Best Love Story Poll

Posted on 01/20/10 92 Comments

As a companion to Sasha’s Love Story Contest below, we’ll take the most frequently cited movies in the comments and ask you to choose between the best of the best. Thanks to ‘Other Ryan’ for tabulating the first 300 responses to give us this master list of the most universally loved titles.

Vote after the cut.

You can choose up to 3 favorites, because love means never having to say monogamy.

Best Movie Love Story

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91 Comments

  1. 1

    Vermicious Knid says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:09pm

    I may be the only person to vote for Moonstruck. I am probably insane, but I love, love, love that movie. The whole cast is just perfect, especially Cher, Nicolas Cage, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, and John Mahoney.

  2. 2

    Jason says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:13pm

    moulin rouge, brokeback and eternal sunshine…easily.

    and i love moonstruck too. like a lot.

  3. 3

    Dave says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:13pm

    1.) Annie Hall
    2.) Eternal Sunshine
    3.) Wall-E

  4. 4

    Bruce says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:14pm

    OMG Eternal Sunshine and Brokeback Mountain. I love BBM. Screw Crash anyone agree?

  5. 5

    filmboymichael says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:17pm

    i think i was the only one to cite cat on a hot tin roof….oh well….

  6. 6

    Joseph says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:19pm

    1. Eternal Sunshine
    2. Brockeback Mountain
    3. Atonement

  7. 7

    Joseph says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:20pm

    Wow! Cant believe I match the Top choices!

  8. 8

    Tufas says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:22pm

    1. William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet
    2. Brokeback Mountain
    3. Before Sunset
    4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
    5. Lost In Translation

    T.

  9. 9

    red_wine says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:22pm

    Annie Hall, In The Mood For Love & Wall-E.
    Wall-E is the most memorable romance of the decade.

  10. 10

    Magically Delicious says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:23pm

    If Slumdog Millionaire wins there’s no hope for this world. Moonstruck and City Lights all the way.

  11. 11

    CeciliaTallis says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:26pm

    Interesting that more than half of these are unrequited love stories that end unhappily.

  12. 12

    Bruce says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:28pm

    Eternal Sunshine should have been nominated and WON Best Picture at the oscars. Oh, and Hilary Skank beating Kate Winslet???? That was a travesty!

  13. 13

    Natasha says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:32pm

    Are we talking the 1968 Romeo and Juliet or the 90′s version?

  14. 14

    Kay says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:35pm

    Gone with the Wind baby.

  15. 15

    harry says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:41pm

    City Lights is my all time favorite movie.

    I would go with Manhattan over Annie Hall.

  16. 16

    JR says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:43pm

    Vermicious Knid, you are not alone…

    1) Moonstruck
    2) Eternal Sunshine…
    3) Romeo & Juliet (Zeffirelli)

  17. 17

    Antoinette says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 12:47pm

    Well my favorite is Dr. Zhivago so :p

  18. 18

    cca says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:00pm

    Mine too… How is that “Doctor Zhivago” is not in a list of top film love stories?

    My vote, besides “Doctor Zhivago”:

    The Apartment
    Brief Encounter
    In the Mood for Love

    (Yes, I love doomed love stories)

  19. 19

    Kevin says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:03pm

    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind!

  20. 20

    Patrick C. says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:03pm

    There is NO WAY I would have ever thought that people in this world would have liked BrokeBack as much as they do. I am shocked.

  21. 21

    Zach says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:04pm

    Too many pretentious fans of the modern films like Eternal Sunshine and Once. They’re really not the best. What gives? People have forgotten what the true classics are.

  22. 22

    Taylor says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:06pm

    1)Atonement
    2)Brokeback Mountain
    3)Moulin Rouge

  23. 23

    Maxim says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:12pm

    2 Movies that suck:

    Slumdog
    Once

  24. 24

    A.J says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:17pm

    This is so…. hard. I’m shocked at how much trouble I’m having.

  25. 25

    jlu says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:44pm

    brokeback mountain
    wall-e
    atonement

  26. 26

    Ryan Griffin says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:44pm

    Needs more True Romance dag nabbit.

  27. 27

    alliewayz says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:46pm

    Naturally, being a Chaplin fan, I would select City Lights as the best love story. That ending still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and weep one tear.

    The most passionate “love story” I have ever encountered, though, is A Streetcar Named Desire. That is literally some hot stuff!

  28. 28

    Ivan says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 1:56pm

    Other modern couples that take my breath away…

    nicolas cage & laura dern
    WILD AT HEART

    al pacino & michelle pfeiffer
    FRANKIE & JOHNNY

    christian slater & patricia arquette
    TRUE ROMANCE

    woody harrelson & juliette lewis
    NATURAL BORN KILLERS

    nicolas cage & elisabeth shue
    LEAVING LAS VEGAS

    woody harrelson & courtney love
    THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT

    leonardo dicaprio & kate winslet
    TITANIC

    julie christie & nick nolte
    AFTERGLOW

    ethan hawke & gwyneth paltrow
    GREAT EXPECTATIONS

    adam sandler & drew barrymore
    THE WEDDING SINGER

    edward norton & helena bonham carter
    FIGHT CLUB

    ralph fiennes & julianne moore
    THE END OF THE AFFAIR

    julia stiles & heath ledger
    10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU

    billy crudup & samantha morton
    JESUS´ SON

    halle berry & billy bob thornton
    MONSTER´S BALL

    adam sandler & emily watson
    PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE

    colin firth & lucia moniz
    LOVE ACTUALLY

    gwyneth paltrow & daniel craig
    SYLVIA

    jude law & natalie portman
    CLOSER

    viggo mortensen & maria bello
    A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

    rachel weiz & ralph fiennes
    THE CONSTANT GARDENER

    edward norton & naomi watts
    THE PAINTED VEIL

    jim sturgess & evan rachel wood
    ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

    glen hassard and marketta povlova
    ONCE

    kate winslet & leonardo dicaprio
    REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

  29. 29

    walkabout says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:10pm

    where is The Umbrellas of Cherbourg???

  30. 30

    zazou says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:22pm

    Vermicious Knid…Moonstruck is a great love story. Cage’s speech about how the stars are perfect, not us is so touching. But what about ,The Bridges of Madison County? Wow when Clint Eastwood is standing in the rain watching Meryl Streep drive off with her husband is powerful stuff.Ah the movies!

  31. 31

    Bebe says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:23pm

    The Year of Living Dangerously & Blade Runner

    (but from the poll, I voted for the great Casablanca!)
    (also love Annie Hall!)

  32. 32

    Free says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:23pm

    Hell yeah. ETERNAL SUNSHINE’S #1. That’s how you know this site is the business.

  33. 33

    Other Ryan says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:25pm

    Glad to be able to contribute to this lovely site.

    It was still difficult to pick the 3 though. I put ATONEMENT down because that was my original answer, but I couldn’t decide on the next two! Finally decided on ETERNAL SUNSHINE and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN… as are a lot of people it seems.

  34. 34

    Laura says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:31pm

    Fun poll, thanks for putting this together Other Ryan.

    However, I’m shocked that Love Actually is getting a lot of votes for “Best Movie Love Story”. Um, which one exactly?? The film is comprised of lots of small vignettes, and three of them are about heartbreak and divorce. We barely get to know the people in the vignettes because they’re so short, so how any of them can be considered the greatest movie love story ever is beyond me.

  35. 35

    Holden says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:31pm

    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Just an amazing and overlooked film.) (2004)

    William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (only way I can enjoy Romeo and Juliet is through this film.) (2996)

    ONCE (this is my favorite movie of ALL time.) (2007)

  36. 36

    Ben Morris says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:35pm

    Moonstruck is totally getting short shrift in this poll. Perhaps it isn’t as good of a movie qua movie as many of the films above it, but no way is it not in the top 5 “movie love stories” on this list.

  37. 37

    RayD says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 2:54pm

    1. Atonement
    2. WALL-E
    3. Once

  38. 38

    The Natural says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:02pm

    AGH! (500) Days of Summer is NOT a love story! The movie even tells you so. Literally! Neither is Lost in Translation, I don’t think.

    And where the heck is Titanic?

  39. 39

    John O. says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:24pm

    Where is “The Way We Were” and “Wurthering Heights”
    But I’ll say:
    Brokeback Mountain
    Brief Encounter
    West Side Story

  40. 40

    Clayton says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:38pm

    WALL-E
    The Fountain
    Eternal Sunshine

  41. 41

    Elsa says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 3:39pm

    I think I’m the only one that didn’t love Eternal Sunshine. Maybe I should try and see it again…

  42. 42

    Yvette says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:01pm

    HOWARDS END

    Helen Schlegel & Leonard Bast

  43. 43

    Alper says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:16pm

    The Fountain! Excellent film and excellent soundtrack.

  44. 44

    Jerry Grant says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:39pm

    True Romance!!!!

    As for the ones on the list, certainly “Annie Hall” and “When Harry Met Sally”

  45. 45

    Julian Todd says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:39pm

    Where is Ghost???

    But Brokeback Mountain, The Fountain, and Eternal Sunshine were my pics from this list.

  46. 46

    alliewayz says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:41pm

    @41

    You are not alone. Kate Winslet’s performance was the only thing I liked about the film, but other than that, I could care less if I never see it again.

  47. 47

    Anna says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 4:48pm

    Classics:
    Romeo & Juliet
    Pride and Prejeduce

    Modern:
    Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
    Brokeback Mountain

    I wish I could have picked four! I’m surprised Romeo & Juliet is so far down the list, it being the most popular love story of all time.

  48. 48

    Nick K. (and a talking fox) says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 5:10pm

    Wall-e and Moulin Rouge above Once? Blasphemy!

    No, but great choices everybody. Love the shout-outs for “Eternal Sunshine” and “Annie Hall”.

  49. 49

    Bruce says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 5:14pm

    Sasha, What are your favorites???

  50. 50

    Alfredo - Often Imitated Never Duplicated says:
    Wednesday, January 20, 2010 at 5:29pm

    Maybe I’m alone in this but where is “The Notebook”??

    Anyway I voted for BBM, Romeo and Juliet, and WALL E

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