From spine-tingling kisses to unforgettable romantic gestures, these are the best movie couples to ever be captured on film
Everyone remembers their first love – but we'll also never forget the iconic love stories we learned about from some of the best movie couples in history. Remember being swept up with Rose and Jack's whirlwind love affair on board the Titanic? Or the intoxicating feeling that your awkward teenage self just might one day seduce the hottest guy in town because, well, Baby busted out of her corner and nabbed Johnny didn't she?
From a 1940s classic, to officially the HOTTEST SCREEN KISS EVER, we've rounded up our 10 best movie couples of all time. Did your favourite make the cut...?
These are the best movie couples of all time...
1. Rose and Jack, Titanic
It may have been a relationship doomed from the start (spoiler alert: the ship sinks) but iconic movie couples don't come much more memorable than an uptight, corseted Rose DeWitt-Bukater (Kate Winslet) who falls for penniless third-class passenger, Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) on board the fated Titanic. Their romance is forbidden due to class barriers and her imminent engagement to controlling ego maniac, Cal (Billy Zane) but that only adds to the illicit excitement of this all-time great on-screen love affair. Jack paints Rose like one of his French girls, they get all hot and steamy in a car and, ultimately, we're gunning for the star-crossed lovers to stay afloat as everything around them sinks. 'You jump, I jump, remember?' and even the most hard-hearted of us have to admit they cemented their place as one of the best movie couples of all time.
BUY, Titanic
2. Ilsa and Rick, Casablanca
A former flame rekindled, Isla Lund (Ingrid Bergman) reappears in her former lover Rick's (Humphrey Boggart) life a married woman, yet the couple can't fight their deeply buried desires. This 1942 tale of lost love is imprinted on our memories with some seriously quotable lines ('Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine?' and 'Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.') but its the will-they-won't-they element of this story that still has us gripped till the very end. Classic romance never dates and the story of Isla and Rick might just make Casablanca one of the greatest love stories ever told.
BUY, Casablanca
3. Ennis and Jack, Brokeback Mountain
In the Ang Lee-directed breakthrough movie that launched the careers of both leading men, there wasn't a dry eye in the house as Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) embarked on a lifetime-spanning secret, forbidden love affair. The lakes and mountains of Wyoming were where the two cowboys would escape their wives and the mediocrity of their everyday lives to embark on an all-consuming romance that is as seductive as it is tragic. The lives only half-lived, the subtle nuances of growing love, and two stunning performances are what lands this duo as one of the best movie couples of recent decades.
BUY, Brokeback Mountain
4. Baby and Johnny, Dirty Dancing
Despite the age gap, the romance in Dirty Dancing is played out by sexy leading man Johnny (Patrick Swayze) who frees 'Baby' (Jennifer Grey) from the restraints of her innocence when he teaches her some dance moves in this coming-of-age classic. It was the tale of every holiday romance we wished we'd had, peppered with quite possibly the best soundtrack in cinematic history. And the moves! Baby may have carried a watermelon but Johnny always does the last dance of the season. Kellerman's may have looked like an ordinary holiday camp but to our teenage selves, it was the land where anything was possible. And we wanted to be there so badly.
BUY, Dirty Dancing
5. Sally and Harry, When Harry Met Sally
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© 1989 CASTLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT. All Rights Reserved. / MGM
What happened when Harry met Sally? Well, the scene was set for one of the most memorable love stories of all time and one of the best movie couples ever to be captured on film. When Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) first meet in the back of a car from Chicago to New York, they disagree on whether men and women can ever truly be platonic friends. As their paths continue to cross in a series of chance encounters over the years, they set out to redefine what a 'relationship' really is. Props to Meg Ryan for that fake orgasm scene, too.
BUY, When Harry Met Sally
6. Vivian and Edward, Pretty Woman
An unlikely fairytale Pretty Woman may be, but when Vivian (Julia Roberts) is 'rescued' from her life as a penniless prostitute by her suitor, businessman Edward (Richard Gere) she rescues her man right back with all the guts and valour of an independent woman. Empowering and moving in equal measures, with a shopping spree to end all movie shopping sprees. To miss this duo out of a list of best movie couples ever would be a big mistake. Huge. (sorry not sorry).
BUY, Pretty Woman
7. Molly and Sam, Ghost
This movie couple are not what they seem. Unlike any other love story, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) is left widowed by her fiance Sam (Patrick Swayze - twice in one list, no less!) yet the romance plays on from beyond the grave as ghost Sam continues to intervene and protect his Molly from harm. An equally heartbreaking and heartwarming film, we had as much love for Whoppi Goldberg's Oda Mae Brown as we did for these two. This slice of movie perfection can also single-handedly claim to have rebranded pottery for the better.
BUY, Ghost
8. Allie and Noah, The Notebook
Way before La La Land, the first time we met Ryan Gosling was when he charmed his way into our hearts - and that of Allie (Rachel McAdams) - playing Noah, the mysterious and rugged handy man who would stop at nothing to win her heart. A love story that spanned a lifetime, nobody could watch this film without falling in love with them both. And that kiss in the rain was made all the more intoxicating through knowing the Hollywood couple were at the same time living out a real-life relationship. Oh, how we lusted.
BUY, The Notebook
9. Latika and Jamal, Slumdog Millionaire
The film opens with a childhood romance divided by circumstance when the pair are forced to flee the Bombay riots. As an adolescent, Jamal (Dev Patel) tries to seek out his young love, Latika (Freida Pinto) across India in the hope of reuniting and rekindling their romance. The heartbreaking battles the couple face, as well as the vibrant bustling backdrop, make it a thrilling love story with lots of twists, turns and tears.
BUY, Slumdog Millionaire
10. Sandy and Danny, Grease
It has all the ingredients of a great love story - the soundtrack, the outfits, the dancing, and two protagonists who are struggling to find their identity at high school. Sandy (Olivia Newton John) is the sweetly innocent good girl to Danny's (John Travolta) bad boy rebel, but it all comes good in the end when they realise they don't have to pretend to be anyone else but themselves when they're together. Grease has stood the test of time and so have Sandy and Danny as one of the best movie couples ever.
BUY, Grease