Best 20 French Romance Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 25, 2026

France Romance falling in love date night

French cinema treats romance as everything from whimsical comedy to poignant drama, and this list covers both. Blue Is the Warmest Colour follows Adele’s life changing after she meets Emma, A Man and a Woman builds love between a widow and a widower, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg tests a young couple when he is drafted, and Love Me If You Dare keeps childhood friends in a risky game. Breathless, Beauty and the Beast, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Summer Hours, Angel-A and Paris round out the list.

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (La vie d'Adèle) (2013) 01

Blue Is the Warmest Colour (La vie d'Adèle) (2013)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 88% Metacritic 90

The intense love story of two young women, exploring passion, identity and heartbreak.

"I have infinite tenderness for you. I always will. All my life."

Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche · 3h 00m · Rated NC-17

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award87 wins & 106 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd NetflixAmazon Prime Video
A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme) (1966) 02

A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme) (1966)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A widow and a widower fall in love, but their past tragedies make them move with great delicacy.

" When something’s not serious, we say it’s like a film. Why aren’t films taken seriously, do you think?"

Directed by Claude Lelouch · 1h 42m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg) (1964) 03

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg) (1964)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 97% Metacritic 86

This musical drama tells the bittersweet love story of Geneviève and Guy.

"People only die of love in the movies."

Directed by Jacques Demy · 1h 33m · Rated PG-13

Nominated for 5 Oscars6 wins & 7 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd NetflixAmazon Prime VideoHBO MaxYoutubeTV
Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) (2003) 04

Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants) (2003)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Childhood friends Julien and Sophie create a daring game, expressing their passion through increasingly reckless dares.

"If you love me, jump!"

Directed by Yann Samuell · 1h 33m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
Breathless (À bout de souffle) (1960) 05

Breathless (À bout de souffle) (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A young car thief falls for an American student in Paris, setting off a thrilling and tragic romance.

"What is your greatest ambition in life?"

Directed by Jean-Luc Godard · 1h 30m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Darkroom, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoYoutubeTV
Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) (1946) 06

Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête) (1946)

IMDb ★ 7.9 Metacritic 92

Belle sacrifices herself to save her father and lives with a Beast, learning to see beyond appearances.

"If you love me enough to come, I'll understand."

Directed by Jean Cocteau · 1h 36m

1 win & 2 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Kanopy, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoHBO Max
Angel-A (Angel-A) (2005) 07

Angel-A (Angel-A) (2005)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A down-and-out scam artist in Paris about to end his life is stopped by a woman who may be his guardian angel.

"I am your angel."

Directed by Luc Besson · 1h 31m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoYoutubeTV
The Beautiful Person (La Belle Personne) (2008) 08

The Beautiful Person (La Belle Personne) (2008)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Junie transfers to a new school and gets caught up in a tangle of teenage and teacher entanglements.

"Love is always unexpected."

Directed by Christophe Honoré · 1h 37m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
Paris (Paris) (2008) 09

Paris (Paris) (2008)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A dancer and a neurologist's lives intersect in Paris, revealing the connections between love and chance.

"It's not the place, it's the people."

Directed by Cédric Klapisch · 2h 10m

Where to watch

Stream: France Channel Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoYoutubeTV
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (2019) 10

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait de la jeune fille en feu) (2019)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 98% Metacritic 95

In 18th-century France, an artist falls in love with the woman she has been hired to paint in secret.

"If you look at me, who do I look at?"

Directed by Céline Sciamma · 2h 01m · Rated R

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award59 wins & 155 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd NetflixAmazon Prime VideoHBO MaxHuluYoutubeTV
Summer Hours (L'heure d'été) (2008) 11

Summer Hours (L'heure d'été) (2008)

TMDB ★ 6.4

Siblings grapple with the legacy of their mother's art collection, reflecting on love and loss.

"Nothing belongs to us anymore."

Directed by Olivier Assayas · 1h 43m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
Romantics Anonymous (Les émotifs anonymes) (2010) 12

Romantics Anonymous (Les émotifs anonymes) (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.5

Two shy chocolatiers find love amid their shared passion for confectionery.

"I'm not afraid when I'm with you."

Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris · 1h 20m

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
The Odyssey (L'odyssée) (2016) 14

The Odyssey (L'odyssée) (2016)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A biographical film exploring the life of Jacques Cousteau and the complexities of the man behind the explorer.

"Let's explore the unknown."

Directed by Jérôme Salle · 2h 02m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd NetflixAmazon Prime Video
Love at First Child (Ange et Gabrielle) (2015) 15

Love at First Child (Ange et Gabrielle) (2015)

TMDB ★ 5.7

A successful architect's life turns upside down when his daughter announces she is pregnant.

"Sometimes love comes when you least expect it."

Directed by Anne Giafferi · 1h 31m

Where to watch

Stream: France Channel Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
Priceless (L'auberge espagnole) (2006) 16

Priceless (L'auberge espagnole) (2006)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A charming gold-digger and a waitress form an unlikely alliance on the French Riviera.

"You're beautiful. I'm rich. Let's waste our lives together."

Directed by Pierre Salvadori · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
The Spanish Apartment (L'auberge espagnole) (2002) 17

The Spanish Apartment (L'auberge espagnole) (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A diverse group of students from different European countries share an apartment in Barcelona.

"The only way to deal with the present is to face the future."

Directed by Cédric Klapisch · 2h 02m

Where to watch

Stream: Crave, Crave Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoYoutubeTV
Love Songs (Les chansons d'amour) (2007) 18

Love Songs (Les chansons d'amour) (2007)

TMDB ★ 6.9

A musical romantic drama about a love triangle between a young couple and the man who comes between them.

"I'd rather have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Directed by Christophe Honoré · 1h 30m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoHBO Max
He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (À la folie... pas du tout) (2002) 19

He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not (À la folie... pas du tout) (2002)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A talented artist's infatuation with a married cardiologist twists the story's whole perspective.

"Love is like a game of cards. You start with two hearts and a diamond; by the end, you're looking for a club and a spade."

Directed by Laetitia Colombani · 1h 32m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime Video
Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur) (2010) 20

Heartbreaker (L'arnacoeur) (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.6

A charming man is hired to break up relationships, but his latest task challenges his beliefs.

"When you love someone, you'll do anything to be with them."

Directed by Pascal Chaumeil · 1h 45m

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Sundance Now, France Channel Amazon Channel · Rent: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd Amazon Prime VideoHBO Max

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

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Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.