No matter what genre we're talking about, many movies almost always have one really great kiss that sticks with audiences for years to come.
Sure, there are countless best movie kisses that stand the test of time, but some have become so ingrained in pop culture that even people who have never seen the movie can detail every moment of the kiss. We're talking about unforgettable scenes like the spaghetti kiss in Lady and the Tramp, Spider-Man's upside-down kiss in the 2002 Sam Raimi movie, and Rose and Jack's iconic Titanic kiss, to name a few. Of course, we can't forget about every “in-the-rain kiss” ever. When it comes to the best movie kisses of all time, there's just so much to swoon over.
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Movie Premise: When Buttercup's farmhand love Westley goes missing for five years, she thinks he died. She's later forced to get engaged to a prince - that is, until she gets kidnapped. Westley has to battle through the kingdom of Florin to find her again. The story plays out through the narration of a grandfather reading his grandson a story.
The Kiss Scene: Buttercup and Westley gallop away to freedom and safety on white horses. While they're still on their steeds, they share an intimate kiss. Grandpa explains that five kisses were rated the most passionate of all time, and this one leaves them all behind.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Even the kid is invested enough to stomach the movie's final kissing scene. Given that it was released in the ‘80s, it’s nice to see a princess who tries to rescue herself. She's not wholly successful, but she's headstrong and does think for herself. So by the end of the movie when we get to the final kiss, she's choosing a life with Westley rather than accepting a pairing being forced on her.
- Actors: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest
- Released: 1987
- Directed by: Rob Reiner
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: We've finally reached the last battle in the Lord of the Rings series. Frodo and Sam make it to Mordor to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile, Aragorn is charged with helming an army to take on Sauron and the army of evil at Minas Tirith.
The Kiss Scene: After Aragorn gets crowned, Arwen appears in white and we get an orchestral ballad and fluttering flower petals. They share a passionate kiss (or two) and it's joyous for both the couple and the crowd. It's dramatic, but it works.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Given that they had to work through the fact that Aragorn is mortal and Arwen was immortal, their relationship hit quite a few road blocks (including the fact that she was going to leave forever). It's impactful for everyone to see them get a triumphant moment of happiness amidst such darkness.
- Actors: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin
- Released: 2003
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Sam Wheat gets murdered by his co-worker, much to the devastation of his girlfriend Molly. Now he has to piece together the details of his death (and the identity of his killer) as a displaced spirit. Meanwhile, he has to convince Molly of his presence to save her from the same fate and move on to the afterlife.
The Kiss Scene: At the beginning of the movie, Sam finds Molly at the pottery wheel and asks to help. They don't really make much pottery, but they use the wet clay as foreplay before engaging in a very heated kiss.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? This scene sets the tone for the kind of love that Sam and Molly share before (and even after) he dies. Without this context, the movie wouldn't be half as effective. There's a care and devotion here that's fairly rare in scenes like this. Gratuitous love scenes can feel misplaced, but intentional and impactful ones are always a refreshing change.
- Actors: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn, Rick Aviles
- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Jerry Zucker
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: A kid's greatest fear when their parents have a baby is getting forgotten - but dogs have that fear, too. When Lady's owners have a baby, she takes to the streets, where she has to escape dog catchers and meets a stray dog named Tramp. Cue the puppy love and Lady learning that there's still a place for her in her family after all.
The Kiss Scene: This one is accidental, but Tramp is smooth enough to take advantage. A kind restaurant owner gives them a plate of spaghetti accompanied by romantic Italian music. Of course, they end up eating the same noodle and meet in the middle for a chaste kiss.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? It's just goofy and fun. The movie is essentially a dog rom-com and animators had to figure out some way to make that work. Many humans have tried (and failed) to recreate this scene as seamlessly as the movie - but that's probably because anything is possible in animation.
- Actors: Peggy Lee, Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Bill Thompson, Bill Baucom
- Released: 1955
- Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: The genocidal wizard dictator Voldemort has officially risen to power and appointed Snape, his loyal Death Eater (or so he thinks), to head up Hogwarts. Simply put? Things are grim. After finding almost all of the Horcruxes needed to make Voldemort mortal, Harry, Ron, and Hermione head back to the school to finish destroying the pieces of the Dark Lord's soul and take Voldy down for good.
The Kiss Scene: Apparently, if you hang out with a guy who accidentally talks to snakes long enough, you pick up a thing or two. When Hermione and Ron are at a loss as to how to destroy Hufflepuff's cup, they remember that Harry melted Voldemort's journal during Second Year with a Basilisk fang. So, Ron impersonates Harry's Parseltongue, gets inside the Chamber of Secrets, and they eliminate another Horcrux.
While Voldemort is throwing a temper tantrum, the destroyed bit of his soul attacks Ron and Hermione with a demonic tsunami. So, obviously, now is the perfect time for a makeout sesh.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? These two have been dancing around each other for seven years, and it's about time they pull the trigger. Though it's arguably not as good as in the book, where Hermione kisses Ron when he's worried about the house elves, it's definitely more cinematically epic.
Only true impending doom could make these two finally go after what they want. Ron also lets Hermione destroy the Horcrux because he knows how badly they affect him, which illustrates some growth on his part and a silent acknowledgment that he really screwed up when he bailed on them when they found the locket.
- Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: David Yates
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Like many weepy romances, The Notebook centers on a budding relationship with a “low-class” guy and a rich woman whose family refuses to get behind the pairing. When Noah goes off to fight in World War II, Allie thinks he doesn't love her anymore since he seemingly doesn't write to her. She moves on and gets engaged to another man - only for Noah to come back. Now she has to decide where her heart really lies after being apart from Noah for seven years.
The Kiss Scene: After Noah and Allie's romantic rowboat tryst gets interrupted by a massive storm, she starts yelling at him for not writing to her. He tells her that he did write to her - every day - for an entire year. Noah promises Allie that it wasn't over then and that it still isn't over now before initiating a passionate makeout session during which he picks her up, clothes drenched.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? For starters, had anyone witnessed this kiss, both Noah and Allie would have received a citation from Miss Manners herself on improper behavior for a lady. On top of that, it's a heartfelt reunion scene where two very lovesick people realize that the other person still loves them after years of believing otherwise. They have a lot of time to make up for.
- Actors: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner, Gena Rowlands, James Marsden
- Released: 2004
- Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Titanic uses the ill-fated voyage as a backdrop for the tragic romance between Rose (an affluent young woman) and Jack (a poor passenger relegated to the bottom level of the ship). Going into the movie, you can probably surmise that things won't exactly go well considering it's based on a real-life tragedy. Rose slowly learns that her ritzy life with an abusive jerk named Cal isn't what she wants, while Jack shows her what she's missing by living in her ivory tower.
The Kiss Scene: Jack takes Rose up to the bow of the ship to make her feel like she's flying. Why? Because he wants her to feel unbridled freedom for the first time in her life. It's a joy she's never felt before and she leans back to kiss him when they're still “flying,” demonstrating a high level of trust.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Jack may not be as affluent as Rose, but he's definitely a happier person. He wants to share that with her. Keep in mind that this is 1912 and women, especially high-class women, had the expectation to always be demure, marry the man their parents deemed suitable, and live a life of stuffy dinners and homemaking.
Meanwhile, Jack is free to do whatever he wants. His lack of money has allowed him to find simple joys in life. He wants to share that simplicity with Rose. Of course, we also get an orchestral version of “My Heart Will Go On,” which stings in hindsight.
- Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: James Cameron
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: A nerdy kid named Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider that turns him into a superhero. In between flying his way through Queens, Peter basically scribbles “MJ and Peter 4eva” in his notebook while he gazes longingly at the girl of his dreams from afar without ever talking to her.
Slowly, as he takes on foes like the Green Goblin that are far scarier than unrequited love, he finally gets the courage to try winning her over. The only problem? She's into Spidey and not Peter.
The Kiss Scene: It's raining, it's pouring, Spidey is flexing. When Spider-Man saves MJ from a group of creepy men with ill intentions, they flirt with each other while he's hanging upside-down. Of course, she pulls down his mask while they achieve the ever-coveted rain makeout scene.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Outside of the swoon-factor of the rain, there's a level of trust in this scene between both MJ and Peter. She could easily unmask him if she wanted to. But Peter doesn't stop her. She knows he's not ready to reveal his identity, so she opts to pull the mask down just far enough to kiss him.
This scene is so iconic that the early aughts-defining teen show The O.C. replicated it between fan-favorite couple Seth and Summer.
- Actors: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson
- Released: 2002
- Directed by: Sam Raimi
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Plenty of young girls spend their childhood wishing that someone would come from a far-off land to tell them that they're actually a princess. For the nerdy Mia Thermopolis, that's precisely what happens when the queen of Genovia (her grandmother) tells Mia that she's the heir to the throne. While the queen teaches Mia to dress and act like a princess, she in turn teaches her grandmother to enjoy life a little more.
The Kiss Scene: Mia is more interested in a jerk jock than the guy who was right in front of her the entire time. She frequently waxes poetic about the prospect of a kiss that's so romantic it makes her foot pop. To come full circle after her original embarrassing foot-popping moment, she kisses her best friend's brother, eliciting the reaction more genuinely.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? It's nice to see the nerd get a W for once. To top off the romantic moment, the water fountain and the lights turn on when they go for it, and her foot pops. Given that the film hinges on changing a nerd to be a “better” version of herself, it's nice to have this counterbalance that accepts a nerd as she is.
- Actors: Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, Héctor Elizondo, Heather Matarazzo, Mandy Moore
- Released: 2001
- Directed by: Garry Marshall
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Who wants to be raised by humans when you can have gorillas for adopted parents? When Tarzan meets another human for the first time, Jane, he has to make a choice between embracing humanity for a life with Jane or sticking with the wilderness and his adoptive family. To make matters more complicated, a hunter is after his family.
The Kiss Scene: After saying goodbye to her father, Jane runs into the water in a full-on gown, tackles Tarzan, and pulls him in for their first kiss. He's surprised at first, but then he initiates their second one while his entire gorilla fam looks on.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? While the stereotypical Disney heroine is depicted as demure and would never make the first move, Jane goes for it (and Tarzan is initially flummoxed). It's awkward, wholesome, and adorable. Their kiss is refreshingly different from what we've come to expect from animated movies.
- Actors: Tony Goldwyn, Glenn Close, Minnie Driver, Rosie O'Donnell, Wayne Knight
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Chris Buck, Kevin Lima
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: The film centers on an army barracks a few days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. A soldier named Prew is a boxing champ, but he opts not to continue that particular sport. Instead, he wants to play the bugle - and his captain isn't happy about it. However, the captain should probably focus on his own life as Sgt. Warden is having an affair with his wife Karen.
The Kiss Scene: The Sarg and Karen steal themselves away for a romantic tryst on the beach. We only hear music playing when he kisses her on the sand. It's pretty intense for the '50s. She says, “I never knew it could be like this.”
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Not all movie kisses age well. Right after their kiss, Warden calls her out for saying that she never knew it could be like this, implying that there have been many other men.
He's clearly jealous, which is rich considering she's literally married and he's already the other man. Warden goes as far as yelling and grabbing her. We're supposed to root for him because her husband treats her horribly, but he's not doing much better.
- Actors: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed
- Released: 1953
- Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Goodbye classic Verona and hello Verona Beach. It's just an updated version of Romeo and Juliet. Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Boy and girl are embroiled in the family drama between their family's feuding gangs. Teenagers make dumb, impulsive choices. Lots of people die. The end.
The Kiss Scene: When Romeo and Juliet are waxing poetic to each other, they're so caught up in themselves that they fall into the pool. There, they continue their classic Shakespearean dialogue. After they express their angst about how their families will react to their coupling, they make out, drenched, in their clothes, in the pool.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? We're putting a modern spin on the balcony scene, for one. The lighting and the pool setting certainly amp up the drama and the forbidden component of the story. It's A LOT, but somehow it perfectly gets the point of Shakespeare's tragedy across. These poor doomed teens couldn't help themselves.
- Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, Brian Dennehy, John Leguizamo, Pete Postlethwaite
- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Step-siblings Kathryn and Sebastian make a bet. If Sebastian succeeds in deflowering a demure Annette, who's waiting for marriage, then he gets to sleep with Kathryn - his step-sister. If he fails, she gets his car. Meanwhile, Kathryn is screwing with her ex's new girlfriend Cecile and she wants Sebastian to ruin her name with an equally devious seduction tactic.
The Kiss Scene: Kathryn proposes a “practice” makeout session with Cecile, who's never kissed anyone. In reality, she's just messing with her head. It's long and filmed close-up, and both parties seem to enjoy it.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? Cruel Intentions feels like a late ‘90s fever dream. At this point, there still wasn’t much LGBTQ+ representation on-screen - and this definitely isn't that - but it was still a pretty memorable moment for 1999. Of course, it's more of a scene to titillate the audience than anything genuine. Regardless, it's surprising and undeniably steamy.
- Actors: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Louise Fletcher
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Roger Kumble
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Jamal Malik is ready to answer the $20 million question during a game show. However, the police think he's cheating and torture him. But each question relates to his past in some way, and we see that play out in flashback form. Insert some crime and gang activity and you've got yourself a high-stakes movie.
The Kiss Scene: Jamal and Latika, the movie's main couple, grew up in a child labor ring. They had an awful childhood, but they always had each other. At the end of the movie, Jamal has won them a life out of poverty and the danger of their past is behind them. They reunite and kiss at the train station where they previously promised to meet each other.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? The film is a long stream of trauma and loss. It's healing to watch the couple that had been torn apart so often get a happy ending as they kiss and look towards a brighter future. Then, dancing happens!
- Actors: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
- Released: 2008
- Directed by: Danny Boyle
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: In the early 1960s, Jack and Ennis work as sheep herders, and they become close friends. It only takes one drunken night for them to become more, but acceptance in the ‘60s wasn’t exactly the norm - especially in Wyoming. Both men marry women, but find times to secretly meet up and carry on their affair for the next 20 years.
The Kiss Scene: After they haven't seen each other in forever, Ennis is so excited that he slams Jack against the wall in his rush to kiss him. Meanwhile, Ennis's wife spies on them in shock.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? To get that intense of a same-sex kiss in 2005 in a mainstream movie was basically unprecedented. Though it's not the happiest LGBTQ+ representation, it was nevertheless meaningful.
The scene was so high-energy that Jake Gyllenhaal noted in an interview that Heath Ledger almost broke his nose and Gyllenhaal was hurting worse after that scene than fight scenes.
- Actors: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Linda Cardellini, Anna Faris, Anne Hathaway
- Released: 2005
- Directed by: Ang Lee
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Family man Cal Weaver discovers that his wife cheated on him and wants a divorce. A newly single Cal seeks hookup advice from a dude named Jacob, who teaches him how to seduce women. However, Jacob becomes enthralled with a young woman named Hannah - and all of their lives are more connected than you think.
The Kiss Scene: Hannah's awful boyfriend Richard tells her that he needs some time to figure things out and she's tired of his BS. She drinks some random guy's gin before storming off, but realizes she's not done with her rebellion. She finds the random guy who previously hit on her (Jacob) and initiates a public makeout that's so in-the-moment and intense that he lifts her off her feet and takes her home.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? As far as public displays of affection with a near stranger go, this one is pretty memorable. The fact that Hannah is basically seeking out a one-night-stand to both rediscover who she is without her loser boyfriend and also as a “look what you’re missing out on” kind of deal is both empowering and relatable.
- Actors: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Lio Tipton
- Released: 2011
- Directed by: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: Chiron's life in Miami is broken up into three chapters in this coming-of-age drama. A drug dealer becomes a father figure to the young boy until his death. In the second chapter, Chiron contends with bullies while he tries to work through his gay identity. Ultimately, he can't escape the drug life he grew up in and he has to work through his traumas in adulthood in the third chapter.
The Kiss Scene: A teenage Chiron kisses his classmate Kevin on a beach - a defining moment in understanding his sexuality. They share a vulnerable moment where they talk about what makes them cry before they kiss.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? It's clear that both Kevin and Chiron are terrified to make the first move, given the hostile environment they grew up in. It's an incredibly timid and sweet moment tinged with the sadness of their circumstances and the heavy toxic masculinity they were raised in. The moment impacts Chiron so much that a decade later, he tells Kevin that he never hooked up with anyone else.
- Actors: Mahershala Ali, Alex R. Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, Trevante Rhodes, Janelle Monáe
- Released: 2016
- Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Pure romance?
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Movie Premise: 17-year-old Simon hasn't quite figured out how to come out to his parents when he's crushing on a boy in his class. However, there's another student at his school who blogs about being closeted. Naturally, they strike up an anonymous correspondence. When some jerk outs Simon to the entire school, he has to contend with losing his friends and his love interest in one go as he tries to rebuild his life and get to the bottom of his anonymous relationship.
The Kiss Scene: As it turns out, Simon was right about Blue's identity in the first place. His muse turns out to be Bram, someone he'd gotten close to, but Simon dismissed the hunch when he saw him kissing a girl. The big reveal happens when Bram meets him on the Ferris Wheel and comes clean about his identity, in front of a good chunk of the school.
Why Does This Kiss Stand Out? It's absolutely corny and delightful. It's so rare to get a classic LGBTQ+ movie with all of the tropes we've come to expect from the rom-com and romance genres.
Of course, it has the kind of typical teen drama you expect from a coming-of-age movie. But it's not a doom-and-gloom depressing movie that focuses more on homophobes than it does the actual couple. There is some of that in there, but it doesn't completely take over the film and make it a tragedy as is the fate for so many LGBTQ+ stories. These characters are just two teens having a romantic interlude on a Ferris Wheel as they contend with the trials and tribulations of being gay in the South. Yet everyone is mostly supportive at the end of the day.
- Actors: Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner, Tony Hale, Katherine Langford
- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Greg Berlanti
Pure romance?
