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Best Romance Movies

of the 1980s

The 20 highest-rated romance movies released between 1980 and 1989, ranked by IMDb score.

1

Cinema Paradiso(1988)

8.5 IMDb90% RT80 Meta

A filmmaker recalls his childhood, when he fell in love with the movies at his village's theater and formed a deep friendship with the theater's projectionist.

2

A Short Film About Love(1988)

8.1 IMDb95% RT

19-year-old Tomek whiles away his lonely life by spying on his opposite neighbour Magda through binoculars. She's an artist in her mid-thirties, and appears to have everything - not least a constant s

3

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears(1980)

8 IMDb40% RT

Living together in a workers' dorm, Katerina and her friends are determined to make it in Moscow. But when a boorish cameraman forces himself on her, Katerina finds herself pregnant and alone as her f

4

Wings of Desire(1987)

7.9 IMDb95% RT79 Meta

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel

5

Nostalgia(1983)

7.9 IMDb88% RT74 Meta

Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov journeys through Italy with his interpreter Eugenia to research the life of an 18th-century Russian composer who once lived abroad. Isolated and consumed by an unrelentin

6

When Harry Met Sally...(1989)

7.7 IMDb88% RT76 Meta

Sex always gets in the way of friendships between men and women. At least, that's what Harry Burns believes. So when Harry meets Sally Albright and a deep friendship blossoms between them, Harry's det

7

Running on Empty(1988)

7.6 IMDb81% RT67 Meta

The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign

8

Maurice(1987)

7.6 IMDb82% RT75 Meta

After his lover rejects him, Maurice attempts to come to terms with his sexuality within the restrictiveness of Edwardian society.

9

The Green Ray(1986)

7.6 IMDb94% RT

A lonely Parisian woman comes to terms with her isolation and anxieties during a long summer vacation.

10

The Purple Rose of Cairo(1985)

7.6 IMDb93% RT75 Meta

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mundane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see 'The Pur

11

Victor/Victoria(1982)

7.6 IMDb97% RT84 Meta

A struggling female soprano finds work playing a male female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life.

12

On Golden Pond(1981)

7.6 IMDb91% RT68 Meta

For Norman and Ethel Thayer, this summer on golden pond is filled with conflict and resolution. When their daughter Chelsea arrives, the family is forced to renew the bonds of love and overcome the ge

13

The Big Blue(1988)

7.5 IMDb62% RT35 Meta

Childhood friends Jacques and Enzo share a passion for the danger of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to

14

Dangerous Liaisons(1988)

7.5 IMDb91% RT74 Meta

In 18th century France, Marquise de Merteuil asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as pl

15

Shadows in Paradise(1986)

7.4 IMDb

Nikander, a rubbish collector and would-be entrepreneur, finds his plans for success dashed when his business associate dies. One evening, he meets Ilona, a down-on-her-luck cashier, in a local superm

16

Tootsie(1982)

7.4 IMDb91% RT88 Meta

When struggling, out of work actor Michael Dorsey secretly adopts a female alter ego – Dorothy Michaels – in order to land a part in a daytime drama, he unwittingly becomes a feminist icon and ends up

17

Steel Magnolias(1989)

7.3 IMDb73% RT56 Meta

A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.

18

Somewhere in Time(1980)

7.2 IMDb52% RT29 Meta

Young writer Richard Collier is met on the opening night of his first play by an old lady who begs him to "Come back to me". Mystified, he tries to find out about her, and learns that she is a famous

19

Dragons Forever(1988)

7.1 IMDb67% RT

A hot-shot lawyer is hired by a Hong Kong chemical plant to dispose of opposition to their polluting ways. But when he falls for a beautiful woman out to stop the plant, he is torn in a conflict of in

20

Crossroads(1986)

7.1 IMDb76% RT55 Meta

A wanna-be blues guitar virtuoso seeks a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson.

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