Movies often sell us on an idealized version of love. We all know that falling in love is one of the finest things around, but it comes with its challenges too. These movies, for better or worse, take us on a journey through the realistic trials and tribulations of falling in love and relationships. We think that for our own sanity, it’s good to get a bit of perspective, and maybe you will too!
Put your feet up and check out the following gallery to see romantic movies that are realistic about love and relationships
‘Brothers’ (2009)
‘Brothers’ invites us into the lives of a young family in America. Upon the father’s return from war, he finds his brother had an affair with his wife.
‘Marriage Story’ (2019)
This film gives us a stark insight into the painful existence of a couple going through divorce. Violent verbal arguments and board rooms with solicitors show us the reality of what it’s really like.
‘Annie Hall’ (1977)
When Alvy meets Annie Hall, his life seems complete. A short-lived romance between the two is cut short when Annie moves to California to pursue her career. Stunned, much of the film follows Alvy’s torment and scorn by her decision and various unsuccessful attempts to get her back.
‘Casablanca’ (1942
Rick Blaine is the owner of a chic restaurant and gambling den in Casablanca when a long-lost love walks into his bar. As fate would have it, after declaring their love for each other once more, they are torn apart again by the tyranny of war.
Before Sunrise’ (1995)
This 1995 drama follows a young American man and a French woman meeting on a train. Disembarking in Vienna, they walk the streets together and grow closer as the film progresses. Their relationship, however, is torn apart before the morning, as they must go their separate ways.
‘Blue Valentine’ (2010)
The screenplay heartbreakingly invites us into the courtship of a young couple, Dean and Cynthia. Shifting back and forth between beautiful scenes of young love and infatuation, and their inevitable future state of disillusion with their lives and marriage, makes your heart sink.
‘Silver Linings Playbook’ (2012)
Far from your typical romantic movie, two troubled characters played by Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence meet. With his bipolar disorder and her painful existence as a widow, their interactions and behavior can be painful to watch
‘Call Me By Your Name’ (2017)
This instant classic, starring Timothée Chalamet, is sure to tug on your heartstrings! His character, Elio, discovers a different side of his sexuality upon meeting Oliver (Armie Hammer), an older man who comes to work with Elio’s father in the summer in southern Italy.
‘A Star Is Born’ (2018)
This box-office smash, featuring Lady Gaga, invites us into the glamorous world of a couple falling for each other while surrounded by fame, money, and rock and roll. They have everything, but the pressures of the fast life force their relationship to a crashing halt.
‘Cinema Paradiso’ (1988)
This film follows a young man’s journey through life from his first job as a projectionist to meeting the love of his life. From growing up and leaving his small town in Italy behind to becoming a famous director, memories of his first true love and his mentor never leave his heart.
‘Love, Simon’ (2018)
Simon has not come out as gay to anyone he knows. With nobody to talk to about it, he confides in another student in his school online; both under an alias. When another ‘friend’ finds out his secret, he is abused in the form of blackmail
‘Remember Me’ (2010)
No matter what your definition of realistic is, this one is sure to drag you down to earth to face the realities of life. Murder, loss, and family turmoil surround the romance of a young couple
‘Brooklyn’ (2015)
In search of a better life, a young Irish woman moves to New York. When her sister passes away, she is forced to return home to her small village to take care of her mother and has to make a painful decision: to return to her new life in New York, or stay.
‘The Fault in Our Stars’ (2014)
The reality of mortality for Gus and Hazel, who meet at a cancer support group, doesn’t stop them from falling for each other. Their future together crumbles when he reveals that his condition has deteriorated to the state of being terminal.
‘Revolutionary Road’ (2008)
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet appear on the screen together for the first time since ‘Titanic,’ and their performances were, as expected, outstanding. The drama watches the couple give up on all their dreams to settle for lives they swore that they would never lead.
‘La La Land’ (2016)
Two young dreamers, Mia and Sebastian, first encounter each other in a traffic jam in LA. They meet again at a party, and the two begin to date but are eventually torn apart by the demands of their careers.
‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ (2018)
Presented in a non-linear structure, we follow the life of a young Black couple, Tish and Fonny, in New York in the 1970s and the extreme prejudice that they endure, from looking to rent a home to Fonny’s incarceration for a crime he couldn’t have possibly committed (while they’re expecting their first child).
‘The Vow’ (2012
Paige Collins (Rachel McAdams) and her husband Leo’s (Channing Tatum) marriage comes to a halt after Paige is involved in a very serious car accident. In being thrown through the windscreen of her car, she suffers serious head injuries
‘Titanic’ (1997)
Although the chances of your ship sinking nowadays are extremely unlikely, it doesn’t get more real than falling in love and having to watch your lover drown, all within a few days.
‘Life Is Beautiful’ (1997)
This one follows the story of a young Italian who falls in love as the state of the world collapses around him.