Romance is one of the most common plot lines in movies. In some films the central narrative revolves around a complicated relationship between two characters. In others it’s a side plot where the action hero gets the girl of his dreams after defeating the bad guys. Occasionally, films manage to be ostensibly about an entirely different topic but are truly romances at their core. “Good Will Hunting” is about a janitor who’s secretly a genius, his life rapidly changing once his talents are discovered by a university professor. However, along the way he meets someone special and must decide what’s most important to him.
Just about everyone enjoys when movies end happily, with the main characters madly in love and living peacefully. However, many of the most endearing romance tales involve heartbreak and tragedy. “Romeo and Juliet” may just be the most famous story in the world and it’s hard to imagine it would be so enduringly popular if it ended with the star-crossed lovers living happily ever after. And the best romance movie of all time, according to the data, examines how painful love can be, and how it can push them to make seemingly illogical decisions. That movie, of course, is “Casablanca.” (These are the greatest love stories in movie history.)
Other great romance films approach the subject differently. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” goes on a mind-bending adventure. “Sherlock, Jr.” follows deadpan comic Buster Keaton into a dream about winning over his crush. “Roman Holiday” tells the story of an unlikely romance between a crown princess and a reporter. Romance movies have captivated audiences over the decades, excelling at the box office and becoming some of the highest grossing films of all time.
Click here to see the best romance movies of all time
To determine the best romance movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of mid-March 2022, weighting all ratings equally. Only films with at least 25,000 reviews on IMDb, 5,000 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and 10 Tomatometer critics’ reviews were considered. In the case of a tie, the film with more audience reviews on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes was ranked higher. Information on directors and cast comes from IMDb.
Source: Courtesy of New Yorker Films
50. The Mother and the Whоre (1973)
> Combined score: 2.69
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (5,414 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (3,157 reviews)
> Directed by: Jean Eustache
> Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Bernadette Lafont, Françoise Lebrun, Isabelle Weingarten
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Source: Courtesy of Arlan Productions
49. The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)
> Combined score: 2.71
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (9,767 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,967 reviews)
> Directed by: Max Ophülls
> Starring: Charles Boyer, Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica, Jean Debucourt
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
48. Limelight (1952)
> Combined score: 2.71
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (19,862 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (7,306 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
47. The Wind (1928)
> Combined score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (6,575 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (843 reviews)
> Directed by: Victor Sjöström
> Starring: Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cumming
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
46. Annie Hall (1977)
> Combined score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (261,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (153,837 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
> Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
45. Marius (1931)
> Combined score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (2,290 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (443 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Korda
> Starring: Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Fernand Charpin, Alida Rouffe
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Source: Courtesy of Union Film Distributors Inc.
44. Ballad of a Soldier (1959)
> Combined score: 2.72
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (10,246 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (3,015 reviews)
> Directed by: Grigoriy Chukhray
> Starring: Vladimir Ivashov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Antonina Maksimova, Nikolay Kryuchkov
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
43. The Big Country (1958)
> Combined score: 2.73
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (17,555 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (5,534 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
> Starring: Gregory Peck, Jean Simmons, Carroll Baker, Charlton Heston
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
42. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
> Combined score: 2.73
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (14,494 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (4,893 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
> Starring: Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook, James McKechnie
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Source: Courtesy of WinStar Cinema
41. Yi Yi: A One and a Two… (2000)
> Combined score: 2.73
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (23,463 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (7,673 reviews)
> Directed by: Edward Yang
> Starring: Nien-Jen Wu, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee
Source: Courtesy of Metro Pictures Corporation
40. Sherlock Jr. (1924)
> Combined score: 2.73
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (47,827 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (6,963 reviews)
> Directed by: Buster Keaton
> Starring: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton, Erwin Connelly
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
39. The Big Parade (1925)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (6,673 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (800 reviews)
> Directed by: King Vidor & George W. Hill
> Starring: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth, Claire McDowell
Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (971,165 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (571,965 reviews)
> Directed by: Michel Gondry
> Starring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Gerry Robert Byrne
Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
37. Stairway to Heaven (1946)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (21,540 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (6,935 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
> Starring: David Niven, Kim Hunter, Robert Coote, Kathleen Byron
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
36. The Last Picture Show (1971)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (46,995 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (14,202 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
> Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ben Johnson
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
35. Roman Holiday (1953)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (135,751 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (63,543 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
> Starring: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Eddie Albert, Hartley Power
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Source: Courtesy of Eagle-Lion Films
34. The Red Shoes (1948)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (34,027 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (11,802 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
> Starring: Anton Walbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer, Robert Helpmann
Source: Courtesy of Kino Video
33. A Short Film About Love (1988)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (22,597 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (5,868 reviews)
> Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
> Starring: Grażyna Szapołowska, Olaf Lubaszenko, Stefania Iwińska, Piotr Machalica
Source: Courtesy of Janus Films
32. Wild Strawberries (1957)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (104,784 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,701 reviews)
> Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
> Starring: Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
31. Some Like It Hot (1959)
> Combined score: 2.74
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (260,113 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (82,405 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
> Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, George Raft
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
30. The Apartment (1960)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (176,617 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (38,263 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
> Starring: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
29. Vertigo (1958)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (391,410 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (102,784 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
> Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes, Tom Helmore
Source: Courtesy of New Yorker Films
28. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (20,739 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (6,463 reviews)
> Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
> Starring: Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
27. Day for Night (1973)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (22,230 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (9,244 reviews)
> Directed by: François Truffaut
> Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Léaud, François Truffaut, Valentina Cortese
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Source: Courtesy of Orion Classics
26. Wings of Desire (1987)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (69,455 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (34,146 reviews)
> Directed by: Wim Wenders
> Starring: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois
Source: Courtesy of Momentum Pictures
25. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (31,933 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (22,260 reviews)
> Directed by: Yimou Zhang
> Starring: Gong Li, Jingwu Ma, Saifei He, Cuifen Cao
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
24. The Circus (1928)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (33,047 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (6,744 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Al Ernest Garcia, Harry Crocker
Source: Courtesy of Fox Film Corporation
23. Sunrise (1927)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (50,355 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (9,639 reviews)
> Directed by: F.W. Murnau
> Starring: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing
Source: Courtesy of Neon
22. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (83,924 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (464 reviews)
> Directed by: Céline Sciamma
> Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
21. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
> Combined score: 2.75
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (35,449 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (6,034 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
> Starring: Carole Lombard, Jack Benny, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart
Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
20. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
> Combined score: 2.76
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (67,816 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (47,248 reviews)
> Directed by: George Cukor
> Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
19. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
> Combined score: 2.76
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (32,157 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (11,974 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
> Starring: Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Frank Morgan, Joseph Schildkraut
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
18. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
> Combined score: 2.76
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (62,258 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (10,858 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
> Starring: Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Teresa Wright
Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
17. It Happened One Night (1934)
> Combined score: 2.77
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (101,326 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (33,764 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Capra
> Starring: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly, Roscoe Karns
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Source: Courtesy of Miramax
16. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
> Combined score: 2.77
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (252,137 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (65,656 reviews)
> Directed by: Giuseppe Tornatore
> Starring: Philippe Noiret, Enzo Cannavale, Antonella Attili, Isa Danieli
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
15. The Cranes Are Flying (1957)
> Combined score: 2.78
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (16,941 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (4,368 reviews)
> Directed by: Mikhail Kalatozov
> Starring: Tatyana Samoylova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasiliy Merkurev, Aleksandr Shvorin
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
14. The Heiress (1949)
> Combined score: 2.78
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (15,535 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (3,058 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
> Starring: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins
Source: Courtesy of Empire Pictures
13. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
> Combined score: 2.78
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (23,570 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (10,745 reviews)
> Directed by: Yôji Yamada
> Starring: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Ôsugi
Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment
12. Before Sunrise (1995)
> Combined score: 2.78
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (295,364 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (73,678 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Linklater
> Starring: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Andrea Eckert, Hanno Pöschl
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
11. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
> Combined score: 2.78
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (8,311 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (910 reviews)
> Directed by: Leo McCarey
> Starring: Victor Moore, Beulah Bondi, Fay Bainter, Thomas Mitchell
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
10. Three Colors: Red (1994)
> Combined score: 2.79
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (100,714 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (35,626 reviews)
> Directed by: Krzysztof Kieślowski
> Starring: Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Frédérique Feder, Jean-Pierre Lorit
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Source: Courtesy of Miramax
9. Good Will Hunting (1997)
> Combined score: 2.80
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (927,601 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (365,185 reviews)
> Directed by: Gus Van Sant
> Starring: Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård
Source: Courtesy of Eros Worldwide
8. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
> Combined score: 2.80
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (67,715 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (20,519 reviews)
> Directed by: Aditya Chopra
> Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal
Source: Courtesy of Tricolore
7. Children of Paradise (1945)
> Combined score: 2.81
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (19,558 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (7,573 reviews)
> Directed by: Marcel Carné
> Starring: Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur, Pierre Renoir
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Source: Courtesy of The Criterion Collection
6. A Brighter Summer Day (1991)
> Combined score: 2.82
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (9,646 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,137 reviews)
> Directed by: Edward Yang
> Starring: Chang Chen, Lisa Yang, Kuo-Chu Chang, Elaine Jin
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
5. The Best of Youth (2003)
> Combined score: 2.82
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (21,732 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (7,762 reviews)
> Directed by: Marco Tullio Giordana
> Starring: Luigi Lo Cascio, Alessio Boni, Jasmine Trinca, Adriana Asti
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Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
4. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
> Combined score: 2.83
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (234,743 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (138,734 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Donen
> Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
3. Modern Times (1936)
> Combined score: 2.83
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (235,063 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (40,328 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
2. City Lights (1931)
> Combined score: 2.84
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (180,199 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (27,150 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
1. Casablanca (1942)
> Combined score: 2.84
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (555,195 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (357,864 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Curtiz
> Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
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