10 Best Romance Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked

The '80s brought America a lot of cinematic classics, from comedies like "Ghostbusters" and "Trading Places" to family-friendly adventures like "Back to the Future" and "The Karate Kid." Romance wasn't a genre that was especially championed in the '80s, but many of the romances that did come to theaters have remained some of the most iconic love stories of all time. Thanks to directors like John Hughes and successful young actors like Molly Ringwald and John Cusack, the '80s definitely offered a new emphasis on the American teenage experience, and there's nothing more dramatic in a teenager's life than romantic relationships. 

In making a list of the greatest romance films of the '80s, we made sure to consider a few different criteria. We factored in critical reception and general audience appreciation, the specific romantic elements of each story and how unique and emotionally compelling the love story is, and current-day perceptions of the film's quality. Most importantly, we considered the cultural impact of each film and the timelessness of the story.

It would be impossible to make a list of top romance movies from the '80s and not include "Pretty in Pink." While it's not the best love story ever told, it is an iconic film thanks to memorable performances from Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer and an ever-relevant focus on class disparity. It also helps that "Pretty in Pink" offers a particularly heartbreaking love triangle from which plenty of romantic angst naturally blooms. Molly Ringwald plays Andie, a senior at a high school with students from both highly affluent and working-class backgrounds. She quickly falls for Blane (Andrew McCarthy), one of the rich kids, but outside pressures from their friends force a dramatic end to their budding relationship.

Andie's best friend Duckie (Cryer) is in love with her, but also knows that Andie will never be romantically interested in him, causing to feel heartsick and resentful of Blane. For his part, Blane ultimately comes to understand that affluence has nothing to do with a person's true value and ditches his cruel, wealthy friends, and finally offers Andie love and public support at their senior prom. There is an urgent, almost-painful chemistry between Andie and Blane that makes up for the fact that their relationship is developed quickly, and the passion of their make-out scenes is so frantic, they almost make the viewer feel like an interloper.

Cast: Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer

Director: Howard Deutch

Year: 1986

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 1h 36m

Some of the best love stories come from movies that prioritize fun and joy, and that is certainly true in the case of "Romancing the Stone." One of a small number of great movies that's truly perfect for the whole family, "Romancing the Stone" is well-paced and adventurous. Author Joan Wilder (Kathleen Turner) is forced to travel to Colombia in order to rescue her sister, who is being held for ransom. Once there, she meets a man named Jack (Michael Douglas), whom she ultimately hires to help her find her way (having been misdirected away from where she is supposed to meet her sister's captors) through the jungle and to the city of Cartagena. 

Jack is hot, Joan is hot, and the jungle is hot, so it's no surprise that they somewhat quickly fall into a passionate love affair on their journey where they are constantly dodging semi-lethal scenarios. The plot of the film is exciting to the last, and this allows for Joan and Jack to develop a relationship with a relatively low measure of angst. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas are iconic '80s movie stars, and it's especially fun to watch them both perform at their prime. It's nice to imagine that their fictional counterparts, Joan and Jack, are still off living a happy life on Jack's big boat, all these years later.

Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Year: 1984

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1h 46m

Recent years have seen the success of unconventional romances like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "The Shape of Water," and it's always thought-provoking to consider how romantic love can factor into a fantastical story. "Starman," an underrated John Carpenter movie from the '80s, is about Starman, an extra-terrestrial who crash-lands on Earth and takes the form of a recently deceased man named Scott Hayden (Jeff Bridges) upon discovering his widow, Jenny (Karen Allen), with a lock of Scott's hair. Starman, having been shot down by the U.S. military after attempting to make friendly contact, reveals himself to Jenny and asks her to help him rendezvous with a rescue vessel from his planet. While Jenny is initially upset and eager to divest herself from Starman's situation, she eventually comes to care for him and helps him find his way home.

"Starman" is a sci-fi romance that explores the unlikely connection between a human woman and a celestial being that, only temporarily, takes a humanoid form. It is also a film about grief and what it means to lose the person you love and carry on living. The fact that Starman takes the form of Jenny's deceased husband is a brilliant way to fuse both angles of this one story, and his relationship with Jenny is heartfelt and evocative. "Starman" could easily have been an incredibly corny movie, but instead, Carpenter and his lead actors manage to find an authentic, compelling thread that can leave the viewer feeling thankful and contemplative.

Cast: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen

Director: John Carpenter

Year: 1984

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1h 55m

One of the best period films of the '80s, "A Room with a View" is a forgotten drama from the early career of Helena Bonham Carter. The film's story centers on Lucy Honeychurch (Bonham Carter) and her romantic course through society as a young woman. The first part of the movie takes place in Florence, where Lucy has journeyed to with her cousin and chaperone, Charlotte (Maggie Smith). Lucy is quickly swept away by an eventful stay in Italy where she witnesses many strange things (like a stabbing) and makes the acquaintance of a handsome, thoughtful young man named George Emerson (Julian Sands). Despite the fact that Lucy and George fall in love during her time in Florence, Lucy returns to England with Charlotte and enters into a socially advantageous engagement with Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis). 

Julian Sands smolders as the handsome George, and it's impossible to blame Lucy for falling in love with him, especially after he takes care of her with gallant acts throughout the story. It's wonderful to watch Lucy slowly break free from the conventions of her childhood and make her own choices as a woman, and without a doubt she is fortunate to find a blissful ending with her true love. E.M. Forster's novel, "A Room of One's Own," (the book upon which this film is based) seeks to convey the hope that sincere feeling and passion can be strong enough to supersede the cold, economic conventions that determined many a young person's wedded future at the time. This adaptation captures that thoughtful optimism with beautiful imagery and emotionally intelligent performances from Carter and Sands. 

Cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, Maggie Smith

Director: James Ivory

Year: 1985

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 1h 57m

Robert Redford and Meryl Streep are two of the most iconic actors in Hollywood, and it's always exciting to watch stars of their caliber play opposite one another in a romance. "Out of Africa" is probably a little too long for a movie that spends so much time letting its plot marinate, and while its length doesn't necessarily act as a draw for the average viewer, it does provide space for the film's love story to feel complete. In his Chicago Sun-Times review, Roger Ebert expands on this, explaining that "what we have here is an old-fashioned, intelligent, thoughtful love story, told with enough care and attention that we really get involved in the passions among the characters." 

Karen (Streep) and Denys (Redford) have a mature love, one that feels true to how much life they've both lived by the time they connect romantically. Theirs is a relationship between equals, quite unlike Karen's imbalanced marriage to Bror (Klaus Maria Brandauer), and this becomes clear when Denys realizes that Karen's desire for monogamy and fidelity is more important to him than his own bachelor's freedom. "Out of Africa" is one of the few films on this list that ends in tragedy: Before Karen and Denys can get married as per Karen's wishes, Denys is killed in a plane crash. It's a sad ending, but the movie is based on a nonfiction memoir, and sometimes real life offers only sad endings. 

Cast: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep

Director: Sydney Pollack

Year: 1985

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 2h 41m

There isn't much in the way of on-screen, queer love stories from '80s cinema. The AIDs epidemic of the '80s and '90s gave many conservative politicians and homophobic public figures an excuse to vehemently demonize members of the LGBTQ+ community, and the conservative policies that came about as a result influenced the depiction of queer characters in film and television. Luckily, art and film can also offer opportunities for expressing opposing opinions, as is the case in "My Beautiful Laundrette." "My Beautiful Laundrette" isn't super well-known, but it's one of Daniel Day Lewis's best movies and has remained an important piece of art as it stood in opposition to then-Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher and her homophobic agenda.

The film follows a young man named Omar (Gordon Warnecke) who ignores his Pakistan-born father Hussein's (Roshan Seth) hatred of Britain's rampant capitalism and takes over management of his uncle's laundrette. Omar reconnects with an old school friend, Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), who has become a right-wing street punk prone to engaging in bouts of random violence. Omar offers Johnny a job at the laundrette and the two soon rekindle their romantic relationship from their youth. Omar's love and acceptance of Johnny allows him the safety to become the person he wants to be, and Johnny's loyalty gives Omar the courage to live the life he wants, rather than the one that's expected of him.

Cast: Saeed Jeffrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gordon Warnecke

Director: Stephen Frears

Year: 1985

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 1h 37m

"Dirty Dancing" is a staple of the 1980s' artistic legacy, of romance in film, and of dancing and music in pop culture. Ryan Gosling's and Emma Stone's characters reenact the famous lift from "Dirty Dancing" in the film "Crazy, Stupid Love," and it's the movie that Jessica Day (Zooey Deschanel) watches when she's getting over a break-up on "New Girl." It inspired a stage musical adaptation, a prequel starring Diego Luna, and a short-lived TV series; there might even be a "Dirty Dancing" sequel with original star, Jennifer Grey, coming out in the next few years. It's one of the most recognizable films of all time, and luckily it really does live up to its hype. 

Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) is a young woman from a wealthy background who gets involved in the happenings of the working-class staff members at her family's regular summer resort in the Catskills. "Dirty Dancing" was on the cutting edge of social commentary when it came out, exploring classism at a time when the gap between the rich and the poor was growing exponentially and featuring characters who had to deal with the realities of unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Addressing these serious issues is a part of why Johnny (Patrick Swayze) is the perfect male love interest— everyone wants a partner they know they can count on to be a good person when the going gets rough, and all the better if that someone is also a sexy, soulful dancer who looks like Patrick Swayze.

Cast: Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze

Director: Emile Ardolino

Year: 1987

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 1h 40m

The best on-screen love stories usually represent a harmonious merging of sincere, skillful writing and passionate performances. "Moonstruck" sits smack dab in the sweet spot, offering an interesting, off-beat story and two leads with extraordinary gravitas. Nicolas Cage was still very young when he starred opposite musican/actress Cher, but even then he was the same kind of creative, risk-taking actor that the world knows today. Cage's acting eccentricities nearly got him fired from "Moonstruck," but those same eccentricities are also a huge part of what made the film so successful. 

Cage plays Ronny, the passionate, rough-around-the-edges younger brother of Loretta's (Cher) fiancé, Johnny (Danny Aiello), who meets and quickly falls in love with Loretta over the course of a day. Cher's Loretta is both relatable and written with a flavorful personality, a combination that works thanks to Cher's stellar performance. Ronny and Loretta are like magnets, perpetually attracted to each other and yet incapable of coexisting without creating scintillating tension, and that's a dynamic that exists independent of the spicy family drama that makes their relationship so provocative. Luckily for them, "Moonstruck" is a rom-com, and one that provides a satisfying, funny ending for its lead couple and the rest of its quirky ensemble.

Cast: Cher, Nicolas Cage

Director: Norman Jewison

Year: 1987

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1h 42m

Star Cary Elwes doesn't believe that there should be a remake of "The Princess Bride," once tweeting, "there's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one." Elwes is definitely right that "The Princess Bride" is a perfect movie. It has action, adventure, comedy, dramatic tension, interesting characters, and, of course, romance. The whole story is tied together by the relatable and beloved experience of having a grandparent (or parent, guardian etc.) read aloud to a child who's feeling under the weather. There's a list's worth of funny moments in "The Princess Bride," not to mention numerous famous quotes and scenes that have remained relevant to the cultural zeitgeist. 

"The Princess Bride" is a particularly special kind of fantasy-adventure-comedy because it is anchored by a straightforward yet compelling love story. Westley (Elwes) and Buttercup (Robin Wright) have to be one of the most attractive on-screen couples of all time, and their imaginary kids were surely born with the most lustrous blonde hair anyone could picture. Aside from that, Wright and Elwes convey the deep passion between their characters with ease, and Buttercup and Westley themselves are a testament to faith and loyalty in the face of adversity. Westley still goes after Buttercup despite hearing of her wedding, and Buttercup still refuses to marry the prince despite the fact that Westley has been missing for years. Their romance could easily have come across as a flimsy excuse to have Andre the Giant and Mandy Patinkin do their thing in a fantasy setting, but it's actually one of the most endearing love stories ever put to film.

Cast: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant

Director: Rob Reiner

Year: 1987

MPAA Rating: PG

Runtime: 1h 38m

Cinephiles everywhere should be thankful that Tom Hanks turned down the role of Harry in "When Harry Met Sally," because if any major components of "When Harry Met Sally" had been different, it might not be considered one of the greatest rom-coms ever made. Despite their 14-year age-difference, stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal have vibrant on-screen chemistry as romantic leads in a film penned by famed writer Nora Ephron and directed by comedic genius Rob Reiner. The pacing of "When Harry Met Sally" feels more true to reality than most other films in the genre, and it is their rocky start while driving from Chicago to New York City after college that allows for Harry (Crystal) and Sally (Ryan) to have such a distinct rapport years later. 

Harry and Sally share many beautiful moments together as friends; hushed giggles at the MoMA, a karaoke performance of "Surrey with the Fringe On-Top," and of course Sally's decisive win in a debate over lunch about whether or not a woman can convincingly fake an orgasm. Their love story is intimate and special, and is only improved by Reiner's ability to shoot New York City at its most beautiful. Perhaps the most unique and heartwarming parts of the film, though, are the interview scenes featuring elderly couples and their love stories that are sprinkled throughout the movie. There is a reassurance to be found in these interludes; Harry and Sally have a great story as well, and no matter how rocky it gets, they'll have a happy ending. 

Cast: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Carrie Fisher

Director: Rob Reiner

Year: 1989

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 1h 35m