Fansided

25 of the most swoon-worthy romance movies of all time

By Amy Kaplan

Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles at swing in a scene from the film '10 Things I Hate About You', 1999. (Photo by Buena Vista/Getty Images)
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles at swing in a scene from the film '10 Things I Hate About You', 1999. (Photo by Buena Vista/Getty Images) /
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Bridget Jones’s Diary

I think we can all relate to Bridget Jones in some way — overbearing mother, single in her 30s, smoker, drinker and over-all just an absolute mess. That’s probably why the entire world fell in love with Ms. Jones. She cannot seem to catch a break — fired, humiliated, cheated on and abused — but somehow she always comes out on top.

The movie tickles our funny bone (because Bridget makes some of the most hilariously sad love mistakes) and even panders to Jane Austen with a leading man with the last name Darcy (the actor who actually played Mr. Darcy at one point). We root for Bridget because we all see a little of ourselves in her, and if she can make it, so can we.

The movie follows 32-year-old Bridget (Renée Zellweger) as she decides it’s time to take control of her life and start keeping a diary. She decides to quit smoking, get into shape and to go after her dream job. She’s juggling a romance with her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), her mother’s shocking affair and the ever-present thorn in her side — Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). Will Bridget finally get Mark out of her hair and walk down the aisle with her dreamy womanizing boss or will she end up alone? Or will her Mr. Mark Darcy turn out to be a real-life Mr. Darcy and turn out to be the good guy in the end?

Fun Fact: The first movie was so popular there have been two more —Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’s Baby. The book versions killed off Mark Darcy but the movies had to change the ending due to the backlash from the fans.

Release Date: April 13, 2001