Love ... a four-letter word that is so simple, but give it context and it becomes the most complex word in any language. Hopeless romantics have long sought-after fairytale love and happy endings like they see in the movies. While often not a realistic depiction of love, movies can be a powerful force in evoking the very emotion.
Certain movies have the power to give viewers the same type of rush as falling head over heels. Given the current dreary state of the world, and yet with hope on the horizon, many people stuck at home could use that oxytocin-induced warm and fuzzy kind of feeling, whether they're watching an on-screen relationship that's been going on for decades, characters who are single, or a new romance blossom.
The Notebook
Nicholas Sparks often creates the "crème de la crème" of romance in story form. The Notebook, starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, is nothing short of that. The story centers around the young love that is Noah and Allie. It's the same old story, she's from old money and he couldn't be more opposite, but of course, the two fall madly in love.
The scene that hits the nail on the head of exactly what it feels like to fall in love is centered around their very first date. Having not wanted to go, Allie comes out of her shell as the two discuss their futures in the middle of the street, ending with them dancing under the traffic signals. Every first date should have these kinds of hopeful conversations and the silent street signifies that they are the only two people in the world.
When Harry Met Sally
A comedy masterpiece from director Rob Reiner, this film is a classic and truly the best of Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Most fans will remember this movie for the Katz's Deli scene with the oh-so-famous line of "I'll have what she's having," but it is so much more. Friends turned lovers, this film explores unrequited love in a different type of way.
Sally and Harry never seem to be on the right page and spend years going back and forth with their feelings. Of course, as they get older and they begin to hang out more, there isn't a question as to how one feels for the other. The last scene of the movie, in which Harry rushes to find her before midnight on New Year's Eve, is the crowning moment for many fans.
Dirty Dancing
Sometimes love happens by chance and proximity. Even if at the beginning of said story, the characters hate each other. Baby and Johnny certainly started out this way in Dirty Dancing. Notably one of the best on scene chemistry couples, it is rumored that the two actors, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, actually had astonishing hatred for one another.
Of course, they let that passion burn on screen for fans to see as the pair falling in love. This story gives a glimpse into just what it feels like when you slowly start to realize that maybe the person you thought you knew as horrible, isn't so bad after all.
10 Things I Hate About You
A modern take on Shakespeare's, The Taming Of The Shrew, Kat Stratford is a hardened teenager who's all about feminism and the fact that she clearly doesn't need anyone, particularly a man. When her younger sister, Bianca, finds out her eccentric father's new rule on dating, that she can date when Kat does, it becomes her mission.
Bad boy Patrick sweeps in as the paid-to-swoon character and does everything to get her to fall head over heels, and of course, she does. Tragedy soon strikes, though, when Kat finds out it was all a ploy at her expense, giving fans a taste of what heartbreak feels like, especially when she reads her now-infamous poem. Thankfully, the two make up, realize their feelings, and end on a happy note.
Trainwreck
Some would argue that the old saying, "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" is kind of baloney, and this film's protagonist, Amy, would totally agree.
Amy lives a life where "monogamy isn't realistic." However, after being tasked by her boss to write a piece on Dr. Aaron Conners, it becomes clear very quickly that flying sparks aren't so easy to dismiss. Full of good laughs and totally relatable moments, this film deals with the vulnerability of falling in love.
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
A more artistic and yet realistic approach to love, Blue Is The Warmest Colour showcases the relationship between Adèle and Emma. Perhaps, one of the sadder films featuring the feeling, this coming of age story takes a deep dive into the love story of this beautiful pair. Adèle is a young 16 with lots to learn, and Emma is in her last year of college, fully knowing who she is. When the two meet at a bar, it's obvious that there is such chemistry and passion that they must be together.
Of course, with great love comes great pain, and life just seems to get in the way for these two. Adèle had far too much growing up to do, which is what ultimately leads to their fate. While the two still long for each other after their split, they know they must keep their love where it belongs, in the past, giving fans the same pining feeling for lovers gone by.
Friends With Benefits
There is nothing quite like the good old-fashioned "friends-with-benefits" trope. It never fails that at least one party catches feelings and this movie's storyline is no different. After Mila Kunis's character, Jaimie recruits Dylan, played by Justin Timberlake, the two go from acquaintances to downright best friends.
The couple makes a pact, oddly enough by swearing on a virtual bible, that neither person will develop feelings and that it's all about the sex. Of course, sex increases oxytocin and that good old warm fuzzy feeling, and by the second half of the film, friends start to slowly realize that their pact may be broken.
Always Be My Maybe
Ali Wong is simply hilarious and put alongside Randall Park, complete with a cameo of Keanu Reeves, she only gets better. Marcus and Sasha had an incredible friendship and she was practically a daughter to his parents. After Marcus's mother dies, though, the two share an intimate moment, causing a rift in their friendship.
Marcus gets stuck and stunted due to the loss of his mother, but Sasha is used to having no one but herself and goes on to be a successful restaurateur and chef. With a new restaurant opening in her hometown, she meets back up with Marcus, and the romance is rekindled. She loves him but won't stand for anyone holding her back. Of course, he wakes up to realize that maybe being the guy that gets to hold her purse is the best place to be.
The Story Of Us
The Story of Us is not necessarily about falling in love, but about falling in love all over again. Katie and Ben are miserable. After 15 years of marriage, complete with kids, life's little messes, and the same old fights, they have grown apart. But why?
When their kids go off to summer camp, they each begin to think about why they separated. As the audience sees flashbacks of why the two fell in love in the first place, it becomes evident that they let the troubles of a busy life and not communicating bring their love to a screeching halt. Of course, after both parties decide to call it quits permanently and tell their kids, Katie realizes she loves Ben - if for nothing else other than there is such a history, "and histories don't happen overnight."
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
A movie so good it has a cult following, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is nothing short of perfect in the falling-in-love department. Toula meets Ian and has an instant connection, a love at first sight kind of feeling. They go their separate ways, but destiny has a funny way of showing up again.
As Toula begins to work on herself, they meet again and decide to have dinner. Embarrassed when he recognizes her as the frumpy waitress, he doesn't miss a beat in ensuring that she is perfect, no matter what. However, her crazy greek family gets in the way. Ian will stop at nothing to marry her because, in his eyes, it's all worth it.