Top 20 Movies About Young Love

Netflix has clearly found that their audience has an interest in movies about young love, because lately they have been producing tons of great original films on the topic. One of the most recent is “The Half of It”, which employs a unique concept with a fresh and modern-feeling twist. High school jock Paul has a crush on a girl named Aster, but isn’t exactly a wordsmith. So he hires smart girl Ellie to pen a love letter to her. There’s an added level of complication though because it turns out that Ellie is in love with Aster too. The movie explores the meanings of true love, which are relevant no matter how old you are.

“Brooklyn”, released in 2015, stars Saoirse Ronan as Eilis, a young Irish girl who moves to New York in order to carve out a better life for herself. She secretly gets married there, to an Italian American man named Tony, but then life unexpectedly brings her back to her home country. She has to make the difficult decision between staying in the small town where she grew up with an Irishman she meets or going back to Brooklyn to be with the one she loves. These are difficult decisions to make at her age, but in the end she decides to follow her heart.

Fans of “The Fault in Our Stars” - more on that one later - will inevitably enjoy this 2019 film. It’s a tearjerker though, so get your tissues ready. “Five Feet Apart” centers on Stella and Will, two young people who are both suffering from cystic fibrosis. Due to their disease, they are not allowed to get within six feet of one another because of the risk of cross-infection. The couple has to decide what risks are worth it and face big questions about what actually makes life worth living. Meanwhile, tis movie feels all the more relevant now because of the global pandemic!

For some reason, this 2013 movie flew under the radar, despite starring YA darling Shailene Woodley. It may be underrated, but you don’t want to miss this quiet and tender romance flick. Focusing on a pair of high school seniors who initially seem supremely mismatched, it has a darker edge and addresses some serious issues that aren’t your typical rom com fodder. Sutter is popular but struggles with alcoholism, while Aimee is more of the typical girl next door, but both face issues that they realize they’re better primed to deal with together than apart.

“Blue Is the Warmest Colour” tells the story of two young women, Emma and Adèle, as they grow fond of each other, make lots of love, and begin a life together. However, outside factors and conflicting ambitions soon get in the way of their romantic and domestic bliss. While stories like this have been told for centuries, this movie comes with a sprawling three-hour runtime and attempts to immerse the viewer in long, complex scenes concerning various aspects of first relationships. It’s a very relatable story of young love, growing up, and complacent domesticity that may or may not come between two passionate lovers.

Stephen Chbosky’s novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” created a legion of fans when it was released, and a whole new generation got to experience the story when he adapted it for the big screen. “Perks” deals with a lot of serious issues, including mental illness and sexual abuse, but it also portrays a young boy falling in love for the first time. In many ways, this isn’t your typical romance, with many levels of complication coming between Charlie and Sam. But it definitely does a good job of showing what happens when you love someone who doesn’t seem to feel quite the same way about you. Although in this case, she comes around in the end!

Lara Jean Covey mostly keeps to herself, penning love letters to the boys she has crushes on without ever intending on actually mailing them. When her box of letters mysteriously gets sent out however, her life is turned upside down. She ends up getting into a mutually beneficial fake relationship with one of the recipients, but their charade gets real very quickly. This is a high school romance that feels reminiscent of the John Hughes classics, with the brightly colored aesthetic to match. If you’re looking for a lighthearted tale of young love, this one is just perfect.

Hey, it doesn’t all have to be cool indie flicks - we like corny, silly rom-com-adventure-fantasy movies, too! “The Princess Bride” is a classic fairy tale-esque movie about a farmhand, Westley, and his lover, the Princess Buttercup. However, as is often the case in fairy tales, things get in the way of happily ever after, including Buttercup’s betrothed, Prince Humperdinck, giant, screaming eels, and a six-fingered man. You know, the usual stuff. The movie is a touching story about love in one’s youth and the childish magic of fairy tales. It’s a love story mixed with Rob Reiner’s signature hilarious satire, and it’s an undeniable classic.

We all know long distance relationships are awful, and that’s perfectly exemplified in this film. Felicity Jones stars as Anna, a British exchange student who falls in love with Anton Yelchin’s American Jacob. “Like Crazy” perfectly captures the electric first moments of a relationship, when consequences seemingly don’t matter… like a student visa. Because she is too caught up in their romance, Anna makes a misstep with her expired student visa and is subsequently deported, which understandably puts a strain on their relationship. It’s a relatable story about the sheer joy, desperation, and ultimate carelessness that comes with falling deeply in love as a young adult.

“Moonrise Kingdom” is a very touching story about childhood love and innocence told through the lens of Wes Anderson’s specific aesthetic. The movie tells the story of two introverted 12-year-olds, Sam and Suzy, as they run away and explore the wilderness together. Hot on their trail are Sam’s Scoutmaster, Suzy’s parents, and the local police. Given that this is a Wes Anderson project, the story is wonderfully told through escapist fantasies, and of course gorgeous uses of color. It’s a movie that nails the feelings of childhood summers and epic adventures, and it allows us to recapture our more imaginative, stress-free, and innocent youths, if only for ninety-something hopelessly nostalgic minutes.

This movie tells the story of the blossoming friendship and eventual relationship of the introverted Elio and the, older, more confident Oliver. The story beautifully captures the hesitant initial steps of a relationship, including the painful “do-they-like me” period of questioning of each other’s motives and feelings. When the two finally get together, they peel away each other’s layers to discover a more intimate and personal connection. And yet, there’s that persistent lingering feeling that this relationship probably will not last. It’s a perfect cinematic example of the initial hesitations, sexual and emotional connections, and undercurrents of tragedy that litter everyone’s early forays into love.

While we’ve seen more and more diverse representation in film as the years have gone on, this movie, released in 2018, was actually the first film put out by a major studio that features on a romance between gay teenagers. “Love, Simon” broke boundaries bringing this LGBTQ love story to the screen, and showcased the experience of coming out for a modern adolescent. The relationship between Simon and “Blue” is one for the ages, bringing us a rom-com that feels at once fresh and modern and simultaneously like an inevitable classic.

Considering the harrowing journey they find themselves on, Jack and Rose are forced to act mature beyond their years, making us forget that Rose is just 17 years old when she boards the “Ship of Dreams”. Despite her young age, Rose knows exactly what she wants (and doesn’t want) her life to look like. Her engagement to the wealthy but cruel Cal makes her feel trapped, so she strikes up a romance with the itinerant Jack Dawson, who makes her feel alive. “Titanic” is about many things, but it’s Rose’s willingness to pursue her dreams and do anything for the man she loves that makes it so powerful. If only it had a happier ending...

This one is a classic for a reason. “Say Anything” is about Lloyd Dobler, an average high school student with little ambition, and Diane Court, the school’s valedictorian whose father pressures her into continuing a prestigious academic career. However, these two seemingly incompatible individuals fall in love at high school graduation and commence a summer full of disapproving parents, good music, and stolen cash. It’s a classic not only for its stellar performances and famous boombox scene, but also because it stunningly captures the idealism that often comes with first loves. Diane’s father may be right when he tells her that Lloyd is unambitious, but we don’t care. Young love conquers all.

Released in 2002, this movie (based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks), struck a chord with a generation of teens. “A Walk to Remember” tells of a tragic and doomed romance between bad boy Landon and minister’s daughter Jamie. While the two already have obstacles to overcome, none is bigger than the fact that Jamie is living with terminal cancer. This tale is a devastating one, as we watch Landon grasp onto the final months of Jamie’s life before he has to spend the rest of his existence without her. Before she met him, Jamie had kept herself closed off to the world, but the love they share lets her truly live her life to the fullest while she can.

The concept of “The Fault in Our Stars” may seem maudlin, but underneath the dreary premise is a beautiful love story. The movie tells the story of cancer-stricken teenagers Hazel and Augustus as they fall in love, travel to Amsterdam, and find comfort in their situations through each other. While most of us hopefully can’t relate to the cancer aspect, the movie nevertheless tells a deeply heartfelt and identifiable story about the powers of first love and the feelings of safety we get from companionship. It’s not only about young love, but friendship, hope, and the power of optimism.

In this movie, Macaulay Culkin plays Thomas J. Sennett, an 11-year-old boy who suffers from severe allergies. He befriends and later grows an attachment to Vada Sultenfuss, a neglected hypochondriac. The two help with each other’s troubles, and their relationship soon blossoms after a cute first kiss. However, tragedy strikes, and the budding romance is cut short. “My Girl” is a great movie about childhood innocence and learning about some painful facts of life. We all had that one childhood friend who helped us grow into the people we are today, and “My Girl” is the perfect embodiment of those feelings and that particular time in our lives.

You just can’t go wrong with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Talk about the most #couplegoals couple on the face of the Earth! “The Notebook” (as we’re sure you all know) tells the story of the poor Noah Calhoun falling in love with the rich Allie Hamilton. What follows is a great representation of the optimism of a new relationship and the outer forces that can seemingly conspire against a happy young couple, like disapproving and invasive parents. And unlike most of the movies on this list, their romance succeeds and blossoms into maturity and old age, proving that sometimes young loves can become our true loves.

We don’t know what went wrong with the marketing of this movie, but despite the fact that the book on which it was based had a serious fanbase, “Flipped” only managed to bring in a little over $4 million at the box office. But despite its poor financial showing, “Flipped” is an extremely heartwarming and tender story of a young couple consisting of Bryce and Juli, who meet as children and experience a roller coaster of feelings for one another. It seems as though their timing will never be right, with one of them being in love while the other seems indifferent. It’s a relatable portrayal of a phenomenon that we’ve all experienced at one time or another.

What better pick for number one than the most classic story ever told about young love? You’ve all read Shakespeare’s play in school, so there’s no need to go over the plot. Some of you may think the story old and stale, especially if you saw the 1968 classic. But give Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 adaptation a try and you’ll see how Shakespeare can be brought into the modern world. It’s funny, touching, and tragic, and it imbues Shakespeare’s words with new life to make them work for a mainstream modern audience. Whether you watch an older version or a later one, there exists no better story about the electric, senseless emotions and fallibility of first, or young, love than “Juliet and her Romeo.” Well, okay “West Side Story”, which is also a riff on the Bard’s play, was pretty cool, too.