Who would've thought that manipulating time would forge some of the great love stories? Whether it's found within the chivalry of the gentlemanly past or the future of civilization, cinema has shown that love has no bounds – even if it means traveling through time to get it. Where it may be a common trope for the sci-fi genre, romance flicks have also surprisingly used it to their advantage.
From classic rom-coms like 13 Going on 30 and The Lake House, to more hidden gems like If Only – these movies use the phenomenon of time travel to intertwine greater levels of fantasy and magic. Not only does this increase the overall cinematic experience, but it also ensures the romantic tales presented in these films are not only intriguing narratives, but are some of the most epic love stories cinema has seen as well.
25 'The Map of Tiny Perfect Things' (2021)
Directed by Ian Samuels
Blending teenage romantic angst with a time-loop premise, and doing so with an ability to both charm and enlighten viewers in intriguing ways, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a triumph by Amazon Studios that has—like so many time-loop flicks—developed a cult following. Marc (Kyle Allen) is a teenage boy stuck in a time-loop who has perfected his daily routine to help the people he encounters. His world is rocked when he learns of Margaret (Kathryn Newton), another youth caught in the time-loop. Together, they create a map of perfect events that happen on the day while slowly falling in love with each other.
While some of the sci-fi components are a touch bumpy, the time loop film is able to overshadow them with its charming central relationship between the quick-witted Marc and the playful yet fiercely intelligent Margaret. The hypercritical may argue that it is too derivative to amount to anything truly spectacular, but The Map of Tiny Perfect Things maintains a harmless, likable nature that isn’t afraid to have fun with its premise and excels as a pleasant young romance story at the same time.
24 'Press Play' (2022)
Directed by Greg Björkman
Using a familiar sci-fi plot device and marrying it with a touching parable of grief and mourning, Press Play is a creative and well-meaning romantic sci-fi drama even if it does have its flaws. Laura (Clara Rugaard) and Harrison’s (Lewis Pullman) passionate romance is built on a shared love of music, but it ends tragically when Harrison does after being struck by a car. When Laura learns that the mixtape she created with Harrison can transport her through time, she begins to hope that she may be able to save him.
Not only does the film meld sci-fi, romance, and drama together intelligently, but it also incorporates music in a profound and beautiful way, one that highlights how much a song can define a moment of happiness. Tender, insightful, comedic when it needs to be, and culminating in a pleasant meditation on love and life, Press Play is an emotionally loaded ode to the muscle of love and all that comes with it.
23 'The Infinite Man' (2014)
Directed by Hugh Sullivan
A low-budget sci-fi offering from Australia, The Infinite Man has a happy habit of surprising viewers with its wit, comedic sense, and its sincerity as it mixes time travel with romantic angst. Dean (Josh McConville) is a talented inventor who, through a reckless moment of jealousy, breaks up with his girlfriend, Lana (Hannah Marshall), when her ex-boyfriend shows up. Desperate to undo his mistake, he invents a time machine so he can make things right.
The offbeat comedy makes sublime use of just one location and three cast members to excel as a brilliantly manic adventure that blends time-loop intrigue with laugh-out-loud absurdity and occasional moments of heartfelt contemplation. While it remains criminally underseen, The Infinite Man is a glorious, erratic, mind-bending journey of love and longing that stands among the most underrated time-travel movies ever made.
22 '13 Going on 30' (2004)
Directed by Gary Winick
After being humiliated on her 13th birthday, Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) wishes to escape her life of pre-teen unpopularity and become a well-adjusted grownup in this time travel rom-com. She's shocked when she wakes up to find her wish has come true; somehow Jenna (Jennifer Garner) is now 30 and living in 2004. Soon she realizes how adulthood has its own set of struggles – one particularly being her love life.
As an iconic 2000s rom-com, 13 Going on 30 has warmed fans' hearts for decades. Largely driven by Garner's bubbly innocence, Jenna's connection with Matt (Mark Ruffalo) is undeniably pure and one of the great depictions of friends-to-lovers. This movie also uses time travel to put forth the message of how time is precious; by choosing to only look towards the future, one would never absorb the milestones of the present.
21 'Click' (2006)
Directed by Frank Coraci
While it has its flaws, Click was perhaps too hastily dismissed as another formulaic Adam Sandler flick. The comic stars as Michael Newman, a career-minded architect who comes into possession of a remote control that allows him to fast-forward and rewind time. While he is initially elated to be able to skip through the mundane moments of his life, he is soon confronted by the consequences of his missed experiences that have distanced him from his family and his wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale).
To be completely fair, a lot of the movie is derivative, and perhaps uninspired in its endeavor to borrow from previous films, but it still has some exceptionally powerful scenes throughout that make it a worthwhile viewing experience. Its message of treasuring every moment of life is incredibly potent, while its meditations on the time Michael loses with his family - and the toll it takes on his relationship with Donna - gives it a pointed romantic underscore of impressive and unexpected depth.
20 'When We First Met' (2018)
Directed by Ari Sandel
Having been friend-zoned by the girl of his dreams after meeting her at a Halloween party, Noah (Adam DeVine) remains close to Avery (Alexandra Daddario). Three years later, she's now engaged to someone else. Suddenly, Noah stumbles on the opportunity to travel back in time to the moment they met, giving him the chance to alter the past, reconsider his approach, and finally get the girl.
In an almost Groundhog Day scenario (and it's worth noting that film is a benchmark for romantic time-travel movie), When We First Met is a humorous film that's filled with charm and charisma thanks to the talents of the cast, especially in the case of DeVine. He is able to take what could easily be an unpleasant and predatory scenario and make it relatable, fun, and sometimes even poignant. Not afraid to change things up though, the film takes some interesting twists to ensure the audiences stays alert, and to reinforce the message that everything happens for a reason.
19 'Kate & Leopold' (2001)
Directed by James Mangold
Kate (Meg Ryan) is a 21st-century woman who's determined to focus on her career. She thinks she doesn't need romance in her life at all. That is until she meets Leopold (Hugh Jackman), an English Duke from the 19th century who's accidentally brought to the future via a portal made by her ex-boyfriend, Stuart (Liev Schreiber).
Where Kate & Leopold may be cheesy at times with the classic fish-out-of-water tropes, this movie is an underrated feel-good romance that will easily keep one warm and cozy. Don't expect it to be anything groundbreaking, but it's perfect for a chill night that needs a film that's mildly entertaining. With the script's quick wit and fun character dynamics, this twisted modern-day fairytale shows how love doesn't always come to us in the most expected ways.
18 'Meet Cute' (2022)
Directed by Alexandre Lehmann
While it lacks inspired brilliance as another entry in the time-loop rom-com subgenre that is growing in popularity, Meet Cute has enough going for it in its two stars and its more cynical comedic edge to be an enjoyable marriage of time-travel and true love. Sheila (Kaley Cuoco) is battling depression and contemplating suicide when she meets and falls in love with the unassuming Gary (Pete Davidson). Using a tanning bed that is actually a time machine, Sheila relives the fateful first date over and over again, before deciding to go back even further to influence Gary into being her absolute ideal beau.
It is more formulaic than it is fresh and fantastic, but Meet Cute embraces the tropes of the subgenre with enthusiasm and an eye for dark humor that works in its favor. An appropriately cute crowd-pleaser for rom-com admirers, it meets all the criteria to thrive as cozy genre fare which, while it doesn’t explore its darker elements in exceptional depth, still incorporates them intelligently to mesh with its story of love and connection.
17 'The Fountain' (2006)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
A moody think-piece that sees director Darren Aronofsky at his intense stylistic best, The Fountain is as awe-inspiring as it is mind-boggling as a dramatic and tragic love story told across time. It primarily follows Dr. Tommy Creo (played by Hugh Jackman), a scientist who discovers a tree with life-sustaining qualities and tries to use it to combat his wife’s brain cancer. Jackman also appears as a 16th-century Spanish conquistador on a mission to find the Fountain of Youth and as a futuristic space traveler nurturing the tree of life until arriving at the heart of a dying star.
While polarizing on account of its demanding and convoluted narrative, The Fountain is a brilliant, sprawling tale of heartbreak and longing across time. Technically, it doesn’t feature time travel as it is usually depicted on screen, but its three interwoven stories do lean heavily on each other to present a love story that transpires across centuries.
16 'Needle in a Timestack' (2021)
Directed by John Ridley
While it earns it praise more as an enticing premise than as a phenomenal film, Needle in a Timestack is still an intriguing viewing as a dramatic sci-fi romance with an eye for classism and social commentary. Set in a future where time travel is accessible for the wealthy, and has catastrophic and history-altering effects on the poor, it follows a joyously married couple whose perfect romance is attacked by a jealous ex who plots to pry them apart.
In its broad strokes it is fascinating and quite impressive, but its insular focus on unimportant setting elements and its relatively simple observations of love and memory rob it of contemplative nuance, which would have made it a truly outstanding film. Still, with its basic story and strong performances from Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Orlando Bloom, and Freida Pinto as the main players, Needle in a Timestack is worth at least one viewing just to admire its potential and its narrative freshness.
