35 Best Romantic Movies Streaming [December 2023]

We love romance movies so much that we're willing to run through the rain just for the chance to make a heartfelt confession of our feelings. After all, it's easier than writing a love song to perform on acoustic guitar. And do you know how hard it is these days to convince airport security to let you through just so you can declare your love to someone right before they get on a plane? We'll take the rain, thanks. So imagine us suitably drenched in the best, most satisfyingly cliché fashion as we admit that we love all this stuff. Our favorite romance movies range from silly high-concept farces to bittersweet weepies and include everything in between. Best of all, we have several decades' worth of charmers to draw on, giving us a selection of romance films that spans both the classics and the movies that are expanding the genre in new directions.

Updated on December 4, 2023: Some romances are married to their streaming services, but others just flirt with them occasionally. We'll keep track of which is which and update this list every month to make sure it always reflects the best love stories streaming right now.

Shakespeare comes to high school with "10 Things I Hate About You," a sweet-tart updating of "The Taming of the Shrew." Bad boy Patrick agrees to romance the acerbic, independent Kat so that her overprotective father will let her younger sister, Bianca, date the doe-eyed Cameron ... or the far less sincere Joey. While Patrick first takes Kat out just for the money, the two social outsiders soon start developing a real connection, but can it outlast the revelation about the dating scheme? This is one of the top teen romances, especially thanks to its unbeatable cast.

• Starring: Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
• Director: Gil Junger
• Year: 1999
• Runtime: 97 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%

The quirky, warm, and wildly funny "Always Be My Maybe" is a romance that doubles as a slow-burn coming-of-age story. Marcus and Sasha are inseparable as kids, and it's easy to see how perfectly they complement each other — but when their friendship escalates to sex and romance, it does so at the worst possible time. They don't reconnect again until they're adults, when Sasha is a high-powered chef and Marcus is an amiable slacker musician. She needs help reclaiming her sense of home, he needs help taking risks, and they both need each other. The movie's laid-back charm is enhanced by a hilarious meta performance from Keanu Reeves.

• Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves
• Director: Nahnatchka Khan
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

You may think you know the story of Beauty and the Beast by heart, but there's no version quite as magical as Jean Cocteau's, one of the most visually stunning films ever made. After a mysterious Beast captures Belle's father, the kind-hearted peasant girl volunteers to take his place and live in the Beast's enchanted castle. In her otherworldly new home, full of magic mirrors and living statues, Belle falls in love with the noble-hearted Beast — but intruders from the outside world threaten to destroy their paradise. Gloriously shot in black and white, "Beauty and the Beast" is the definitive live-action adaptation of this tale as old as time.

• Starring: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély
• Director: Jean Cocteau
• Year: 1946
• Rating: NR
• Running Time: 93 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Severe, unexpected illness comes as both a tragedy and a strange blessing in the funny, bittersweet, and emotionally complex film "The Big Sick." Stand-up comedian Kumail quickly hits it off with Emily. When it's just the two of them, they click on every level ... but Kumail can't see a future where his traditionalist parents will be happy with their relationship. Their breakup leaves them both raw, and before they can really grapple with their feelings, Emily gets horribly sick and has to be put into a medically induced coma. Kumail winds up at her bedside after all, striking up an unexpected bond with her anxious parents.

• Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter
• Director: Michael Showalter
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Directed by the groundbreaking Lilly and Lana Wachowski, "Bound" puts a sapphic spin on the neo-noir thriller. Leather-clad ex-con Corky falls under the spell of the sweet-voiced Violet after she's hired to refurbish the apartment next door. But if the new lovers want to ride off into the sunset, they will have to dispose of Violet's money-laundering boyfriend, Caesar. Erotic and electrifying, "Bound" sets pulses racing with its stylish direction and the compelling romance at its criminal heart.

• Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Joe Pantoliano
• Directors: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
• Year: 1996
• Runtime: 108 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

"Brief Encounter" is one of the all-time best bittersweet romantic dramas. This intimate, well-characterized piece shows what happens when two people who might be made for each other — Laura Jesson and Alec Harvey — find each other too late. Their chance meeting at a train station turns into an easy, intimate friendship that soon starts shading into romance; it would be a wonderful start to a new life together if they both weren't already married to other people. In the 1940s, that was a hard obstacle to overcome, especially with children involved. They can't bring themselves to end good, solid marriages of grounded love and contentment for the sake of this passion, and that makes their fleeting connection all the more moving.

• Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway
• Director: David Lean
• Year: 1945
• Runtime: 87 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" tells the immortal story of Holly Golightly, a New York City socialite with a chic Givenchy wardrobe, an orange cat named "Cat," and an effervescent smile that hides a lonely heart. When struggling writer Paul Varjak moves into her apartment building, he's immediately smitten with the flighty Miss Golightly, but her desire to marry for money puts a barrier between them. Featuring an iconic opening scene in which little-black-dress-clad Holly eats a pastry in front of the Tiffany & Co. window and an Academy Award-winning score by Henry Mancini, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the crown jewel in Audrey Hepburn's sparkling career.

• Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal
• Director: Blake Edwards
• Year: 1961
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

It's 1941, World War II is in full swing, and the weary and cynical Rick Blaine is determined to stay out of it. He's had his fill of heroism and politics, and now he just wants to keep his head down and run his club. Casablanca, however, is a major hub for a dangerous mix of Nazis, collaborators, and desperate refugees and fugitives ... and one of the people passing through is Ilsa, Rick's long-lost love. She isn't there to reconnect; she just needs his help getting her husband, a noble leader in the Resistance, to safety. "Casablanca" is an iconic romance that examines a case where doing the right thing may mean breaking your own heart.

• Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
• Director: Michael Curtiz
• Year: 1942
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

One of the most beloved teen movies of the 1990s, "Clueless" gives Jane Austen's classic novel "Emma" a modern makeover. Bubbly Beverly Hills teen Cher Horowitz catches the matchmaking bug, pairing up her teachers and trying to find a boyfriend for Tai, the shy new girl at school. But when it comes to Cher's own love life — and her feelings for her ex-step brother Josh — Cher is totally clueless. Endlessly quotable ("As if!") and featuring star-making turns from Alicia Silverstone, Brittany Murphy, and the ageless Paul Rudd, "Clueless" is a classic.

• Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy
• Director: Amy Heckerling
• Year: 1995
• Rating: PG-13
• Running Time: 97 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Lives are on hold in the funny, passionate, and insightful "Desert Hearts." Vivian needs a six-week stay in Reno if she wants to get her divorce, and that means hanging around a ranch that serves as a kind of waiting room for women going through the same thing. There she meets Cay, a vibrant young woman who makes her attraction to Vivian very clear. Vivian's never been with a woman before, and while she's drawn to Cay, she's unsure if she wants to commit to her ... especially when it means accepting that her life won't be exactly conventional for 1959.

• Starring: Helen Shaver, Patricia Charbonneau, Audra Lindley
• Director: Donna Deitch
• Year: 1985
• Runtime: 96 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

"The Half of It" features a tender and unusual love triangle that riffs on "Cyrano de Bergerac." Jock Paul is sweet and earnest, but he doesn't have a way with words, and his intellectual horizons are narrow. He knows it, so when he wants to woo the popular Astrid (who's already dating someone else), he hires geeky Ellie Chu to write his texts and love letters. Astrid starts falling for Ellie's words, Ellie starts falling for Astrid, and Paul increasingly finds himself falling for Ellie. Their youth and small town upbringing makes all this even more difficult, but it plays out with delicacy and realism.

• Starring: Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, Alexxis Lemire
• Director: Alice Wu
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 104 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

The holidays are a lonely time for Abby. When her girlfriend, Harper, impulsively invites her to come home with her for Christmas, Abby eagerly accepts, thinking this should be the perfect chance to propose. But Harper is still in the closet with her family, so Abby is forced back in alongside of her, with the two of them pretending to just be roommates. The strain of lying — all while Abby wonders if Harper will choose to trade their happiness for her parents' approval — takes a serious toll on their relationship. "Happiest Season" infuses holiday romance tropes with a lot of raw emotion, and its performances are alternately warm, funny, and heartbreaking.

• Starring: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie
• Director: Clea DuVall
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 102 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

The gorgeously shot "In the Mood for Love" is suffused with a poignant sense of romantic longing. Su Li-shen and Chow Mo-wan live next door to each other. Both of them are quietly lonely in their marriages, a feeling that only deepens when they find out her husband is having an affair with his wife. The two of them are drawn to each other, and their combination of emotional intimacy and physical restraint has a palpable charge. The film is melancholy but beautiful, with an exquisite sense for the small moments of closeness and yearning between its characters.

• Starring: Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung, Siu Ping Lam
• Director: Wong Kar-wai
• Year: 2000
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Annie Platt has had it up to here with her boyfriend's adoration of reclusive musician Tucker Crowe. She knows writing a takedown of one of Crowe's albums will upset him, but she can't resist. The last thing she expects is for the bad review to wind up introducing her to Tucker himself, who's grown sick of admirers and wants something honest and real. Annie and Tucker have an earthy, slightly world-weary chemistry that offers them both escape and stability. Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Chris O'Dowd all shine in this nuanced romantic comedy.

• Starring: Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Dowd
• Director: Jesse Peretz
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

"I need him," says Jean Harrington, a fortune-hunting con artist, about the rich man she has unwittingly fallen in love with, "Like the axe needs the turkey." While helping her card shark father swindle wealthy passengers on an ocean liner, Jean plans to seduce hapless ale fortune heir Charles Pike. When her ruse is discovered, Jean concocts a second identity as "The Lady Eve" to fleece Charles yet again. But he couldn't possibly fall for the "same dame" twice, could he? An unlikely love story between an axe and a turkey, "The Lady Eve" is an irrepressible, unforgettable screwball comedy that sparkles with wit and sensuality.

• Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn
• Director: Preston Sturges
• Year: 1941
• Runtime: 97 minutes
• Rating: Not Rated
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

They say a good man is hard to find — so why not try dating a robot? Sparks fly when Frankie Stone meets Ulysses, a handsome blonde android made in the exact image of his creator, Dr. Jeff Peters (John Malkovich in a delightful dual role). Frankie is hired to promote Ulysses' upcoming space mission, but to her surprise, the robot proves to be much more human than the scientist who made him. "Making Mr. Right" puts a whimsical sci-fi spin on the romantic comedy by asking two key questions: Can true love blossom between man and machine? Or will poor Ulysses fall to pieces?

• Starring: John Malkovich, Ann Magnuson, Glenne Headly
• Director: Susan Seidelman
• Year: 1987
• Runtime: 98 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%

Based on the classic novel by E.M. Forster, "Maurice" is an achingly beautiful depiction of a forbidden love triangle. While studying at Cambridge, young Maurice Hall falls in love with his classmate, Clive — but in Edwardian England, being gay risks social ostracization and even imprisonment. Clive marries a woman for respectability's sake, breaking Maurice's heart. As Maurice struggles with his identity in a world that seemingly has no place for him, Alec — Clive's rough-and-tumble gamekeeper — suddenly appears to offer him salvation. Carefully observed and splendidly acted, deep passions simmer under the film's elegant surface, and in Maurice himself.

• Starring: James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves
• Director: James Ivory
• Year: 1987
• Rating: R
• Running Time: 140 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

A matchmaking prince sets a wave of comedy, drama, and — of course — romance into motion in this delightfully witty Shakespearean adaptation. After Don Pedro successfully arranges a match between his friend Claudio and the sweet Hero, he turns his attention to the constantly bickering Beatrice and Benedick. What if each of them could be convinced that the other was secretly in love with them? Would that be enough to overcome their prickly animosity? Of course it is, and the two immediately begin to fall in love. Unfortunately, Don Pedro's scheming half-brother is all set to make trouble that could ruin everything ....

• Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington
• Director: Kenneth Branagh
• Year: 1993
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Toula Portokalos has always felt awkwardly caught between her traditional and boisterous Greek family and generic American culture. As she becomes more independent and comfortable in her own skin, she dares to pursue a relationship with charming, easygoing Ian, even though she knows her family would hate the fact that he's not Greek. Secrets don't stay buried for long, however ... especially after Ian proposes. Toula and Ian's sweet, low-key love story supports this big-hearted family comedy about acceptance, affection, and the surprising healing properties of Windex.

• Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan
• Director: Joel Zwick
• Year: 2002
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%

In "Phantom Thread," Daniel Day-Lewis gives his final onscreen performance as Reynolds Woodcock, a brilliant but aloof fashion designer in 1950s London. Reynolds meets a charming waitress, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover after a whirlwind courtship. When Reynolds' controlling personality threatens their happiness, Alma concocts an unusual plan to restore the balance of power in their relationship. The rough outline of "Phantom Thread" may seem like a familiar take on the Pygmalion myth, but this darkly funny, sumptuously shot film reveals startling depths. Ultimately, it's a love story between two passionate, iron-willed people who have finally met their match in each other.

• Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville
• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Year: 2017
• Rating: R
• Running Time: 130 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

The death of famous photographer Christina Eames inspires her daughter Mae to uncover the secrets of her past and the love her mother left behind. Unbeknownst to her, a handsome and charming journalist named Michael is on the same quest. "The Photograph" spans decades, chronicling Christina's doomed relationship with Mae's father as well as Mae's burgeoning romance with Michael. But the past is in danger of repeating itself, unless Mae can break the cycle and follow her heart. Electric performances from lead actors Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield elevate an already moving love story into a must-watch for romance fans.

• Starring: Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield, Chanté Adams
• Director: Stella Meghie
• Year: 2020
• Rating: PG-13
• Running Time: 106 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

This bittersweet historical romance tells the story of a portrait — which is also the hidden love story of artist Marianne and her subject, the upper-class Héloïse. Héloïse's mother plans to send her daughter's portrait to an Italian nobleman who may propose, but Héloïse's lack of interest in marriage means Marianne is supposed to do her work in secret. She finds herself transfixed by Héloïse, however, and the painting process becomes both open and romantically and erotically charged. The two fall in love, but they're all too aware that it would be almost impossible for them to build a future together. "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is a wistfully and sometimes agonizingly beautiful look at the lifelong importance of even cruelly short-lived romances.

• Starring: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami
• Director: Céline Sciamma
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 120 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Harper and Charlie are high-powered executive assistants at the ends of their ropes. Their demanding, hyper-critical bosses are workaholics in a perpetually bad mood, so Harper hits on a zany plan: Make the two of them fall in love. While she and Charlie are rigging schedules and providing romantic lines to puppeteer the intense Kirsten and the volatile Rick into falling for each other, they can't help getting closer. Their mutual snark and genuine affection for each other quickly starts spelling romance. Unfortunately, their plan's success might come with its own devastating failures. The office setting and "Parent Trap"-style shenanigans are both fun, but the characters (including the ensemble) are what really make "Set It Up" shine.

• Starring: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu
• Director: Claire Scanlon
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 105 minutes
• Rating: TV-14
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Action and comedy collide in the charming "Shotgun Wedding." Darcy and Tom's dream destination wedding in the Philippines is off to a rocky start — and that's before a team of armed pirates storm the island and take the guests hostage. Darcy, still decked out in her wedding dress, narrowly manages to escape with her fiancé, and it's up to her and Tom to save their families and their troubled relationship. This dizzy, delightful romantic adventure film is destined to become a date night favorite.

• Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Coolidge
• Director: Jason Moore
• Year: 2023
• Rating: R
• Running Time: 101 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 44%

The inspiration for the 2020 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Some Like It Hot" has been ranked as one of the greatest films ever made. After witnessing a mob massacre, 1920s jazz musicians Joe and Jerry flee the scene and join a band headed to Miami. The catch? The band is for female musicians, causing Joe and Jerry to don the drag disguises of "Josephine" and "Daphne." Joe takes a second disguise to woo his bandmate, the sweetly cynical Sugar Kane (Marilyn Monroe in one of her most famous roles), while an eccentric millionaire courts "Daphne." From the opening credits to its iconic final scene, "Some Like It Hot" is a witty, boundary-breaking romantic farce.

• Starring: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
• Director: Billy Wilder
• Year: 1959
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

A chance encounter in 1962 New York City reignites an old flame in magnetic melodrama "Sylvie's Love." When Sylvie and Robert first meet in her father's record shop in 1957, their spark is undeniable. Fate pulls them apart — Sylvie is engaged to another man, and Robert's jazz quartet has a job in Paris — but soon they meet again, and know they love only each other. Can they make peace with the past without sacrificing their dreams for the future? Featuring sumptuous costumes and an unforgettable soundtrack, "Sylvie's Love" is a glittering gem of a film.

• Starring: Tessa Thompson, Nnamdi Asomugha, Eva Longoria
• Director: Eugene Ashe
• Year: 2020
• Rating: PG-13
• Running Time: 114 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"Titanic" likely needs no introduction, given its legendary reputation for breaking hearts and box office records. Nominated for 14 Academy Awards and one of the highest-grossing films of all time, "Titanic" is a sprawling and sparkling epic about the 1912 sinking of the titular passenger liner. Wealthy heiress Rose meets and falls in love with Jack, a poor artist traveling in steerage. The ship strikes an iceberg, interrupting Rose and Jack's whirlwind romance and threatening the lives of everyone onboard. An unforgettable cinematic experience, "Titanic" is one of best romance films of the 20th century.

• Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
• Director: James Cameron
• Year: 1997
• Rating: PG-13
• Running Time: 194 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Like many teenagers, Lara Jean has had her fair share of crushes. Since she knows she'll never work up the courage to tell any of them how she feels, she pours out all her feelings into letters they're never actually meant to read. It's just a way to grapple with all the ups and downs of unrequited love — until the letters get mailed. Oops. In a twist, this leads to her pretending to date one of the boys, Peter, so she can help him make his ex-girlfriend jealous. It works, but Lara Jean and Peter's fake closeness is rapidly turning real. "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" is cute, funny, and touching, and its heroine is a particular delight.

• Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish
• Director: Susan Johnson
• Year: 2018
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: TV-14
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" is a beautifully crafted romantic musical that looks at both the heightened romance of a first love and the kind of later, slower love that nonetheless endures. Geneviève and Guy adore each other, but when Guy is drafted, they have to part — and the long, difficult separation gets even harder when Geneviève realizes she's pregnant. If her love story with Guy hadn't been interrupted, they could have easily had a happy ending with each other — but under the circumstances, they both move on to new lovers who truly care for them, and they start building separate, contented lives. The film couples its heady romance with sensitivity and emotional maturity.

• Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon
• Director: Jacques Demy
• Year: 1964 
• Runtime: 91 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

"Romeo and Juliet" as reimagined for the MTV Generation, the '80s teen classic "Valley Girl" is a pure bubblegum delight. Mall-hopping Valley Girl Julie is pretty and popular, but she has doubts about her boyfriend, wannabe prom king Tommy. Julie's true love is the handsome Hollywood punk Randy (Nicolas Cage, in his first starring role), but will pressure from her disapproving friends drive them apart? This star-crossed romance features a dizzying New Wave soundtrack and inspired a 2020 remake.

• Starring: Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Frederic Forest
• Director: Martha Coolidge
• Year: 1993
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Adam Sandler plays Robbie Hart, one of his most memorable and endearing characters, in the totally tubular romantic comedy "The Wedding Singer." It's New Jersey in the 1980s, and mullet-haired musician Robbie loves his job as a wedding singer — until his fiancée dumps him at the altar. His new friendship with Julia, a sweet-natured waitress at his reception hall, develops into something more, but Robbie must sing his way into her heart before she marries the wrong man. Bursting at the spandex seams with humor and heart (and nonstop '80s jokes), "The Wedding Singer" proves that stars Sandler and Drew Barrymore are a match made in movie heaven.

• Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Christine Taylor
• Director: Frank Coraci
• Year: 1998
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%

Steven Spielberg revisits the classic musical "West Side Story" in a heartfelt, impassioned, and colorful way. This story of 1950s star-crossed love shows the "Romeo and Juliet"-inspired tragedy of the sweet but doomed romance between a white member of a scrappy street gang and a young Puerto Rican department store cleaner whose brother heads up a rival gang. Tony and Maria fall in love at first sight, but they live in different — and constantly clashing — worlds. With a big intergang rumble on the horizon, the two of them do their best to craft the kind of peace that might allow them to be happy.

• Starring: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 156 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Paying homage to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s and '40s, "What's Up, Doc?" is a fizzy, freewheeling romantic farce. Straitlaced musicologist Howard Bannister travels to San Francisco on business, only for his life to be thrown into chaos when the hotel mixes up his luggage with identical bags containing top-secret government documents and priceless jewels. Also staying at the hotel? Judy Maxwell, a free spirit whose irrepressible charm could save Howard — if she doesn't drive him absolutely bonkers first. Sparkling and witty, "What's Up, Doc?" culminates with Howard and Judy caught in a madcap chase through San Francisco that must be seen to be believed.

• Starring: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn
• Director: Peter Bogdanovich
• Year: 1972
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Rating: G
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Lucy works at a Chicago train station and fills some of the dull hours by daydreaming about regular fare Peter Callaghan, the crush she's never even truly met. Her dreams get mistaken for reality when a severe injury leaves Peter in a coma, and a nurse mistakes Lucy's romantic wistfulness for a full-on relationship. Suddenly, Peter's delightful, welcoming family are all convinced that Lucy and Peter are engaged, and Lucy doesn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. As an added complication, she starts to realize that the Callaghan man for her may actually be Peter's brother, Jack. The emotions and warmth of "While You Were Sleeping" have helped make it a Christmas romantic comedy classic.

• Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher
• Director: Jon Turteltaub
• Year: 1995
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Rating: PG
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Director Douglas Sirk was the master of the opulent 1950s melodrama, and there is perhaps no better example than the deliciously decadent "Written on the Wind." Geologist Mitch Wayne has long lived in the shadow of the affluent Hadley Oil family, particularly spoiled siblings Kyle and Marylee. When Mitch falls for the beautiful Lucy Moore, Kyle sweeps her off her feet and marries her, leaving Wayne in Marylee's clutches. The love polygon may be as toxic as an oil spill, but "Written on the Wind" is a sumptuous, subversive, and surprisingly soulful romance anchored by powerful performances from Rock Hudson and Lauren Bacall.

• Starring: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack
• Director: Douglas Sirk
• Year: 1956
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: Not Rated
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%