Everyone likes movies.

The problem is that people don’t like the same movies.

This is especially true for romantic movies. Valentine’s Day is around the corner and people are putting together lists of their favorite romantic movies. Many of them I didn’t agree with, so I decided to make a list of my own and I got my girlfriend to help me.

Together we’ve brought you a list of the best romantic films ever made neatly organized into what we both liked, what I liked, what she liked and the movies everyone else seems to like (based on the number of times they showed up on other people’s lists).

This isn’t the first time I’ve put together a big list of movies like this and it won’t be the last.

There are links to Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB for each movie to make it easier to cross-reference. Movie review scores are taken directly from Rotten Tomatoes and provided for reference – if you have a beef with the numbers, take that up with the professional film critics of the world.



(photo by Christine)

Our Five Favorite Romantic Films

Out of all the movies we came across when looking at other people’s lists, these were the five we think that will appeal to everyone.

Shrek (2001) – IMDB: 8.0/10, RT: 7.7/10, RT Overall: 88%

Plot: An ogre, in order to regain his swamp, travels along with an annoying donkey in order to bring a princess to a scheming lord, wishing himself King.

Shrek Director: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson

Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow

Genres: Childrens, Comedies, Animated, Comedy, Fantasy, Monsters, Children, Computer Animation, Theatrical Release, Comedy (General), Fantasy Worlds, Animated Characters, Essential Cinema

Amelie (2001) – IMDB: 8.6/10, RT: 7.8/10, RT Overall: 89%

Plot: Amelie, an innocent and naive girl in Paris, with her own sense of justice, decides to help those around her and along the way, discovers love.

Amelie Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Writer: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Guillaume LaurantStarring: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Rufus, Lorella Cravotta, Claire Maurier, Isabelle Nanty

Genres: Foreign Films, French, Comedy, Romance, Magic, Theatrical Release, Comedy (General), Paris, France, Essential Cinema

The Princess Bride (1987) – IMDB: 8.2/10, RT: 8.4/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: A classic fairy tale, with swordplay, giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess, and yes, some kissing (as read by a kindly grandfather).

The Princess Bride Director: Rob Reiner, Writer: William Goldman, William Goldman

Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, André the Giant, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal

Genres: Comedies, Adventure, Comedy, Classic, Fantasy, Medieval, Spoof, Swashbuckler, Love Story, Rescue, Classic Fight Scenes, Recommended, Family Film, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

When Harry Met Sally (1989) – IMDB: 7.6/10, RT: 7.9/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

When Harry Met Sally… Director: Rob Reiner, Writer: Nora Ephron

Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Lisa Jane Persky

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Love Story, Self-Discovery, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Groundhog Day (1993) – IMDB: 8.0/10, RT: 8/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: A weatherman finds himself living the same day over and over again.

Groundhog Day Director: Harold Ramis, Writer: Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis

Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle Murray, Marita Geraghty

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Classic, Romance, Time Travel, Self-Discovery, Recommended, Surreal, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

(photo by <kickstart>)

Romantic Movies for Guys and Girls

Men and women can never seem to agree on anything. These are the movies we both like.

Before Sunset (2004) – IMDB: 8.1/10, RT: 8.2/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: It’s nine years after Jesse and Celine first met; now, they encounter one another on the French leg of Jesse’s book tour.

Before Sunset Director: Richard Linklater, Writer: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, Richard Linklater

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Romance, Theatrical Release

House of Flying Daggers (2004) – IMDB: 7.6/10, RT: 7.8/10, RT Overall: 88%

Plot: A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful member of a rebel army out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem.

House of Flying Daggers Director: Yimou Zhang, Writer: Yimou Zhang

Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau, Lu Feng, Song Dandan

Genres: Foreign Films, Chinese/Mandarin, Assassination, Epic, Period Piece, Samurai, Theatrical Release, Friendships, Dancing

Casablanca (1942) – IMDB: 8.8/10, RT: 9/10, RT Overall: 98%

Plot: Classic film set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.

Casablanca Director: Michael Curtiz, Writer: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, Howard Koch

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Paul Henreid, Dooley Wilson, Conrad Veidt

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Classic, Romance, Suspense, Tear Jerker, World War II, Betrayal, Love Story, Recommended, Character Study, Infidelity, Essential Cinema

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – IMDB: 7.4/10, RT: 7.5/10, RT Overall: 81%

Plot: A beleaguered small-business owner gets a harmonium and embarks on a romantic journey with a mysterious woman.

Punch-Drunk Love Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson

Starring: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzman, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Genres: Dramas, Comedy, Romance, Theatrical Release, Los Angeles, California, Psychology, Essential Cinema

Gone With the Wind (1939) – IMDB: 8.0/10, RT: 8.5/10, RT Overall: 96%

Plot: American classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Gone With the Wind Director: Victor Fleming, Writer: Margaret Mitchell, Sidney Howard

Starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Leslie Howard, Thomas Mitchell

Genres: Dramas, Big Battles, Civil War, Drama, Classic, Family Interaction, Romance, Slavery, Love Story, All-Star, Epic, Recommended, Period Piece, Blockbuster, Gentry, Essential Cinema

Annie Hall (1977) – IMDB: 8.2/10, RT: 8.8/10, RT Overall: 98%

Plot: Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.

Annie Hall Director: Woody Allen, Writer: Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman

Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Shelley Duvall, Tony Roberts, Paul Simon, Carol Kane

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Classic, Romance, Self-Discovery, Mishaps, Thanksgiving, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

The Last of the Mohicans (1992) – IMDB: 7.6/10, RT: 8.1/10, RT Overall: 97%

Plot: Three trappers protect a British Colonel’s daughters in the midst of the French and Indian War.

The Last of the Mohicans Director: Michael Mann, Writer: Michael Mann, Christopher Crowe, Philip Dunne

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Russell Means, Eric Schweig, Wes Studi, Steven Waddington

Genres: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Indians, Romance, Western, Love Story, Recommended, Period Piece, Theatrical Release

Before Sunrise (1995) – IMDB: 7.9/10, RT: 8.1/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one romantic evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.

Before Sunrise Director: Richard Linklater

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

Genres: Comedies, Adventure, Friends, Comedy, Romance, Love Story, Recommended, Theatrical Release

Chasing Amy (1997) – IMDB: 7.5/10, RT: 7.5/10, RT Overall: 93%

Plot: Holden 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.

Chasing Amy Director: Kevin Smith, Writer: Kevin Smith

Starring: Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, Jason Lee, Dwight Ewell, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

Genres: Comedies, Friends, Comedy, Drama, Gay/Lesbian, Romance, Self-Discovery, Recommended, Theatrical Release

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – IMDB: 8.6/10, RT: 8.5/10, RT Overall: 90%

Plot: An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.

It’s a Wonderful Life Director: Frank Capra, Writer: Jo Swerling, Frank Capra, Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, Philip Van Doren Stern

Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi

Genres: Dramas, Afterlife, Holiday, Drama, Classic, Tear Jerker, Self-Discovery, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Recommended, Family Film, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Wedding Crashers (2005) – IMDB: 7.2/10, RT: 6.8/10, RT Overall: 75%

Plot: John Beckwith and Jeremy Grey, a pair of committed womanizers who sneak into weddings to take advantage of the romantic tinge in the air, find themselves at odds with one another when John meets and falls for Claire Cleary.

Wedding Crashers Director: David Dobkin, Writer: Steve Faber, Bob Fisher

Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Jane Seymour, Isla Fisher

Genres: Comedies, Comedy

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) – IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 7.6/10, RT Overall: 97%

Plot: Comedy-drama about a group of British friends… the title says the rest.

Four Weddings and a Funeral Director: Mike Newell

Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, Rowan Atkinson

Genres: Comedies, Friends, Comedy, Death, Romance, Mishaps, Recommended, Marriage, Theatrical Release

Closer (2004) – IMDB: 7.4/10, RT: 6.7/10, RT Overall: 68%

Plot: The relationships of two couples become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.

Closer Director: Mike Nichols, Writer: Patrick Marber, Patrick Marber

Starring: Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Clive Owen

Genres: Dramas, Romance, Infidelity, Marriage, Theatrical Release, London, England, Love Affairs, Love

Romancing The Stone (1984) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 7.3/10, RT Overall: 93%

Plot: A romance writer sets off to Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure.

Romancing the Stone Director: Robert Zemeckis

Starring: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Alfonso Arau

Genres: Action/Adventure, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Swashbuckler, Thriller, Jewels, Jungle, Recommended, Theatrical Release

True Romance (1993) – IMDB: 7.8/10, RT: 7.3/10, RT Overall: 89%

Plot: Clarence marries hooker Alabama, steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood, while the owners of the coke try to reclaim it.

True Romance Director: Tony Scott, Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt

Genres: Action/Adventure, Action, Drama, Drugs, Organized Crime, Romance, Suspense, Cops, Outlaws, Classic Fight Scenes, Young Love, Recommended, Theatrical Release

An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) – IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 7.3/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: A young man must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant and his new girlfriend.

An Officer and a Gentleman Director: Taylor Hackford

Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, David Keith, Louis Gossett, Robert Loggia, Lisa Blount

Genres: Dramas, Action, Adventure, Friends, Drama, Romance, Self-Discovery, Personal Triumph, Recommended, Military, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

The Sound of Music (1965) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 7.7/10, RT Overall: 81%

Plot: A woman leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a Naval officer widower.

The Sound of Music Director: Robert Wise, Writer: Ernest Lehman

Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Eleanor Parker, Heather Menzies

Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Musicals, Classic, Family Interaction, Musical, Romance, True Story, Recommended, Clergy, Family Film, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 7.5/10, RT Overall: 86%

Plot: A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Director: Blake Edwards, Writer: George Axelrod, Truman Capote

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Martin Balsam, Buddy Ebsen, Mickey Rooney

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Love Story, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Chocolat (2000) – IMDB: 7.3/10, RT: 6/10, RT Overall: 62%

Plot: A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.

Chocolat Director: Lasse Hallström, Writer: Robert Nelson Jacobs, Joanne Harris

Starring: Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Carrie-Anne Moss

Genres: Dramas, Romance, Theatrical Release, France, Small Towns, 1950s

Mr and Mrs Smith (2005) – IMDB: 6.5/10, RT: 6.1/10, RT Overall: 59%

Plot: A bored married couple is surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Director: Doug Liman, Writer: Simon Kinberg

Starring: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kerry Washington, Adam Brody

Genres: Action/Adventure, Action

The Girl Next Door (2004) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 5.7/10, RT Overall: 57%

Plot: A teenager’s dreams come true when a former porn star moves in next door and they fall in love.

The Girl Next Door Director: Luke Greenfield, Writer: Brent Goldberg, Stuart Blumberg, David Wagner

Starring: Emile Hirsch, Elisha Cuthbert, Timothy Olyphant, James Remar, Christopher George Marquette, Paul Dano

Genres: Comedies, Romance, Teenage, Theatrical Release

Shallow Hal (2001) – IMDB: 6.0/10, RT: 5.5/10, RT Overall: 50%

Plot: A shallow man falls in love with a 300 pound woman because of her “inner beauty”.

Shallow Hal Director: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Writer: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Sean Moynihan

Starring: Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jason Alexander, Zen Gesner, Susan Ward, Laura Kightlinger

Genres: Comedies, Slapstick, Theatrical Release

Sliding Doors (1998) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 6.4/10, RT Overall: 64%

Plot: A London woman’s love life and career both hinge, unknown to her, on whether or not she catches a train. We see it both ways, in parallel.

Sliding Doors Director: Peter Howitt, Writer: Peter Howitt

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Genres: Dramas, Romance, Theatrical Release, Drama (General)

The Wedding Singer (1998) – IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 6.2/10, RT Overall: 56%

Plot: Robbie, the singer and Julia, the waitress are both engaged to be married but to the wrong people. Fortune intervenes to help them discover each other.

The Wedding Singer Director: Frank Coraci, Writer: Tim Herlihy

Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor, Alan Covert, Angela Featherstone, Matthew Glave

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Nostalgic, Marriage, Theatrical Release, 1980s

(photo by reinvented)

He Said – Romantic Movies for Guys

These are the movies I liked. Sure, maybe I’m stretching the definition of “romance” a little… but what else do you expect from a guy?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – IMDB: 8.5/10, RT: 8.4/10, RT Overall: 93%

Plot: A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Director: Michel Gondry, Writer: Charlie Kaufman, Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth

Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Love Story, Recommended, Doctors, Surreal, Theatrical Release, Romantic Comedy, Essential Cinema

Shaun of the Dead (2004) – IMDB: 7.9/10, RT: 7.6/10, RT Overall: 90%

Plot: A man decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Shaun of the Dead Director: Edgar Wright, Writer: Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Penelope Wilton, Dylan Moran

Genres: Comedies, Horror/Suspense, British, Comedy, Horror, Romance, Spoof, Zombies, Theatrical Release, Comedy (General), British Comedy

The Man Without a Past (2002) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 8/10, RT Overall: 97% The film follows a man who arrives in Helsinki and gets beaten up so severely he develops amnesia. Unable to remember his name or anything from his past life, he cannot get a job or an apartment, so he starts living on the outskirts of the city and slowly starts putting his life back on track.

The Man Without a Past Director: Aki Kaurismäki, Writer: Aki Kaurismäki

Starring: Markku Peltola, Kati Outinen, Sakari Kuosmanen, Juhani Niemela, Kaija Pakarinen

Genres: Comedies, Foreign Films, Finnish, Comedy, Rock And Roll, Romance, Theatrical Release

Out of Sight (1998) – IMDB: 7.2/10, RT: 7.9/10, RT Overall: 92%

Plot: A career bank robber breaks out of jail and shares a moment of mutual attraction with a US Marshall he has kidnapped.

Out of Sight Director: Steven Soderbergh, Writer: Elmore Leonard

Starring: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Dennis Farina

Genres: Action/Adventure, Romance, Theatrical Release, Crime, Heists, Essential Cinema

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) – IMDB: 6.9/10, RT: 7.1/10, RT Overall: 83%

Plot: Jessica Stein is a single, straight, sucessful, journalist, part of a bonded Jewish family living in New York City, who finds herself not as straight as she thought when Jessica meets and begins an intense friendship with career woman Helen Cooper which ultimately leads to romance.

Kissing Jessica Stein Director: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, Writer: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen

Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, Scott Cohen, Tovah Feldshuh, Jackie Hoffman, Michael Mastro

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Theatrical Release, Lesbians

From Here to Eternity (1953) – IMDB: 7.8/10, RT: 8.1/10, RT Overall: 87%

Plot: In 1941 Hawaii, a private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit’s team, while his captain’s wife and second in command are falling in love.

From Here to Eternity Director: Fred Zinnemann, Writer: Daniel Taradash, James Jones

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ernest Borgnine

Genres: Dramas, Action, Drama, Classic, War, World War II, Love Story, Recommended, Infidelity, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema, Based On A Novel

Starman (1984) – IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 7.4/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: An alien takes the form of a young widow’s husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them.

Starman Director: John Carpenter, Bruce A. Evans, Writer: Raynold Gideon

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Phalen, Tony Edwards

Genres: Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Friends, Aliens, Romance, Science-Fiction, On-The-Run, Theatrical Release

Children of a Lesser God (1986) – IMDB: 7.0/10, RT: 7.1/10, RT Overall: 83%

Plot: James is a new speech teacher at a school for the deaf. He falls for Sarah, a pupil who decided to stay on at the school rather than venture into the big bad world. She shuns him at first, refusing to read his lips and only using signs. Will her feelings change over time?

Children of a Lesser God Director: Randa Haines, Writer: Hesper Anderson, Lloyd Fonvielle, Mark Medoff

Starring: William Hurt, Marlee Matlin, Piper Laurie, Philip Bosco, Alison Gompf

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Romance, Tear Jerker, Character Study, Physically Impaired, Theatrical Release

Ladyhawke (1985) – IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 5.6/10, RT Overall: 68%

Plot: Philip Gaston, called The Mouse, escapes from the prison of the medieval city of Aquila. Chased by the guards of the evil Bishop of the city, Philip meets a mysterious knight with a beautiful hawk and begins to follow him. Philip soon discovers that the knight has been cursed by the Bishop, so that when the night falls…

Ladyhawke Director: Richard Donner

Starring: Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Broderick, Leo McKern

Genres: Science-Fiction/Fantasy, Adventure, Fantasy, Medieval, Romance, Witches And Wizards, Love Story, Classic Fight Scenes, Recommended, Magic, Theatrical Release, Romances

Proof of Life (2000) – IMDB: 6.1/10, RT: 5.4/10, RT Overall: 39%

Plot: Alice hires a professional negotiator to obtain the release of her engineer husband, who has been kidnapped by anti-government guerrillas in South America.

Proof of Life Director: Taylor Hackford, Writer: Tony Gilroy

Starring: Meg Ryan, Russell Crowe, David Morse, Pamela Reed, David Caruso

Genres: Action/Adventure, Disaster, Drama, Politics, Theatrical Release, News, Affairs, Hostages

(photos by mag3737)

She Said – Romantic Movies for Girls

These are the movies my girlfriend really likes but I’m so-so about.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – IMDB: 8.4/10, RT: 9.4/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.

Singin’ in the Rain Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, Writer: Adolph Green, Betty Comden

Starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen, Cyd Charisse, Rita Moreno

Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Musicals, Comedy, Classic, Musical, Romance, Recommended, Showbiz, Theatrical Release, Silent Films, Essential Cinema

Roman Holiday (1953) – IMDB: 8.0/10, RT: 8.5/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: A bored and sheltered princess escapes her guardians and falls in love with an American newsman in Rome.

Roman Holiday Director: William Wyler, Writer: Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton

Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Tullio Carminati, Hartley Power, Harcourt Williams

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Vintage, On-The-Road, Recommended, Reporters, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Say Anything (1989) – IMDB: 7.5/10, RT: 8.1/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: A noble underachiever and a beautiful valedictorian fall in love the summer before she goes off to college.

Say Anything Director: Cameron Crowe, Writer: Cameron Crowe

Starring: John Cusack, Ione Skye, John Mahoney, Lili Taylor, Pamela Segall, Jeremy Piven

Genres: Dramas, Campus Life, Comedy, Coming Of Age, Drama, Romance, Teenage, Love Story, Young Love, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Moulin Rouge (2001) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 7/10, RT Overall: 78%

Plot: A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources.

Moulin Rouge Director: Baz Luhrmann, Writer: Craig Pearce, Baz Luhrmann

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, Natalie Mendoza

Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Musicals, Dance, Romance, Illness, Theatrical Release, Paris, France, Artists, Poets, Love, Essential Cinema

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) – IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 7.6/10, RT Overall: 97%

Plot: Comedy-drama about a group of British friends… the title says the rest.

Four Weddings and a Funeral Director: Mike Newell

Starring: Hugh Grant, Andie MacDowell, Kristin Scott Thomas, Simon Callow, James Fleet, Rowan Atkinson

Genres: Comedies, Friends, Comedy, Death, Romance, Mishaps, Recommended, Marriage, Theatrical Release

Moonstruck (1987) – IMDB: 7.0/10, RT: 7.8/10, RT Overall: 92%

Plot: A widowed Brooklyn book-keeper is torn between her fiancé and his brother.

Moonstruck Director: Norman Jewison, Writer: John Patrick Shanley

Starring: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Vincent Gardenia, Danny Aiello, Julie Bovasso

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Classic, Family Interaction, Romance, Self-Discovery, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – IMDB: 6.6/10, RT: 6.9/10, RT Overall: 80%

Plot: A recently-widowed man’s son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

Sleepless in Seattle Director: Nora Ephron, Writer: Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell, Bill Pullman, David Hyde Pierce

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Love Story, Recommended, Blockbuster, Theatrical Release, New York City, Essential Cinema

Sabrina (1954) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 7.5/10, RT Overall: 94%

Plot: A playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family’s chauffeur. But it’s his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.

Sabrina Director: Billy Wilder, Writer: Billy Wilder, Samuel Taylor, Ernest Lehman

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Martha Hyer, John Williams, Walter Hampden

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Drama, Family Interaction, Romance, Love Triangle, Recommended, Essential Cinema

Love Actually (2003) – IMDB: 7.8/10, RT: 6.5/10, RT Overall: 66%

Plot: Follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Love Actually Director: Richard Curtis, Writer: Richard Curtis

Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Laura Linney, Emma Thompson

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Christmas, Theatrical Release, Sex

Dracula (1992) – IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 6.7/10, RT Overall: 85%

Plot: The vampire comes to England to seduce a visitor’s fiance and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula Director: Francis Ford Coppola, Writer: James V. Hart, Bram Stoker

Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Cary Elwes, Sadie Frost

Genres: Horror/Suspense, Horror, Suspense, Vampires, Love Story, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Dances With Wolves (1990) – IMDB: 7.8/10, RT: 6.9/10, RT Overall: 79%

Plot: Lt. John Dunbar, exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Indians, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

Dances with Wolves Director: Kevin Costner, Writer: Michael Blake

Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Robert Pastorelli

Genres: Westerns, Adventure, Drama, Indians, Western, Wilderness, Epic, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Pretty in Pink (1986) – IMDB: 6.2/10, RT: 6.4/10, RT Overall: 82%

Plot: A girl from the wrong side of the tracks, a geeky new-waver who worships her, a rich High School Hunk who has her eye, and John Hughes.

Pretty in Pink Director: John Hughes, Writer: John Hughes

Starring: Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, James Spader, Annie Potts

Genres: Dramas, Coming Of Age, Drama, Romance, Teenage, Personal Triumph, Young Love, Recommended, Theatrical Release, 1980s

What Women Want (2000) – IMDB: 6.3/10, RT: 5.7/10, RT Overall: 54%

Plot: After an accident, a chauvenistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking.

What Women Want Director: Nancy Meyers, Writer: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa

Starring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Alan Alda, Ashley Johnson, Mark Feuerstein

Genres: Comedies, Romance, Theatrical Release, Relationships, Sex

Pretty Woman (1990) – IMDB: 6.6/10, RT: 5.8/10, RT Overall: 63%

Plot: A 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.

Pretty Woman Director: Garry Marshall, Writer: J.F. Lawton

Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Hector Elizondo, Jason Alexander, Ralph Bellamy, Laura San Giacomo

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Drama, Prostitution, Romance, Recommended, Blockbuster, Theatrical Release, Romantic Comedy, Friendships, Romances, Prostitutes/Whores, Essential Cinema, Sexy Women

Playing by Heart (1998) – IMDB: 7.0/10, RT: 6.2/10, RT Overall: 61%

Plot: Eleven articulate people work through affairs of the heart in L.A.

Playing By Heart Director: Willard Carroll, Writer: Willard Carroll

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie, Anthony Edwards, Jay Mohr

Genres: Dramas, Romance, Drama (General), Romances, Love

One Fine Day (1996) – IMDB: 6.1/10, RT: 5.7/10, RT Overall: 46%

Plot: Melanie Parker, an architect and mother of Sammy, and Jack Taylor, a newspaper columnist and father of Maggie, are both divorced. They meet one morning when overwhelmed Jack is left unexpectedly with Maggie and forgets that Melanie was to take her to school. As a result, both children miss their school field trip and are stuck with the parents.

One Fine Day Director: Michael Hoffman, Writer: Terry Seltzer, Ellen Simon

Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, George Clooney, Mae Whitman, Alex D. Linz, Charles Durning

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Mishaps, Parenthood, Big City, Theatrical Release

(photo by LunaDiRimmel)

They Said – Movies That Showed Up Again and Again

We don’t whole-heartedly recommend these films because they were either very average or we haven’t yet seen them. But plenty of other people do, so take that for what it’s worth.

Shakespeare in Love (1998) – IMDB: 7.4/10, RT: 8.1/10, RT Overall: 93%

Plot: A young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash, meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays.

Shakespeare in Love Director: John Madden, Writer: Marc Norman, Tom Stoppard

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck, Judi Dench, Colin Firth

Genres: Comedies, Drama, Romance, Theatrical Release, Shakespeare, Essential Cinema

Sense and Sensibility (1995) – IMDB: 7.6/10, RT: 8/10, RT Overall: 100%

Plot: Rich Mr. Dashwood dies, leaving his second wife and her daughters poor by the rules of inheritance. Two daughters are the titular opposites.

Sense and Sensibility Director: Ang Lee, Writer: Emma Thompson, Jane Austen

Starring: Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones, Harriet Walter

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Family Interaction, Romance, Betrayal, Recommended, Period Piece, Theatrical Release, Based On A Novel

West Side Story (1961) – IMDB: 7.7/10, RT: 8.4/10, RT Overall: 95%

Plot: Musical about two youngsters from rival NYC gangs who fall in love.

West Side Story Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins, Writer: Ernest Lehman

Starring: Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, Russ Tamblyn, George Chakiris, Simon Oakland

Genres: Musical & Performing Arts, Musicals, Classic, Gangs, Musical, Stage Play, Love Story, Tragedy, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

The English Patient (1996) – IMDB: 7.1/10, RT: 7.9/10, RT Overall: 86%

Plot: At the close of WWII, 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.

The English Patient Director: Anthony Minghella, Writer: Anthony Minghella, Michael Ondaatje

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth

Genres: Dramas, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Suspense, War, World War II, Betrayal, Love Story, Epic, Tragedy, Recommended, Doomed Lovers, Infidelity, Desert, Nazis, Africa, Blockbuster, Theatrical Release, Drama (General), Essential Cinema

Ever After (1998) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 7.6/10, RT Overall: 92%

Plot: The “real” story of Cinderella. A refreshing new take on the classic fairy tale.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story Director: Andy Tennant, Writer: Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant, Rick Parks

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, Dougray Scott, Jeanne Moreau

Genres: Dramas, Romance, Theatrical Release, Romantic Comedy

The Age of Innocence (1993) – IMDB: 7.0/10, RT: 7.2/10, RT Overall: 83%

Plot: Society scion Newland Archer is engaged to May Welland, but his well-ordered life is upset when he meets May’s unconventional cousin, the Countess Olenska. At first, Newland becomes a defender of the Countess, whose separation from her abusive husband makes her a social outcast in the restrictive high society of late-19th Century New York, but he finds in her a companion spirit and they fall in love.

The Age of Innocence Director: Martin Scorsese, Writer: Edith Wharton, Martin Scorsese, Jay Cocks

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Miriam Margolyes, Richard E. Grant, Geraldine Chaplin

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Romance, Love Triangle, Recommended, Character Study, Infidelity, Period Piece, Gentry, Theatrical Release

Jerry Maguire (1996) – IMDB: 7.2/10, RT: 7.6/10, RT Overall: 85%

Plot: When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent with the only athlete who stays with him.

Jerry Maguire Director: Cameron Crowe, Writer: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding, Jonathan Lipnicki, Bonnie Hunt, Kelly Preston

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Self-Discovery, Sports, Recommended, Theatrical Release

Notting Hill (1999) – IMDB: 6.9/10, RT: 7.2/10, RT Overall: 85%

Plot: The life of a simple bookshop owner changes when the most famous star in the world walks in his shop and buys a book…

Notting Hill Director: Roger Michell, Writer: Richard Curtis

Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, Emma Chambers, Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny

Genres: Comedies, British, Comedy, Theatrical Release, Comedy (General), Romantic Comedy, Movie Stars

Titanic (1997) – IMDB: 7.0/10, RT: 7.5/10, RT Overall: 82%

Plot: Fictional romantic tale of a rich girl and poor boy who meet on the ill-fated voyage of the ‘unsinkable’ ship.

Titanic Director: James Cameron, Writer: James Cameron

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Bernard Hill

Genres: Dramas, Disaster, Drama, Classic, High Seas, Romance, True Story, Love Story, Love Triangle, Tragedy, Recommended, Blockbuster, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Bridges of Madison County (1995) – IMDB: 6.9/10, RT: 7.2/10, RT Overall: 86%

Plot: Photographer Robert Kincaid wanders into the life of housewife Francesca Johnson, for four days in the 1960s.

The Bridges of Madison County Director: Clint Eastwood, Writer: Richard La Gravenese, Robert James Waller

Starring: Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Romance, Tear Jerker, Love Story, Infidelity, Bucolic, Theatrical Release

While You Were Sleeping (1995) – IMDB: 6.4/10, RT: 6.4/10, RT Overall: 81%

Plot: Ticket collecting romantic pretends to be engaged to an unconscious man but can’t fool his brother

While You Were Sleeping Director: Jon Turteltaub

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden, Glynis Johns

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Family Interaction, Romance, Love Story, Self-Discovery, Mishaps, Christmas, Theatrical Release

You’ve Got Mail (1998) – IMDB: 6.1/10, RT: 6.3/10, RT Overall: 68%

Plot: Two business rivals hate each other at the office but fall in love over the internet.

You’ve Got Mail Director: Nora Ephron, Writer: Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Miklos Laszlo, Samson Raphaelson

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle

Genres: Comedies, Theatrical Release, Comedy (General), Romantic Comedy, Romances

Ghost (1990) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 6.4/10, RT Overall: 78%

Plot: After being killed during a botched mugging, a man’s love for his partner enables him to remain on earth as a ghost.

Ghost Director: Jerry Zucker, Writer: Peter Barsocchini, Bruce Joel Rubin

Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles, Vincent Schiavelli

Genres: Dramas, Afterlife, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Ghosts, Romance, Scams And Cons, Tear Jerker, Betrayal, Love Story, Murder, Hell, Recommended, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) – IMDB: 6.3/10, RT: 6.7/10, RT Overall: 76%

Plot: When a woman’s long-time friend says he’s engaged, she realizes she loves him herself… and sets out to get him, with only days before the wedding.

My Best Friend’s Wedding Director: P.J. Hogan, Writer: Ronald Bass

Starring: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, Rupert Everett, Philip Bosco, M. Emmet Walsh

Genres: Comedies, Black Comedy, Comedy, Romance, Love Triangle, Marriage, Blockbuster, Theatrical Release

Out of Africa (1985) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 6.6/10, RT Overall: 76%

Plot: In 20th century colonial Kenya, a Danish baroness/plantation owner has a passionate but ultimately doomed love affair with a free-sprited big-game hunter.

Out of Africa Director: Sydney Pollack

Starring: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer

Genres: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Drama, Romance, True Story, Wilderness, Love Story, Recommended, Character Study, Period Piece, Africa, Theatrical Release, Essential Cinema

Benny & Joon (1993) – IMDB: 6.7/10, RT: 6/10, RT Overall: 80%

Plot: A mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.

Benny & Joon Director: Jeremiah Chechik

Starring: Johnny Depp, Dan Hedaya, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn, Oliver Platt, Julianne Moore

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Love Triangle, Mishaps, Character Study, Theatrical Release

Romeo + Juliet (1996) – IMDB: 6.8/10, RT: 6.7/10, RT Overall: 74%

Plot: Shakespeare’s famous play is updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona still retaining its original dialogue.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet Director: Baz Luhrmann, Writer: William Shakespeare

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Miriam Margolyes, Harold Perrineau, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Family Interaction, Romance, Teenage, Tragedy, Young Love, Doomed Lovers, Theatrical Release, Shakespeare

An Affair to Remember (1957) – IMDB: 7.2/10, RT: 6.2/10, RT Overall: 64%

Plot: A couple falls in love and agrees to meet in six months at the Empire State Building – but will it happen?

An Affair to Remember Director: Leo McCarey, Writer: Delmer Daves, Leo McCarey, Mildred Cram

Starring: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Cathleen Nesbitt, Neva Patterson, Richard Denning, Fortunio Bonanova

Genres: Dramas, Drama, Romance, Tear Jerker, Love Story, Tragedy, Recommended, Theatrical Release, New York City, Essential Cinema

French Kiss (1995) – IMDB: 6.2/10, RT: 5.7/10, RT Overall: 50%

Plot: A woman flies to France to confront her straying fiancé, but gets into trouble when the charming crook seated next to her uses her for smuggling.

French Kiss Director: Lawrence Kasdan, Writer: Adam Brooks

Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton, Jean Reno, François Cluzet, Susan Anbeh

Genres: Comedies, Comedy, Romance, Love Triangle, Mishaps, Theatrical Release

Sweet Home Alabama (2002) – IMDB: 5.7/10, RT: 5.2/10, RT Overall: 38%

Plot: A young woman with a white trash background runs away from her husband in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New York socialite.

Sweet Home Alabama Director: Andy Tennant, Writer: C. Jay Cox

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Joshua Lucas, Candice Bergen, Patrick Dempsey, Rhona Mitra, Ethan Embry

Genres: Comedies, Romance, Divorce, Theatrical Release, Romantic Comedy, New York City, Small Town Life

Done!

That was a long list, and if you have any movies you think should have been on it than please leave a message in the comments. The movies are heavily skewed to the 1990s or older due to our age. There were a lot of great older movies that didn’t make the list because neither of us had ever seen them.

If you like this list you might like my list of tips for Valentine’s Day and my list of 81 movies for geeks that do not suck.



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