{"id":4002,"date":"2025-02-01T08:20:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-01T08:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/?p=4002"},"modified":"2026-01-22T11:05:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T11:05:22","slug":"10-romantic-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/2025\/02\/01\/10-romantic-movies\/","title":{"rendered":"10 romantic movies to add to your watch list this Valentine\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Valentine\u2019s Day is just around the corner, which means love stories old and new are taking over our screens.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahead of 14 February, film lecturer Dr Ben Lamb has put together a special watch list with 10 must-see romantic movies which are guaranteed to get you right in the feels. <\/span><\/p>\n

Spoiler alert \u2013 Leonardo DiCaprio makes two appearances while Tom Hanks is nowhere to be seen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guest blog: Ben Lamb<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Senior Lecturer in Media at Teesside University, Dr Ben Lamb shares his top ten romantic movies to be enjoyed on Valentine\u2019s Day and always.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

10) Roman Holiday (1953) – view on Paramount+<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing quite like a holiday romance, and there is certainly no better film that deals with it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gregory Peck plays a reporter keen for a scoop and Audrey Hepburn, who won an Oscar for this performance, plays Princess Ann. <\/span><\/p>\n

Both lost souls, weary with their lot in life, are able to put their titles aside and spend 24 hours together within the bewildering streets of Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hepburn\u2019s most iconic film Breakfast At Tiffany\u2019s (1961) as well as other holiday romances Before Sunrise (1995) and Lost in Translation (2003) are well worth a watch too.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

9) When Harry Met Sally (1989) – view on BBC iPlayer<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to rom coms, this is the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through twelve years of chance encounters between Billy Crystal\u2019s Harry and Meg Ryan\u2019s Sally, this film asks the age-old question: “Can men and women ever just be friends?”<\/span><\/p>\n

Prepare yourself for one of the funniest lines in cinema history. It\u2019ll provide a whole new meaning to the term: “I\u2019ll have what she\u2019s having.”<\/span><\/p>\n

And watch this space for a sequel, which Meg Ryan teased via Instagram<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

8) Brief Encounter (1945) – view on ITVX<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally a one-act play, Noel Coward\u2019s screenplay is brought to life by the greatest director the UK has ever produced – David Lean. <\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s dated and a bit twee and the child actors are truly awful. But somehow this film still feels refreshingly contemporary as it explores whether middle-class housewife Laura, trapped in a loveless marriage, can forge a new life with the young, dashing and caring Alec. <\/span><\/p>\n

Watch it to find out…<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

7) Her (2013) – view on Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If a man falls in love with AI on his smartphone, does it still count as love? If the phone can experience feelings, is the love reciprocal? <\/span><\/p>\n

These philosophical questions posed by writer, director and producer Spike Jonze feel even more relevant today as artificial intelligence continues to dominate our lives. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tender, tragic and genuinely moving – this is one of those rare romantic films your significant other will enjoy just as much as you. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is Joaquin Phoenix at his career-best playing a loveable misfit (before things got extreme with The Joker), it could be one of Scarlett Johansson\u2019s best performances. There\u2019s not many out there who could provide such an empathetic performance through their voice alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you enjoy this, you may also like the slightly quirkier Lars and the Real Girl (2007), which sees a very young Ryan Gosling fall in love with a blow-up doll.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

6) Romeo + Juliet (1996) – view on Disney+<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are arguably much better and more faithful adaptations – see Franco Zeffirelli\u2019s 1968 version. But this is the film that made Shakespeare cool.<\/span><\/p>\n

To me, it is the most important adaptation, having ensured that the bard remained popular with young people at the turn of yet another century. I have fond memories of watching it in my English secondary school classes, and I\u2019m sure you do too.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you like young love stories, then I also recommend the worldwide box office smash Titanic (1997) and the lesser-known Gregory\u2019s Girl (1980).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

5) Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) – view on Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m throwing it back 30 years (has it really been 30 years?!) to the pi\u00e8ce de r\u00e9sistance for Hugh Grant and his curtain bangs.<\/span><\/p>\n

He and writer Richard Curtis singlehandedly created the template for the modern British rom com with Four <\/span>Weddings and a Funeral.<\/span><\/p>\n

The story follows the loves and losses of a close-knit group of friends and centres on the relationship between Hugh Grant\u2019s Charles and a starry-eyed American who caught his eye. <\/span>It\u2019ll make you laugh and cry out loud – often in the same scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

See also anything written by Richard Curtis, starring Hugh Grant or produced by Working Title films.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4) The Notebook (2004) – view on Amazon Prime Video<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up is the film that saw Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams win the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss. And for good reason; their on-screen chemistry was off the charts.<\/span><\/p>\n

In The Notebook, the love story of country boy Noah, played by Gosling, and city girl Allie, played by McAdams, unfolds as a kind-hearted nursing home resident recounts it to a fellow patient.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Notebook is a total tear-jerker, so it\u2019s the perfect watch for when we need a cathartic release.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3) Carol (2015) – view on Netflix<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Gradually, the film industry is improving. And after a hundred years of heterosexual romance films, we are beginning to see movies with same-sex relationships not only get commissioned but also receive the highest film accolades. <\/span><\/p>\n

I cannot put it better than The Guardian, which said: “Todd Haynes\u2019s 50s-set drama in which Cate Blanchett\u2019s divorcing woman falls for Rooney Mara\u2019s doe-eyed shop assistant is an intoxicating triumph.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Another triumph is Moonlight (2016), which I implore you to see next.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2) Jules et Jim (1962) – view on BFI Player<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Love is not a concept exclusive to English language films, so settle down to watch the original throuple in French classic Jules et Jim.<\/span><\/p>\n

See the 30-year friendship between Austrian biologist Jules and Parisian writer Jim evolve when alluring Catherine makes the duo a trio.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1) Pretty Woman (1990) – view on Disney+<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

No list of romantic films would be complete without the iconic duo Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, who commanded the box office at this time of year for generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s undoubtedly a dated picture. <\/span><\/span>Nevertheless, it\u2019s an interesting watch as Edward, a rich entrepreneur, falls for his escort, Vivian, and they try to bridge the gap between their two worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking for more from Gere and Roberts? I\u2019d suggest An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and My Best Friend\u2019s Wedding (1997).<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s on your Valentine\u2019s Day watch list? Let us know in the comments…<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Valentine\u2019s Day is just around the corner, which means love stories old and new are taking over our screens. Ahead of 14 February, film lecturer Dr Ben Lamb has put together a special watch list with 10 must-see romantic movies which are guaranteed to get you right in the feels. Spoiler alert \u2013 Leonardo DiCaprio … Continue reading “10 romantic movies to add to your watch list this Valentine\u2019s Day”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25094,"featured_media":4005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[231,233,230,232,229,213],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/files\/2025\/01\/wes-cain-pgEnnMhreJ0-unsplash.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4002"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4037,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4002\/revisions\/4037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.tees.ac.uk\/talkingteesside\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}