Romance backdrop

Romance movies

Stories of passion, heartbreak, and intimacy that explore the beautiful and complicated nature of love.

Subgenres include: Romantic Comedy, Passionate Romance, Dark Romance.

Now and Then

1911. Now and Then

Comedy Drama Romance
6.8

19951h 40min

United States

Director: Lesli Linka Glatter

Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty, four childhood girlfriends — Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta — recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more.


Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud

1912. Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud

Drama Romance
7.2

19951h 46min

Germany, France

Director: Claude Sautet

Nelly leaves her lazy, unemployed husband to work for retired judge Mr Arnaud, forty years her senior, after he offers to clear her bills for her. While she types his memoirs the two develop a close friendship, but Arnaud becomes jealous when Nelly begins dating his good-looking young publisher.


The Flower of My Secret

1913. The Flower of My Secret

Drama Romance
7.0

19951h 46min

France, Spain

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

Middle-aged romance author Leo writes under a pseudonym, since she despises her own work. At home, her husband, who works overseas, is distant both physically and emotionally. As she reevaluates her life and writing, Leo is led to an unexpected relationship with Ángel, a sensitive newspaper editor.


Empire Records

1914. Empire Records

Comedy Drama Romance
6.7

19951h 30min

United States

Director: Allan Moyle

The employees of an independent music store learn about each other as they try to stop the store from being absorbed by a large chain.


The Star Maker

1915. The Star Maker

Drama Romance
7.4

19951h 53min

Italy

Director: Giuseppe Tornatore

The adventures and deceptions of a photographer who travels through small villages of 1950s Sicily pretending to work for the big film studios in Rome.


The Horseman on the Roof

1916. The Horseman on the Roof

Adventure Romance History Drama
7.0

19952h 15min

France

Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau

In a time of war and disease, a young officer gallantly tries to help a young woman find her husband.


Mighty Aphrodite

1917. Mighty Aphrodite

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Satire
7.0

19951h 35min

United States

Director: Woody Allen

When Lenny and his wife, Amanda, adopt a baby, Lenny realizes that his son is a genius and becomes obsessed with finding the boy's biological mother in hopes that she will be brilliant too. But when he learns that Max's mother is Linda Ash, a kindhearted prostitute and porn star, Lenny is determined to reform her immoral lifestyle. A Greek chorus chimes in to relate the plot to Greek mythology in this quirky comedy.

Themes

Family loyalty under strain, Moral ambiguity, Desire vs duty, Adoption complexities, Identity constraints, Social stigma

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Pillow Book

1918. The Pillow Book

Drama Romance
6.5

19952h 6min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Peter Greenaway

Nagito has a fetish for calligraphy on the human body and meets her ideal soulmate Jerome, an English translator sent to Japan. However, once Nagiko's father's gay publisher rejoins the scene, the story is overtaken by treachery and bloodlust.


In the Heat of the Sun

1919. In the Heat of the Sun

Drama Romance
8.1

19952h 21min

China, Hong Kong SAR China

Director: Jiang Wen

Beijing, 1970s. The Cultural Revolution has driven most adults to the provinces leaving 14-year-old Monkey and his pals have free reign over the city. They hang around, get up to no good, and discover that unsolvable mystery known as "girls."


Clueless

1920. Clueless

Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Parody
6.9

19951h 37min

United States

Director: Amy Heckerling

A popular high school girl from a wealthy family loves to meddle in other people’s lives. After she and her friends successfully set two teachers up, she takes on an even tougher challenge—turning a new, awkward classmate into the school’s next star.

Themes

Wealth-based status, Makeover as social currency, Authenticity vs performative actions, Coming-of-age tension, Friendship versus popularity, Romance and self-discovery

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.