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What defines a romantic film? I bet a young Leonardo DiCaprio is showing up in your minds right now, isn’t he?
The first idea that comes to my mind is the glamour of it all. Is it the moment our lead characters finally realize that they are in love after about 60 minutes of denying it? Their kisses in the rain? When one of them shows up at the airport RIGHT before the other boards? The moment when their eyes meet over a candlelit dinner? In fact, only one movie I provide on this list below incorporates a strong sense of the latter, and it’s with dogs.
Yes, it is the film you are thinking. However, the truth is, romance can be defined by all different positive and negative elements, which the following cinematic masterpieces all explore.
1) Dirty Dancing (1987)
Iconic Dancing, New Beginnings
I have never seen this film, but yet it was the first movie I thought of when I decided to write about this topic. That’s how iconic it is in the romance genre. Who can forget that lift? Starring Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle and Jennifer Grey as Frances “Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner” Houseman, this is your typical, perhaps the original, “bad boy” falls for “good overprotected girl” tale, a theme that takes place in almost every romantic movie (you’ll see it a lot on this list). A lot of women, and maybe some men, seem drawn to this. Through Johnny, Baby is able to break out of the mold her father has formed around her.
2) The Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Candlelit Dinners and Cute Puppy Love
This movie might as well be Dirty Dancing, but with canines. Combining two of my favorite things, dogs and Italian culture (no matter how stereotypical), obviously, this would be included on the list. Here we have a rich family’s cocker spaniel, Lady, falling in love with a mutt stray, Tramp. He takes her to an Italian restaurant where they are served spaghetti and meatballs and serenaded by the stereotypes. This scene is one of the most memorable Disney moments of all time. But what’s interesting about this film is that we actually see two dogs go through relationship problems. Tramp infuriates Lady because he ditches her and she is thrown into the pound, where she learns about his past sweethearts. We see her seriously jealous about this and giving him the silent treatment. However, he proves his love to her by protecting Lady’s owner’s infant from a rat and they live happily ever after.
3) La La Land (2016)
Having the Maturity to Reconsider your Relationship
The music gorgeous and the visuals electrifying, La La Land follows two young adults, aspiring actress Mia Dolan (Emma Stone, who recently won an Oscar for her performance in this role) and jazz pianist Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling), who bond over their art and endure the trials and tribulations of achieving their dreams while maintaining their relationship. The score, composed by Justin Hurwitz, who too won Oscars for his work on the film, and dance sequences, choreographed by Mandy Moore, is enough to earn this movie a spot on the list. But in addition to the lovey-dovey plot, we also witness Sebastian and Mia argue about their careers and then must decide if they should forfeit their relationship in the name of love and life goals. We see how this pans out, and their maturity levels are what truly makes their romance a great one.
4) The Notebook (2004)
Sticking with Your Loved One No Matter What
I can’t talk about romance films starring Ryan Gosling without mentioning this one. This is the movie that pretty much put him on the map and turned around his whole career. Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook details the story of two young lovers in the 1940s, Noah Calhoun (Gosling) and Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams), who, like every other couple on this list so far, deal with barriers in their relationship. So, which scene is the most romantic of them all? Could it be that super hot kissing scene in the rain when Noah grabs Allie while gruffly saying, “It still isn’t over” and plants his lips onto hers and then they make sweet passionate love? Actually, as beautiful as that is, the scene I want to talk about doesn’t even involve Gosling and McAdams, but rather James Gardner and Gena Rowlands playing their older counterparts. Throughout the film elderly Noah is reading to elderly and now dementia-stricken Allie from a notebook, which contains the memories of their love so that she can remember, which she does from time to time. Afterward, however, Allie then panics when she doesn’t recognize Noah and must be quelled. Gardner’s performance exudes Noah’s tearjerker heartbreak, but yet Noah goes through this torture every day just to be with her.
THAT is true love.
5) A Walk to Remember (2002)
Love Brings Out the Good in Everyone
This whole list might as well consist of Nicholas Sparks book movies. I was almost not going to include this one because it depresses me so much, but it does present plenty of tender emotions. It also follows the “bad boy, good girl” theme. Shane West plays rebellious teenager Landon Carter who gradually falls in love with modest girl Jamie Sullivan, played by Mandy Moore, after she specifically makes him promise not to. In order for him to curb his destructive behavior, Landon is given the opportunity to tutor and appear in a play, where he begins to really notice Jamie. Falling for her good nature, he defends her from his cruel friends and takes her out on dates to help her fulfill her list of life aspirations. However, she then reveals that she has leukemia and is not responding to treatments. Landon turns to his estranged doctor father for help, who eventually cares for Jamie. Landon and Jamie get married but then Jamie passes away by the end of the summer. Flash forward four years, we see a reformed college graduate, medical school bound Landon. Though some of the scenes seem a bit too saccharine and Jamie comes across too good to be true, this film does prove that love brings out the good in people, especially in Landon’s case. He transforms into a whole new individual because of Jamie’s influence. She actually saves his life. It is also because of Jamie that Landon and his father reunite. I can’t think of this movie without thinking of Moore’s song “Cry”, which is what I want to do whenever I think of this movie, so it all comes full circle.
6) A Saintly Switch (1999)
Appreciating Your Loved Ones through their Perspectives
Let’s “switch” up the tone a bit, shall we? This one is not what one would label a romance film because much of the antics in it are played for laughs. David Alan Grier and Vivica A Fox play Dan and Sara Anderson whose marriage is possibly at the brink of collapse. Their children notice this so they cast a voodoo spell on their parents so that they can see what life is like in each other’s shoes…literally. Dan and Sara switch bodies and must live their lives as their spouse. The two are able to finally understand and appreciate the other’s daily experiences, which rekindles their love and leads to a stronger relationship between the two. This is done so thoroughly in this film when compared to others because body swaps are rarely done in storytelling, but regardless, it teaches a valuable lesson of how perhaps sometimes it’s necessary for couples to grasp their lovers’ perspectives better to light a new spark in their lives.
7) Mulan (1998)
Acknowledging Your Loved One’s Strengths
This film may not be considered one of Disney’s most romantic given the Princess movies preceding it, but there are still components of love thrown in that are way more effective. Regarded by many as Disney’s first strong female character, although Mulan doesn’t experience any body swapping magic, she does spend most of her movie as a man named Ping to join the Chinese army in place of her aging and ailing father. While training, she develops a crush on the muscular and diligent Captain Li Shang. Shang is at first irked by her presence, but when Mulan saves him from an avalanche, he begins to respect “Ping.” He soon discovers that Mulan is indeed a woman, thus changing his whole view of her and feeling betrayed. Shang eventually realizes that in order to save China, he needs to take her seriously even though she is female. After some encouragement from the emperor, he decides to take a chance on her romantically as well. Although there aren’t very many sentimental scenes between the two, in a setting where women are deemed inferior, Shang’s love for Mulan still counts because his affections are rooted in the fact that she fought alongside him. Though Shang may see Mulan as his beloved, he sees her first and foremost as a partner and a force to be reckoned with. What can be more romantic than that?
8) Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Love Inspires
This film is the most realistic of the list. It was marketed as a rom-com, but the lack of cutesy pop music montages is a welcome change. Jason Segel writes and stars in this film about a man named Peter Bretter who gets dumped by his TV actress girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). He travels to Hawaii to ease his heartache but is forlorn to find out that Sarah is also staying at the same hotel with her new rock star boyfriend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). While there, he develops a flirtation with the hotel concierge Rachel (Mila Kunis). Part of the reason why Sarah breaks it off with Peter is his motivation shortage. A majority of the film takes place in Hawaii, arguably one of the most romantic locations in the world, but it is also a source of Peter’s inspiration. I distinctly remember Rachel saying, “If you don’t like something about your life, change it.” This is a great life lesson for anyone, but it proves especially true for Peter and Rachel for he and she both use Hawaii as a means of escaping their problems. It is because of Rachel that Peter finally produces his long-awaited puppet comedy-rock opera and Peter, in turn, inspires Rachel. This is a perfect example of how love stirs creativity.
9) It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Love is Sacrifice
Christmas movies tend to have plenty of romantic moments and story-lines, so why not include the most popular one on this list? George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) and Mary Hatch (Donna Reed) notice each other at a young age, but then start dating when they get older. George shares his dreams of “seeing the world” with Mary during one of their dates and they soon realize that they love each other during an intensely passionate phone conversation with Mary’s then-boyfriend Sam. They marry, but eventually, George’s life starts to fall apart and he wishes that he were never born, blaming himself as the cause and non-solution of everyone else’s problems. As we know, George is convinced otherwise by his guardian angel Clarence. Some interpretations may conclude that George’s outlook may just be him wanting to flee his own drama, but if we look at it as George’s inclination to abolish his relationship with Mary just to make her and the community happy, it shows his true love through personal sacrifice. He is willing to not even exist in order to make things right. Mary in turn never abandons him during their troubles.
10) John Tucker Must Die (2006)
Changing Your Seductive Ways for that One Special Person
I was trying to think of what movie deserves the final slot of my list, looking back through my mental cinematic encyclopedia. There are plenty of good love stories out there, but then I decided to give it to one of my favorite movies, John Tucker Must Die. John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is the big man on campus. He’s a basketball star, the most popular guy in school, and just so happens to be secretly dating Carrie (Arielle Kebbel), Heather (Ashanti), and Beth (Sophia Bush), girls all from different cliques that don’t interact. They soon realize that they’ve all been blindsided and band with new girl Kate (Brittany Snow) to sabotage him and break his heart. Through the girls’ schemes, John falls for Kate. Meanwhile, so does his brother Scott (Penn Badgley). Okay, so we could say that their romance is based on false pretenses and that John only pursues Kate because his ego has been deflated from rejection, but it is the first time we see John as a one-woman man. He goes out of his way to impress only her. For example, he takes her on a romantic date on a boat and Beth goes “He never took ME on a boat!” therefore confirming that he is up for the challenge. This is one of my favorite movies because I love the camaraderie between the four girls, but there’s also something very attractive about a Casanova all of a sudden focusing on just one woman for a change. Who wouldn’t want to be that one special woman? Although in a strange twist he doesn’t abandon his philandering altogether, he does learn a lesson from the situation. It’s also cute how Scott falls for Kate for real, which sends a message of right and wrong intentions all in one movie.
Sure romantic films are often judged as over the top and frustrating because “That doesn’t happen in real life!”, but these films also offer attainable values that can be applied to any relationship and love beyond, not matter how possibly disconnected they may seem.
For more on why Stefanie chose these top 10 films, listen to our Muddled Millennial Podcast here: