Star-crossed lovers, hopeless romantics, or just unlucky in love. Valentine’s Day films are not just about head-over-heels happy endings. That would be a bit on the boring side. The films that have captivated the romantic genre are the ones about heartache, bad timing, yearning and the strong forces that keep true lovers apart.
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Rick and Ilsa, portrayed by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, from Casablanca, and Chow Mo-wan & Su Li-zhen from In the Mood For Love all have to overcome their hearts’ desire as forces they can’t control keep them apart as time and fate lead to their ultimate betrayal.
As we tangoed and groaned our way out of the 80s with Dirty Dancing and When Harry Met Sally, the 90s exploded with romcom fever as Julia Robert solidified herself as the darling of romance with Pretty Woman and Notting Hill. Classic films include Chasing Amy; Ghost; 10 Things I Hate About You; Titanic; The Bodyguard; Boomerang, Cry-Baby and the marvelous Muriel’s Wedding.
Today, film studios have become more progressive, opening the doors to queer films such as Portrait of a Lady on Fire; Brokeback Mountain and Call Me By Your Name.
Scroll through our picks for Deadlines’ top 50 classic Valentine’s films.
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THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, 2021
Image Credit: Neon Dir. Joachim Trier, starring Renate Reinsve, Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum.
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PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, 2019
Image Credit: Neon/ Everett Collection Dir. Céline Sciamma, starring Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel.
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CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, 2017
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Classics Dir. Luca Guadagnino, starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer.
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YOUR NAME. (KIMI NO NA WA.) 2016
Image Credit: Amuse Dir. Makoto Shinkai, starring Ryûnosuke Kamiki (voice), Mone Kamishiraishi (voice) and Ryô Narita (voice).
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LA LA LAND, 2016
Image Credit: Dale Robinette/Summit Entertainment Dir. Damien Chazelle, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.
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THE LOVE WITCH, 2016
Image Credit: Oscilloscope/Everett Collection Dir. Anna Biller, starring Samantha Robinson.
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HER, 2013
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures/Everett Collection Dir. Spike Jonze, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson (voice).
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500 DAYS OF SUMMER, 2009
Image Credit: Fox Searchlight Dir. Marc Webb, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.
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LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, 2007
Image Credit: MGM/Everett Collection Dir. Craig Gillespie, starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider.
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THE CORPSE BRIDE, 2005
Image Credit: Warner Brothers/Everett Collection Dir. Tim Burton & Mike Johnson, starring Johnny Depp (voice), Helena Bonham Carter (voice) and Emily Watson (voice).
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ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, 2005
Image Credit: IFC Films/Everett Collection Dir. Miranda July, starring John Hawkes, Miranda July and Miles Thompson.
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ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, 2004
Image Credit: Focus Features Dir. Michel Gondry, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.
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AMELIE, 2001
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Audrey Tautou and Mathieu Kassovitz.
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BRIDGET JONES’S DIARY, 2001
Image Credit: Miramax/Everett Collection Dir. Sharon Maguire, starring Renee Zellweger Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.
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IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, 2000
Image Credit: USA Films/ Online USA/Getty Dir. Kar-Wai Wong, starring Maggie Cheung, Li-zhen and Tony Leung.
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NOTTING HILL, 1999
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Roger Michell, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts.
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10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, 1999
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Gil Junger, starring Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Julia Stiles.
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HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, 1998
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Film Dir. Kevin Rodney Sullivan, starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs.
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CHASING AMY, 1997
Image Credit: Miramax Films Dir. Kevin Smith, starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee.
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TITANIC, 1997
Image Credit: Merie W. Wallace/20th Century Fox Dir. James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
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ROMEO AND JULIET, 1996
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Dir. Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes.
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BEFORE SUNRISE, 1995
Image Credit: Gabriela Brandenstein/Columbia /Everett Collection Dir. Richard Linklater, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.
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THE DOOM GENERATION, 1995
Image Credit: Trimark/Everett Collection Dir. Gregg Araki, starring Rose McGowan, James Duval and Johnathon Schaech.
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MURIEL’s WEDDING, 1994
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. P.J. Hogan, starring Rachel Griffiths, Daniel Lapaine, Toni Collette and Bill Hunter.
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CHUNGKING EXPRESS, 1994
Image Credit: Miramax Films/Everett Collection Dir. Kar-Wai Wong, starring Faye Wong, Brigitte Lin, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung.
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BOOMERANG, 1992
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Dir. Reginald Hudlin, starring Halle Berry and Eddie Murphy.
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THE BODYGUARD, 1992
Image Credit: Warner Brothers/ Everett Collection Dir. Mick Jackson, starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.
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CRY-BABY, 1990
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. John Waters, starring Johnny Depp, Divine, Traci Lords and Ricki Lake.
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GHOST, 1990
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Dir. Jerry Zucker, starring Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg.
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PRETTY WOMAN, 1990
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Garry Marshall, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
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WILD AT HEART, 1990
Image Credit: Samuel Goldwyn/Everett Collection Dir. David Lynch, starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern.
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WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, 1989
Image Credit: Columbia/Everett Collection Dir. Rob Reiner, starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
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THE LITTLE MERMAID, 1989
Image Credit: Walt Disney Pictures/Everett Collection Dir. starring Voice artists Jodi Benson, Samuel E. Wright and Edan Gross.
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DIRTY DANCING, 1987
Image Credit: Artisan Entertainment Dir. Emile Ardolino, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
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FATAL ATTRACTION, 1987
Image Credit: Paramount/Everett Collection Dir. Adrian Lyne, starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas.
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SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, 1986
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Spike Lee, starring Tracy Camilla Johns and Spike Lee.
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PARIS, TEXAS, 1984
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Dir. Wim Wenders, starring Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassia Kinski.
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GREASE, 1978
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/Everett Collection Dir. Randal Kleiser, starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta.
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ANNIE HALL, 1977
Image Credit: Getty Images Dir. Woody Allen, starring Diane Keaton and Woody Allen.
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A STAR IS BORN, 1976
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Frank Pierson, starring Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand.
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THE GRADUATE, 1967
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Mike Nichols, starring, Dustin Hoffman, Katharine Ross and Anne Bancroft.
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BONNIE AND CLYDE, 1967
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Arthur Penn, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
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THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, 1964
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Jacques Demy, starring Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo.
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WEST SIDE STORY, 1961
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. starring George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn, David Winters, Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno.
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BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, 1961
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Blake Edwards, starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard and Patricia Neal.
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BREATHLESS, 1960
Image Credit: StudioCanal Dir. Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg and Daniel Boulanger.
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LA DOLCE VITA, 1960
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Federico Fellini, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg.
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CARMEN JONES, 1954
Image Credit: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images Dir. Otto Preminger, starring Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge.
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CASABLANCA, 1942
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. Michael Curtiz, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.
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GONE WITH THE WIND, 1939
Image Credit: Everett Collection Dir. starring Vivien Leigh, Hattie McDaniel and Clark Gable.