If there’s anything I love more than love itself, it’s romantic films. Love lies at the heart of nearly every classic cinematic story, and there are so many that I return to again and again. Few films can capture an entire love story from the spark of first attraction, to the messy highs and lows, and finally, to a much deserved happily ever after. So when it’s done right, it has a stamp of approval from me. Which is why Nancy Meyers & Nora Ephron set my standards not just for onscreen romance, but offscreen hope in love.
As a self-proclaimed romantic film connoisseur, curating this week’s list was no easy task. I wanted to blend personal favorites like Notting Hill, Love & Basketball, It’s Complicated, and You’ve Got Mail with timeless classics – you can’t celebrate love without films like When Harry Met Sally, The Notebook, or Pretty Woman. And of course, I had to add in a few ensemble laughs, like Valentine’s Day and Think Like a Man. These are films I can binge-watch solo, with friends, or alongside a special someone!
Whether you crave laugh-out-loud romantic comedies or tear-jerking love dramas, the big screen has something for every heart. This week’s list spans decades of heartwarming storytelling, inviting you to reflect on love’s complexities, enjoy the thrill of romance, and hope that your own love story finds its happy ending. Get ready to fall in love all over again, one unforgettable film at a time.
Honorable mentions: The Parent Trap (my favorite film of all time), 13 Going on 30, Friend’s With Benefits, Never Been Kissed, Sweet Home Alabama, Life As We Know It, My Best Friend’s Wedding (debatable if it’s a true romance – haha), Serendipity, Sleepless in Seattle, Something’s Gotta Give, The Wedding Planner, 27 Dresses, and so much more!
Valentines Day
Valentine’s Day is an ensemble film weaving together multiple interconnected love stories unfolding over the course of February 14th in Los Angeles. New romances, long-term relationships, secret affairs, and even unexpected breakups. It explores the highs and heartbreaks that come with love in all its forms capturing the chaos and charm of love on the most romantic day of the year.
Director: Garry Marshall / Starring: Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Taylor Swift, Taylor Lautner, Jamie Foxx
When Harry Met Sally
Told over the course of twelve years, Harry and Sally repeatedly cross paths starting with a road trip from Chicago to New York that sparks a debate about whether men and women can truly just be friends. Their evolving friendship is filled with sharp banter, missed timing, and complicated relationships as they navigate love in their own separate lives. As the seasons change and the years pass, their connection deepens in ways neither of them expected.
Director: Rob Reiner / Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan
Love Jones
A poet meets a talented photographer at a local nightclub and their instant chemistry sparks a passionate but complicated romance shaped by ambition, distance, and vulnerability. When they drift apart both must confront their fears about commitment and timing, and ultimately whether they can make it work together.
Director: Theodore Witcher / Starring: Nia Long, Larenz Tate
It’s Complicated
After a divorce, Jane finds herself in an unexpected love triangle when she begins an affair with her husband while he is remarried. While she navigates awkward family gatherings, rekindled feelings, and a blossoming romance with a new man, she discovers that love rarely follows a predictable path.
Director: Nancy Meyers / Starring: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin
Pretty Woman
A free-spirited prostitute who forms an unexpected connection with a wealthy businessman, after a chance encounter in Los Angeles. What begins as a business arrangement evolves into a heartfelt romance as she is introduced to a world of luxury while he learns to open his guarded heart. They challenge each other’s assumptions and boundaries, the pair must decide whether love can truly bridge their very different lives.
Director: Garry Marshall / Starring: Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Bridget, a single thirty-something Londoner decides to take control of her chaotic life. As she documents her resolutions about career, self-improvement, and love, she finds herself caught between two very different men: her charming yet unreliable boss and her seemingly aloof family friend. With awkward encounters, self-doubt, and vulnerability, Bridget discovers that love arrives sometimes when you least expect it.
Director: Sharon Maguire / Starring: Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
The Photograph
When a famed photographer dies unexpectedly, her estranged daughter Mae begins uncovering secrets from her mother’s past. A hidden photograph leads Mae to Michael, a journalist who at the same time is researching her mother’s life, and the two form a deepening connection as they piece together a decades-old love story.
Director: Stella Meghie / Starring: Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield
The Notebook
Told in flashbacks over decades, The Notebook (adapted from Nicholas Sparks bestselling novel) tells the love story of Noah and Allie, two young lovers from different social backgrounds whose summer romance in the transforms their lives. From family pressures, societal expectations, and interruptions of war, their bond endures in ways neither could have predicted, lasting decades.
Director: Nick Cassavetes / Starring: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
Pretty In Pink
Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s high school life, Pretty in Pink follows Andie Walsh, a creative and fiercely independent teen navigating the social divide between wealth and working class. When she begins dating Blane, a popular boy from an affluent clique, their relationship is tested by peer pressure and class expectations. Meanwhile, her loyal best friend Duckie harbors feelings of his own, complicating matters of the heart. Stylish, sincere, and iconic, the film became a defining love story of its era.
Director: Howard Deutch / Starring: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, James Spader
Think Like A Man
When a group of women begin following relationship advice from a bestselling book (Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man by Steve Harvey), a band of men get shook up. Learning that they have been betrayed by one of their own, they begin to use the book’s teachings to turn the tables. Each couple navigates commitment issues, fears, career ambitions, and trust. The battle of the sexes becomes both comedic and unexpectedly heartfelt.
Director: Tim Story / Starring (ensemble cast): Taraji P. Henson, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Gabrielle Union, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
Crazy, Stupid, Love
A middle-aged Cal Weaver’s seemingly stable marriage falls apart and he’s thrusted back into the dating world with no idea where to begin. He is accepted under the wing of a smooth-talking bachelor, Jacob Palmer, and undergoes a transformation that leads to unexpected confidence and complicated romantic entanglements. Interwoven storylines explore first love, long-term commitment, and a plot twist you’ll never see coming!
Director: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa / Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone
Notting Hill
Set in a charming London neighborhood, Notting Hill follows William Thacker, a mild-mannered bookstore owner whose life changes when famous actress Anna Scott walks into his shop. Their unlikely romance navigates the pressures of fame, media scrutiny, and very different lifestyles, all while exploring the magic of ordinary life intersecting with celebrity. Tender, witty, and quintessentially British, the film has become a beloved romantic classic, showing that love often surprises when you least expect it.
Director: Roger Michell / Starring: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant
You’ve Got Mail
The owner of a charming independent bookstore, finds herself at odds with the owner of a corporate bookstore chain, becoming business rivals. The pair unknowingly fall in love over anonymous online messages, while becoming each other’s digital confidants which sparks a heartfelt connection, complicating their real-world rivalry.
Director: Nora Ephron / Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Love & Basketball
Told in the notable ‘4 quarters’ basketball reference, Monica and Quincy are childhood neighbors who share a passion for basketball. As they age throughout the years, their friendship blossoms into romance, tested by ambition, competition, and life’s challenges on and off the court.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood / Starring: Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps
