Top 20 Meet Cutes in Movies

Top 20 Meet Cutes in Movies

Welcome to MsMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Meet Cutes in Movies.

For this list, we’re looking at our favorite movie scenes where couples meet in an adorable and memorable way. We're excluding animated movies as well as meet cutes that aren't technically the first time the characters have met.

#20: Ian Miller & Fotoula ‘Toula’ Portokalos
"My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002)

Even though their relationship is a bit more complicated than most, what with Toula’s parents wanting her to settle down with a Greek man, that doesn't make the moment Toula and Ian first meet any less cute. Back when she worked at her parents' diner, Toula’s lust emerged as soon as he walked into the restaurant. Frumpy and awkward, she immediately starts to stare at him from afar. Then the babbling begins. Though they meet again after her makeover and while she’s working at her aunt's travel agency, it’s the way Ian unintentionally silences Toula by laughing at her cheesy joke and her snubbing of his friend / her restaurant patron that make this scene unforgettably hilarious.

#19: Danielle de Barbarac & Crown Prince Henry II
“Ever After” (1998)

This late ‘90s reinterpretation of the classic Cinderella fairytale has got to be one of our favorite romantic comedies of all time, and features a hilarious meet cute. Set in 16th century France, “Ever After” stars Drew Barrymore as Danielle, a young woman whose father has passed away, who lives with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. One day, Danielle spots a man stealing her late father’s horse, and reacts aggressively, pelting him with apples as he tries to ride away. Soon after, she realizes he’s actually the prince, and the love story that ensues of course ends happily ever after.

#18: David & Natalie
"Love Actually" (2003)

You know how you say all the wrong things when you’re nervous? Well, Natalie's got that in spades. When the new Prime Minister, played by Hugh Grant, meets his staff members for the first time, Natalie makes a big impression on him by accidentally swearing – more than once. But Natalie is young and attractive, and the Prime Minister has a good sense of humor, so he falls for her almost immediately - which is problematic seeing as she works for him. They secretly pine for each other throughout the rest of the movie, but it's this first meeting that really showcases their romantic chemistry.

#17: Captain von Trapp & Maria
“The Sound of Music” (1965)

While there are many themes going on in this 1965 classic, at its heart, “The Sound of Music” is a love story. They may seem like an unlikely pair, especially when they first meet, but Captain von Trapp and Maria have gone down in history as one of the best film couples. Maria is hired to be the governess for Captain von Trapp’s children and, upon arriving at his sprawling home, she realizes that she’s in for quite an experience when she meets the stern man who has a special whistle for his kids. They may seem like polar opposites, but hey, we know what they say about those!

#16: Dr. Steven ‘Steve’ James & Mary Fiore
"The Wedding Planner" (2001)

Would you rather your new Gucci shoe or Matthew McConaughey? When Steve, played by McConaughey, saves Jennifer Lopez's character from a runaway dumpster after her designer shoe gets caught in a manhole cover, she doesn't get to choose. But we're pretty sure that if she had the choice, she would have gone with Steve anyway as her Gucci shoe is long forgotten. This wouldn't be the last time J-Lo played the lead in a romantic comedy where her character gets herself into an embarrassing situation though. The next year, she’d hit the big screen as Marisa in "Maid in Manhattan," a maid who pretends to be a rich socialite to impress a man and then has to try to keep up the charade.

#15: Troy Bolton & Gabriella Montez
“High School Musical” (2006)

A meet cute is what kicked off this entire adorable Disney franchise. High schoolers Troy and Gabriella are both on break from school when they have a chance encounter at a ski lodge on New Year’s Eve. They inadvertently end up singing a duet together during a karaoke session, which results in the tune "Start of Something New." Of course, this won’t be the last they see of one another, because when school is back in session, they’re both attending East High School because Gabriella has just moved to town.

#14: Don Lockwood & Kathy Selden
"Singin' in the Rain" (1952)

Your parents always told you not to get in a car with a stranger, but in this case - rules be damned. Don Lockwood, famous silent film star, jumps into Kathy Selden's car while trying to escape from a group of fans. Almost everything about this scene is unrealistic, from his fans literally ripping off his clothes to Don scaling the side of a bus and landing in a moving vehicle. But all is redeemed by the quippy back and forth between Don and Kathy, who is indifferent to his celebrity status. Even though Kathy was hiding the fact that she actually was a fan of his at the time, this initial conversation drew the actor to her and it’s hard to forget it.

#13: Kathleen Kelly & Joe Fox
“You've Got Mail” (1998)

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan may be best known for starring together in the romantic comedy “Sleepless in Seattle,” but they were at it again in 1998 when they co-starred in the more modern movie, “You've Got Mail.” They start out as internet pen pals, not realizing that they actually live in the same New York neighborhood. When they meet for the first time in real life, it’s at Kathleen’s book store, and the two don’t realize they’re meeting the person that they’ve been chatting with online. Things take a bad turn after that, but it’s a rom com, so you know there’s a happy ending!

#12: Jesse Wallace & Céline
"Before Sunrise" (1995)

Sometimes when you travel, you end up stuck beside the worst of passengers. You know the ones: They snore, they have motion sickness, they’ve got an incessantly crying baby... But sometimes, you luck out. You might even fall in love. Jesse and Céline find themselves on the same train and are able to strike up a conversation after she changes seats to get away from a loudly arguing couple. Their lives are leading in totally different directions, but on a whim they decide to disembark together and explore the spark they feel – a spark that is plainly obvious to viewers thanks to the easy rapport between them. It also helps that they're both incredibly attractive. Admit it: one smile from either Julie Delpy OR Ethan Hawke and you’d get off the train with him or her too!

#11: Iris Simpkins & Arthur Abbott
“The Holiday” (2006)

We didn’t say all meet cutes had to be romantic! In the Christmas movie “The Holiday,” Kate Winslet’s character Iris switches homes with Cameron Diaz’s character, Amanda, and finds herself spending the holiday season in Los Angeles. One day when she’s driving around her new neighborhood, she spots an elderly man who seems lost. She offers him a lift home, and soon discovers that he’s a renowned Hollywood screenwriter. The reason this scene is so memorable is that he identifies their meeting as a “meet cute” and explains to her exactly what the term means.

#10: Prince Kit & Ella
"Cinderella" (2015)

This is a tale that has been retold time and again. Similarly, the first meeting between Cinderella and Prince Charming has changed from version to version as well. In the animated Disney film, the two first meet at the ball when she's disguised as a beautiful princess. In this 2015 live-action version of the fairytale, however, Ella meets Kit in the forest. She doesn't know he's a prince, and she's just some normal girl to him - and yet they still hit it off, proving that this couple's love really is legit.

#9: John Tyree & Savannah Lynn Curtis
“Dear John” (2010)

You can definitely count on a Nicholas Sparks movie for a good meet cute. John is a soldier on leave surfing at the beach when he sees a group of young people on the pier. One of the girls accidentally drops her purse into the water and while her male companion takes the long way around to go get it, John jumps right in to retrieve it for her. It’s a bold and romantic gesture for someone he’s never met before, but of course this is just the beginning of their dramatic love story.

#8: William ‘Will’ Thacker & Anna Scott
"Notting Hill” (1999)

Will is an awkward, bumbling – but also unrealistically good-looking – bookshop owner who is caught off guard when movie star Anna Scott, played by romantic comedy veteran Julia Roberts, walks into his store. Initially, she seems utterly uninterested in him as he tries to make book suggestions for her. But then she smiles at him and lets him babble on at the cash register. It seems like they'll never meet again, but he later runs into her on the street, showering her with his drink. After washing up at his house, Anna kisses him. Normally that would be strange, but Hugh Grant is pretty irresistible. And we can't help but root for these two to get together.

#7: Harry Burns & Sally Albright
“When Harry Met Sally...” (1989)

Spending 18 hours trapped in a car together is definitely a good way to get to know someone fast! Harry and Sally are college graduates who end up carpooling between Chicago and New York together in 1977. Harry is Sally’s friend’s boyfriend, and the two spend the entire drive talking about everything - including how Harry thinks men and women can’t be friends. They may not be best friends at the end of their journey, but over the years, as they keep meeting over and over again, Harry is proven right, at least in their case.

#6: Jonathan Trager & Sara Thomas
"Serendipity" (2001)

Usually when two shoppers fight over the same item, chaos ensues. Voices are raised, punches are pulled... But this isn’t the case with Jonathan and Sara, who both reach for the same pair of cashmere gloves at Bloomingdales. Instead, they bond over the experience and end up going for ice cream together - despite both being in relationships with other people. They leave without exchanging contact information. Years later, Jonathan uses the gloves as a way to try and find Sarah again. Luckily, they do find each other in the end - but even if they hadn't, at least they would always have had a funny story about falling in love in the middle of a busy department store.

#5: Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy
“Pride & Prejudice” (2005)

Not only is this one of the best movie meet cutes, but one of the best meet cutes in all of fiction. In the classic tale of “Pride and Prejudice,” Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet at a dance, and Darcy offends Elizabeth by making negative remarks about her. There have been countless interpretations of this scene, but the 2005 version starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen is our favorite. While this may be the furthest thing from love at first sight, it almost makes their romance all the more believable.

#4: Noah Calhoun & Allison ‘Allie’ Hamilton
"The Notebook" (2004)

Just so it's clear, we do not condone climbing a Ferris wheel to ask the girl you like out on a date. But when Ryan Gosling does it in a movie, we'll allow it. When Noah first sees Allie on the bumper cars, you can see it in his eyes that it’s love at first sight. The feelings aren't mutual for Allie, though, who is at the carnival with another guy. Noah appears to be so smitten with this stranger that he's willing to do whatever it takes to get her to consider him. Of course hanging from the Ferris wheel bar is stupid and reckless, but it does gets Allie to go out with him and that's all that matters for this big screen story to play out.

#3: Forrest Gump & Jenny Curran
“Forrest Gump” (1994)

Not all meet cutes end happily ever after. As Forrest Gump sits on a park bench reminiscing about his life, he recalls the moment he met his beloved Jenny. As he boarded the school bus and looked for a place to sit, she offered him a spot beside her when no one else would. He was touched when she seemed curious about his life, since according to him no one but his mother asked him questions. Their relationship may have been a troubled one fraught with tragedy, but we’ll always remember this adorable first meeting, and how they went together like peas and carrots.

#2:Romeo Montague & Juliet Capulet
"Romeo + Juliet" (1996)

If you can forget that this love story ends in tragedy, then the first time Romeo and Juliet lock eyes is nothing short of magical. The young boy sneaks into a party held by his family's sworn enemy, the Capulets, where the first thing he notices after going to the restroom is a giant aquarium of fish. Juliet is on the other side of the tank, and the two soon lock eyes and then gaze flirtatiously at one another with the fish in between them. There's nothing cuter than young love at first sight, and it’s even more memorable because this is the only interaction between the star-crossed lovers where they are still completely innocent, and unburdened by their feuding families.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Nino Quincampoix & Amélie Poulain
"Amélie" (2001)

Harry Sanborn & Erica Barry
“Something's Gotta Give” (2003)

Amy Townsend & Aaron Conners
“Trainwreck” (2015)

Ellis Jones & Adaline Bowman
“The Age of Adaline” (2015)

Troy Dyer & Lelaina Pierce
“Reality Bites” (1994)

#1: Jack Dawson & Rose DeWitt Bukater
“Titanic” (1997)

Some meet cutes are definitely darker than others. In James Cameron’s 1997 epic “Titanic,” Rose feels trapped in the life she’s been handed and has nothing left to live for when she decides to throw herself off the edge of the ship into the frigid Atlantic below. Luckily, third class passenger Jack sees Rose at the right moment, convincing her to reconsider her choice. It’s definitely not your conventional cute “meet cute,” but it kicks off the most iconic movie romance of all time.