Romance wasn't dead in the 2000s. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most influential, memorable, and/or lovable romantic films from the 2000s.
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00:00I can't believe it, I'm in love.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the most influential,
00:10memorable and or lovable romantic films from the 2000s.
00:15I might kiss you.
00:20I might be bad at it.
00:23Number 20.
00:2450 First Dates.
00:26Why don't you try this?
00:30It's kind of a hinge.
00:35Now why didn't I think of that?
00:37While many Adam Sandler films are silly, they also have heart.
00:4150 First Dates is one of the best examples of this blend with the inclusion of a fun premise.
00:47I was petting my walrus all morning and I was thinking about you the whole time.
00:51Okay pervert, I think that you should leave.
00:54Henry Roth wants to date Lucy Whitmore,
00:56but then he realizes the latter's amnesia makes their relationship complicated.
01:01Someday she's gonna wake up and look in the mirror and notice her face has aged 10 years overnight.
01:06Sandler's character then becomes a much better person as he wins
01:09Drew Barrymore's love interest back every day.
01:19There's an undeniable sweetness here as Roth tries everything to proclaim his love for Whitmore.
01:24Using the romantic setting of Hawaii,
01:27this movie makes you believe again in a relationship that defies the odds.
01:31Would you like to meet your daughter?
01:32Go say hello to mommy.
01:36Hi mommy.
01:40Number 19.
01:41Definitely Maybe.
01:42I am in fact the toilet paper guy.
01:44Feel free to call me the bagel and coffee guy.
01:46While her parents are divorcing, Maya Hayes asks about how they met.
01:50It's time for you to tell me the story.
01:52This creates the setup for Definitely Maybe.
01:55Fine.
01:56A movie full of twists, humor, and lots of romance.
01:59Ryan Reynolds plays the dad who recounts his past relationships
02:03while seeing if his kid can guess the mother's identity.
02:06Abigail Breslin plays Maya,
02:08bringing a precocious energy and playing well off of the always reliable Reynolds.
02:13And now that you're in love with April, she's in love with Kevin.
02:18And no one's in love with you.
02:19There's also an impressive cast of potential moms that include Elizabeth Banks,
02:23Isla Fisher, and Rachel Weisz.
02:25Glad the many millions of Timothys and Williams would be.
02:33I'm a William.
02:34Don't interrupt.
02:35It's also an endearing film about the bond between dads and daughters.
02:39Before it's all over,
02:40the likable characters give you the sense that Will's love story is far from over.
02:45Oh, you must be Maya.
02:48You must be April.
02:54So what happens now?
02:56You invite us inside, and we tell you the story.
03:00Number 18, Serendipity.
03:02I'm sorry.
03:03I'm sorry.
03:04No.
03:06You want these?
03:07No, please.
03:08You go ahead.
03:09That's the last one.
03:09If you've ever thought about luck in relationships,
03:12serendipity puts the idea to the ultimate test.
03:15Now promise me you're not just visiting here for a week.
03:17Or marrying somebody to get a green card.
03:19Or on parole.
03:22None of the above.
03:23Sarah meets Jonathan,
03:24and later tells him about how she lets fate dictate her love life.
03:28This sets up an entertaining plot,
03:30with the two characters testing if their partnership can last
03:33through elevator rides and other strange events.
03:36You don't have to understand.
03:37You just have to have faith.
03:38Faith in what?
03:41Destiny.
03:41John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale bring a vibrant energy to their roles,
03:46with an ability to play authentic people desperate to find love.
03:49Their leads find themselves in surprising situations
03:52that eventually bring them back together.
03:54Whether or not you believe in the title phrase,
03:56this movie does have an unmistakable magic to it.
04:00I'm John.
04:03I'm Sarah.
04:06Number 17, Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
04:09If it came to the subject of love,
04:11it would be hard to find two more dissimilar viewpoints.
04:14Taking a trip to Spain,
04:15Vicky and Cristina fall under the spell of the charismatic Juan Antonio Gonzalo.
04:20The man woos each woman while working through a complex relationship
04:24with his ex-wife, Maria Elena.
04:32Well, she's quite intelligent and she's a free thinker like you.
04:37Like me?
04:38Yes.
04:39Siempre buscandome en todas las mujeres.
04:41Writer and director Woody Allen crafts a messy love story
04:44full of double crosses and secret affairs.
04:47You could make an argument that the beautiful and talented cast
04:50is worth the price of admission.
04:52While that might be true,
04:53the movie also features plenty of romance and comedy
04:56that makes for an entertaining soap opera.
04:58Right, and remember each other with respect.
05:05Right, and love and affection.
05:09Right.
05:14There's also Penelope Cruz's Oscar-winning performance
05:18to round out a chaotic plot.
05:20Number 16, Punch Drunk Love.
05:23We should be going.
05:25Yep, no, I have to get something for my car.
05:28In a career-altering performance,
05:30Adam Sandler shows he's much more than a goofy SNL alum.
05:35He plays a tightly wound character named Barry,
05:38who's harboring both childlike wonder and primal rage.
05:44The businessman juggles family troubles, extortion,
05:47and a fledgling romance with Lena Leonard.
05:49This doesn't even include his frequent flyer mile scheme
05:52that lets him chase Leonard to Hawaii.
05:55Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da.
06:06It's not your average rom-com in any way,
06:08making for several unexpected scenes
06:10that include confrontations with Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dean.
06:14Paul Thomas Anderson's superb direction
06:16brings this all together,
06:17letting Sandler's brilliant work
06:19shine opposite the charming work of Emily Watson.
06:22Could you just let me redeem the mileage?
06:25You left me at the hospital.
06:27Number 15.
06:28High Fidelity.
06:30What came first, the music or the misery?
06:33Starring John Cusack, this 2000 rom-com takes an authentic and sometimes uncomfortable look
06:39at relationships.
06:40The lead character, Rob Gordon, re-examines his life after a breakup by examining the
06:45concept of romance.
06:47I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm certainly not the dumbest.
06:51I've read books like Unbearable Lightness of Being and Love in the Time of Cholera and
06:57I think I've understood them.
06:58Cusack's performance grounds the film while letting the natural humor of it all come out.
07:03So what?
07:06You definitely haven't decided to dump me?
07:08High Fidelity is for music lovers, but it's also for people who have survived relationships
07:13with music lovers.
07:15No, no, no, no, no.
07:16When are you going home?
07:18In a minute when I get it together.
07:20And, uh, you can't always get what you want.
07:23No, immediate disqualification because of its involvement with the Big Chill.
07:27Oh God, you're right.
07:28It features the universal feeling of uncertainty over yourself,
07:31your romantic skills, and your past partnerships.
07:35I always had one foot out the door and that prevented me from doing a lot of things.
07:40The project even features a killer Marvin Gaye cover by Jack Black.
07:44Through it all, we come to care for the lead guy through all his faults.
07:48Giving yourself to me could never be wrong if the love is true.
07:58Number 14.
08:00A Walk to Remember.
08:01Nice sweater.
08:06For any fans of this film, the title alone might make you cry.
08:09A Walk to Remember features a tragic romance full of inspiring moments.
08:14You have to promise you won't fall in love with me.
08:17The Nicholas Sparks adaptation follows the love story between Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan.
08:37It's a classic tale of opposites attract,
08:39one being a bad boy and the other being a much more traditional girl.
08:43This doesn't stop them from coming together
08:45as their different perspectives fuel a compelling plot.
08:48I told you not to fall in love with me.
08:51Despite Sullivan's cancer diagnosis, the two prove their bond can't be shaken.
08:56The heartbreaking narrative features all the highs and lows of teenage relationships.
09:01Jamie and I had a perfect summer together,
09:04with more love than lots of people know in a lifetime.
09:08Number 13.
09:10My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
09:13Tula Portakalas just wants to find love, but she's 30 and single.
09:24This brings out disapproval from her family and fuels a hilarious rom-com.
09:28May I please date your daughter?
09:34No!
09:34My Big Fat Greek Wedding is full of many culture clashes
09:37between the Portakalas family and their potential in-laws.
09:41Hey Dad.
09:47Mr. Portakalas, she's strong and nasty.
09:56The main character falls for Ian Miller,
09:58welcoming him into her crazy life with traditions and cultural nuances to learn.
10:03It's a movie full of all the family drama,
10:05awkwardness, and romance that's universal regardless of your ethnicity.
10:10The witty script also lets this fairy tale
10:12have a healthy dose of memorable lines and catchphrases.
10:16Oh Taki, he looks Greek.
10:20Number 12.
10:21In the Mood for Love.
10:28In this 1960s set Hong Kong romance,
10:31two people find themselves in a strange predicament.
10:34They fall in love after finding out their partners are seeing each other.
10:38Wong Kar Wai's timeless drama features stellar lead performances
10:42from Maggie Chung and Tony Leung.
11:00Along the way, both Chow Mo Wan and Su Li Zhen
11:04contemplate their potential future together.
11:06Their tragic story might feature a fairy tale payoff,
11:10but it does set up an open ending that asks viewers to contemplate their own lives.
11:14The director's singular directing style
11:16creates an unforgettable mood and a deeply romantic experience.
11:32Number 11.
11:33Bridget Jones's Diary.
11:34Come on, why don't we see if Mark fances a girl kid?
11:40Mark?
11:41Maybe this was the mysterious Mr. Right I've been waiting my whole life to meet.
11:46With the central trio of cast members,
11:49Bridget Jones's Diary is a classic romance in every sense.
11:52Renee Zellweger plays this part perfectly,
11:55giving the character a relatable and comic edge.
11:59Apart from the smoking and the drinking and the vulgar mother
12:03and the verbal diarrhea.
12:04No, I like you very much.
12:07Just as you are.
12:09She plays the publicity assistant who writes in her diary
12:12and can't stop pining over two men.
12:15The latter duo happens to be the incredible Colin Firth and Hugh Grant.
12:19I take it you're also heading for the Alconbury's Rockery?
12:22Yes, that's right.
12:24I brought Natasha.
12:26Get a bit of work done,
12:27thought I might make it a not entirely wasted weekend.
12:30How interesting.
12:32Along the way, audiences are treated to an engaging love triangle
12:35that's full of great banter.
12:37Zellweger is at the top of her game,
12:39with an impressive accent and bubbly energy that you can't help but love.
12:44I just have something that I want to say.
12:48Um, you once said that you like me just as I am,
12:52and I just wanted to say likewise.
12:57The title role and concept were so successful
13:00that they brought the actress back for multiple sequels.
13:04Number 10, Love Actually.
13:06Do you love him?
13:09What?
13:11No, I just thought I'd ask the blunt question in case it was the right one
13:14and you needed someone to talk to about it,
13:16and no one had ever asked you,
13:17so you've never been able to talk about it even though you might have wanted to.
13:19No, no, no, no, is the answer.
13:21No, absolutely not.
13:23In most romantic films, the action is centered on two,
13:27maybe three people,
13:28and the various trials and tribulations that go along with falling head over heels.
13:40This British rom-com turns things up a notch,
13:42focusing on 10 different stories that have one thing in common, love.
13:47I am so in the mood.
13:50A classic fool.
13:52Yes, but you've also made a fool out of me.
13:55Set in London five weeks before Christmas,
13:57this film follows a rock and roller,
13:59a couple of adult film stars,
14:01a sexually frustrated graphic designer,
14:03and even the prime minister.
14:05Natalie.
14:12Come on, get a grip.
14:13They, along with an array of other characters,
14:16suffer through the ups and downs of searching for,
14:18finding,
14:19and holding on to loved ones.
14:21Teeming with endless wit and warmth to match,
14:23Love Actually reminds us that love is all you need.
14:27All you need is love.
14:31All you need is love.
14:39You really are having a midlife crisis, huh?
14:42Really?
14:43I was afraid of that.
14:44Do you ever feel like an aging movie star
14:46falling in love with a much younger married woman
14:48during a business trip to Tokyo?
14:50Okay, neither do we,
14:52but this is the premise of this film from the early 2000s.
14:55What do you do?
14:58Um, I'm not sure yet, actually.
15:02I just graduated last spring.
15:04When Bob begins to fall for Charlotte
15:06during his time in Tokyo,
15:07it becomes clear that their relationship
15:09has an expiration date.
15:11Set to the backdrop of jazzy hotel bars
15:13and the exciting nightlife of a city
15:15caught in a nonstop bustle,
15:17this film is really about spontaneous relationships
15:20and how we handle them.
15:21Beautifully scripted and shot to perfection
15:23by Sofia Coppola,
15:25you'll be booking the next flight to Japan
15:27to chase down love after seeing this film.
15:30The more you know who you are and what you want,
15:34the less you let things upset you.
15:40Yeah.
15:41Number eight, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
15:45Hi.
15:45Hello.
15:46Hi.
15:46Have you ever broken up with someone
15:48and wished that you could erase
15:49all memory of him or her from your mind?
15:51This film takes that premise
15:53and uses it to create a world
15:54where deleting bad memories from your brain
15:57is on par with a trip to the dentist.
16:00What is it?
16:01I don't know.
16:01It's some place that does a thing.
16:06Joel is thrilled when he meets a woman
16:08during an impulsive trip to the beach.
16:10There's only one problem.
16:11Has he met her before?
16:13This love story is about as unconventional as they come.
16:16The off-the-wall writing
16:17and the mind-bending sets are paired perfectly
16:20with the warmth put forward by the two main characters.
16:23You erased me.
16:24That's why I'm here.
16:24That's why I'm doing this in the first place.
16:27I'm sorry.
16:28You.
16:28You know me.
16:29I'm impulsive.
16:30Definitely a weird one,
16:32it's sure to make you re-examine
16:33some of your past relationships.
16:35I can't see anything that I don't like about you.
16:38But you will.
16:38Right now I can't.
16:39But you will.
16:41You know, you will think of things.
16:42And I'll get bored with you and feel trapped
16:44because that's what happens with me.
16:46Number seven, Amelie.
16:48Don't be deterred by the subtitles.
16:50This beautiful and quirky flick
16:52is overflowing with moments that will stick with you
16:54long after the credits have rolled.
16:58Allo?
17:12When timid Parisian waitress Amelie
17:14makes a concerted effort
17:15to improve the lives of those around her,
17:17she quickly discovers that her own happiness is diminishing.
17:21From there, she decides to pursue an eccentric man
17:23prone to collecting photographs.
17:27Pas mal.
17:42As the story unfolds,
17:43it becomes clear that love is a two-way street
17:45and one must give as much as one takes.
17:48A critical and commercial success,
17:50this film reminded audiences that love is all around us
17:53and to see it, you must simply open your eyes.
17:57🎵
18:03Number six, 500 Days of Summer.
18:06I love the Smiths.
18:08Sorry?
18:09I said I love the Smiths.
18:15You have good taste in music.
18:17You like the Smiths?
18:18Yeah.
18:19Is Joseph Gordon-Levitt the John Cusack of today?
18:22It sure feels like it during this unique love story.
18:25This film takes a fresh approach to a tired genre
18:27and is chock full of moments sure to make you smile.
18:30There's a Chinese family in that bathroom.
18:38When hopeless romantic Tom falls for the titular Summer,
18:41things don't go exactly as planned for either of them.
18:44The film takes us on a journey
18:46through the 500 days of their relationship,
18:48jumping from moment to moment
18:50to give audiences a well-rounded view
18:51of the characters' time together.
18:54You okay?
18:55Yeah.
18:57Shit, what was it, the movie?
19:00It's nothing, I'm just being stupid.
19:03At its heart, this romantic flick is about the struggles
19:05we all go through when falling in love.
19:07You never wanted to be anybody's girlfriend
19:09and not somebody's wife.
19:13It surprised me too.
19:14I don't think I'll ever understand that.
19:16Number five, Brokeback Mountain.
19:18Jack Twist.
19:20Yes.
19:21When a passionate connection emerges between two people,
19:24it simply cannot be ignored.
19:26In the summer of 1963, two cowboys fall in love
19:30while herding sheep through the Wyoming mountains.
19:32As their lives move in different directions,
19:34the two men struggle to balance their affair
19:36with their respective marriages.
19:51This film is an intimate look into the lives of two men
19:54brought together by love, but kept apart by society.
19:58I wish I knew how to quit you.
20:00Filled with an array of tender moments
20:01that are brilliantly juxtaposed
20:03with the wild and untamed nature of the landscape,
20:06this love story truly stood out
20:08when it was first released
20:09and still stands as a great romance flick today.
20:12Ugh, I got your message about the divorce.
20:15Number four, Pride and Prejudice.
20:18She may have died almost 200 years ago,
20:21but Jane Austen is still making the world tear up
20:23with her works of romantic fiction.
20:25Mr. Darcy is not to be teased.
20:27Are you too proud, Mr. Darcy?
20:30And would you consider pride a fault or a virtue?
20:32That I couldn't say.
20:33Because we're doing our best to find a fault in you.
20:35Adapted for audiences in the mid-2000s,
20:38this film follows Elizabeth Bennet
20:40as she falls in love with a young man
20:41who is in love with her.
20:43She also follows Elizabeth Bennet
20:45as she falls in love
20:46with the reserved upper-class gentleman, Mr. Darcy.
20:49From the first moment I met you,
20:50your arrogance and conceit,
20:51your selfish disdain for the feelings of others
20:54made me realize that you were the last man in the world
20:56I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.
20:58While he initially spurns her advances,
21:01Mr. Darcy soon comes to appreciate Elizabeth
21:04with a deep passion burning inside them both.
21:07This period piece is filled with universal themes
21:09that are sure to connect
21:10with even the staunchest of critics.
21:12Me, body and soul.
21:13And I love, I love, I love you.
21:18I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.
21:20And if historical British romances are your thing,
21:23don't forget to check out Atonement.
21:25Plenty of Keira Knightley in that one too.
21:27Don't you know?
21:29Yes, I know exactly.
21:34Number three, The Notebook.
21:36Fine, I'll go out with you.
21:37No, don't do me any favors.
21:38No, no, I want to!
21:39You want to.
21:40Yes!
21:40You want to.
21:41Say it.
21:42I want to go out with you.
21:43There wasn't a dry eye in the house
21:45when this romance first graced the silver screen.
21:47Based on the novel by swoon-inducing writer,
21:49Nicholas Sparks,
21:51this film was the go-to date movie
21:53for the mid-2000s teenager.
21:55Do you want to dance with me?
21:56Taking place in South Carolina in the 1940s,
21:59working class Noah falls hard for Allie,
22:02a girl who hails from a family of wealth and privilege.
22:05While society attempts to keep him apart,
22:07their love slowly blossoms from teenage lust
22:10to passionate romance.
22:11It wasn't over for me.
22:13I waited for you for seven years and now it's too late.
22:19I wrote you 365 letters.
22:24I wrote you every day for a year.
22:26Filled with tender moments that will inspire
22:28both the hopelessly romantic and the stoically reserved,
22:31this film is sure to leave you reaching for the tissues.
22:34We're gonna have to work at this every day,
22:35but I want to do that because I want you.
22:38I want all of you forever.
22:40You and me every day.
22:42Number two, Moulin Rouge.
22:58Overflowing with style and packed to the gills
23:00with raw sexuality,
23:02this classic has more than enough romance to go around.
23:05Set in turn-of-the-century Paris
23:07and centered on the exploits
23:08of the infamous Moulin Rouge cabaret,
23:11a young poet falls hard
23:12for the club's most provocative dancer.
23:21Brought to life through the mad genius
23:23of Australian director Boz Lerman,
23:25this film pays homage to a high-flying time
23:28of eccentric parties and declarations of love
23:31that has since passed us by.
23:33Playing the roles of star-crossed lovers to perfection,
23:36Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
23:38ooze romance from start to finish.
23:40He loves me and that is worth everything.
23:45We're going away from you,
23:46away from the Duke,
23:48away from the Moulin Rouge!
23:50Earning wide acclaim,
23:51this film had many yearning for a fling in the city of lights.
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24:19Taking place nine years after the events
24:21of its 1995 predecessor,
24:23this film once again follows Jesse and Celine
24:26as they walk the streets of a beautiful European city
24:29while discussing life, love, sex,
24:31and the cultural differences that define them.
24:34I think the world might be getting better
24:35because people like you are educated and speaking out.
24:38Even the very notion of conservation,
24:40environmental issues,
24:41those weren't even in the vocabulary
24:43until fairly recently, you know,
24:44and they're becoming the norm
24:45and eventually might be what's expected all over the world.
24:48The film feels less like a sequel
24:50and more like a chance encounter with an old friend,
24:53sprinkled with moments of innocent flirtation,
24:55melancholic memories,
24:56and hope for the future.
24:58To the end of my life feeling,
24:59I haven't done all I wanted to do.
25:01Well, what do you want to do?
25:03Uh, I, um, I want to paint more.
25:05I want to play my guitar every day.
25:08I want to learn Chinese.
25:09Simplistic in its style,
25:11Before Sunset is overflowing in intimacy.
25:14What do you think the chances were
25:15of us ever meeting again?
25:17After that December, I'd say almost zero.
25:19With the connection between the two protagonists
25:21pushing and pulling the narrative forward.
25:23While the film operates as a realistic portrayal
25:26of a fantastical situation,
25:28the strong writing and impassioned performances
25:30make it a romance for the ages.
25:33Baby, you are gonna miss that plane.
25:38I know.
25:42Did we forget another classic romance from the 2000s?
25:45Let us know in the comments.
25:47It wasn't over.
25:50It still isn't over.
25:53Do you agree with our picks?
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