Top 10 Movie Goodbye Kisses
#10: Oliver & Elio
“Call Me By Your Name” (2017)
Timothee Chalamet earned an Oscar nomination in his breakout performance as Elio Perlman in this coming-of-age romantic drama about first love and the heartbreak of losing it. The chemistry between him and Armie Hammer, who plays his love interest Oliver, is undeniable. Against the beautiful backdrop of rural Northern Italy, this story is a subtle cat and mouse love game, filled with sexual metaphors. The steamy buildup towards Elio and Oliver’s romance makes their final kiss in the little Italian town of Bergamo both sad and endearing. Unrequited young love makes for great love stories, and passionate goodbye kisses.
#9: Cap & Peggy
“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)
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The first Captain America movie in the MCU is arguably the least beloved installment compared to its more financially successful sequels. Truth be told, it may not be able to match the intense action sequences in “The Winter Soldier” and “Civil War.” But the one thing it has got on the other MCU outings is a good old action movie goodbye kiss. Just as Cap is about to jump off a convertible to catch Red Skull, Peggy Carter plants her lips on his, in what would be their last moment together … at least for this movie!
#8: A. J. Frost & Grace Stamper
“Armageddon” (1998)
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Science fiction disaster movies create excellent moments for memorable goodbye kisses. Armageddon was 1998’s highest grossing film. But it wasn’t just launching into space, blowing up asteroids, and Bruce Willis sacrificing himself to save the world that brought this movie box office success. Ben Affleck’s A. J. Frost and Liv Tyler’s Grace Stamper share a memorable goodbye kiss before our heroes go up into space to save humanity. The scene manages to cheekily fit in the perfect goodbye serenade song to go with the kiss - John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.”
#7: Preston & Amanda
“Can’t Hardly Wait” (1998)
For our next entry, we’re staying in 1998. “Can’t Hardly Wait” may not have measured up to other teen rom-coms of that era, but it was an important stepping stone in the careers of Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly, and Selma Blair. It also helped launch Jennifer Love Hewitt into stardom. The goodbye kiss between Hewitt’s Amanda and Embry’s Preston at the train station has to go down as one of the most perfectly awkward yet sweet teenage goodbye kisses on the big screen. It was helped along by Yazoo’s song “Only You” to set the mood.
#6: Francesca & Robert
“The Bridges Of Madison County” (1995)
Passionate love affairs provide the perfect set-ups for epic goodbye kisses. “The Bridges Of Madison County” is a prime example, following a four day love affair between National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid and Italian war bride Francesca Johnson in rural Iowa. The secret lovers are portrayed beautifully by the legendary Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. Ultimately, Francesca decides that she can’t abandon her children and husband, leading to one of the most heart-wrenching goodbye kisses in cinema. It’s a farewell full of yearning, one that reminds us that love can be as complicated as it is unforgettable.
#5: Frank & Rachel
“The Bodyguard” (1992)
It’s the perfect recipe for a goodbye kiss: a love curtailed by circumstances, a plane about to leave, and one of the greatest songs in cinema history. “The Bodyguard” is a romantic thriller about a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who’s hired to protect a music superstar from a stalker. But the movie is arguably best remembered for its soundtrack and Houston’s cover of “I Will Always Love You.” The hit single beautifully sets up one of the most satisfying goodbye kisses ever filmed. Belt it Whitney!
#4: Maria & Tony
“West Side Story” (1961)
There’s a reason this musical romantic drama is a classic! Forbidden love, teenage gangs, crisp choreographed dance sequences, stellar musical numbers: “West Side Story” has it all. The Broadway musical hit that the movie was adapted from was inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Not only did it sweep the 1962 Academy Awards with ten wins, it also captured the hearts of viewers at the time with the final kiss of doomed lovers Maria and Tony. They defied the odds for their love, but tragically, it wasn’t enough.
#3: Sam & Molly
“Ghost” (1990)
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If there’s one thing to learn from this list, it’s that great goodbye kisses in movies are accompanied with great songs. “The Bodyguard” had “I Will Always Love You” and “Armageddon” had “Leaving on a Jet Plane''. The 90s classic “Ghost’s” final goodbye kiss between Patrick Swayze’s Sam and Demi Moore’s Molly was set up perfectly with the Righteous Brother’s “Unchained Melody” in the background. It’s the perfect song for lovers separated by life and death and coming to terms with having to say goodbye. Props also have to be given to the electric chemistry between Swayze and Moore.
#2: Viola & William
“Shakespeare in Love” (1998)
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How could we not include a parting scene that involves one of history’s greatest storytellers of love, tragedy, and humour, William Shakespeare? This goodbye kiss pulls on the heart strings with the perfect balance of sentimentality and passion. The farewell scene between Shakespeare and his love Viola in “Shakespeare in Love” manages to feel both poetic yet grounded thanks to the committed performances of Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow. It doesn’t hurt that it’s beautifully written, with some great lines delivered the way that only parting lovers can.
#1: Jesse & Celine
“Before Sunrise” (1995)
This kiss comes from the first installment of Richard Linklater’s acclaimed “Before trilogy”. In “Before Sunrise”, two strangers meet serendipitously on a train and spend precious hours together discovering Vienna to kill time. They fall in love but have to part ways as the sun rises. It’s the perfect setup for a great goodbye kiss in yet another train station. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy deliver sincere performances in a love story that feels incredibly real. As for what happens to the couple after this goodbye, well you’ll just have to watch the whole trilogy!
