You can have too much of a good thing. If Titanic or Gone with the Wind are your romantic movie night picks, then you’d both better have eaten early, pre-planned your toilet breaks, and made some serious investment in the lumber support of your living room furniture. Cuddling up with a loved one to watch a film that extends over three hours? Prepare for discomfort.
The romantic movies below are humble creatures that don’t overstay their welcome. By clocking in at 90 minutes or under, they can be watched pre- or post-dinner, and don’t have to be interrupted by attacks of pins-and-needles or the need for multiple bathroom trips. And if none of the above worries you, this lot are even short enough to watch as part of a movie marathon or double-bill – just remember to stretch adequately before going in. Happy viewing!
Before Sunset (2004)
Duration: 1hr 20mins. Rent on Apple TV/Amazon Video (UK); Stream on Hoopla (US)
Almost a decade on from Richard Linklater‘s indie love story Before Sunrise (1995), this warm comedy sequel revisits Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke’s Céline and Jesse to find out what happened after their one whirlwind night in Vienna as twentysomethings. Did their plans to meet up six months later work out? Did Jesse become a writer? No spoilers here for anybody yet to enjoy this beautiful relationship movie trilogy, though if it’s strictly romance you’re after, bask in the second movie and don’t follow it up with 2013’s Before Sunset just yet.
Brief Encounter (1945)
Duration: 1hr 26mins. Rent on Apple TV/Amazon Video (UK); Stream on Prime Video/Max (US)
Nobody does buttoned-up English yearning like Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson in this 1940s classic. True, the mannered performance style of the decade may be distancing to modern ears to begin with, but let yourself sink into this wonderfully acted story and soon it’ll sound as natural as the chatter on your daily commute. From a screenplay by Noel Coward, this is the story of Alec and Laura, who are both married to other people but who are romantically drawn together. Director David Lean is celebrated for epics Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Passage to India, and more, so it’s a treat to find his gimlet eye trained on such a small story told in such a condensed runtime. The very definition of a must-watch.
Harold and Maude (1971)
Duration: 1hr 31mins. Rent on Apple TV/Amazon Video/Sky Store (UK); Stream on Fubo (US)
Babygirl and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy eat your heart out; Harold and Maude was doing age-gap romance decades ago, and more outrageously too. Hal Ashby’s cynical, death-obsessed dark comedy is far from your classic romantic movie fare, but it’s also witty, bold, and tells a poignant story about fear and human connection. It’s the neatly told tale of Harold (Bud Cort), an isolated and macabre 20-year-old man who’s in the habit of crashing strangers’ funerals, which is where he meets the similarly transgressive Maude (Ruth Gordon), a woman in her late seventies who becomes Harold’s best friend, and eventually, lover.
My Old Ass (2024)
Duration: 1hr 29mins. Stream on Prime Video (UK & US)
Megan Park’s follow-up to her excellent debut The Fallout is another gem of a picture – and one of Den of Geek‘s Best Movies of 2024. It’s the coming-of-age story about 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) who meets her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) after taking mushrooms one night in her last summer at home before leaving for college. Elliott’s “old ass” counterpart takes the opportunity to give her younger self some advice – be nicer to your mother, spend more time with your little brothers, and avoid that one guy who will destroy you… But does Elliott listen? What unfurls is a funny, smart and emotional reflection on what family, love and pain really teach us, wrapped up in an extremely likeable package.
Once (2006)
Duration: 1hr 25mins. Rent on Amazon Video/Apple TV (US-only)
If you were watching movies in the early 2000s, John Carney’s Irish musical romance was hard to miss. Among many nominations and wins, it took home the Oscar for best song (for “Falling Slowly”) and spawned a hit stage musical in 2012 that’s still touring. It’s the bittersweet love story of busker Guy, a broken vacuum cleaner, and the nameless Czech woman with whom Guy forms an emotional bond over their shared love of music. Starring musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, it was a deservedly huge hit for writer-director John Carney, whose 2016 film Sing Street is also a great watch (but which, at 106 minutes, falls outside of the specifications for this list).
Palm Springs (2020)
Duration: 1hr 30mins. Stream on Prime Video (UK) and Hulu (US)
The perfect staying-in date night movie? Probably. Max Barbakow and Andy Siara’s sci-fi rom-com is a witty, sexy, mind-bender that, at precisely 90 minutes, does not outstay its welcome. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti play Nyles and Sarah, two guests at a Palm Springs wedding who get sucked into a sci-fi scenario that delivers laughs, surprises and unexpected violence. It’s more fun to go in not knowing anything, so we’ll stay light on plot details, but rest assured that this is a smart and fun way to spend an hour and a half in front of a screen. You and your significant other won’t regret it. And if you need anything explaining after you’ve watched, we have you covered.
Rye Lane (2023)
Duration: 1hr 22mins. Stream on Disney+ (UK) and Hulu (US)
You always wave back to tourists waving from boats, right? You should. Stylish, fast-paced, funny and with a visibly beating romantic heart, Rye Lane is among the best British movies of recent years. It’s the work of actor-writer Nathan Bryon and screenwriter-producer Tom Melia, and was the impressive directorial feature debut of Raine Allen-Miller. Using stylistic tricks and an excellent soundtrack, it follows the burgeoning relationship of Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson), two young people who meet at London’s Rye Lane market and share an eventful night after Yas pretends to be Dom’s new girlfriend in front of his ex. Home burglary, karaoke, and a fight ensue, as the two trawl through their recent break-ups and lick their respective wounds.
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)
Duration: 1hr 26mins. Stream on MGM+ (UK), Rent on Apple TV (US)
Before he was Mr Jurassic World, director Colin Trevorrow made this clever, charming sci-fi starring Mark Duplass and Aubrey Plaza, from a screenplay by frequent collaborator Derek Connolly. Released in 2012 to a warm reception (but not quite as much fuss as it deserved), the low-budget indie was the story of Darius (Plaza), a graduate magazine intern tasked with investigating a quirky classified ad asking for someone willing to go back in time: “Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before.” The ad leads Darius to Kenneth (Duplass), his emotional backstory, and an adventure that set the standard for imaginative, character-led moviemaking made on a shoestring.
She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
Duration: 1hr 28mins. Stream on Netflix (UK & US)
As you’d expect from a TM Spike Lee Joint, this low-budget debut feature is no fluffy romance but a ballsy, smart, sex and relationships comedy. Not all of it has aged well (Lee described a scene of serious sexual assault as his one regret as a filmmaker, and didn’t repeat the mistake in his 2017 Netflix TV adaptation of the movie), but its impact is undeniable. Starring Tracy Camilla Johns as a charismatic Brooklyn artist simultaneously seeing three very different men, it’s frank, funny, of its time, and launched the career that Lee has now.
The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Duration: 1hr 22mins. Rent on Apple TV (UK); Stream on Hoopla (US)
It’s a cliché to say it, but this Woody Allen fantasy comedy is as much a love letter to the movies as it is to love. It stars Mia Farrow as Cecilia, an isolated and abused wife in Depression-era New Jersey who finds solace in her solo cinema trips, until one of her screen idols notices her watching him. Jeff Daniels is great as both Baxter, the fictional movie character who steps out of the picture to woo Cecilia and cause chaos for the makers of his film, and as Gil Shepherd, the actor who plays him. Romantic, glamorous, witty and, at 82 minutes, pretty short, this is a romantic movie night winner.
Walking and Talking (1996)
Duration: 1hr 30mins. Stream on Channel4.com (UK); Stream on Hoopla (US)
The feature debut from director Nicole Holofcener (see Enough Said, below), this well-observed and charming New York-set comedy is due a re-evaluation (if only so it can be written about by critics able to view it not through the 1990s-era prism of how attractive or not they find the lead actresses. For the record: it’s Catherine Keener and Anne Heche, they’re goddesses, move on). A movie about friendship as much as about romantic relationships, it’s the story of best friends Amelia (Keener) and Laura (Heche), both approaching 30 and facing a rupture due to Laura’s impending marriage. With a great central performance from Keener, enjoyable supporting roles and a cult 1990s soundtrack, it’s more than just a fun look back at the decade.
(Not Quite But Almost!) 90-Minute Romantic Movies
Enough Said (2013) – Nicole Holofcener’s terrific post-divorce rom-com starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and the much-missed James Gandolfino comes in at just 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Love and Friendship (2016) – Whit Stillman’s sparkling and witty Jane Austen adaptation stars Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny, and is just 92 minutes long.
Midnight in Paris (2011) – Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams star in this Woody Allen romantic fantasy about a screenwriter on vacation in Paris who travels back to the 1920s every night. It’s an hour and 34 minutes long.
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) – Wes Anderson’s characteristically arch yet still emotionally warm story of two 12-year-olds in love who run away and prompt a search mission, comes in at just one hour and 34 minutes.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) – Nia Vardalos’ franchise-starting original about balancing love with family and cultural tradition clocks in at 95 minutes.
Someone Great (2019) – From the writer of Thor: Love and Thunder and Sweet/Vicious, this Netflix rom-com showcases female friendship in one hour and 32 minutes.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) – Jacques Demy’s stunning French musical is vibrant, romantic, escapist, and just 91 minutes long.
500 Days of Summer (2009) – A modern classic of the rom-com genre starring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, this Mark Webb-directed movie is an hour and 35 minutes long.
The post The Best Romantic Movies Under 90 Minutes appeared first on Den of Geek.
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