Top 20 Romance Movies with the Saddest Endings (We'll Spare You Having to Watch and Tell You)
#20: “A Star Is Born” (2018)
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If you’ve seen any of this movie’s previous adaptations, you know the male lead isn’t walking away alive. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut explores singer Jackson Maine’s personal demons. After propelling aspiring singer Ally to the top, Jack’s substance use threatens their relationship. “A Star Is Born” lays a heartwarming foundation for Jack and Ally, only to shatter it by the conclusion. In the final act, Jack takes his own life. It’s a tragic end to a romance that the audience has seen brave the many obstacles that come with rising fame. Still, Ally’s final tribute proves that even though their relationship experienced a sad end, their love was always real.
#19: “My Girl” (1991)
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For many young viewers, this film first represented what heartbreak feels like. “My Girl” is a coming-of-age tale about 11-year-old Vada’s struggles with her changing environment. With the support of her odd-but-adorable friend Thomas J., Vada learns to navigate relationships and her father’s new romance. But just when it seems like the kids will be alright, that idea comes crashing down. Thomas J., who is allergic to bees, gets stung many times in an accident. He succumbs to his injuries, sending Vada into a spiral of depression. The way it happens out of nowhere is both devastating and surprisingly realistic.
#18: “In the Mood for Love” (2000)
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Love can be complicated. Chow and Su’s spouses are having an affair. The two find solace in the other’s company, which blossoms into a trusting and emotionally intimate relationship. However, the fact that they’re married is too big a mountain to climb. We watch as they wrestle with their feelings. Hesitancy, melancholy, and missed opportunities get in the way. Chow and Su come close to meeting once more, but wind up not seeing each other again. The film depicts the fleeting nature of love, and why “right place, right time” matters more than anything else.
#17: “City of Angels” (1998)
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Here’s a story where “falling in love” is more than just a saying. In “City of Angels,” Nicolas Cage plays an angel named Seth who develops feelings for Meg Ryan’s character, Maggie. His longing for her clashes with his very existence, as the angel seems incapable of being with her. Eventually, Seth becomes human to be with Maggie. Of course, all this sounds too good to be true, and the lovers’ bliss is short-lived. Not long after their romance begins, Maggie dies after being hit by a logging truck. “City of Angels” does sign off on a hopeful note, but it’s the gut-wrenching feeling of what might have been that hits hard.
#16: “Ghost” (1990)
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When a film’s main premise is about the protagonist’s death, a sad ending might seem like a foregone conclusion. Sam Wheat becomes a ghost when he’s killed in what he thinks is a mugging, but winds up being a larger conspiracy. He enlists the help of psychic Oda Mae to save his girlfriend Molly from a similar fate. The fantastical premise gives us hope that Sam just might return to the land of the living. However, after he and Oda Mae uncover the plot that led to his death, Sam has no choice but to move on. Although he and Molly get some closure, they’ll never have the life they imagined together.
#15: “One Day” (2011)
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What if the day you meet the love of your life is also the day you will die? “One Day” follows Dexter and Emma each July 15 across a span of two decades. By revisiting the characters on the same day, we see just how much their lives have changed with the passage of time. Despite their obvious attraction, misunderstandings and immaturity get in Dexter and Emma’s way. After playing with our emotions for most of its runtime, the film finally pairs them in a moment of romantic perfection. Sadly, no matter how strong their love is, there’s no beating a speeding truck. As it turns out, their romance was always on course for a sad ending — it was just a matter of when.
#14: “Five Feet Apart” (2019)
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Young adult dramas love the star-crossed lovers dynamic, and “Five Feet Apart” goes all in. Teenagers Stella and Will suffer from a condition that prevents them from physically interacting. But before they know it, the two fall for each other. Thanks to some creative thinking from Stella, they maintain a physically-distanced relationship. However, after Stella undergoes a successful lung transplant, Will believes she can live a full life without him. Despite wanting nothing more than to be with her, he gives her a heartfelt goodbye and walks away for good. The premise of “Five Feet Apart” is basically a guaranteed tearjerker, and the finale lives up to this expectation.
#13: “Me Before You” (2016)
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Caregiver Lou Clark is hired to look after Will Traynor, a man who has lost control of his body after a motorcycle accident. The film initially focuses on the clashing personalities of Lou and Will. However, the two spend time together and eventually fall in love. But even as their romance develops, Will decides to travel to Switzerland to end his life. What seemed to be set up for a quirky romance leads to a heartbreaking conclusion. Forced to respect his wish, Lou remains by Will’s side during his final moments. Their happy ending was always a long shot, but the ending confirms that it was never meant to be.
#12: “Amour” (2012)
Growing old together might sound like happily ever after, but real life isn’t so perfect. “Amour” deals with the challenges of aging. Georges takes care of his wife, Anne, who is recovering from a stroke. The film follows his attempts to care for her as her condition worsens. It’s a poignant portrayal of very real issues that many people face as they age. By the end, our protagonist decides to accept the fact that his wife has slipped away. Since he promised her she wouldn’t be sent to a nursing home, he takes matters into his own hands in a gut-wrenching scene.
#11: “Atonement” (2007)
This film details the doomed romance of Robbie and Cecilia. The latter’s sister, Briony, misinterprets their dalliance and accuses Robbie of a crime he didn’t commit. As a result, Robbie and Cecilia are torn apart, even after Briony realizes her mistake. Although we watch the two lovers meet again, this is revealed to be fiction. In reality, the pair never found their way back to one another. Separated by the Second World War, both met tragic ends. Their slice of paradise lives only in the pages of Briony’s book, which she hopes will help atone for her sins. “Atonement” goes to show that a single misunderstanding can have consequences that last till the end of our days.
#10: “La La Land” (2016)
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This highly entertaining musical is highlighted by incredible performances from Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. While the two spend the majority of the film caught up in a whirlwind romance, the third act brings it to a crashing halt — proving that sometimes the dream of Hollywood success comes with consequences. In the final musical sequence, it’s hard not to get choked up, as it becomes clear that the two main characters are unlikely to cross paths ever again. At least “La La Land” got a happy ending on Oscar night when it took home the award for Best Pictu… oh; wait, sorry, we read the wrong card.
#9: “Blue Is the Warmest Color” (2013)
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Definitely the most erotic film to crack our list, this French flick didn’t hold anything back when it came time to shoot some of its steamier love scenes. However, beneath the veil of raw sexuality lies a deeply emotional picture of two young women confronting their own personal and professional limitations. Adèle is a student with conservative parents who falls hard for Emma, a free-spirited painter with an artsy family. While the two share an intense connection, it soon becomes clear that they hold drastically different views of the world. Ultimately, it is a love that simply wasn’t meant to be.
#8: “Moulin Rouge!” (2001)
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What is it about musicals and sad endings? Set in turn-of-the-century Paris, this outrageously entertaining film is filled with more than a few tears. When Christian, a young writer, falls for Satine, a courtesan at the famed Moulin Rouge nightclub, the connection is immediate. However, she is promised to another, thus sticking a thorn in the side of their plans for love. As the film unravels, it becomes clear that the two will never be able to live a life together. Ultimately Satine dies, causing Christian, and audiences all over the world, to shed a collective tear. At least there is comfort in the beautiful sets and fantastic music that accompanied this melancholic flick.
#7: “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014)
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Arguably the tragic teen romance to end all others, “The Fault in Our Stars” is a modern classic among young audiences. Cancer patient Hazel’s worldview changes when she meets a member of her support group, Gus. The young lovers’ courtship is filled with laughter and cute declarations of love. Unfortunately, Gus’s illness returns with a vengeance and Hazel has to accept his passing. Although her reinvigorated appreciation for life doesn’t diminish, she has to go on without the person who helped her smile again. It’s all a cruel twist of fate and, honestly, we’re still not over it.
#6: “Brokeback Mountain” (2005)
Unlike the other entries on this list, “Brokeback Mountain” revolves around the tragic love that emerges between two men; cowboys tasked with herding sheep in the Wyoming mountains. Told over a 20-year period, the film is a raw depiction of forbidden love in a time and place when being caught could mean more than just social rejection. While audiences may have been hopeful that this story would end with cowboys Ennis and Jack riding off into the sunset, it was not to be. Who could forget the iconic final scene of an emotionally charged Heath Ledger saying a final goodbye to his best friend and lover? This movie definitely knew how to elicit an emotional response!
#5: “Blue Valentine” (2010)
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For some movies, an unhappy ending isn’t enough. They feel the need to rip out the hearts of viewers and pulverize them into oblivion. “Blue Valentine” is one such film. The plot revolves around Cindy and Dean and the tumultuous relationship that develops between them. Over the course of the film, viewers are taken on a roller coaster ride of emotion, as the two protagonists push and pull at each other’s heartstrings. Ultimately, the relationship fails, leading to a heartbreaking final scene that is sure to have you reaching for the tissues.
#4: “A Walk to Remember” (2002)
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Set in small town North Carolina, two teens, Landon and Jamie, are on opposite ends of the social food chain. He is the most popular guy in school and she is an outsider. After a prank goes horribly wrong, Landon is forced to act in the upcoming school play. He soon notices and falls in love with Jamie, only to discover she is dying of leukemia. Anytime it is revealed that a character is dying of a disease, tears are sure to follow. While Jamie eventually succumbs to her ailment, the love that blossomed between her and Landon never truly dies — but this doesn’t stop the credits being accompanied by a chorus of sobs.
#3: “Romeo + Juliet” (1996)
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Hollywood has been remaking this classic tale for years. From outright adaptations to not-so-subtle homages like “West Side Story,” the tragic story of Juliet and her Romeo is one of the most well known in history. In this version, the tale takes place in the modern town of Verona Beach, with the characters continuing to speak in Shakespearian verse. While the film updates certain elements to fit its new environment, its core remains the same. Romeo and Juliet are from different warring families, ones that will never understand their love. It’s hard to top a sad ending that has the two main characters dying in each other’s arms — but we’ll try.
#2: “Casablanca” (1942)
This seminal tale of love rediscovered has continued to inspire the world since its release. The film follows Rick, an American expat living and working in Casablanca during WWII. When an old flame walks into his club, it sets in motion a chain of events that leads the two former lovers down a path of heartbreak, murder, and despair. There are plenty of reasons that this film is considered a classic, from Humphrey Bogart’s legendary performance to an array of endlessly quotable lines that continue to leave their mark. However, it’s the film’s melancholic ending that grabs hold of viewers and never lets go.
#1: “Titanic” (1997)
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As far as tragic love stories are concerned, it’s hard to pick one that tops that of Jack and Rose. A classic tale of two people from different worlds coming together in spite of what society thinks, this love story was unfortunately doomed before it even set sail. After meeting aboard the ill-fated ship, a romance quickly blossoms between the poor-but-sweet Jack and the affluent Rose. While many seek to keep them apart, namely her fiancé Cal, the two manage to find pockets of refuge within the confines of the ship in which to express their love. Ultimately, the real-life tragedy that befell the RMS Titanic spelt doom for the star-crossed lovers. Which romance movie ending had you in tears? Let us know in the comments.
