24 Best Movie Couples of All Time
Ah, romance. Whether you’re a starry-eyed optimist who’s just in love with love or a jaded hater, you can’t deny that when you watch someone fall in love on-screen, it makes you feel just a little fluttery inside.
Of course, there are some on-screen couples that reach higher heights than others; we reference them in our own romantic lives when things are good (or bad), try to replicate their witty banter or grand proclamations of love, and even dress up as them for Halloween. What would our world be like without *Casablanca *’s tortured lovers Ilsa and Rick, Twilight’s meant-to-be pairing of Edward and Bella, or High School Musical's Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton? We see ourselves in these onscreen pairs, and that’s what makes their love stories so powerful and enduring.
Below are 24 of the greatest couples in movie history. Some were based on real couples, and some are simply the ultimate in fictitious #goals. But one thing holds true: we love them all.
1/21Romeo & Juliet
What kind of list would this be without Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers? Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes’ ‘90s version is the most iconic retelling in our opinion.
2/21Adèle and Emma
The relationship between Adèle and Emma, the couple at the heart of *Blue is the Warmest Color, * shows us how even though not all relationships stand the test of time, each one is special and significant, and those feelings can last for your entire life.
3/21Baby and Johnny
The *Dirty Dancing * lift is so memorable and beloved that they included it in *Crazy, Stupid, Love. * (Don’t lie, you’ve tried it.)
4/21Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen
The couple in the 2000 film *In the Mood for Love * fall for each other after discovering their spouses are having an affair, and though they don’t exactly end up living happily ever after, they’re both changed by their relationship in a huge way.
5/21Barack and Michelle Obama
Our President and First Lady are so iconic that they had a literal movie made about their college romance, *Southside with You. * Be warned: It will make you miss their time in the White House that much more.
6/21Dean Thomas and Ginny Weasley
Not all iconic movie couples have to make it to the altar. These two Hogwarts students break up (because Ginny was destined for Harry, duh), but there’s something special about your first significant high school relationship — even if you didn’t go to magic school.
7/21Harry Potter and Cho Chang
We were kinda sad Harry’s relationship with Ravenclaw Cho Chang didn’t work out, because their initial “crush” period was so cute and relatable. Even wizards can’t get it together around someone they think is adorable.
8/21Richard and Mildred Loving
Richard and Mildred Loving made history in the ‘60s, when interracial marriages were still illegal in some states. They were arrested and told their marriage was “no good” in the conservative South, and eventually took their case to the Supreme Court. They helped pave the way for marriage equality all over the nation.
9/21Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona
There’s a reason these Shakespeare love stories keep appearing on “Most Romantic” lists. They’re classic tales that resonate even centuries after they were written. *10 Things I Hate About You * is proof of that.
10/21Hitch and Sara Melas
*Hitch * came out a little more than 10 years ago, and in that time it has become a romantic comedy classic, probably because of the chemistry between Will Smith’s “date doctor” Hitch and Eva Mendes’ smart, savvy columnist Sara, who refuses to fall prey to his smooth, by-the-book moves.
11/21Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark
Can you imagine if your love story took place in something literally called the Hunger Games? Katniss and Peeta’s did.
12/21Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez
We loved Troy and Gabriella’s High School Musical romance so much that we demanded several installments, just to get more of them.
13/21Bella Swann and Edward Cullen
Twilight's Edward and Bella prove that love can overcome all obstacles. Like, um, being a vampire?
14/21Monica Wright and Quincy McCall
The *Love and Basketball * couple met as little kids, and not even their dreams of basketball stardom can tear them apart.
15/21Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun
Just say it. “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”
16/21Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar
Was any love story more beautifully devastating than the one between cowboys Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar in *Brokeback Mountain? *
17/21Jamal and Latika
The *Slumdog Millionaire * couple met as children, then triumphantly reunited with a little help from a game show. Now *that * is a love story.
18/21Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt-Bukater
Jack could’ve fit on that door, Rose! He could’ve fit! You said you’d never let go! (Clearly we’re not over it.)
19/21Cinderella and the Prince
You can’t possibly make a list of most iconic movie couples of all time and not include Cinderella and her Prince. We prefer Brandy's version best.
20/21Sara and Derek
A love of dance brings Save the Last Dance's Sara and Derek together, though they encounter problems along the way when other people aren't as accepting of their relationship.
21/21Vada and Thomas J.
There’s something so precious about first love, even though we can’t even *think * about *My Girl * without tearing up.
