The 10 Most Romantic Movies of the 2000s, Ranked (2025)

Rife with everything from iconic rom-coms to dramatic tear-jerkers, the 2000s mark a defining decade for romantic movies, producing some of the best and boldest love stories ever put to the screen. There were heart-warming tales of true love that plucked the heartstrings and stoked all kinds of romantic sentiments, but there were also bittersweet and high-minded meditations on what modern romance looks and feels like.

This vast variety made the romance movies of the 2000s particularly brilliant as they spanned from playful re-workings of established premises, like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, to spellbinding adaptations of classic novels, like Pride & Prejudice, and even to some of the greatest international movies of the 21st century. Whether they leave us sobbing or swooning, these movies are the most romantic released in one of the best decades the genre has seen in cinema.

10 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' (2002)

Directed by Joel Zwick

An unabashed, vibrant, and playful romantic comedy of culture clashes and family fighting, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is perhaps romantic to a fault, but it is infectiously enjoyable and sweetly sincere everywhere that counts. It follows an unmarried 30-year-old Greek woman whose family worries about her. However, when she finally falls in love with a teacher she meets at work, she begins to worry if he’ll be accepted by her staunchly traditional family.

The film proved to be a hit with fans, with its feel-good fun and its eccentric supporting characters making it a tremendously entertaining and heart-warming flick. Most importantly, though, the central romance feels both earnest and earned, coasting on the charisma of Nia Vardalos and John Corbett and the exceptional chemistry between them to be a wonderful, sincere, and uplifting tale that all romantics can enjoy.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

PG

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

February 22, 2002

Cast

Nia Vardalos , Michael Constantine , Christina Eleusiniotis , Kaylee Vieira , John Kalangis , Lainie Kazan

Runtime

95 minutes

Writers

Nia Vardalos

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9 'Love & Basketball' (2000)

Directed by Gina Prince-Blythewood

Undoubtedly one of the most underrated romantic movies of the 2000s, Love & Basketball presents a wonderful marriage of romantic passion and sporting ambition. Marking the debut of writer-director Gina Prince-Blythewood, it follows basketball-loving duo Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps), neighbors who grow up together and fall in love. However, their romance is jeopardized by their careers, with both coming from different family backgrounds and facing different issues on the court.

Love & Basketballthrives as both a romantic drama and a rousing sports feature, realizing both central characters in incredible depth and depicting the struggle they face as they juggle their priorities with each other and in their careers. Love & Basketball is a splendid and strikingly modern film that remains just as arresting and empowering today as it did upon release over 20 years ago.

Love & Basketball

PG-13

Romance

Sports

Drama

Release Date

April 21, 2000

Cast

Omar Epps , Sanaa Lathan , Alfre Woodard , Dennis Haysbert

Runtime

127 minutes

Writers

Gina Prince-Bythewood

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8 'Moulin Rouge!' (2001)

Directed by Baz Luhrman

A stylish and unique depiction of love, a captivating period romance, and a spellbinding jukebox musical, Moulin Rouge! represents so much of Baz Luhrman’s visionary eccentricity at its most vibrant. Transpiring at the dawn of the 20th century, it follows a young English poet as he ventures to Paris to immerse himself in the city’s bohemian lifestyle. Diving into the scandalous Moulin Rouge, he soon finds himself embarking on a passionate romance with the nightclub’s star performer.

Like several other films by Luhrman, Moulin Rouge! can be polarizing with its commitment to its glamorous and extravagant aesthetic. However, its stylistic intensity beautifully complements the fervor of the central love story. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are electric together on the screen, making Moulin Rouge! an ardent and enduring romantic musical that has even earned a stage adaptation.

See Also

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Moulin Rouge!

PG-13

Drama

Musical

Romance

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

May 24, 2001

Cast

Nicole Kidman , Ewan McGregor , John Leguizamo , Jim Broadbent , Richard Roxburgh , Garry McDonald

Runtime

127 minutes

Writers

Baz Luhrmann , Craig Pearce

7 'The Notebook' (2004)

Directed by Nick Cassavetes

There are few titles as iconic in romantic cinema as The Notebook. An adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel, it unfolds as an elderly man visits his wife with dementia and recites the story of their love, which began when they were young in 1940s South Carolina. With Noah (Ryan Gosling) a poor mill worker, and Allie (Rachel McAdams) coming from a wealthy family, their romance is subjected to all sorts of social pressures, but their connection can’t be denied.

Critics were completely divided on the film, but the fanfare surrounding it has firmly established it as the pinnacle of blockbuster cinematic romance. It is undeniably rousing and doesn’t shy away from delivering a sweeping, sentimental love story spanning a lifetime. Unabashed in its endeavor to be a tear-jerker, The Notebook swells the emotions masterfully to tell a classic romantic tale that makes up for its shortcomings with sheer passion and vulnerability.

The Notebook (2004)

PG-13

Romance

Drama

Release Date

June 25, 2004

Cast

Ryan Gosling , Rachel McAdams , James Garner , Gena Rowlands , James Marsden , Kevin Connolly , Sam Shepard , Joan Allen

Runtime

123 minutes

Writers

Jeremy Leven

Rent on Apple

6 'Once' (2007)

Directed by John Carney

Another criminally underrated gem that powerfully realizes the magic and spontaneity of love through music, Once is a touching Irish film about a bond between two strangers connected to other people. The unnamed duo consists of a busker still getting over his ex, who moved to London, and a Czech pianist whose husband still lives in their homeland. When they encounter each other on the street, a complicated relationship blooms between them.

Once hits all the markers of a great romantic film, from the satisfying and quaint meet-cute to the natural chemistry between the stars and the enthralling romantic tension. However, the film is fascinatingly restrained in realizing their love. Complemented by its music moments courtesy of the two stars (who were former band mates), Once is comfortable as a meditative, lingering observation of a bond between two ordinary people. It is perhaps unexceptional compared to other romantic films, but it’s delightfully earnest, excelling as a modern romance masterpiece that relishes in the experience of falling in love.

Once (2007)

R

Drama

Music

Romance

Where to Watch

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Not available

Not available

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Release Date

March 23, 2007

Cast

Glen Hansard , Marketa Irglova , Hugh Walsh , Gerard Hendrick , Alaistair Foley

Runtime

85 Minutes

Writers

John Carney

Rent on Amazon

5 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005)

Directed by Joe Wright

Romance has always been a defining pillar in period dramas, especially when they are adaptations of classic novels like those of Jane Austen. Delightfully, Joe Wright’s 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice marks arguably the best adaptation of Austen’s work in cinema, realizing all the core details of the story in vivid detail while still utilizing modern filmmaking sensitivities to finally see the story transition to the screen seamlessly.

Starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, it explores the famous romance between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy as they navigate and escape the social pressures of the English aristocracy. It is fresh and enjoyable, brilliantly teasing out the romance between the two lead characters to make for an appropriately engrossing viewing experience. Knightley is perfect as the rambunctious yet sympathetic Lizzie, while Macfayden’s Mr. Darcy remains the definitive portrayal of the character. Their romance is one of the best cinema saw in the 2000s.

PG

Romance

Drama

Where to Watch

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Release Date

November 23, 2005

Cast

Keira Knightley , Matthew Macfadyen , Brenda Blethyn , Donald Sutherland , Talulah Riley , Rosamund Pike , Jena Malone , Carey Mulligan

Runtime

129 Minutes

Writers

Deborah Moggach , Jane Austen , Emma Thompson

4 'In the Mood for Love' (2000)

Directed by Wang Kar-wai

Presented in the arresting visual style and slow yet contemplative pacing of famed Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, In the Mood for Love is one of the director's best films. Set in the early '60s, it follows two neighbors, a journalist and a secretary, who form a friendship as they come to realize they are being cheated on by their distant spouses. Refusing to stoop to the level of their unfaithful partners, the friendly duo agree to maintain a platonic bond as they reenact possible scenarios of how their lovers’ affair may have begun.

As an exploration of how emotions develop between people, In the Mood for Love is a masterpiece. While the underlying romantic love between the two leads is palpable, both characters’ moral nobility casts a tragic gleam over their bond. The haunting cinematography and limited yet evocative staging further add to the story's impact. Beautiful, elegant, and perfectly restrained, this tale of unrealized romance is a sobering ode to doomed lovers the world over.

In the Mood For Love

PG

Drama

Romance

Release Date

March 9, 2001

Cast

Maggie Cheung , Tony Leung Chiu Wai , Rebecca Pan , Roy Cheung

Runtime

98 Minutes

Writers

Kar-Wai Wong

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3 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004)

Directed by Michel Gondry

A high-concept sci-fi premise clashes with phenomenal insights into love and memory in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a modern classic and one of the most incredible romantic dramas ever made. It follows Joel (Jim Carrey), who undergoes a procedure to wipe all his memories of his ex-girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet) after learning she had the same treatment. As the procedure transpires, Joel explores his memories of the relationship and realizes he doesn’t want to forget it.

With a brilliant original screenplay from Charlie Kaufman, creative direction from Michel Gondry, and two sublime starring performances, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thrives as a compelling tale of hope amid heartbreak. It’s sobering, hopeful, and captivatingly powerful, not only an outstanding romantic movie but a sentimental ode to embracing love for all its glory as well as all its pitfalls and pain.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

R

Drama

Romance

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

March 19, 2004

Cast

Jim Carrey , Kate Winslet , Gerry Robert Byrne , Elijah Wood , Thomas Jay Ryan , Mark Ruffalo

Runtime

108

Writers

Charlie Kaufman , Michel Gondry , Pierre Bismuth

2 'Before Sunset' (2004)

Directed by Richard Linklater

The follow-up to 1995’s Before Sunrise — which followed the short-lived romance between an American tourist and a French woman — Before Sunset sees the duo resume their bond nine years later. Now a published author, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is doing book readings across Europe when he encounters Céline (Julie Delpy) after an event in Paris. With Jesse now a father and Céline in a relationship, they wonder how life might have been different if they’d acted on their immediate love years earlier.

The film is defined by its engaging and insightful dialogue, the chemistry of the stars, and its meditations on lost romance and the nature of life. Incredibly, Before Sunset feels like both characters are experiencing love at first sight a second time over, a feeling that gradually unfurls throughout their conversations. Hawke and Delpy wrote much of the dialogue themselves and excelled at realizing the heightened stakes of the reunion, with both characters far more aware of what they will lose if they part ways again.

Before Sunset

R

Drama

Romance

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

July 30, 2004

Cast

Ethan Hawke , Julie Delpy , Vernon Dobtcheff , Louise Lemoine Torres , Rodolphe Pauly , Mariane Plasteig

Runtime

80 minutes

Writers

Richard Linklater , Julie Delpy , Ethan Hawke , Kim Krizan

1 'Amélie' (2001)

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Has there ever been a more wondrous, fantastical, dream-like escape into pure romantic goodness quite like Amélie? The 2001 French feel-good film follows the titular Amélie (Audrey Tautou), an introverted yet mischievous waitress who starts to find joy in anonymously helping those around her get what they want. However, she finds herself unable to pursue her desires when she falls in love with a quirky young man she is too shy to speak to.

Coasting on Tautou’s delightful and note-perfect lead performance, Amélie is unashamed of showing the subtleties of human connection at its most life-affirming and sincere, even if it does so with the occasional cheek twist. It’s a rewarding ode to human kindness that finds a magnetic and well-executed angst in the central romance. A triumphant romantic classic, Amélie represents cinema at its most romantic and idyllic, charming audiences with its quaint tale of community and love.

Amélie

Not Rated

Romantic Comedy

Where to Watch

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Not available

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Release Date

August 16, 2001

Cast

Audrey Tautou , Mathieu Kassovitz

Runtime

123 Minutes

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NEXT: The 50 Best Romantic Movies of All Time, Ranked