We're Head Over Heels in Love With These 20 Romantic Movies on HBO Max

If you're looking for Old Hollywood romance, it doesn't get more classic than this. During World War II, American expat Rick owns a nightclub in Morocco, where everyone from refugees to Nazi officials pass through. When his ex Ilsa appears, desperate for papers to get her and her Resistance husband to safety, Rick gets caught up in a dangerous plot that forces him to choose between his love and his cause.

Watch Casablanca on HBO Max.

Part of the wave of '80s teen comedies, Can't Buy Me Love also has the distinction of starring a dorky, pre-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey. A nerd pays one of the most popular girls in school to fake date him for a month to make him seem cool, but, as always seems to happen with these fake-dating arrangements, things take a turn for the real.

Watch Can't Buy Me Love on HBO Max.

First Daughter Anna just wants a little bit of privacy and normalcy, but she can't get it with the Secret Service watching her every move. With the help of a charming British photographer, she manages to ditch her detail and go off on an adventure to learn more about the world — and about falling in love.

Watch Chasing Liberty on HBO Max.

If you like local theme parks, shag carpet, and the smooth sounds of Lou Reed's vocals, you'll love Adventureland. While it's primarily a soul-searching comedy, the tender romance between Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg's characters is both painful and realistic. Plus, how can you not be in the mood for a movie with a supporting cast of Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Ryan Reynolds?

Watch Adventureland on HBO Max.

The superquotable '80s rom-com is still a fun, cheesy classic, even decades later. Teenager Frances, aka "Baby," isn't thrilled about going with her family to a stuffy summer resort in the Catskills, but she finds much more than she expected — and finally gets the chance to make decisions for herself — when she starts taking dance lessons from the resort's bad-boy dance instructor, Johnny.

Watch Dirty Dancing on HBO Max.

The 2020 adaptation of Jane Austen's classic comedy leans into the romance just the right amount. Snobby Emma is uninterested in romance and marriage for herself, preferring instead to "arrange" and meddle in the affairs of her friends and neighbours. The only person who is willing to call her out is Mr. Knightley, whose friendly relationship with Emma slowly begins to turn into something more.

Watch Emma on HBO Max.

There's plenty of room for romance in this candy-coloured musical about racial integration on a 1960s dance show! Tracy Turnblad just wants to dance on TV and win the attention of heartthrob Link Larkin. When she finally does get on TV, she becomes an overnight celebrity and befriends the show's segregated Black dancers and their mentor, joining them in the push to break down racist barriers.

Watch Hairspray on HBO Max.

Thirty-year-old Toula has mostly given up on her hopes of romance or of ever getting to do more with her life than work in her Greek family's restaurant. As she slowly begins to come out of her shell, branching out in both fashion and career, she falls in love with the handsome and charming Ian. There's just one problem, as far as her family is concerned: he's not Greek.

Watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding on HBO Max.

For intense, weepy, romantic drama, you really can't beat The Notebook. As teenagers, pristine Allie and bad boy Noah fall head over heels in love, but they're soon separated by Allie's wealthy, snobby family. When they cross paths again as adults, they've gone down very different roads in life, but the spark between them is as strong as ever.

Watch The Notebook on HBO Max.

A quartet of teenage best friends are separated for the summer but keep in touch by sending back and forth a pair of jeans that magically fits all of them. It's their way of staying connected as all four of them deal with some weighty emotional stuff. And yes, there's romance, too: shy Lena falls for a neighbour boy in her family's Greek village, while football star Bridget pursues her hot coach.

Watch The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants on HBO Max.

Thirteen-year-old Jenna desperately wants to be cool, and, with the help of a magic birthday wish, she wakes up as a stylish, high-powered 30-year-old with a dream job (and a dream closet). As she learns more about her future life, Jenna makes some ugly discoveries about the person she has become, but when she reaches out to her childhood BFF Matt, she starts realising just what she needs to fix.

Watch 13 Going on 30 on HBO Max.

When environmental lawyer Lucy takes a job with real-estate developer George, she doesn't realise he's going to turn her into his own personal aide. She turns in her notice, but her attempts to leave are complicated by George's hijinks and the realisation from both of them that they've started to rely on each other much more than they previously realised.

Watch Two Weeks Notice on HBO Max.

When Kat is asked to be her sister's maid of honour, she balks at having to see the best man: her ex-fiancé. Single and dateless, Kat hires an escort, Nick, to pose as her boyfriend for the wedding week in hopes of making her ex jealous. Instead, she starts to fall for Nick, until a huge secret comes out that threatens their budding romance and all the wedding festivities.

Watch The Wedding Date on HBO Max.

Nora Ephron's classic rom-com is a love letter to indie bookstores, '90s-era chatrooms, and the joys of New York City. Kathleen runs a small children's bookstore, having inherited it from her mother, but her business is threatened when a megastore, run by cutthroat businessman Joe, moves into their neighbourhood. Kathleen and Joe loathe each other on sight — but they don't realise that they're actually each other's secret online pen pals.

Watch You've Got Mail on HBO Max.

Near the end of World War II, a dying burn patient tells his story to his nurse, a British Sikh soldier, and a Canadian spy. In flashbacks, he reveals the story of his time exploring the Sahara Desert, the woman he fell in love with there, and how the war and espionage shattered their fragile love story, eventually leading him to the present day.

Watch The English Patient on HBO Max.

During the 1950s, an American family moves to Cuba, including high-school senior Katey. Frustrated by the move and disgusted by the entitlement of other expat teenagers, Katey instead becomes interested in learning to dance. When she meets local boy Javier, he introduces her to real dance, and they begin to fall in love, even as the Cuban Revolution threatens both of their communities.

Watch Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights on HBO Max.

Holly and Eric went on exactly one date and have loathed each other ever since. When their mutual best friends are killed in an accident, they find themselves sharing custody of their baby goddaughter. As both of them attempt to balance their careers with newfound parenthood, they're stuck relying on each other — and maybe correcting some bad first impressions along the way.

Watch Life as We Know It on HBO Max.

Even if you've never seen the movie, you probably know its most famous quote: "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Two college students — working-class Jenny and rich Oliver — fall passionately in love, but they slowly come to discover that even true love can't overcome every obstacle.

Watch Love Story on HBO Max.

Remember when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were one of Hollywood's power couples? This Western romance is a remnant of that era, as they play a young Irish couple who leave Ireland together to forge a new life in America. As they head out to claim land in Oklahoma, they have to work together to overcome a constant stream of challenges that threaten their relationship and even their lives.

Watch Far and Away on HBO Max.

One of the greatest movie musicals of all time, Singin' in the Rain features a sweet love story and a slew of glorious musical numbers. As Hollywood makes the shift to "talkies," silent-film star Don tries to keep up, while also romancing witty starlet Kathy. When their first attempt at a talkie turns out hilariously awful, it's up to Don, Kathy, and their friend Cosmo to figure out a way to save the movie and their careers.

Watch Singin' in the Rain on HBO Max.