Regardless of your thoughts on the streaming service Max’s rebranding (now sans HBO at the front), the content available here, particularly older films and shows, is still the best in the biz. Featuring classic romantic comedies, dramas, and everything in between, Max has no obvious rival, so here are a few romance movies that you can stream right this second.
(500) Days of Summer
Not all 20th-century films about love have to follow the usual rom-com style churned out hundreds of times per year. The debut film of screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, who recently had success developing Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel Daisy Jones & the Six for streaming, uses all the creativity at director Marc Webb’s disposal to tell a story of love and heartbreak in equal measure. For something a little too relatable about the folly of “true love,” (500) Days of Summer might be the most enjoyable option.
13 Going on 30
Though 13 Going on 30 follows romantic comedy guidelines closer than any other film on this list, this popular Jennifer Garner-led flick became a major favorite of its time for fitting all the pieces just right. The premise of Big through the lens of teen girl awkwardness hits all the anticipated points with a lovable easiness, and Garner and male lead Mark Ruffalo work impeccably together. Plus, this beats director Gary Winick’s later forays into the genre, Bride Wars and Letters to Juliet, by a mile.
In the Mood for Love
Moving into dramatic territory, celebrated writer/director/producer Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love develops an intense, layered romance story from the relationship of two lonely neighbors whose spouses are having an affair. The tension is built entirely around feelings of love, intimacy, insecurity, and regret, never wading into the standard plot points of affair dramas that have become as clichéd as their comedy counterparts. Hong Kong actors Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung make every word and gesture of their characters as indispensable as each of Wong’s gorgeous frames.
Edward Scissorhands
Tim Burton’s first and far-from-last collaboration with actor Johnny Depp was a commercial disappointment compared to his previous film, Batman; using indie-appealing, pared-down marketing strategy, Edward Scissorhands‘ melding of gothic fantasy and suburban fish-out-of-water storytelling yielded critical and cult success anyways. Though somewhat meandering on a romantic level, Depp and Beetlejuice‘s Winona Ryder do a lot with little focus on their relationship. For those in a Burton mood, Edward Scissorhands remains one of his most emotionally moving, heartrending films.
Casablanca
The eternally enduring romance Casablanca pairs an icy yet magnetic Humphrey Bogart performance with a deliciously twisty yet elegantly simple political war drama and a memorable cast of characters, the best of all being a luminescent Ingrid Bergman. If you have yet to see this, one of the most iconic films of all time, take our word that Casablanca remains an essential film in any genre. Even after over 80 years, the laughs and heartbreaks here represent Hollywood at its immortal finest.
Each of these romance movies is streaming now on Max.