If you are a fan of great romantic comedies, then you are probably familiar with a common trope from the genre: The Grand Romantic Gesture. The grand romantic gesture usually takes place in the final act of the film and is an elaborate or over-the-top display of affection to win the heart of another. The reasons for the romantic gesture can vary in nature, whether as an apology or atonement, a way to get noticed or be taken seriously, or a spontaneous display of their feelings. Whatever the case, they all pretty much come down to one thing: an ultimate declaration of love.
From flowers (or also flours) to serenading, to heartfelt confessions of love in the pouring rain, grand romantic gestures have long been a staple in film. We have curated a list of the most memorable grand romantic gestures that are so sensational they are likely to have given viewers false expectations of love from that moment on. Here are the best romantic gestures in movie history, ranked.
11 Big Fish
In Tim Burton’s Big Fish, Edward Bloom (played by Ewan MacGregor) wins the heart of his future wife Sandra (Alison Lohman) by buying all the daffodils in five states and planting them in her sorority yard. When presented with them, her fiancé Don takes notice and swiftly confronts Edward, which leads to a physical altercation. Promising Sandra he would not hurt Don, Edward takes a beating, which quickly prompts Sandra to call off the engagement with Don and marry Edward instead.
10 Imagine Me & You
Imagine Me & You is an LGBTQ+ romantic comedy wherein Rachel (Piper Perabo) must resort to a romantic grand gesture to stop the woman she loves from leaving the country after breaking things off with her. Realizing she is in the same traffic jam as her love, Rachel stands atop a car in heavy London traffic and uses the lessons Luce taught her earlier in the film at a football game about how to yell loudly to get her attention. The women eventually come together, embrace, and live happily ever after.
9 Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction captures the sweetest and punniest grand romantic gesture in movie history wherein Harold, a buttoned-up IRS agent, attempts to woo his auditee Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a rebellious baker with an icy exterior. Having had an awkward moment earlier in the day when Harold rebuffed Ana’s attempts to befriend him, Harold tries to make amends by presenting Ana with an assortment of flours. When she offers to purchase them, emulating his actions earlier, she asks what they are, to which he responds, “Flours, I brought you flours.” The realization on Ana’s face when she realizes the romantic undertones will make your heart melt.
8 Pretty Woman
In Pretty Woman, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) dramatically professes his love to Vivian by delivering the fairy-tale she had always imagined. He arrives in a grand white limo with a dozen roses in hand, before climbing to the top of the fire escape of her L.A. apartment. It is one of the best romantic grand gestures in movie history because he fought through his well-established fear of heights to prove his feelings for Vivian.
7 10 Things I Hate About You
In a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You sees Joey (Andrew Keegan) hire Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to court Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) so that he can ask her sister Bianca (Larissa Oleynik) out on a date. After Kat agrees to go to a party with Patrick, she drinks too much and tries to kiss Patrick, but he turns her down leaving, her angry and embarrassed. In a grand apology, Patrick pays the school band to back him up as he serenades Kat with "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" in front of the entire girl’s soccer team, which does manage to win her back, at least until Kat learns the truth, at which point another grand gesture is in order.
6 The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer sees Robbie (Adam Sandler) propose to Julia (Drew Barrymore) through a heartwarming song he wrote all about growing old with her. The moment is very touching and at times comedic as Billy Idol helps keep Julia’s sleazy fiancé Glen at bay. Julia’s teary-eyed reaction is enough to have you reaching for the Kleenex. It is one of the best grand romantic gestures because it is a joy to see them finally get together and find happiness with one another, especially since their exes treated them each so poorly. Barrymore and Sandler would eventually reunite for 50 First Dates and Blended and have a reputation as an iconic on-screen couple. Interestingly, in a 2020 interview with Good Housekeeping, Barrymore admits it took some persuading to get Sandler to agree to meet with her initially.
5 Breakfast at Tiffany’s
At the end of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, when Holly is going to run away from her feelings and leave Paul in the dust, she hastily breaks things off with him in the cab on the way to the airport and throws her cat out in the rain in a bid to prove she doesn’t care about anyone. Despite being rejected by Holly, Paul gets out of the cab to go and find “cat” because he knows deep down how much the cat means to Holly. Moments later, the pair meets up in the rain, find the cat, and reunite with a tearful kiss.
4 Roman Holiday
In Roman Holiday, expatriate reporter Joe Bradley stumbles upon a princess in Rome and sees an opportunity for an exclusive story. He secures a deal for $5000 with his editor and even hires a photographer to take pictures on the sly. After spending the day together, however, Joe and Ann fall in love. Despite their feelings for one another, Ann must live up to her royal duties and departs to the Embassy. After their brief love affair, Bradley scraps the biggest story of his life, in favor of protecting the woman he loves, knowing they can never be together.
3 The Notebook
In The Notebook, Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams) strike up a summer romance while Allie’s family is vacationing in South Carolina. When Allie’s overbearing mother interferes in their relationship, Allie and Noah are abruptly separated. Years pass and the two do not speak, however, Noah ends up restoring an old house that he and Allie had visited the last night they were together, believing that if he built her dream house, it would bring her back to him.
2 Pride & Prejudice
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When you think of Pride & Prejudice, you might think of Mr. Darcy’s rain-soaked proposal, however, a greater display of love by Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) was when he tracked down Wickham and Lydia after their elopement to pay for their nuptials to save Elizabeth’s (Keira Knightley) family the shame and heartache of a scandal. It is these actions that proved to Elizabeth that Mr. Darcy had changed and brought them together.
1 P.S. I Love You
In the romantic certified tear-jerker P.S. I Love You, Joe (Gerard Butler) leaves his widowed wife Holly (Hillary Swank) love letters for her to discover after he is gone, they serve to remind her of her strength, who she is without him, and how much he loved her. The heart-wrenching letters are a romantic gesture that defies death itself, and that’s pretty hard to top.