Love makes the world go round — we all know this. And perhaps, for that very same reason, romance is such an important component of film and television productions. Love not only has a whole genre dedicated to it, but it has also flooded action stories, thrillers, and even superhero movies, which generally explore the bond of a couple of characters or, at least, the way some of them relate to love, which is often the main reason why they do the things they do.
The romance genre is one of those that has managed to survive over the years. However, even though it keeps up to date with the social changes brought by younger generations, it still preserves certain clichés and keeps retelling stories that, even though they are far-fetched or overused, audiences love to watch. We have already gone through dozens of movies in which the main characters have been best friends for years and, eventually, end up falling in love, or those with characters who love each other fervently but, no matter how hard they try, they cannot be together. Among all these stories, reprised many times by different actors in a number of films, there is a fairly frequent recurrence of characters who go from enemies to lovers.
Whether they are employees competing for a job, students from different groups or people who have just met, the narrative of two characters who start their relationship on the wrong foot is very appealing, especially if the chemistry between the actors who play these characters is strong. Thus, movies featuring relationships ranging from hate to love show us the progression among the characters, and how they go from being in absolute denial about each other to not being able to imagine life apart. Here are 10 romantic movies in which the characters go from enemies to lovers.
10 The Ugly Truth
Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler star in the 2009 rom-com The Ugly Truth, a film that hints from the very beginning that, despite their mutual loathing, the leads will end up falling madly in love with one another. This film by Robert Luketic features Abby, a morning TV show producer who has bad luck in love, but never stops believing in it. Following a drop in her show's ratings, the company decides to add Mike Chadway to the team, a man with a totally different stance on love who she dislikes from the get-go.
To settle things between them, Abby and Mike come to an agreement: if he manages to help her win over her crush with his skills as a heartthrob, she will stop treating him badly at work. Otherwise, Mike must quit the show and leave without looking back.
9 Me Before You
Me Before You is the 2016 film that marked Thea Sharrock's directorial debut. This production is based on Jojo Moyes' novel of the same name, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. In it, the enemies-to-lovers dynamic takes a slight twist, as the disdain comes from only one of the main characters. Me Before You features Lou, a hard-working young woman who lands a job as caregiver to Will, a man who was paralyzed after an accident.
Will's cynical and enraged attitude clashes with Lou's cheerfulness and optimism, and she makes it her personal mission to prove to this man that life is meant to be lived. Naturally, time will change their feelings as they embark on the most important relationship of their lives. Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin star in this romantic film, joined by Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, Steve Peacocke and Matthew Lewis.
8 The Proposal
Andrew has every reason to hate his boss Margaret: she has a very cocky and demanding attitude, and does not value any of his efforts to comply with her requests and excel in his role. The situation between the two worsens after the woman discovers that she is at risk of being deported due to issues with her visa, so she tries to force her employee to marry her. Andrew, who initially balks at this proposal, ends up looking on the bright side of the deal and agrees, not before imposing his own conditions. Thus, both of them embark on a mission to persuade the immigration officers, unaware that this plan is bound to turn their lives upside down.
The Proposal is a rom-com by Anne Fletcher starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds that premiered in 2009 and quickly became a box-office hit. For her role in it, Bullock was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes.
7 The Hating Game
Characters going from enemies to lovers is, quite literally, the premise of The Hating Game. This Peter Hutchings film is based on Sally Thorne's novel of the same name, and stars Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell as the leads.
It features Lucy and Joshua, two entirely different employees who can't stand each other but are forced to co-exist in the same office after the publishers where they work merge. When the company announces the opening of a new management position, they both see an opportunity to grow in their careers, and are willing to do anything to land the job, even if it sparks a no-holds-barred battle between them.
6 Clueless
Clueless is one of the most popular teen films in history, which after its release in 1995 launched to fame young actors Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, and Paul Rudd, who made his film acting debut in it. The production was a hit among audiences and critics, and over the years earned a cult film status, with fans that follow it even to this day.
This film directed and written by Amy Heckerling follows Cher, a popular and fashionable high school girl on a mission: giving Tai, a shy new student, a complete makeover in order to help her improve her self-esteem. However, amidst all this, Cher will have to deal with her feelings for Josh, her father's obnoxious ex-step-son, who is slowly starting to grow on her.
5 You’ve Got Mail
Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are two actors who have already proven their on-screen chemistry in several productions: first in 1990's Joe Versus the Volcano, then three years later in Sleepless in Seattle, and finally in the 1998 rom-com You've Got Mail. This acclaimed film by Nora Ephron features Kathleen and Joe, two people who have been pursuing an online romance for months, but don't know each other personally.
What the main characters in this story are unaware of is that, beyond their virtual lives, they already know each other and, to top it all off, are business rivals, something that will undoubtedly strain the relationship. Ryan and Hanks lead the cast of this production joined by Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn and Greg Kinnear.
4 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You is the teen movie that launched Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles to stardom, a production that became a cult classic with fans worshipping it to this day. This 1999 Gil Junger film features Cameron, a student who has just entered Padua High School and right away develops a crush on Bianca, the most popular girl in school.
As much as he wants to ask her out, her father's strict rules prohibit him from doing so: Bianca can't date boys if her older sister Kat won't, and the latter is the kind of girl everyone is afraid of. Cameron, who is far from giving up, hires Patrick, the school's bad boy, to try to conquer Kat, a difficult task that ends in the way they least expect. Rounding out the cast of this rom-com are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Larry Miller, Andrew Keegan and Allison Janney.
3 Pride & Prejudice
The 2005 film Pride & Prejudice is one of the many film adaptations of novelist Jane Austen's work, and also marked Joe Wright's directorial debut in a production that earned him several nominations and awards. It features a cast headed by Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen alongside Brenda Blethyn, Donald Sutherland, Tom Hollander, Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan, and upon its release it became a box-office and critical hit.
Pride & Prejudice takes the audience back to the late-18th Century, to a rural English estate home to Elizabeth Bennet and her family. As the second-eldest daughter, Elizabeth is being pressured by her parents to accept a marriage proposal from some wealthy man to secure her future, although she has no interest in doing so. However, things take a turn when she meets Mr. Darcy, a young man she initially dislikes, yet as they spend time together, the two begin to develop a newfound fondness for one another.
2 Palm Springs
Palm Springs is the most recent production on this list, a film that marked Max Barbakow's directorial debut in 2020. It stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as Nyles and Sarah, two young people who meet while attending a wedding in Palm Springs and, as fate would have it, end up falling into a time loop and reliving the same day over and over again. Faced with this awkward situation, the two must team up to find a way out, although this may not be quite as simple as it seems.
J.K. Simmons, Peter Gallagher, Meredith Hagner, Camila Mendes, and Tyler Hoechlin join the leads in this production that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim, and went on to garner, among other accolades, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
1 When Harry Met Sally...
Heading this list is one of the most iconic couples in the history of rom-coms, Harry and Sally. 1989 marked the premiere of When Harry Met Sally..., a Rob Reiner film written by Nora Ephron and starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in the lead roles. In it, the audience follows the relationship between Harry and Sally, two college students with very different personalities and opinions that cause them to clash almost from the moment they meet. Over the years, the two run into each other again on several occasions, and their relationship evolves as they discover they have more things in common than they thought.
When Harry Met Sally... became a box-office hit and earned many accolades. Among them, Ephron was nominated for Best Screenplay at the Academy Awards and the lead actors received nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor at the Golden Globes.
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