Although it takes place during a much more repressive era, this 1950s-set drama about a connection between two women is remarkably optimistic and sensitive. That’s not to say that wealthy suburbanite Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) and aspiring photographer Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) don’t encounter serious obstacles to their potential romance, but the story is about moving past those obstacles rather than being defeated by them.

Their courtship plays out in small, subtle gestures, which prove to be just as powerful as any grand romantic moment.

Director John Stockwell takes a stylish approach to this cross-class romantic drama, about the relationship between a troubled rich girl (Kirsten Dunst) and a straight-arrow working-class boy (Jay Hernandez). Stockwell showcases lesser-known areas of Los Angeles, grounding the story in a sense of place. The characters subvert and overcome stereotypes, and their connection goes deeper than superficial differences. It’s an underrated teen drama that combines slick images with heartfelt emotion.

Love transcends the rigid standards of a strict religious community in Sebastian Lelio’s intense, sensual drama. Rachel McAdams plays Esti, a sheltered housewife in an Orthodox Jewish community whose life is changed by the return of her free-spirited childhood friend Ronit (Rachel Weisz). The two women share a primal connection, and the worldly Ronit helps Esti see beyond the limits her husband has set for her. They’re able to embrace their love without letting go of their spirituality.

It sounds like a silly concept: An uptight academic falls in love with the android companion she’s meant to be testing out. But director Maria Schrader makes I’m Your Man into an insightful and endearing romance, with Downton Abbey‘s Dan Stevens perfectly cast as the prototype of the ideal boyfriend.

Stevens and Maren Eggert have a warm rapport as the lonely researcher slowly opens herself to the possibility of real emotional connection with a machine. I’m Your Man gently raises philosophical questions without losing sight of the personal dynamic between the main characters.

Decades of romantic comedies followed the template set by this multiple Oscar winner, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as adversaries who fall in love over the course of a road trip. The stars have fantastic chemistry as a rebellious heiress and a scheming reporter, and their repartee is charged with sexual energy whether they’re bickering or flirting.

Released just before the enforcement of the moralistic Production Code, It Happened One Night is witty and bawdy, and just as romantic now as it was in 1934.

It’s not hard to predict the outcome of the pact made by longtime friends Ben (Jack Quaid) and Alice (Maya Erskine) at the beginning of rom-com Plus One. Faced with the prospect of attending the weddings of numerous friends and acquaintances, they agree to be each other’s dates to each event—on a purely platonic level, of course.

Quaid and Erskine have excellent chemistry, and Plus One is funny and poignant as it heads toward its obvious resolution. The filmmakers treat the characters’ ambitions and family relationships with as much care as their romance.

There are two Gwyneth Paltrows for the price of one in alternate-universe dramedy Sliding Doors. Paltrow’s character, London publicist Helen Quilley, either does or does not catch her boyfriend cheating on her at the beginning of the movie, and the story follows both narrative threads.

Either way, she seems destined to end up with friendly businessman James (John Hannah). Both versions of Helen are sharp and energetic, and the movie showcases her inner strength and romantic spirit, no matter what kind of situation she finds herself in.

It may seem a little strange to watch a 13-year-old in a 30-year-old’s body fall in love with an actual 30-year-old, but body-switching comedy 13 Going on 30 somehow makes it charming and sweet. Jennifer Garner plays the teenage girl who wakes up as her adult self after making a wish, and Mark Ruffalo plays the grown-up version of the best friend who was always in love with her.

Garner’s Jenna learns lessons about maturity and self-esteem while also learning that the dorky guy next door is the one she should have been paying attention to all along.