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.

Sleepless in Seattle

1991. Sleepless in Seattle

Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Family Drama
6.8

19931h 45min

United States

Director: Nora Ephron

After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.

Themes

Work life balance, Lovesickness and longing, Loss of loved one, Radio as matchmaker, Parent child bond, Romance across distances

Available on

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

The Piano

1992. The Piano

Drama Romance
7.5

19932h

Australia, France

Director: Jane Campion

Ada, a mute woman who enters an arranged marriage and travels to New Zealand for it, becomes caught in a tense struggle between her new manipulative husband and a stern frontier man to whom she feels a forbidden attraction.


Much Ado About Nothing

1993. Much Ado About Nothing

Drama Comedy Romance
7.3

19931h 51min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Kenneth Branagh

As everyone prepares for Claudio and Hero’s wedding, their friends stage a clever prank to bring together two “enemies” — Benedick, a convinced bachelor, and Beatrice, sharp-tongued and unwilling to yield. Meanwhile, the jealous Don John plots to ruin the wedding by accusing the bride of infidelity. Suddenly, the celebration threatens to turn into a scandal.


Indecent Proposal

1994. Indecent Proposal

Romance Drama
6.0

19931h 57min

United States

Director: Adrian Lyne

A young couple, David and Diana, find themselves in serious financial trouble. Hoping to escape their debts, they travel to Las Vegas, where they meet a powerful billionaire named John. Captivated by Diana’s beauty, he makes the couple a shocking offer — one million dollars for a single night with her.


Mad Dog and Glory

1995. Mad Dog and Glory

Comedy Crime Romance Drama
6.2

19931h 36min

United States

Director: John McNaughton

Wayne Dobie is a shy cop whose low-key demeanor has earned him the affectionate nickname "Mad Dog." After Mad Dog saves the life of Frank Milo, a crime boss and aspiring stand-up comedian, he's offered the company of an attractive young waitress named Glory for a week. At first both are uneasy about the arrangement, but they eventually fall in love. However, the situation becomes complicated when Milo demands Glory back.


The Wedding Banquet

1996. The Wedding Banquet

Comedy Drama Romance
7.6

19931h 48min

Taiwan, United States

Director: Ang Lee

A Taiwanese-American man is happily settled in New York with his American boyfriend. He plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to keep his parents off his back and to get the woman a green card. Chaos follows when his parents arrive in New York for the wedding.


Untamed Heart

1997. Untamed Heart

Drama Romance
6.8

19931h 42min

United States

Director: Tony Bill

Caroline, a young waitress who seems to have bad taste in men, is on her way home one night when thugs attempt to rape her. Adam, the mysterious busboy who works at the same diner, helps fight off the assailants, and she begins a relationship with him -- but not all their fellow Minnesotans are happy for them. Meanwhile, the couple face their own difficulties when Caroline finds about Adam's past, including his unique health condition.


Groundhog Day

1998. Groundhog Day

Romance Fantasy Drama Comedy Romantic Comedy
8.0

19931h 41min

United States

Director: Harold Ramis

A narcissistic TV weatherman, along with his attractive-but-distant producer, and his mawkish cameraman, is sent to report on Groundhog Day in the small town of Punxsutawney, where he finds himself repeating the same day over and over.

Themes

Existential repetition, Romance vs manipulation, Search for meaning, Ethics of omniscience, Time loop as catalyst, Personal growth under pressure

Available on

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

Sommersby

1999. Sommersby

Drama Thriller Mystery Romance
6.3

19931h 49min

France, United States

Director: Jon Amiel

Set in the South just after the US Civil War, Laurel Sommersby is just managing to work the farm without her husband, believed killed in battle. By all accounts, Jack Sommersby was not a pleasant man, thus when he suddenly returns, Laurel has mixed emotions. It appears that Jack has changed a great deal, leading some people to believe that this is not actually Jack but an imposter. Laurel herself is unsure, but willing to take the man into her home, and perhaps later into her heart.


Arizona Dream

2000. Arizona Dream

Fantasy Comedy Drama Romance
7.2

19932h 22min

France

Director: Emir Kusturica

An Inuit hunter races his sled home with a fresh-caught halibut. This fish pervades the entire film, in real and imaginary form. Meanwhile, Axel tags fish in New York as a naturalist's gofer. He's happy there, but a messenger arrives to bring him to Arizona for his uncle's wedding. It's a ruse to get Axel into the family business. In Arizona, Axel meets two odd women: vivacious, needy, and plagued by neuroses and familial discord. He gets romantically involved with one, while the other, rich but depressed, plays accordion tunes to a gaggle of pet turtles.