The Best Romantic Movies, Ranked By How Swoon-Worthy They Are
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Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or loved-up in a long-term relationship, everyone enjoys watching romantic movies. Fact.
It’s especially satisfying on Valentine’s Day, and the most romantic day of the year is set to be a whole lot more romantic in 2020 because man of our hearts, Osher Günsberg, is hosting a special V-Day concert. Osher’s teaming up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for A Valentine’s To Remember, a live show that will see the orchestra play music from some of our fave romantic movies.
So, what better time to rank iconic romance movies? Obviously, I’m qualified to create this objective list because I spend all my free time on Netflix and have been in at least one successful relationship.
Here are the best romantic movies, ranked by how much they make us believe in love:
#10 Gone With The Wind
Scarlett O’Hara is a petty queen and can’t decide who she loves and hates – that’s relatable. The movie that gave us the iconic line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn” might not have a happy ending, but it’s definitely romantic. Does every character have a relationship at some point during this movie, like a demented Venn diagram of lovers and exes?
#9 Isn’t It Romantic
Hear me out: shirtless Liam Hemsworth. It’s crazy that image alone didn’t rocket this movie to the top of the list, tbh.
Isn’t Is Romantic pays homage to everything from Pretty Woman to Suddenly 30. It’s dumb, fun, and makes us swoon because of the previously mentioned shirtless Hemsworth brother.
#8 Out Of Africa
Any movie with Meryl Streep and Robert Redford is totally swoon-worthy, and that’s just science. These two could make the Bachelor chocolate bath sexy.
It’s another heartbreaker, but their will-they, won’t-they romance will win over anyone who thinks that love is dead.
#7 Pride and Prejudice
Was Elizabeth Bennet the original leading lady of love? Unclear, but we stan the woman who gets her own one-man wet t-shirt competition. Mr Darcy walked out of the lake shirtless so Liam Hemsworth could walk out of the shower shirtless.
We’re still getting over the fact that the 2005 movie didn’t include this scene from the original series, but even we can agree that, despite this oversight, the movie is much better.
#6 Up
Yep, the movie about a boomer who ties balloons to his house and teams up with a Wilderness Explorer and a talking dog to stop a supervillain is a romantic movie.
Somehow, the four-minute montage of Carl and Ellie’s life together, accompanied by zero dialogue and a piece of music called (quite ominously) ‘Married Life’ makes us feel more emotions than videos of dogs being reunited with their owners ever could.
#5 Titanic
More than 20 years later, people are still debating whether there was space on the door for Jack (there definitely was). But whether there was or wasn’t (there was) doesn’t really matter.
What matters is that Leo, Kate, Celine Dion and the front of the boat are one of the all-time greatest movie romances.
#4 Romeo + Juliet
Another tragic end for Leonardo DiCaprio, but Romeo+Juliet is another romantic movie that made us all write his name inside little heart drawings in our high school notebooks.
Did you know the scene where Leo and Claire Danes flirt from across the fish tank is solely responsible for inventing love at first sight?
#3 La La Land
A movie where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone fall in love via song and dance is simply made to be swooned at, bb.
Just putting it out there, Ryan Gosling should play a jazz musician in every movie. The Notebook rain scene is so 2000-and-late, but give the man a piano and a chorus of dancing back-up singers and suddenly my skin is clear, my student debt is repaid, and I believe in love again.
#2 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
This movie single-handedly saved romance when it introduced the world to Noah Centineo. It’s about as swoon-worthy as they come.
Truly though, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a refreshingly sweet teen romance movie. Maybe we’ve been wasting our time on dating apps. Maybe we’d all be a lot more loved-up if we got fake boyfriends who accidentally, but inevitably, fall in love with us. Makes you think.
#1 Love Actually
If you don’t think Love Actually is the most swoon-worthy movie ever made, then you are wrong and I’m sorry that your life is devoid of romance. Kidding! But I’m not kidding about Love Actually topping this ranking, because it’s like eight romantic movies packed into one, and it stars Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson.
The fact that it’s also a Christmas movie makes it even more romantic. There’s something about watching people pursue the great love of their lives, surrounded by tinsel while Chrissy carols that makes you believe love exists, and one day you’ll have your own holiday romance that’s worthy of a Love Actually sequel.
No matter what you think the best romantic movie is, I think we can all agree: all anybody ever wants is to be swept off their feet while an orchestra swells behind them and the closing credits start to roll.
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Hear songs from your favourite romantic films performed live by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at A Valentine’s to Remember, hosted by Osher Günsberg. Book your tickets now at sydneysymphony.com
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(Lead image: zzzdim via Adobe Stock)