We may earn a commission from links on this page.Love is hard, but movies? Movies are easy (well, watching them, at least). The trials and tribulations of modern dating and romance are inevitably going to feel, at one point or another, like they're way too much workso, by all means, let your favorite (or soon-to-be favorite) movie couples do the work for you. Some of these movies are funny, some spicy, and some are tear-jerkingly tragic, but they all have one thing in common: They're not you, so feel free to take a couple hours out of your real life and let some other people do the work for once.When Harry Met Sally (1989) An impressively realistic depiction of a long-term friendship that develops into romance, When Harry Met Sally is sweet, but not cloyingly so. A movie that includes the most famous orgasm (real or otherwise) in cinema history clearly has more on its mind than schmaltz. You can stream When Harry Met Sally on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video. When Harry Met Sally (1989) at Paramount+ Learn More Learn More at Paramount+ River (2023) We've all wished we could stop time in the hope of a few more days or a few more minutes with someone we care about, and this very charming sci-fi rom-com from Japanese director Junta Yamaguchi has a lot of fun with the idea. Mikoto (Riko Fujitani), waitress at a sleepy spa, wishes so hard for a little extra time with her boyfriend that it, seemingly, breaks time, forcing everyone to repeat the same two minutes over and over again while the staff try to keep their clients happy. One of my favorite comfort movies. You can stream River on Tubi and Prime Video. River (2023) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Love & Basketball (2000) Childhood friends Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) both have hopes of playing professional basketball, life getting in the way of their sports dreams as well as their increasing mutual attraction. The movie takes place over a number of years, and the searing chemistry between the leads makes it impossible not to cheer them on. You can stream Love & Basketball on Max and Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. Love & Basketball (2000) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max The Apartment (1960) This very dark satire of greed and misogyny, '60s-style, throws together Jack Lemmon's Bud Baxter and Shirley MacLaine's Fran Kubelik as two of the purest but most damaged souls at a New York City insurance company. He's an up-and-comer without a killer instinct but with an apartment that higher-ups like to use for trysts, while she's an elevator operator having an affair with the boss. Their relationship is hard-won, but director Billy Wilder's absolute classic makes clear that love is worth sacrifice. You can stream The Apartment on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. The Apartment (1960) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Brief Encounter (1945) David Lean's beautiful, and very British, romance finds a married doctor (Trevor Howard) and a suburban housewife (Celia Johnson) meeting at a train station, kicking off a passionate emotional affair that each knows is doomed. A classic of love and longing from director David Lean. You can stream Brief Encounter on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Prime Video. Brief Encounter (1945) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Dirty Dancing (1987) Baby (Jennifer Grey) falls for her dance instructor (Patrick Swayze) at a Catskills retreat in the 1960s. It's a blend of the believable with the silly, and it has no business working as well as it does. You can stream Dirty Dancing on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video. Dirty Dancing (1987) Learn More Learn More The Best Man (1999) Writer and bachelor Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs) is determined to hide from his friends the fact that his new bestseller is based on their messy livesall the more complicated as they're all about to gather for a wedding. Everyone gradually realizes that they're characters is a saucy novel, and each has to decide if they like what they've readthat includes Harper, dealing with the consequences of his choices involving his girlfriend Robyn (Sanaa Lathan) and his old flame Jordan (Nia Long) You can rent The Best Man from Prime Video. The Best Man (1999) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video His Girl Friday (1940) Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are a couple of ambitious reporters involved in a murder case in this fast-talking screwball comedy (my favorite of that genre) from Howard Hawks. Forced to work together, the divorced couple gradually find their ways back to each otherbut not without plenty of incredibly sharp dialogue and sass. You can stream His Girl Friday on Tubi and Prime Video. His Girl Friday (1940) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Mississippi Masala (1991) Mina's (Sarita Choudhury) Ugandan-Indian family has relocated to Mississippi after Idi Amin's expulsion of Asians, surviving and trying to thrive despite the resulting clash of cultures. Mina falls for carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington), a young carpet cleaner, triggering a feud between their families that spreads to the local community. Mira Nair's movie is as much about these two convincing characters as it is about racial tensions, though, and their relationship is also thoroughly sexy. You can stream Mississippi Masala on The Criterion Channel and Max or rent it from Prime Video. Mississippi Masala (1991) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Carol (2015) A glance across a department store in 1953 puts wealthy Carol (Cate Blanchett) on a path to forbidden romance with a young photographer (Rooney Mara). Lush and eloquent, it's justifiably regarded as one of cinema's greatest queer romances. You can stream Carol on Netflix, Tubi, The Criterion Channel, and Prime Video. Carol (2015) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Remains of the Day (1993) The tears start welling in my eyes when I think of the repressed affections between stuffy English butler Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) and the housekeeper Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson). Their love non-affair simmers against a backdrop of their employer's increasing acquiescence to rising European fascism, and Hopkins and Thompson have never been better. You can rent The Remains of the Day from Prime Video. The Remains of the Day (1993) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967) A great American film from Melvin Van Peebles that takes some smart cues from the French New Wave, The Story of a Three-Day Pass follows Turner (Harry Baird), a Black United States Army G.I. in France, who spends a weekend with a white shop clerk named Miriam (Nicole Berger). The movie doesn't in any way soft-pedal the implications of this interracial romance, contrasting reactions among Parisians with the harsher assessments of Turner's comrades, but the necessarily brief affair is, nevertheless, lovely and entirely believable. You can stream The Story of a Three-Day Pass on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. The Story of a Three-Day Pass (1967) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Moonstruck (1987) It still seems surprising that Cher and Nicholas Cage make up one of American cinema's most beloved couples, but here we are. Young widow Loretta Castorini throws off convention, family tradition, and her boyfriend in order to smack around a sweaty baker. It's glorious. You can stream Moonstruck on Tubi, The Criterion Channel, and Prime Video. Moonstruck (1987) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Moulin Rouge! (2001) Romance and tragedy done in extravagant Baz Luhrmann style against a jukebox of pop songs. The movie is almost overwhelming in its incomparable bigness, but still capable of wresting tears. You can stream Moulin Rouge! on Hulu. Moulin Rouge! (2001) at Hulu Learn More Learn More at Hulu Your Name (2016) Two Japanese high school students intermittently swap bodies after viewing the same comet, gradually falling in love not directly, but by experiencing the life of the other. An all-time-great anime and among the most beautifully animated. You can stream Your Name on Crunchyroll. Your Name (2016) at Crunchyroll Learn More Learn More at Crunchyroll God's Own Country (2017) Self-absorbed Yorkshire sheep farmer Johnny (Josh O'Connor) gets some seasonal help from Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe. With very little in common, the two soon learn that sex is great, but maybe emotional connection is even better. You can rent God's Own Country from Prime Video. God's Own Country (2017) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Casablanca (1942) What's left to be said about Casablanca, the World War II romantic love triangle starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid? A stunningly photographed story about the sacrifices required to fight fascism. You can stream Casablanca on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Casablanca (1942) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max In the Mood for Love (2000) Wong Kar-wai's lush, extravagant story of sex and yearning finds Chow (Tony Leung) and Su (Maggie Cheung) developing feelings for each other after their spouses have affairs. The '60s-set movie is much more than just style, but that style is impeccable. You can stream In the Mood for Love on Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. In the Mood for Love (2000) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Love Jones (1997) What seems at the outset like a conventional love story, the movie finds aspiring writer Darius (Larenz Tate) and photographer Nina (Nia Long) forming an instant bond after meeting at a club. The resulting, complicated relationship is endearing, but tempestuous in believable ways, leading to an impressively unexpected conclusion. You can rent Love Jones from Prime Video. Love Jones (1997) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) There are a couple of love stories in the margins of Ang Lee's martial arts masterpiece (and international blockbuster), but the most poignant is in the central story of retiring swordsman Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) and his confidante and associate, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). Despite a mutual traction, honor and loyalty keep the two apart until a lovely, tear-soaked final act. You can stream Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on Max or rent it from Prime Video. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max Paris Blues (1961) Against the backdrop of a comparatively more open, less overtly racist backdrop of 1960s Paris, the film stars Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman as a couple of American expats and musicians living in the City of Lights. The two find themselves caught up in romance with a couple of tourists (Diahann Carroll and Joanne Woodward), drawn in by the allure of the city and the two women, but struggling with the idea of getting serious and returning to the United States, which would have life and career consequences for both men. You can stream Paris Blues on Tubi and Prime Video. Paris Blues (1961) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Up (2009) The poignant (OK: heartbreaking) romance at the center of Up is really only seen in a short sequencebut it's the center of gravity around which the movie spins. Ed Asher plays cantankerous widower Carl Fredricksen who finds an unlikely ally in a 13-year-old wilderness explorer in his plan to relocate his entire house to Paradise Falls in South America to honor his late wife. You can stream Up on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video. Up (2009) Learn More Learn More Boy Meets Girl (2014) A beautifully acted, very sweet rom-com starring Michelle Hendley as Ricky Jones, a young trans woman looking for loveand also a way out of her barista job in Kentucky. She dreams of moving to New York City to go to school for fashion design, dreams she shares with her bestie, Robby (Michael Welch). The arrival of Francesca (Alexandra Turshen) in Ricky's life triggers both a passionate affair while also forcing Robby to reckon with long-simmering feelings. You can stream Boy Meets Girl on Tubi and Prime Video. Boy Meets Girl (2014) Learn More Learn More Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) A rom-com that is, by turns, silly, musical, and deeply poignant, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (the title doesn't really translate, but it's literally "something something happens") is a classic of the '90s rom-com form, done with ebullient Indian style. A deceased mother's letters to her daughter leads her to track down her dad's old flame, mother and daughter conspiring across the years to give Dad the freedom to love again. Shah Rukh Khan leads the all-star cast. You can stream Kuch Kuch Hota Hai on Netflix and Prime Video. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Weekend (2011) The beautifully acted drama stars Tom Cullen and Chris New as a couple of guys who meet for a hookup, and then wind up staying around for the titular weekend. It's not the story of a long-term romance, as you might have guessed, but it is about the connections people can make even when time is limited. You can stream Weekend on AMC+ and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. Weekend (2011) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Holiday (1938) There are some absolutely indelible pairings between Katherine Hepburn and her long-time life and screen partner Spencer Tracy, but I still slightly prefer her chemistry with Cary Grant in this George Cukor classic. Grant's Johnny Case has risen from a humble start to make enough money that he's just looking promising enough to marry Julia, daughter of an extravagantly wealthy and ambitious New York family. Enter Julia's unconventional sister, Linda (Hepburn), who forces Johnny to rethink his impending marriage and the entire course of his life. You can rent Holiday from Prime Video. Holiday (1938) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video