I love, love; really anything to do with romance, I am all about it. Songs, articles, television shows, movies, you name it, if it’s about two people falling head over heels for each other I know all about it. I am also a movie buff, so I have seen almost all of the greatest romance movies. So if you are searching for sappy classics to watch with your sweetie or your squad, I have just the list for you!
The Notebook (2004)
Obviously, this is a must watch when binging romance movies. Based on the book by Nicholas Sparks (a must read) is a film that will bring you to tears and make you smile ear to ear.
In 1940s South Carolina, mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) are desperately in love. But her parents do not approve of her new love interest. When Noah goes off to serve in World War II, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. In the interim, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). But when Noah returns to their small town years later, on the cusp of Allie’s marriage, it soon becomes clear that their romance is anything but over.
Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
This 1990’s romance is a classic love story and will not disappoint.
After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Mallinger). When Jonah calls into a talk-radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.
Definitely, Maybe (2008)
Any movie starring Ryan Reynolds is a must-see. This is the perfect tearjerker that has an ending with a twist.
Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), a thirtysomething Manhattanite, is in the middle of divorce proceedings when his young daughter (Abigail Breslin) asks him about his life before marriage, including how he met and fell in love with her mother. Will flashes back to 1992 and recounts his romances with three women, changing their names so that his daughter must guess which one became his wife.
P.S. I Love You (2007)
Ugh. Just thinking about this movie makes me teary-eyed. Such a great film. Watch it over and over.
When Gerry (Gerard Butler), the husband of Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank), dies from an illness, she loses the love of her life. Knowing how hard Holly will take his death, Gerry plans ahead. Beginning on her 30th birthday, she receives the first in a series of letters written by him, designed to ease her grief and encourage her to move forward to a new life.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Another wonderful classic.
In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.
50 First Dates (2004)
♫ “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were older?” No? Okay, watch this, it’s funny and romantic.
Playboy vet Henry sets his heart on romancing Lucy, but she has short-term memory loss; she can’t remember anything that happened the day before. So every morning, Henry has to woo her again. Her friends and family are very protective, and Henry must convince them that he’s in it for love.
Me Before You (2016)
Another movie based off a great book. A little on the sadder sad, but still one of the cutest.
Young and quirky Louisa “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke) moves from one job to the next to help her family make ends meet. Her cheerful attitude is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will’s cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined.
Brooklyn (2015)
This is one of the better romance movies that has come out in the last five years.
Young Irish immigrant Eilis Lace (Saoirse Ronan) navigates her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her past disrupts her new vivacity, and Eilis must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Another great film starring Rachel McAdams. An interesting love story that has been making people cry for the last ten years.
Chicago librarian Henry De Tamble (Eric Bana) suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of his sojourns, he meets the love of his life, Claire (Rachel McAdams), and they marry. But the problems and complexities of any relationship are multiplied by Henry’s inability to remain in one time and place so that he and his beloved are continually out of sync.
Leap Year (2010)
This movie is based in Ireland, so you know it’s going to be good.
When yet another anniversary passes without a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, Anna (Amy Adams) decides to take action. Aware of a Celtic tradition that allows women to pop the question on Feb. 29, she plans to follow her lover to Dublin and ask him to marry her. Fate has other plans, however, and Anna winds up on the other side of the Emerald Isle with handsome, but surely, Declan (Matthew William Goode) — an Irishman who may just lead Anna down the road to true love.
Valentine’s Day (2010)
V-Day may have passed already, but you can still watch this fun romance. One of my faves!
In a series of interconnected stories, various Los Angeles residents (Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper) wend their way through the highs and lows of love during a single day. As the holiday unfolds, they experience first dates, longtime commitments, youthful crushes and connections to old flames.
Forever My Girl (2018)
Fresh out of theaters and definitely a tear-jerker.
A music superstar reunites with his first love and realizes the steep price he has paid for his success. An uplifting and emotional romance based on the novel by Heidi McLaughlin. Liam Page (Alex Roe) and his high-school sweetheart Josie Preston (Jessica Rothe) were a golden couple of Saint Augustine, Louisiana, until Liam left her at the altar for a shot at fame and fortune. Eight years later, Liam returns to his tiny hometown for the first time as a world-famous recording artist, but not even his own father is thrilled to see him. As he tries to rebuild the bridges he burned years earlier, Liam reconnects with his small-town roots, his close-knit community, and Josie, the girl he left behind.
Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
One of the cutest love stories out there. This film makes you wish you could be struck by lightning.
New York fashion designer Melanie (Reese Witherspoon) suddenly finds herself engaged to the city’s most eligible bachelor. But Melanie’s past holds many secrets, including Jake (Josh Lucas), the redneck husband she married in high school, who refuses to divorce her. Bound and determined to end their relationship once and for all, Melanie sneaks back home to Alabama to confront her past, only to discover that you can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl.
The list could go on and on, but I’ll cut it off here. So grab your extra buttery popcorn and a box of tissues and hit the screen. You will not be disappointed.