Most romantic comedy movies like When Harry Met Sally revolve around belligerent sexual tension.
We all like to see the tension building between two single characters who are attracted to each other, and on a personal level, there is powerful chemistry between them.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and the thing is, I love you.”- Harry Burns
Director Rob Riner broke the foundations of the same old plotline and updated them with a new cynical, honest, and drop-dead funny version.
If you are looking for movies like When Harry Met Sally, you are probably looking for similar realistic, believable, and relatable films. We have a mixture of romantic films, some are funny, some are pretty dramatic, but they all share a believable story about two strangers falling in love.
So sit back and enjoy, I hope you’ll fall in love with them as much as I did.
Best Movies Like When Harry Met Sally
1. The Little Death (2014)
The secret lives of five suburban couples in Sydney – exploring their fantasies and fetishes.
The Little Death, written and directed by Josh Lawson, (who also plays a lead role) has a clean and brilliant look of a classic American romantic comedy, but Lawson proves that Australians probably have a less conservative sense of humor. The best comedy moments are present in the gap between the couples’ slightly generic appearance and the conversations between them and the unfounded problems they face.
This film is a hidden gem for this genre, it’s hilarious, smart, and realistic, with all bitter-sweet couplehood elements.
2. Enough Said (2013)
James Gandolfini’s film is like a great gift for romantic comedy lovers.
Eva (Julia Luis Dreyfus) falls in love with Albert (Gandolfini) just before her daughter leaves for college. In addition, she befriends, without her knowledge, Albert’s ex-wife, Marianne – an impressive woman by all accounts who slanders her divorcee at every opportunity. When Eva discovers that the divorcee is actually Albert, she begins to doubt her feelings toward him.
Don’t let the banal synopsis prevent you from watching the movie. The story progresses at the right place, and the acting is a fine display of real heart-warming characters, similar to Harry and Sally, especially Gandolfini, who plays a big, sensitive man.
3. Sleeping With Other People (2015)
Twelve years after a one-night stand, Jake (Jason Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) run into each other and try to be best friends in a platonic relationship, despite their mutual attraction.
Like in When Harry Met Sally, which starred Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, Sleeping With Other People opens with a first date that immediately leads to a breakup and does so during college. However, sex is not an event that takes place at a future date somewhere in the depths of the plot, but rather is a starting point for a relationship.
This comedy has a good mix of sophistication and romance, and Sudeikis and Brie give a talented performance.
4. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)
Long before Ryan Gosling fell in love with Emma Stone in the movie La La Land, he fell in love with her in Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Jacob is a Don Juan who gets almost any girl he wants but has a hard time conquering Hannah’s heart. In addition, he meets Cal (Steve Carell), a middle-aged man who is betrayed by his wife (Julian Moore), and becomes a kind of personal trainer in the dating field.
The various love stories and the ramified connections between the characters lead to its surprising and slightly wild ending.
5. The Big Sick (2017)
The Big Sick tells the real-life story of Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) and his screenwriter wife Emily V. Gordon (the two who wrote the script).
Kumail tells jokes for a living and has a lot of material to tell his jokes. For example, his crazy family, trying to live in America as if they were still in Pakistan, the “potential brides” his mother designates for him, or the delusional partner he shares an apartment with. Emily is studying psychology. When she arrives at the comedy club and sees Kumail on stage, a routine affair begins between them that ends in anger and slamming doors. But, then the story gets an unexpected turn.
There is certainly a love story here that brings back to life the romantic comedy genre. The Big Sick is similar to When Harry and Sally, it breaks the boundaries of the genre, It’s an honest reflection on today’s dating scene. The love story corresponds with the spirit of the period. There are plenty of references to popular culture.
The genre is not dead yet and it lives within small-budget independent movies.
6. Endless Love (2014)
Jade (Gabriella Wilde), a privileged teen, falls in love with David (Alex Pettyfer), a working-class teenager. Their parents strongly disapprove of their relationship. The disapproval only makes the forbidden love affair more intense and both teenagers more determined to fulfill it.
Based on the novel by Scott Spencerת Endless Love is a touching romantic drama film reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, a film suitable for all couples.
7. White Palace (1990)
Max (James Spader) is an advertising executive in his 20s who’s still getting over the death of his wife. Nora (Susan Sarandon) is a 40-plus diner waitress, who enjoys a singles-free life. When they meet, their attraction is instant. With time – their age and status differences become an obstacle in their relationship.
This movie is like a modern classic steamy fairytale – with an outstanding performance by Susan Sarandon and James Spider.
8. Secretary (2002)
Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a young woman just released from a mental institution, finds work as a secretary for a demanding attorney – Edward Grey (James Spader).
She starts dating the good-hearted but dull Peter (Jeremy Davies). Lee soon realizes she’s turned on by her boss and begins a sadomasochistic relationship with him.
Secretary is very unique for its genre, it is sweeping and mesmerizing – with an amazing performance by the great Maggie Gyllenhaal.
9. 9½ Weeks (1986)
When Elizabeth (Kim Basinger) met John (Mickey Rourke), she was a smart and sophisticated woman who controlled her life. Her attraction to his enigmatic and distant personality pushes her to dive into a relationship that intensifies and becomes a nightmare of fantasy and control. Elizabeth soon realizes that she must choose between her passions and her sanity.
This movie is such an 80’s classic – with charismatic performances by Basinger and Rourke – steamy scenes and thrilling drama.
10. The Lover (1992)
A Chinese historical drama that tells the story of a pretty teenager (Jane March) who meets a handsome rich playboy (Tony Leung Ka Fai). They go against all conventions, and the lustful pair begin a steamy affair. Their strong attraction toward one another is only intensified by the forbidden side of their romance.
Based on the semi-autobiographical 1984 novel by Marguerite Duras, this movie is drawing in a really artistic way a forbidden romance. You will most likely think about this blockbuster with its beautiful aesthetics and special landscapes, long after it will be over.
