40 Romantic Movies to Perk Up Your Date Night In

Some of these movies are well-known, some you may have never heard of, and some will make you laugh while others will make you cry. They’re all emotional to different degrees and in different ways! Either way, it’s so nice to watch something touching with that special someone on your sweet date night at home.

Bright Side thinks that by using this selection, you can easily find something perfect for your romantic date. Be sure to keep the list handy so you won’t have to search around when you can’t remember what the name of that one movie was.

1. The Notebook

Some may call this a bit of a vanilla romance, but overall this movie is charming and sweet. The Notebook is about 2 people who fall deeply in love: Allie, a girl from a very wealthy family and Noah, a poor boy from a working-class family. Their love goes on for decades, despite the family’s disapproval and eventual separation.

IMDb — 7.9

2. Sleepless in Seattle

After his wife dies, Sam Baldwin moves to Seattle. He still feels very lost and empty and his son wants to help him find somebody. The kid calls into a radio station trying to find a partner for his father. Who knew that a simple call could change their lives forever!

IMDb — 6.8

3. Brokeback Mountain

This is a story about a secret and forbidden relationship between 2 cowboys that features a love affair that lasts for over 20 years. Ennis and Jack are both married men which makes the situation even more complex. This movie is quite emotionally complicated and shows us that love can come around when you least expect it.

IMDb — 7.7

4. Click

A hard-working architect finds a very special remote control that allows him to fast-forward some parts of his life. Whether it’s yelling kids, a nagging wife, or a boring day at work — he skips it all. Although it may look very convenient in the beginning, soon he realizes that the remote is controlling his life and forcing him to make bad choices.

IMDb — 6.4

5. Dirty Dancing

Frances spends a summer holiday with her family at a resort hotel. She is getting to know people who work at the resort and falls in love with its dance instructor, Johnny. Although her father forbids her from seeing Johnny, she decides to help him with a brilliant performance.

IMDb — 6.9

6. Her

A sensitive and lonely writer makes his living by writing letters on behalf of other people. He starts using a fancy new operating system and soon begins feeling emotionally involved with it.

IMDb — 8.0

7. Basic Instinct

An attractive and manipulative crime novelist catches the attention of a violent police officer who is working on a brutal murder case. Both the relationship and the murder investigation become twisted and complicated. The manipulative and seductive novelist could be way more than just a dangerous woman.

IMDb — 6.9

8. Forrest Gump

An Alabama man with an IQ of 75 never thought of himself as disadvantaged thanks to his very supportive mother. Whether he’s fighting in the war in Vietnam, working as a captain of a shrimp boat, or becoming an Apple shareholder, he always inspires everyone around him with his childlike optimism. But at the center of his life is his gigantic love for his childhood best friend.

IMDb — 8.8

9. Mamma Mia!

Sophie, a bride-to-be, finds her mother’s diary where she mentioned 3 men who she was dating at a certain period of her life. The girl realizes that one of these men is her father and decides to invite all 3 of them to the wedding and find out who her father really is. This very funny, energizing, and emotional movie will charge you up with a good mood for a week.

IMDb — 6.8

10. Definitely, Maybe

A political consultant, Will Hayes, goes through a divorce when his 11-year-old daughter begins asking him questions about why her parents decided to separate and how they met. But she wants to know the real story, not just a fairytale. So her dad tells his daughter about 3 important women in his life who he had romances with, asking her to guess who became her mom. This sweet romantic story can lift up your mood for the night.

IMDb — 7.2

11. Far from the Madding Crowd

This story takes place in Victorian England. It’s an interesting love story between an independent, attractive young lady and a sheep farmer. It’s not that simple though since the lady attracts 3 very different suitors and she has to choose who she’ll end up with. The movie takes you back in time and has a great romantic vibe overall.

IMDb — 7.1

12. One Day

Two people spent time together on their graduation night: Emma, an idealist who wants to make this world a better place and Dexter, a charming young man who believes that he is the center of the world. They decide to meet on the same day every year and every year no matter what, they reunite sharing what’s been happening in their lives. It only takes them 20 years to learn that all this time they were searching for each other.

IMDb — 7.0

13. Casablanca

Although this was filmed many decades ago, this movie proves that “old” doesn’t have to mean “aged” and “classic” doesn’t necessarily translate to “boring”. In the film, a nightclub owner who lives in Casablanca finds out that the woman he was once deeply in love with is in town and Nazis are looking for her and her husband. Hard choices have to be made by all parties involved.

IMDb — 8.5

14. Gone with the Wind

Another classic movie, this is a story about a highly complicated relationship between 2 people. Lots of things happen throughout the course of the movie due to the Civil War and you see how they both change with time.

IMDb — 8.2

15. The Devil Wears Prada

A talented college graduate with big dreams gets a prestigious job at a highly regarded fashion magazine. The film follows her journey as she questions her priorities and values. She has to figure out what’s more important: to be herself or to become someone who other people want her to be.

IMDb — 6.9

16. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

A handsome man who has been spoiled rotten with attention from many women bets that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. At the same time, Andie, a magazine columnist, decides to write about how to make a man leave a woman in 10 days and she wants to practice her ideas. Needless to say that these 2, who are each as bad as each other, go through a lot trying to complete their agendas.

IMDb — 6.4

17. Blue Valentine

This is a story about a couple who seems to have a modest and quiet life but a closer look shows that things are not that simple. Their relationship gets tested in an unusual way. A romance that started like wildfire might lead the relationship on an unexpected turn.

IMDb — 7.4

18. Blue Is the Warmest Color

This is a love story about a teen girl who develops a deep connection with an older lesbian student. The film is very emotional, real, and intimate, showing how the young girl is searching for answers and learning who she really is.

IMDb — 7.8

19. The Holiday

2 women, both dealing with men-related issues and disappointments, want to get away for a short break and blindly swap their houses. Very soon, both of them find the perfect match — a man, not a house!

IMDb — 6.9

20. Juno

This is a story about a teen girl who finds out that she is pregnant and makes the very unusual decision to let a family adopt her baby. Complications occur when the future father starts developing some feelings for the girl who is supposed to be nothing but the biological mother of his child.

IMDb — 7.5

21. True Romance

A lonely nerd and a call girl fall in love but things get messy when he steals a suitcase packed with forbidden substances from her pimp thinking that it was her personal stuff. They hit the road trying to sell it while the owner of the drugs tries to track them down. A rush of love and intense emotion practically pour out from the screen.

IMDb — 7.9

22. My Best Friend’s Wedding

This film is about 2 people who were best friends since childhood, Julianne and Michael. But when he says that he’s getting married, Julianne realizes that her feelings for him are way deeper than just friendship. This film boasts a romantic story with a bit of a twist.

IMDb — 6.3

23. Maid in Manhattan

A handsome senatorial candidate falls for a single mother who works as a hotel maid, Marisa, thinking that she is a hotel guest. This is a very romantic story about a modern Cinderella.

IMDb — 5.2

24. Love, Rosie

Having been besties since they were small kids, it seems that these 2 young people have the strongest bond ever are meant to be together. But when it comes to love, they suddenly find that they have very different values and expectations.

IMDb — 7.2

25. 500 Days of Summer

This is a story about Summer who doesn’t believe in love and Tom, a hopelessly romantic young man who falls for her. He goes through their 500 days together trying to work out what was happening between them and also enjoys their time together. This movie is different because it looks at a relationship in a very realistic way and it tells the story from a guy’s point of view.

IMDb — 7.7

26. You’ve Got Mail

A lovely bookseller can’t stand the owner of a big book store that just moved nearby. However, when they meet on the Internet, they find that they have a lot in common and an online romance begins almost instantly.

IMDb — 6.6

27. Moulin Rouge!

This story features a non-typical love triangle, where a young man and the Moulin Rouge singer fall in love but she’s already been promised to a Duke in return for financial support by her manager. The wedding day is getting closer but she has something else in mind.

IMDb — 7.6

28. The Wedding Date

A single girl is getting ready for her sister’s wedding and finds out that the groom’s best man is the guy who dumped her just a couple years ago. To show her ex-boyfriend that her personal life is complete, she hires a handsome male escort as a date to her sister’s wedding.

IMDb — 6.1

29. Amelie

This movie is about a young girl who is shy and naive, who decides one day to start helping people around her, rearranging their lives and on the way, she finds love. Sweet, funny and very light, this film is very easy to watch and fits perfectly into any date night.

IMDb — 8.3

30. Crazy/Beautiful

This story is about 2 high-school students from opposite sides of the social spectrum: a spoiled, trouble-maker girl from a wealthy family and a poor, ambitious student who works on being successful and has to travel a few hours on the bus every day to attend the school that will help him achieve his dream. Despite their obvious differences, the couple falls in love. If you’ve forgotten what first love is like, this movie surely will remind you.

IMDb — 6.5

31. The Kissing Booth

A teen girl meets her long-term secret crush when she signs up for a kissing booth at the spring carnival. This may not be an Oscar-worthy masterpiece, but it’s very easy to watch and will make you giggle every now and then.

IMDb — 6.2

32. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

This is a story about 2 people who know exactly what they want. She is a young woman who works as an expensive escort and is looking for a wealthy, older man to marry. He wants to become a writer and is in a relationship with an older wealthy woman. The movie is sweet, charming, and funny and portrays these complex characters very well.

IMDb — 7.7

33. Four Weddings and a Funeral

This is a story about a group of friends who reunite every now and then, mainly for weddings and funerals and through these occasions you get to know what their love lives are like. It might not be the best movie of the century, but it’s one of those films that we feel like watching over and over again.

IMDb — 7.1

34. Notting Hill

A bookstore owner’s life turns completely upside down when he meets an attractive and glamorous actress. The movie has some humor and romance and shows how 2 people from totally different worlds can get closer and closer.

IMDb — 7.1

35. P.S. I Love You

A recently widowed woman receives letters from her husband who knew that she wouldn’t find it easy to accept his death. His letters encourage her to move forward in life. This is a very emotional and tear-filled story about true, unconditional love.

IMDb — 7.1

36. If I Stay

The story is about a young, talented girl who lives a normal life until a car accident changes everything in the blink of an eye. Balancing between life and death, she has to make very hard and serious decisions.

IMDb — 6.8

37. 13 Going on 30

This is a story about a young girl who has been struggling with her social life at school. She makes a birthday wish and transforms into a grown-up woman overnight. She is beautiful and successful but soon realizes that being all grown-up is nothing like she had dreamed of.

IMDb — 6.2

38. Twilight

A high school student named Bella meets a lovely, handsome boy with a mysterious but creepy secret. The boy is a vampire but his family members, however, are not and Bella chooses to step into this unknown and dangerous territory.

IMDb — 5.2

39. Valentine’s Day

This film follows a bunch of interconnecting stories, all based around Valentine’s Day. You’ll see everything from singles and couples, young crushes and re-kindled flames, first dates and longterm commitments, break-ups, and reconnections. These different stories, some romantic, some not, just remind us how different we all are.

IMDb — 5.7

40. Bohemian Rhapsody

This is the foot-stomping story about the legendary band, Queen and their lead singer, Freddie Mercury. The movie flashes back to how their amazing journey started, showing that they were just humans like all of us, complete with ups and downs, fears and beliefs, hopes, and expectations.

IMDb — 8.1

What movie would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments how you usually spend your date nights at home.