The romance genre has been a staple of fiction since long before the first movies were made. Love's one of those rare universal themes, after all, and both romantics and cynics have always been able to find - and enjoy - different stories about fictional characters falling in (or out of) love. And like many broad genres, it's possible to combine romantic storylines with various other tried and true genres, which can add extra emotional engagement to a story, or otherwise ensure it attracts a wider audience.

Depending on one's definition of "romance," it might well be one of the most well-represented genres in cinema, thanks to the popularity of romantic subplots. However, when it comes to deciding the greatest romance movies of all time, it's best to focus on those films where the romance-focused aspect of the story feels like a priority. What follows are some of the best movies that emphasize - and thereby epitomize - the romance genre, and are ranked below from great to greatest.

40 'Jules and Jim' (1962)

Director: François Truffaut

Alongside Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut was perhaps the most famous of all French directors in the history of cinema (coincidentally, Goddard and Truffaut apparently didn’t get along, but that’s another story). Truffaut is likely best known for 1959’s The 400 Blows, a coming-of-age drama, but many of his films are definable as romantic dramedies, and in the latter category, Jules and Jim is one of his very best.

The two titular characters are friends living lives defined by youth and a carefree attitude (the whole thing taking place before World War I increases the sense of optimism), with both also falling for the same young woman, Catherine. Jules and Jim has a certain energy and vibrancy to it that prevents it from ever feeling too downbeat, though it’s perhaps one of the less outwardly comedic movies about romance that Truffaut made. Nevertheless, it should strike a chord for those who are young, those who remember being young, or those who still sometimes feel young at heart.

39 'The Band Wagon' (1953)

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Vincente Minnelli had a few types of movies that he generally stuck to making, and did them all very well. He could make melodramas, he was adept at romantic comedies, and he was perhaps most well-regarded for his classic musicals. The Band Wagon keeps things light overall, certainly staying away from melodrama but seeing Minnelli take on the romance, comedy, and musical genres all at once, and succeeding immensely.

It's a somewhat underappreciated movie, honestly scratching the same itch as better-known light-hearted musicals from the time, like Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris (Minnelli himself directed the latter, too). The Band Wagon is all about a doomed play that a fading film star takes part in to revitalize his career, but it’s all good-natured, much of it’s played for laughs, and there’s very little drama. It’s colorful, charming, funny, and has Fred Astaire at his toe-tapping best. What’s not to like?

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38 'Farewell to the Ark' (1984)

Director: Shūji Terayama

You can try to summarize Farewell to the Ark, if you want, but most attempts will be in vain. Broadly speaking, it does revolve around, let’s say, complicated love and desire, as well as loneliness, being haunted by the past, the fleeting nature of memory, the mysteries of time, and insanity. It also all takes place in a small locale so bizarre that it makes the town of Twin Peaks look like Normal, Illinois (yes, that’s the name of a real town; one assumes it’s quite normal there).

Farewell to the Ark isn’t, therefore, a traditional romance, but it looks at an unusual side of life while also unpacking complicated – yet relatable – themes within what could be called the fantasy genre. It’s obscure, haunting, calming, mysterious, nightmarish, and kind of beautiful all at once. It offers an experience that’s impossible to put into words but is certainly something; words and thoughts fail, but the feelings it’s able to cause are undeniable.

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37 'The Earrings of Madame de…' (1953)

Director: Max Ophüls

Given its status as a classic, it’s safe to say that there are a great many fans of The Earrings of Madame de…, but Wes Anderson ranks among the most high-profile. He’s got good taste, because this classic French romance/drama film takes a simple premise and milks a great deal of thematic complexity out of it, being about the consequences that follow the selling of an important pair of earrings for the purpose of getting out of some gambling debt.

The characters of The Earrings of Madame de… are generally wealthy, but nevertheless miserable in many ways, and find the privileges of their way of life diminish because of the continually building incidents the initial act of selling leads to. It might not sound gripping on paper, but its look at class and love – or lack thereof – is surprisingly riveting, and the control displayed when telling the central story is admirable, making the whole thing also feel timeless.

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36 'Tropical Malady' (2004)

Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

One of the more underrated romance/drama films of its decade, Tropical Malady is a film of two halves: one quite digestible, and the other more mysterious and open to interpretation. The first half of the movie follows a slow-building romance between two men in Thailand, while the second half shifts gears and mostly seems to be – at least on the surface – about tracking down a shaman in the jungle.

Whether one wants to take both stories separately or look into how the second one might thematically reference aspects of the first (albeit in a darker way), Tropical Malady is interesting, unsettling, and quite haunting, however you want to cut it. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s style is one that can be difficult to get a handle on, but Tropical Malady is probably the ideal entry point, with later films of his like Syndromes and a Century and Memoria also being compelling while having similar strange vibes.

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35 'Eat Drink Man Woman' (1994)

Director: Ang Lee

A Taiwanese/U.S. co-production with an Asian-led cast, Eat Drink Man Woman can count itself among the greatest within Ang Lee’s body of work, which is no small task. In essence, the plot of the film is rather simple, following three daughters of a widowed chef, exploring the bonds they have with their father and the ups and downs of all their love lives.

Eat Drink Man Woman is sometimes funny and sometimes a little heavy, but keeps things tonally balanced well while also successfully exploring the trials and tribulations of trying to make a relationship work while one is a young adult. Those in the mood for a great romantic dramedy ought to check it out, but fair warning: it’s the sort of movie best watched on a full stomach, because there’s so much delicious-looking food on-screen throughout that Eat Drink Man Woman is likely to make one feel starving by the end of it otherwise.

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34 'Past Lives' (2023)

Director: Celine Song

Past Lives is a sad sort of romance movie, intently focused on exploring what could have been rather than building up something that will presumably exist once the credits start rolling. The plot revolves around two adults who were once childhood friends reconnecting and perhaps feeling some sort of connection beyond friendship… which could cause complications, given that one of them has settled down and is herself married.

It's a slow film and an oftentimes quiet one, but Past Lives has the capacity to sneak up on you and prove disarming and surprisingly devastating. It’s a movie that needs one’s complete attention to really work, but those who can get on the film’s level will find it to be emotional like little else out there, with its overall mood and capacity to feel heartbreaking adding up to make it one of the very best releases of the 2020s so far.

33 'The Lovers on the Bridge' (1991)

Director: Leos Carax

Like Past Lives, The Lovers on the Bridge is another rather sad romance film, but unlike Past Lives, The Lovers on the Bridge is more soul-crushing and despairing than quietly bittersweet. It’s one of the more ambitious and in-your-face efforts from the always-interesting Leos Carax, and tells the story of two troubled vagrants who fall in love, all the while dealing with their respective lives falling apart in different ways.

There’s a grimness to The Lovers on the Bridge that makes it an oftentimes difficult movie to watch, and though it deals with love at its center, it definitely doesn’t feel like the kind of romance film that would make for a good date movie. It’s a movie that’s unapologetic about depicting hardships felt by the main characters and showing the more desperate/angry side of love, which is indeed a feeling that can itself inspire strong emotions, both good and bad.

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32 'Annie Hall' (1977)

Director: Woody Allen

Annie Hall is something of a landmark movie, distinguishing itself for being one of the most romance-focused movies to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and also for being one of the funniest Best Picture winners in Oscar history. Like a good many films about love, the storyline at its center is simple, with Annie Hall running for just over 90 minutes and showing how two people fall in - and then out of - love while living in New York City.

Plenty of great romantic movies are honest about love, but few released so long ago were quite as to the point and cutting as Annie Hall managed to be. It’s not exactly a cynical movie, and neither could it be called anti-love, but it’s keener than many romance films to show the upsetting side of love, and the way that sometimes, things just don’t work out, even if there’s nothing by way of a fiery meltdown or vicious confrontation to conclude things.

31 'All of Us Strangers' (2023)

Director: Andrew Haigh

An intoxicating blend of low fantasy, romance, and very hard-hitting drama that feels as though it could one day become a classic, All of Us Strangers is something truly special, and a film that lives up to the critical praise thrown its way. The story follows a man who finds himself reconnecting – somehow – with his long-dead parents, meeting them and discussing how his life turned out around the same time he also meets a younger man, and strikes up a relationship with him.

All of Us Strangers explores loneliness, love, and the way childhood shapes a person, all in a remarkably organic way while never coming across as silly or over-ambitious (and there are many points where the film could’ve gone off the rails in lesser hands). It’s emotional throughout, hitting particularly hard in the final act, and also features amazing performances from a surprisingly small cast of just four main actors: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy.

30 'Roman Holiday' (1953)

Director: William Wyler

Even if Roman Holiday didn't entirely invent the romantic comedy genre, it can be seen as a 1950s classic that at least helped reshape what audiences now know as a rom-com. It's sort of a modern fairytale, following a princess from Europe falling in love with an American reporter while they're both in Rome, following the brief series of adventures they have together.

It's a movie that remains incredibly charming and perfectly bittersweet, with the 70 years since its release doing nothing to sap it of its humor or emotional power. It also largely succeeds thanks to the chemistry between its stars, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, both of whom do some of their best work (which is really saying something) in this 1953 film; an undeniable classic of its genre.

29 'Love & Basketball' (2000)

Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Fans of basketball and romance will obviously be enamored with Love & Basketball, which is a sports movie, a dramedy, and a romance film all in one. The must-see sports rom-com movie centers on two long-time childhood friends who are both passionate about basketball, and find themselves having feelings for each other now that they've reached adulthood.

Like many romance-focused movies, Love & Basketball looks at the sacrifices or compromises that need to be made sometimes to make a partnership work, and grapples with whether other passions in life can (or sometimes should) take precedence. It explores such things well while balancing several different genres to great effect - including being something of a sports movie, as its title implies - overall offering a tremendous amount of entertainment value.

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28 'West Side Story' (1961)

Directors: Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins

Given West Side Story is a 20th-century update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it's fairly safe to say that it's perhaps not the best romance film to watch for those who like their stories about love free of tragedy. It's about two young people falling in love, despite being from very different walks of life; namely, each is associated with the members of a different street gang, with the two gangs having a fierce - and sometimes violent - rivalry.

West Side Story tells this epic, crime-related romance story while also being a genuinely great musical, filled to the brim with memorable songs and scenes of impressive dance choreography. It was very efficiently updated (and, in some key areas, improved) by a Steven Spielberg remake in 2021, but the original film version from 1961 is still the most essential and feels like more of a classic; time will tell, however, how future generations feel about the two takes on the same great story.

27 'Cold War' (2018)

Director: Paweł Pawlikowski

Cold War clocks in at under 90 minutes in total, and feels at once simple and complex. It's a slow-paced movie, and more or less focuses on a single, highly emotional romance between two unlikely lovers, but also has a unique, sometimes confounding flow to its various scenes, and also blends genres quite confidently throughout (it's a war film, a romance, a drama, and a music film).

Its technical qualities also make it stand out, thanks to the eye-catching black and white cinematography, as well as the fairly unique (at least for modern movies) aspect ratio of 1.37:1. It's odd and even perplexing, so perhaps not the most accessible romance film out there by any means, but Cold War is worth giving a chance for the goal of experiencing a truly singular movie.

26 'Away from Her' (2006)

Director: Sarah Polley

Filmmaker/ex-actress Sarah Polley might be best known for her 2012 documentary Stories We Tell and her 2022 feature film Women Talking, but her feature debut was the lesser-known 2006 romance film Away from Her. It's about an unlikely romance developing between two elderly people at a nursing home; one living with Alzheimer’s disease, and the other being a person who uses a wheelchair and is mute.

Naturally, given the subject matter, it's heavy-going stuff, but is likely to pack an emotional wallop for those who feel ready to experience such an intense story. Away from Her is tender and empathetic, too, handling the story at hand - and the character drama - with grace and care, as well as being noteworthy for containing one of the greatest performances ever given by legendary actress Julie Christie.

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25 'Beauty and the Beast' (1991)

Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Animated Disney movies don't get much more acclaimed than 1991's Beauty and the Beast, and it holds the distinction of being the first animated movie to ever get a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Its story is a familiar but well-told one, being about the unlikely romance that develops between a young woman and a prince who's been turned into a beast.

Of course, she's also his prisoner, at least early on. It could be all kinds of uncomfortable, but the story is handled surprisingly well, and it has that rare timeless quality that all the greatest Disney films have. It's a family-friendly animated movie that's funny, entertaining, and romantic, and certainly deserves its classic status. Similarly worth watching is 1946's live-action Beauty and the Beast, itself a film that's considerably better than the 2017 Disney live-action film.

24 'The Worst Person in the World' (2021)

Director: Joachim Trier

The Worst Person in the World is proof that not all great romance movies would necessarily make great date movies. That's because this Norwegian romantic dramedy is unafraid to get very real and surprisingly downbeat at times, following a young woman who's struggling with the professional and romantic sides of her life, and increasingly feeling like she doesn't have a place in a rapidly changing world.

To anyone who's intensely felt the struggles of being in your 20s or 30s while not having any idea where your life is going, it can be a cathartic watch. The Worst Person in the World does offer a great deal of commentary towards - and insight into - the difficulties of modern-day dating, and as such, is a fantastic movie that deals with the realities of romance... it's just not entirely romantic in a way that makes it a good date movie in the traditional sense. However, it can easily be called one of the best movies of the 2020s so far.

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23 'Gone with the Wind' (1939)

Director: Victor Fleming

Film fans will often point to 1939 being one of the greatest (or most important) years in cinema history, thanks to the high number of influential classics that were released during it. One of those historically significant titles is Gone with the Wind, a gargantuan film when it comes to things like runtime, scope, and box office intake.

Much of it takes place during the American Civil War, so while it feels like a historical drama/war film, the romance between the two lead characters - Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler - gets much of the focus. It's all very over-the-top and melodramatic (not to mention the non-romance parts of the movie can be uncomfortable for different reasons), but Gone with the Wind endures as a landmark romantic epic, and it builds to an ending that is admittedly legendary.

22 'Carol' (2015)

Director: Todd Haynes

One of the most compelling films directed by the always interesting and somewhat underrated Todd Haynes, Carol is a good film made great by two lead performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. It follows a younger woman falling in love with an older woman, though complications arise because the older woman's married, and this all happens during the far more conservative 1950s.

Carol is among the best romance films in recent memory for how it handles its story, feeling approachable while also staying away from clichés or overdone tropes. It also captures the period in history with great detail, and in case you need any more reasons to watch it, it's also a surprise Christmas movie, making it a perfect movie to watch for those feeling romantic during the holiday season.

21 'The Princess Bride' (1987)

Director: Rob Reiner

The Princess Bride is one of those movies that ends up feeling like it belongs in many genres, but balances all its various tones and genre elements incredibly well. At its core, though, it is ultimately a fairytale with a romance between a princess and a farmhand at its center, even if it's also a comedic and gently satirical take on fairytale adventures themselves.

It's surprising it works as well as it does, but the core romance plus the balance of everything else is what makes The Princess Bride an undeniable classic. Even if viewers initially find themselves like the grandson character ("Is this a kissing book?"), they'll likely be won over by the film's charms by the end. In fact, it might not even be too much of a stretch to label this beloved film one of the closest-to-perfect movies of all time.