11 Heart-Stopping Romance Movies on HBO Max

Steve Carell portrays Cal, a man who is taken by surprise when his wife unexpectedly asks for a divorce. Jacob (Ryan Gosling), who is watching him languish in self-pity at the neighborhood bar, decides to convert him into a project and expose him to the beautiful world of womanizing. What follows is a wonderful examination of love, from first loves to committed relationships.

In this film, Valentine's Day is celebrated by more than a dozen Angelenos from dawn to dusk. Three couples awaken simultaneously, but each relationship will fizzle—are any of them worth saving? 

An elementary school boy wants roses for his first true love, two seniors in high school decide to have their first kiss at noon, a star quarterback muses over his future, two strangers meet on a plane, longtime couple's grandparents deal with a crisis, and the lonely and the betrayed are invited to an "I Hate Valentine's Day" dinner. Can Cupid complete his task by twelve?

Jenna Rink wants to remain hidden until she is thirty after experiencing complete embarrassment at her thirteenth birthday celebration. Jenna's plea was heard, and it was granted thanks to some magic dust. 

At first Jenna thinks there can't possibly be a better life for her—she has a dream job, a dream apartment, a dream wardrobe, an athlete lover, and superstar pals. But all is not what it seems, and as it turns out, the only person she needs is Matt, her childhood best friend and the boy she believed ruined her celebration. 

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Bullock is excellently placed in this lighthearted comedy as a stiff, tomboyish federal agent who, for the first time ever, decides to celebrate her femininity after being tasked with going incognito at a beauty pageant to attempt and catch an evasive criminal. 

The results are amusing as she struggles to do her job and be a genuine contestant while having never ever donned a dress, far less makeup and heels. The film's premise and execution are familiar, but are supported by a poignant narrative, funny lines, and hearty laughter. Bullock is as endearing as ever, and we never mind looking at Benjamin Bratt.

We've all seen The Notebook before, but we're always down to watch it again, We're hooked right from Noah and Allie's iconic meet-cute. He immediately falls for her when he first sees her at a fair and will do anything to make her give him a chance—including climb a Ferris wheel. 

From there, a summer romance develops that traverses all of the emotions that we have all felt before develops. But when summer ends, Allie's upper class family leaves the small town and her mother does her best to keep the two of them apart.

While this movie isn't nearly as good as the YA book its based on, it's still a guilty pleasure watch. The protagonist of this tale is a young woman named Ella who received the "gift" of obedience from a fairy named Lucinda. Any instructions given to her by anyone must be followed. 

After her mother dies, her selfish and callous father, who remarries a repulsive lady and has two devious children, takes care of her. Fairies, ogres, and elves are among the fantastical characters in this contemporary Cinderella tale. Ella also develops a romantic relationship with Prince Charmont, the story's hero. She must rely on herself and her brains, unlike Cinderella, to overcome her difficulties and locate Lucinda so that her "curse" can be broken.

Sam had a difficult upbringing, as her father passed away in an earthquake and she now has a new stepmother with two terrible girls. On the plus side, Sam has a great best friend named Carter and communicates via email with a man by the name of Nomad. 

When their school's Halloween party rolls around, Nomad writes Sam an email asking to meet up with her in the center of the dance floor. Sam sneaks out to attend the dance and discovers that Austin Ames, the most popular boy in school, is her email pal after her Nomad pulls her outside and they dance together. To keep from getting in trouble, Sam dashes back to her stepmother's diner, dropping her phone in the process. After discovering it, Austin begins looking for his Cinderella.

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30-year-old Toula Portokalos is a Greek American who works at her family's Chicago restaurant, Dancing Zorba's. Gus, her father, just wants her to wed a decent Greek boy. Toula, though, seeks more from life. Gus is persuaded by her mother to let her enroll in some computer studies at the university while making him believe it was her idea. 

After completing those programs, she takes over her aunt's travel agency, once more making her father believe it was his idea. At the restaurant, she meets Ian Miller, an English teacher at a high school who is WASP and a dreamboat; they date in secret for a while until her family learns about it. Unfortunately, dating a non-Greek has her father furious. He needs to learn to accept Ian, just as Ian needs to learn to accept the size of Toula's family and Toula herself.

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In the tradition of her lawyer parents, Harvard educated lawyer Lucy Kelson uses her profession to promote social engagement. The slick public image of the Downtown Wade Corporation is George Wade, but Howard Wade, George's business-minded brother, is actually in charge of the development company, which Lucy frequently opposes. 

George and Lucy meet while she's protesting his company's destruction of her beloved childhood community center. Impressed by her credentials, George offers to hire Lucy to replace his Chief Counsel, and sweetens the deal by agreeing to protect the community center and give her a large budget for community causes.

Although her parents have warned her against working for the "enemy," Lucy accepts the position, believing she can do more good from the inside. But working for George will be even more difficult than she thought.

An intricate plan to pop the question to her partner on Leap Day, an Irish custom that occurs every time February 29 rolls around, gets derailed when inclement weather threatens to cancel the woman's journey to Dublin. She might end up getting engaged as a result of her cross-country journey, though, with the assistance of an innkeeper.

Related: Irish Romance Movies to Watch for St. Patrick's Day

High school heartthrob Zack Siler loses his shoe-in-for-prom-queen sweetheart Taylor Vaughan because she fell for a second-rate TV soap star she met over spring break. After being publicly dumped, Zack argues that Taylor is all makeup and wonder bra, and that he can transform any girl at their school into the prom queen. 

Following this assertion, his friend Dean Sampson calls him on his bluff, and selects the geeky-appearing Laney Boggs as the student Zack must change into the new homecoming queen. Thinking it's all a game, Zack accepts, but as he gets to know the real Laney, he realizes she's much more important to him than a dumb bet.

After watching this classic makeover movie, hop over to Netflix to watch it's next-generation sequel, He's All That.