/robert-redford)**(and a great title tune by the former) elevate **Sydney Pollack**'s epic about a decades-spanning love between a Jewish woman and a WASP. "Your girl is lovely, Hubbell," became a zinger and plot point in the second season of [_Sex and the City_.](https://parade.com/1151542/rose-maura-lorre/best-carrie-bradshaw-outfits-sex-and-the-city/)

![Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in "Carol"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4MzgxODUyMjU2MTI0/carol.jpg)

Carol

TWC

### 33\. _**Carol**_ **(2015)**

Based on the 1952 novel [_The Price of Salt_](https://clicks.trx-hub.com/xid/arena_0b263_parade?event_type=click&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F0486800296%3Ftag%3Dparadedigital-20%26linkCode%3Dogi%26th%3D1%26psc%3D1&p=https%3A%2F%2Fparade.com%2F1153839%2Fsamuelmurrian%2Fbest-romantic-movies%2F&ContentId=ci02a5147d0017247d&author=Samuel%20R.%20Murrian&page_type=Article%20Page&section=Movies&site_id=cs029e8b3f300026f4&mc=parade.com) by **Patricia Highsmith**, the most assured film of **Todd Haynes'** illustrious career to date tells the story of forbidden love between a young photographer ( **[Rooney Mara](https://parade.com/tag/rooney-mara)**) and an older woman ( **[Cate Blanchett](https://parade.com/tag/cate-blanchett)**) going through a rough divorce. This is an utterly riveting, even exhausting watch, as the lovers must overcome disheartening, dehumanizing adversity. The hopeful ending is hard-won and deeply gratifying.

Mara won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival, but was submitted for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. _Carol_ was nominated for six [Academy Awards](https://parade.com/movies/oscars-2025-academy-awards) total, but surprisingly shut out of Best Picture and Best Director categories.

![Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in "A Star Is Born"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwMTkyNzIwMDA0MjIx/a-star-is-born-5-72.jpg)

A Star Is Born

Warner Bros.

### 32\. **_A Star is Born_**(1954 and 2018)

Melodrama sometimes gets a bad rap, one it doesn’t inherently deserve. Something of a spiritual successor to the great pictures of **Douglas Sirk**—glossy on the outside, and profound the deeper you dig— **[Bradley Cooper](https://parade.com/tag/bradley-cooper)**'s remake centers on a fading rock star (Cooper) who’s a depressed mess, and a rising pop star ( **[Lady Gaga](https://parade.com/tag/lady-gaga)**) he becomes involved with.

Cooper’s pop masterpiece is a grand entertainment—and it’s an emotional juggernaut for anyone who’s been around mental illness and addiction struggles, one that doesn’t hit a false note. The longer you sit with it, the more you’re struck by the audacity of the first-time feature filmmaker’s achievement. _A Star Is Born_ was nominated for 8 [Oscars](https://parade.com/979119/alexandra-hurtado/oscars-2020/), winning one for Best Song (“Shallow”).

It would be remiss not to mention the 1954 version of this story here, too. **Judy Garland** and **James Mason** star in **George Cukor**'s drama, a biting Hollywood satire ahead of its time. Garland gives a titanic performance; "The Man That Got Away" is one of the great songs ever written for film.

![Best romantic comedies - "The Lady Eve"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDUzNTg4NzExMjky/the-lady-eve.jpg)

The Lady Eve

John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images

### 31\. **_The Lady Eve_(1941)**

Tough-as-nails Brooklyn girl Barbara Stanwyck had a razor wit and a mighty, intense presence onscreen. **Preston Sturges**‘ esteemed, hyper-literate rom-com _The Lady Eve_ sees the icon of toughness at her most vulnerable, and romantic; it’s truly something to behold. Henry Fonda co-stars as ale heir Charles “Hopsi” Pike, a wealthy, handsome bachelor who’s so busy dodging the aggressive advances of every woman he meets that true love sneaks up on him—when he crosses paths with con artist Jean Harrington aboard a cruise ship.

This is soulfully romantic and morally complex…and, in a balancing act, it’s goofy, filled to the brim with slapstick. _The New York Times_ named _The Lady Eve_ the best picture of 1941, the same year _Citizen Kane_ came out.

![The Philadelphia Story](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzQ4NTc2Mzgx/the-philadelphia-story.jpg)

The Philadelphia Story

Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

### 30\. _**The Philadelphia Story**_ **(1940)**

Creatively skirting the Hays Production Code’s stipulations concerning adultery and wedlock, [comedies](https://parade.com/1052919/gwynnewatkins/best-comedy-movies-of-all-time/) of remarriage were popular in the 1930s and 40s. Based on **Philip Barry**‘s play, George Cukor‘s Oscar-winner stars Katharine Hepburn as a socialite torn between two suitors, including her ex, on the eve of a scheduled marriage—to someone else. It won two Oscars: Best Actor (James Stewart) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

!["Written on the Wind"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE1NDM4OTcz/in-den-wind-geschrieben-written-on-the-wind.jpg)

Written on the Wind

Getty Images

### 29. _**Written on the Wind**_ **(1956)**

One of the defining melodramas of the great Douglas Sirk stars **Rock Hudson** as a hunky geologist who falls for the unsatisfied wife ( **Lauren** **Bacall**) of an alcoholic playboy ( **Robert Stack**). It's gobsmacking to behold, with layers of meaning, astounding depth of character and examination of power dynamics. Other essential Sirk classics include _All That Heaven Allows_ and _Imitation of Life_.

![What happens when two neurotic New Yorkers meet and fall in love? This touching, funny, sublimely romantic film is a must-see on V-Day.](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwMjY5NDkwOTcyNTQw/annie-hall.jpg)

Annie Hall

United Artists

### 28. _**Annie Hall**_ **(1977)**

Woody Allen's finest hour explores a relationship between a comedian and a lounge singer, Annie Hall. Observational comedy blends with surrealist fantasy and touching drama. _Annie Hall_ won four of the "big five" Oscars: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Picture (beating _[Star Wars](https://parade.com/393857/lharris-2/20-of-the-most-epic-star-wars-quotes-of-all-time/)_). The Writers Guild of America has named _Annie Hall_ the funniest script of all time.

**Related: [100 Romantic Quotes From Literature](https://parade.com/850305/lindsaylowe/need-valentines-day-card-inspiration-20-romantic-quotes-from-literature/)**

![Brief Encounter](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMjcyODk5MzMxNTIz/brief-encounter.webp)

Brief Encounter

Eagle-Lion Distributors

### **27\.** _**Brief Encounter**_ **(1945)**

**David Lean**‘s romantic drama stars **Celia Johnson** as a bored housewife who fatefully crosses paths with a married stranger in pre-war England. Based on **Noël Coward'** s play [_Still Life_](https://parade.com/product/0573624909/US/paradedigital-20/)—adapted by the author himself— _Brief Encounter_ is regarded as one of the finest British films ever made. It was nominated for three [Oscars](https://parade.com/979119/alexandra-hurtado/oscars-2020/).

!["Trouble In Paradise"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE5NTAyMjA1/rger-im-paradies.jpg)

Trouble in Paradise

FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images

### 26\. _**Trouble in Paradise**_ **(1932)**

**Ernst Lubitsch**‘s _Trouble in Paradise_ was, for a while at least, a casualty of the Hays Code of censorship. **Miriam Hopkins** and **Herbert Marshall** star as master international thieves masquerading as nobility, who fall in love and team up when they cross paths (attempting to swindle one another before realizing they’re both up to the same thing).

The pickpocket lovebirds set their sights on a wealthy and beautiful French perfume manufacturer ( **Kay Francis**). Unexpected, honest feelings pop up and a love triangle forms. Hilarious, fervently sexy misadventures ensue before it’s clear no one is getting out of this without getting hurt.

The epitome of the iconic “Lubitsch touch,” _Trouble in Paradise_ stacks [jokes](https://parade.com/968634/parade/jokes-for-kids/) upon jokes in a way that would make it feel like you’re watching a great math equation being solved/performed if the thing didn’t have so much heart. It’s an intimate, delicate, frank and sad look at three people who can’t have what they want.

![American actor Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddock, watching his older lover Mrs Robinson get dressed in a promotional still from the film 'The Graduate', 1967. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk1ODgyNDM5OTAwNDA3MjY1/dustin-hoffman-in-the-graduate.jpg)

The Graduate

[Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/1287403235)

### **25\.** _**The Graduate**_ **(1967)**

Mrs. Robinson ( **Anne Bancroft**) seduced international audiences, making **Mike Nichols**' dramedy about a college grad ( **[Dustin Hoffman](https://parade.com/tag/dustin-hoffman)**) who flings with an older woman—and then falls for her daughter ( **Katharine Ross**)–the highest-selling film of its year. _The Graduate_(and _Bonnie and Clyde_) lost Best Picture to _Oliver!_—but Nichols won a Best Director Oscar.

![Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc5NzE5MTk2NDUxOTY1/julia-roberts-pretty-woman.jpg)

Pretty Woman

Touchstone Pictures

### 24\. **_Pretty Woman_(1990)**

Following a breakout turn in _Mystic Pizza_, [Julia Roberts](https://parade.com/tag/julia-roberts)' star shot into the stratosphere thanks to **Garry Marshall'** s audience favorite. She plays a hooker with a heart of gold in a fairy tale on Rodeo Drive (and less reputable corners of LA). Richard Gere is the wealthy businessman who falls for her scrappy allure. Roberts won a Golden Globe, was Oscar-nominated—and _Pretty Woman_ grossed over thirty times its budget (it remains Disney's highest-earning R-rated release).

![Love Story](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTk4NjIxMzYzMDkzNjQ1MjIz/love-story.jpg)

Love Story

Paramount Pictures

### **23\. _Love Story_(1970)**

Love means never having to say you’re sorry for loving a soapy blockbuster melodrama. **Ryan O’Neal** and **Ali MacGraw** star in **Arthur Hiller**‘s film adaptation of **Erich Segal**‘s weepy bestseller, about young lovers struck by tragedy. Adjusting for inflation, this remains one of the top 50 [highest-grossing movies](https://parade.com/1099666/nate-millado/highest-grossing-movies-all-time/) of all time in North America.

![Cary Elwes as Wesley and Robin Wright as Princess Buttercup in "The Princess Bride"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE1NjM1NTgx/1987-the-princess-bride.jpg)

The Princess Bride

20th Century Fox/Everett Collection

### 22\. _**The Princess Bride**_ **(1987)**

Pure and simple, this is one of the most charming films ever made. **[Rob Reiner](https://parade.com/tag/rob-reiner)**'s deconstructed fairy tale, gracefully written by **William Goldman** is brightly performed by a cast including **Cary Elwes**, **[Robin Wright](https://parade.com/tag/robin-wright)** and **Mandy Patinkin**. We have exactly one issue with this movie: that we can't see it for the first time again.

**Related: [_The Princess Bride_ Quotes](https://parade.com/983468/alexandra-hurtado/princess-bride-quotes/)**

![Christopher Plummer and Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE5Njk4ODEz/julie-andrews-and-christopher-plummer.jpg)

The Sound of Music

Getty Images

### 21\. _**The Sound of Music**_ **(1965)**

**Robert Wise**'s musical epic—at one time the highest-grossing movie ever—remains a favorite of families everywhere—for many, an annual tradition. **[Julie Andrews](https://parade.com/tag/julie-andrews)** is filmgoers' favorite rebel, **[Christopher Plummer](https://parade.com/tag/christopher-plummer)** the widower with a broken wing, who eventually succumbs to her charms. This widescreen wonder's heartbeat and most haunting moment is their duet, "Something Good."

![Princess Fiona and Shrek](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwOTI0NDc2NDM0MzAw/shrek.jpg)

Shrek

DreamWorks

### 20\. _**Shrek**_ **(2001)**

The third and fourth _[Shrek](https://parade.com/1208490/walterscott/shrek-trivia/)_ movies got pretty bad pretty fast, so it might be hard to remember just how fresh, surprising and invigorating the first one was. The tale of an ogre ( **[Mike Myers](https://parade.com/tag/mike-myers)**) who falls for a fair princess ( **[Cameron Diaz](https://parade.com/tag/cameron-diaz)**) had a relentless irreverence only matched by the tenderness of its heart. Love is blind. Few films since _City Lights_ have expressed that with such clarity and sincerity.

**Related: [The Best Animated Movies of All Time, Ranked](https://parade.com/554753/samuelmurrian/the-20-greatest-animated-films-of-all-time/)**

!["It Happened One Night"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE2NDg3NTQ5/moon-and-stars.jpg)

It Happened One Night

Columbia TriStar/ Getty Images

### **19\. _It Happened One Night_(1934)**

One of the final sexy romantic comedies released before the MPAA enforced its stringent Hays Production Code later that year, Frank Capra's widely beloved road movie charmer was the first film ever to win all "Big Five" Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay (only two other films, _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ and _The Silence of the Lambs_, have since matched the distinction). **Claudette Colbert** stars as a spoiled heiress who causes a national sensation when she runs away from home on a sham elopement with a fortune-hunting priss—and crosses paths with a dashing, broke journalist Peter Warne (Clark Gable) who offers to help her only in exchange for the exclusive scoop. _It Happened One Night_ blossoms as the mismatched pair's newfound affections inspire them to be better, less selfish versions of themselves.

Italian-American, real-life rags-to-riches story Capra, referred to by film historians as "the American Dream personified," left a legacy of powerfully uplifting, optimistic films full of triumph and goodwill. These days we revere _[It's a Wonderful Life](https://parade.com/1105999/alexandra-hurtado/its-a-wonderful-life-movie/)_ even more, but this was perhaps the auteur's greatest success within his own lifetime. _It Happened One Night_ continues is still referenced in modern films and television. It's even been adapted for Bollywood...five times.

![Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwODMxMzI0OTQwMTU2/cary-grant-and-ingrid-bergman-in-notorious.jpg)

Notorious

John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

### **18\. _N_** **_otorious_ (1946)**

Arguably Hitchcock‘s most exquisite film (yes, _Notorious_ really is on the same level as _Vertigo_), this elegant thriller cast Cary Grant and **Ingrid Bergman** against type as bitter lovers tangled in a post-World War II spy mission in South America. Bergman plays a drunk with a haunted past. Selected by the Writers Guild of America as one of the finest screenplays ever written, **Ben Hecht**‘s script succeeds on multiple levels: it’s a chilling, enraged response to the horrors of the war that was only just sinking into the public consciousness, and it’s a note-perfect psychological exploration of a romantic relationship that’s toxic in both directions.

**Related: [The 15 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies Ever, Ranked](https://parade.com/564352/samuelmurrian/the-10-greatest-films-of-alfred-hitchcock/)**

![My Fair Lady-FTR](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwOTg0ODcyNzcyNzMz/my-fair-lady-ftr.jpg)

My Fair Lady

Warner Bros.

### 17. _**My Fair Lady**_ **(1964)**

We've grown accustomed to George Cukor's classic adaptation of the stage musical, starring Audrey Hepburn as a poor Cockney flower girl who becomes the project of an arrogant phonetics professor, played by **R** **ex Harrison**. Preserved with multiple high-profile restorations over the decades, _My Fair Lady_ holds up most of all thanks to iconic turns from its leads.

![Cher and Nicolas Cage in "Moonstruck"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3ODg0NTI5Nzg5/stregata-dalla-luna_660x380.jpg)

Moonstruck

MGM/UA

### **16\. _Moonstruck_(1987)**

Snap out of it and revisit one of the best rom-coms in history. **[Cher](https://parade.com/tag/cher)** and **[Nicolas Cage](https://parade.com/tag/nicolas-cage)** star in this award-winning classic about an Italian-American woman who falls for her fiancé’s hot-tempered but totally hunky brother. _Moonstruck_ was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and it won three: Best Actress, Supporting Actress ( **Olympia Dukakis**) and Best Original Screenplay. Roger Ebert included _Moonstruck_ among his "Great Movies" list of cinema’s all-time finest. The characters so fully inhabit their characters; it's bittersweet and the laughs are often huge.

![Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc2MDE1ODYyMDgwNjM3/eternal_sunshine_7.jpg)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Focus Features

### 15\. _**Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind**_ **(2004)**

**Michel Gondry** and **Charlie Kaufman**'s audacious, hilarious, wincingly on-point and undeniably moving [sci-fi](https://parade.com/1258802/samuelmurrian/best-sci-fi-movies/) tale follows a couple ( **[Jim Carrey](https://parade.com/tag/jim-carrey)** and Oscar-nominated **[Kate Winslet](https://parade.com/tag/kate-winslet)**) who've erased each other from their memories. With a nonlinear narrative and elements of a psychological thriller, _Eternal Sunshine_ performs an autopsy on a broken bond—ultimately uncovering a singular, unforgettable way to make us believe in true love.

The Writers Guild of America named Kaufman's screenplay the 24th best script in the history of motion pictures.

!["Before"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzQ4MzE0MjM3/before.jpg)

The Before Trilogy

Sony

### 14\. T **he _Before_ trilogy (1995-2013)**

In 1995's _Before Sunrise_, Jesse ( **Ethan Hawke**) convinced Céline ( **Julie Delpy**) to hop off a train for a romantic stroll around Vienna. Nine years later, they cross paths in Paris. Nine years after that, we got a snapshot of their new reality as they vacation to Greece. By multiplex standards, not much happens in the _Before_ films. And yet, the walking-and-talking trilogy is, in its way, exhilarating—not to mention profoundly moving in a layered sort of way that few romantic films could even aspire to.

_Sunset_ is the most purely enjoyable entry, _and_ this series, which started out damn near perfect, has just gotten better as it goes along. A lot of this has to do with Delpy and Hawke becoming more involved in the writing of their characters, undeniably influenced by the performers' real lives.

![Doctor Zhivago](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzUwMjgwMzE3/doktor-schiwago-1960er-1960s-doctor-zhivago-doktor-schiwago-film-liebespaar-literaturverfilmung-paar-literary-film-adaption-love-couple.jpg)

Doctor Zhivago

Getty Images

### **13. _Doctor Zhivago_(1965)**

Set between the nascence of World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Civil War, David Lean's epic adapts **Boris Pasternak**'s controversial book about a years-spanning love affair amidst the terrors of wartime. Starring **Omar Sharif** and **Julie Christie**, _Doctor Zhivago_ is the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time if taking inflation into account.

![Belle and Prince Adam the Beast in "Beauty and the Beast"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwMjY5MjIxOTQ3MjYw/beauty-and-the-beast.jpg)

Beauty and the Beast

Disney

### **12\. _Beauty and the Beast_**(and _La Belle et La Bête_)

The second film in the Disney Renaissance is an even more refined, dramatically punchy film than _The Little Mermaid_. Taking a cue from the 1946 French masterwork _La Belle et La Bête_, benefiting enormously from the songs of Ashman/Menken, this is a landmark.

Before the campy (and undeniably successful) [Disney live-action remake](https://parade.com/876076/samuelmurrian/the-best-disney-live-action-remakes-aladdin/), _Beauty and the Beast_ had been told to perfection already in live action, in **Jean Cocteau**‘s 1946 French classic _La Belle et la Bête._ If you’ve never seen the French film, a playful wonder of micro-budget special effects, you might be shocked by how many visuals were borrowed for the 1991 film. This is a touchstone of fantasy filmmaking, a low-budget venture so successful it’s credited with revitalizing post-war French economy.

![Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly in "Singing' in the Rain"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwODcyMTI3OTgwNjY5/on-the-set-of-singin-in-the-rain.jpg)

Singin in the Rain

Getty Images

### **11. _Singin' in the Rain_(1952)**

**Stanley Donen**‘s MGM musical spectacular is often cited as the best musical ever made. Gene Kelly, **Donald O’Connor**, **Debbie Reynolds** and **Jean Hagen** star in a showbiz rom-com set at the industry-shaking dawn of the talkies. The final moments (“Stop that girl!”) are so swoon-worthy it’ll still make your heart leap.

## Top 10 Most Romantic Movies of All Time

![Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in "Silver Linings Playbook"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3MzUyNTA4NTQx/silverlinings.jpg)

Silver Linings Playbook

Jojo Whilden/TWC

### 10\. _**Silver Linings Playbook**_ **(2012)**

**David O. Russell**‘s Philly-set masterpiece, about two hot messes who fall for each other as they heal from significant trauma, is an astounding blend of huge laughs, painful authenticity and a moving love story. _Silver Linings Playbook_ walks a risky tightrope thematically and never sets a foot wrong (save for some unnecessary male gaze-y shots of **[Jennifer Lawrence](https://parade.com/tag/jennifer-lawrence)** during dance scenes)—much to the delight and pleasure of anyone who watches it. This was the first movie since **[Warren Beatty](https://parade.com/tag/warren-beatty)**‘s _Reds_ 31 years earlier to be nominated for Oscars in all four acting categories (for stars Lawrence, **[Bradley Cooper](https://parade.com/tag/bradley-cooper)**, **[Robert De Niro](https://parade.com/tag/robert-de-niro)** and **Jacki Weaver**). Lawrence won Best Actress of course, and the rest is history.

Family is a funny thing. We love them, and sometimes they drive us nuts. Few pictures in memory have better captured the devastating heartbreak and occasional hilarity that happens when loved ones throw down quite like _Silver Linings Playbook_. There’s a stunningly effective message here—about grace, living amends and the [healing](https://parade.com/1031006/kelseypelzer/healing-bible-verses-scriptures/) powers of selfless love.

In addition to being arguably the most powerful screen romance we’ve seen in the 21st century, _Silver Linings Playbook_ is a profoundly American movie—has any other film dissected our love of football with as much insight as this one?

![When Harry Met Sally](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzg5NjM0MjYyOTA4/when-harry-met-sally.jpg)

When Harry Met Sally

Columbia Pictures

### **9\.** _**When Harry Met Sally**_ **(1989)**

We’ll have what she’s having. **[Billy Crystal](https://parade.com/tag/billy-crystal)** and Meg Ryan star in this modern classic about friends who test their theory that friends can’t have sex with each other, over several years. Written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, _When Harry Met Sally_ was named the 23rd best American comedy ever by the American Film Institute; it's the most loved romantic movie of its era. It all ends with an oft-quoted declaration of love moments before the clock strikes twelve.

![Moonlight movie](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgwMzIxMDMyNzQyMDEz/1_0kkzyjuz4cnapztce8sqng.png)

Moonlight

A24

### 8. _**Moonlight**_ **(2016)**

By the end of [_Moonlight_](https://parade.com/590908/samuelmurrian/taylor-sheridan-on-wind-river-moonlight-and-why-art-is-important-right-now/)‘s unforgettable three acts, we’ve witnessed nothing less than the birth and salvation of a human soul.

Defiantly eschewing sentimentality and hand-holding, director and screenwriter **[Barry Jenkins](https://parade.com/723455/maramovies/writer-director-barry-jenkins-on-his-new-movie-if-beale-street-could-talk-and-the-aftermath-of-envelope-gate/)** tells this story of light and love in seemingly hopeless circumstances with broad strokes, gritty reality and some of the most intoxicating audiovisual loveliness on record.

_Moonlight_ won three Academy Awards, including a Best Picture victory in one of the biggest live-television blunders of all time. _Moonlight_ will stand alongside the likes of _Casablanca_, _The Godfather_ and select others as a Best Picture winner for the ages.

![Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc2MDE2MTM1NjI3OTAx/brokeback.jpg)

Brokeback Mountain

Focus Features

### 7\. _B **rokeback Mountain**_ **(2005)**

A watershed moment for Hollywood and pop culture at large, Ang Lee's tragic Western won best film and best director honors in nearly every corner of the awards circuit, including the [Golden Globes](https://parade.com/964477/alexandra-hurtado/golden-globes-2020/), the BAFTAs, the PGA Awards, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards. _Brokeback Mountain_ received eight nods at the 78th Academy Awards, winning in three categories including Best Director. Its surprise Best Picture loss to **Paul Haggis**‘s _Crash_ is widely considered one of the biggest upsets in Academy history, if not the biggest.

![Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in "The Notebook"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc2MDE2MTMyOTQwOTI1/notebook.jpg)

The Notebook

New Line Cinema

### **6\. _The Notebook_(2004)**

Based on the novel by **Nicholas Sparks**, this epic melodrama centers on a love between a poor country boy ( **[Ryan Gosling](https://parade.com/tag/ryan-gosling)**) and a rich city girl ( **[Rachel McAdams](https://parade.com/tag/rachel-mcadams)**) that spans decades and endures endless adversity. **Gena Rowlands, Joan Allen** and **James Garner** costar in the massively successful picture that started an entire sub-genre of big-screen Sparks adaptations.

**Related: [_The Notebook_ Quotes](https://parade.com/991179/alexandra-hurtado/the-notebook-quotes/)**

![Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack and Kate Winslet as Rose in "Titanic"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzk0MTk3NzMwNDI5/rose.jpg)

Titanic

Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox

### **5. _Titanic_(1997)**

In a highly publicized ordeal quite similar to production of "Disney's Folly" _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_, **[James Cameron](https://parade.com/celebrities/james-cameron-net-worth)** bet the farm on a meticulously detailed epic pitched as " _Romeo and Juliet_ on the Titanic." The budget was record-breaking, the production turbulent. It looked like _Titanic_ would be a disaster movie in a cynical sense. Instead, it became an instant classic.

Any backlash in the decades since is, frankly, unfounded. Particularly in its second half, _Titanic_ is spellbinding in a way few pictures have even aspired to be. The love story is simple—but is that even a fault? That accessibility paired with great performances ( **[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://parade.com/tag/leonardo-dicaprio)** and Kate Winslet are as captivating as the picture around them) and groundbreaking effects gripped international audiences; _Titanic_ obliterated box-office records, and is tied with _[Ben-Hur](https://parade.com/1187740/rose-maura-lorre/ben-hur/)_ and _Return of the King_ for most Oscar wins (11 in total).

!["West Side Story"](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4NzM2OTkwMzMyMDI5/west-side-story-1961.jpg)

West Side Story

MIRISCH-7 ARTS/Entertainment Pictures/ZUMAPRESS.com

### 4. _**West Side Story**_ **(1961)**

Robert Wise's electrifying musical of star-crossed love between rival street gangs is the most awarded musical in Oscars history (10 wins including Best Picture). If there is a flaw here, it's that the supporting stars **[Rita Moreno](https://parade.com/tag/rita-moreno)** and **George Chakiris** steal all the thunder whenever they're on screen. Steven Spielberg's triumphant remake lived up to the original, and in some ways, arguably, surpassed it.

!["Roman Holiday" Best romantic comedies](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTc4Mzg4MDI5MjIwNzMy/roman-holiday-ftr.jpg)

Roman Holiday

Everett Collection

### 3. _**Roman Holiday**_ **(1953)**

Audrey Hepburn is a timeless screen presence, and of all of Hepburn’s iconic, cherished films, her black-and-white breakthrough (for which she won a Best Actress Oscar) has aged the very best. In fact, **William Wyler**‘s swoon-inducing, sunny and scrappy Italian travelogue is a bittersweet, understated masterpiece. Simply the perfect Valentine’s watch.

Cary Grant was originally in talks to play the affable reporter opposite Hepburn’s sheltered princess, but turned it down because he thought he was too old (10 years later, the two were well-matched in Stanley Donen's hilarious _Charade_, which barely didn’t make this list), and the role ultimately went to the ever-appealing **Gregory Peck**. Another example of an esteemed star being as lovely offscreen as on, Peck, already a big star in 1953, demanded that newcomer Hepburn receive equal billing with him. This kind of #TimesUp thing was all but unheard of in 1953.

!["City Lights" best romantic comedies](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDUzMzE5MDMwNjUy/scene-from-city-lights.jpg)

City Lights

Getty Images

### 2. _**City Lights**_ **(1931)**

The magnum opus of Charlie Chaplin, cinema’s greatest clown, also humanist and steadfast romantic. The story of a Little Tramp (Chaplin) who falls for a blind flower girl ( **Virginia Cherrill**) and endures a turbulent relationship with a drunken millionaire and countless other obstacles so that the apple of his eye may see.

A silent made four years after the talkie revolution, _City Lights_ was a special film for Chaplin, too. Ultimately his personal favorite of his many masterworks, it was his baby and he took an unusually long time to piece it together. This is also the first time he composed a movie’s score, adding that to his other credits: actor, writer, director, producer, editor and to quote **W.C. Fields** “the greatest ballet dancer who ever lived.”

According to the American Film Institute, this is the greatest romantic comedy ever made, and the 11th best American film of all time. Renowned, influential film critic James Agee called the film’s final scene “the greatest single piece of acting ever committed to celluloid.” There are some cinephiles out there who would argue in favor of “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful [friendship](https://parade.com/947443/parade/best-friend-quotes),” from _Casablanca_, but many, this reviewer included, firmly regard the final moments of _City Lights_ as the best ending in movie history. Love is blind, you see.

![uplifting movies - casablanca](https://parade.com/.image/t_share/MTkwNTgxMDU3NjE4NzgxMzA5/humphrey-bogart-and-ingrid-bergman-in-casablanca.jpg)

Casablanca

Warner Bros./ Getty Images

### 1. **_Casablanca_(1942)**

As time goes by, _Casablanca_ remains one of the most unanimously adored and celebrated movies ever. Not least among the reasons why is the adapted screenplay by **Julius J. Epstein**, **Philip G. Epstein** and **Howard Koch**, frequently touted as the smartest, most quotable script ever written. And there’s the romantic chemistry between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. A big reason we all love this movie so much is how proud we are of the characters in the end. Rick and Ilsa prioritize the greater good, and put a human face on the sacrifices made during wartime, even those made off the battlefield. The Greatest Generation, indeed. _Casablanca_‘s messages about seeing things bigger than yourself and doing what’s right will always resonate with audiences. Never pass up an opportunity to re-watch one of the highest highs of Hollywood history.

**Next, [Check Out the Best Romantic Movies of the 21st Century So Far](https://parade.com/985386/samuelmurrian/best-romantic-movies-21st-century/)**

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