While we’ve all long ago resigned ourselves to the fact that movies are in fact fictitious, and the breathtaking adventures we are whisked away to during those two hours are nothing more than the musings of talented screenwriters, we nonetheless feel a certain sense of attachment to the epic storylines of cinematic masterpieces. If it is truly a great film, you’ll walk away with a slight suspicion in the back of your mind that in an alternate realm, maybe something this wondrous could really happen—especially when it comes to romantic movies. It’s so easy to get swept up in the heartwrenching (and admittedly, outlandish) plots! Oh, if only these movies were more than imagination at play… still, we can’t help but be encouraged and enlightened by these five film scenes, which help to foster a notion that perhaps true love really does exist!
1. “Love is all you need” – Across the Universe
To truly understand the magnitude of emotion this scene invokes (notwithstanding the excellent musical choice), you have to watch the entire film to experience it. Jude and Lucy’s love saga is one for the ages, a romance that blossoms in the face of personal tragedy, changing times, and a country in the midst of a war nobody supported. While extraordinary circumstances threatened to tear apart these star-crossed lovers, in the end all they needed to reunite was a rooftop concert and the belief that all you really need is love. Ten extra brownie points for the fact that it’s a musical and features an all-Beatles soundtrack!
2. “I wish I knew how to quit you” – Brokeback Mountain
Not your average romantic soiree—but then again, that’s why this film won three Oscars and was nominated for five more. The tale of a forbidden love unlike any other—a budding gay romance amidst a society which not only disapproved of homosexuality, but would actively seek out violence against it. The film is a must see, not because of the steamy love scenes between Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, but because of its cinematography, poignant scenes and raw emotion. Get a Kleenex ready because this one is intense.
3. “I’m just as scared as you are” – Hitch
Okay, while this film isn’t exactly Oscar-worthy, we have to admit it’s quite a gesture when a guy literally jumps on top of your moving car just to make you understand how serious he is. Will Smith is in his comedic element in this film (just think of that dance scene with Kevin James) but it’s his turn to the tender side when he falls in love with Eva Mendes that has us ranking this bizarre yet oddly touching scene as one of the greats. Cheesy? Definitely. Clichéd? Probably. Worth the watch? Absolutely.
4. “It was like magic” – Sleepless in Seattle
This Nora Ephron classic is the quintessential romantic comedy, one you have to see at least once in your life (and probably a lot more than that). Rather than being a movie about love, it’s instead a comical satire of romantic films (in other words, a movie about love in the movies). The entire film circles around two people who live an entire country apart, who each have love interests of their own, and yet are somehow destined to fall in love. It is a film that simultaneously mocks the unrealistic expectations we have about finding “the one,” while it champions the idea in a climactic ending scene that will have you clutching your heart. Plus, you really cannot top Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
5. “To me you are perfect” – Love Actually
The reason this one ends our list is because it’s the only one on this list where the guy actually doesn’t get the girl in the end… and that’s okay. This scene serves to show that sometimes, the most beautiful displays of affection come from the most unexpected circumstances. A very young and clean-shaven Andrew Lincoln and equally inexperienced Keira Knightley take the cake for the most heartwrenching scene of a movie made up entirely of heartwrenching scenes. In a way, it’s beautiful because he doesn’t expect to win her heart—he knows she’s taken, he’s come to accept that and this is just his way of letting her know how he feels. There’s nothing more selfless than that, which is why we can’t help but melt into mush after watching this. Because true love doesn’t always mean happily ever after.
We’ll understand if you’ve just been converted to a sobbing mess on the floor.