Romantic movies are timeless. Everyone has their favorite romantic movie. Most of the time, romantic movies serve a purpose, primarily as escapism. One thing these movies do is they keep the idea of ​​romance alive. No matter how happy or tragic the ending is, viewers love romantic movies for entertaining them and keeping their dream alive.

It begs a question…what makes a great romantic movie? There are some actors and actresses who are great for romantic movies and some who are not. There are some stories that are just remarkable and there are some stories that make you wonder who did it in the first place. I think there are at least four criteria for a great romantic movie.

1. Sympathy of the Leads

First of all, the film’s leads must be ‘likeable’, meaning that the target audience loves them and believes that they are lovers or may be lovers in real life. Which means they must have chemistry with each other. When there is chemistry, it makes the interactions in the movie enjoyable and believable. And it is important that the audience likes the protagonists so that they “understand” the film.

This factor made Meg Ryan the queen of romantic comedy in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Her two lead performances in ‘When Harry Meet Sally’ and ‘Sleepless In Seattle’, along with two great leads, Billy Crystal and Tom Hanks, were a great tour de force. In both films, she ‘clicked’ with both of them, giving the film critical and commercial success.

2. Simple and clear argument

Another important criterion is the plot. It has to be simple and clear, so that the viewer can understand what is happening in the film, that is, who are the parties in love and what is the situation. Romance movies are not good arguments for plot twists as they will turn off viewers and interfere with viewers’ enjoyment of romance. An example of a good story was the 2005 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The film did an excellent job of portraying the romance of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Darcy, showing the “games” the two played with each other until who eventually fell in love in the end.

3.Film Location/Background

The role of the location and background of the film is to support and enhance the romantic film. It is not very important, but it plays a role. The background refers to the cast that surrounds the protagonists, for example, family members or office colleagues. Movie location refers to where the movie is set. Usually, it’s the locations in the movies that animate the romance. A good example of the cinematographic background is the cast of Four Weddings and a Funeral. In the film, Charles’s eclectic group of friends praised his ‘adventures’ in chasing after Carrie. A good example of a movie location would be the Venice and Positano location in Only You, starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, where he made the movie’s romance magical, with glorious location scenes, Italian language, and songs.

4. Excellent song/movie soundtrack

And lastly, the main criteria would be the song or soundtrack of the movie as it enhances and reminds the viewer of the romantic movie experience. Usually it would be a pop song sung by the popular artist and it becomes a best seller. An obvious example would be the song “My Heart Will Go On” sung by Celine Dion from the movie Titanic. The song works as a killer hook that drives the success of the film and aids in the commercial success of the film’s soundtrack and the film itself. In the film, the song is usually featured as a short music clip or becomes an instrumental background.

Well, those are the four criteria that I think make a great romantic movie. There may be others, but these are the four main criteria and when all four criteria appear in a romantic film, the film is almost certain to become a critical and commercial success.