8 Best Movies and TV Series About Unrecruited Love, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

Unrequited love is one of the most popular and enduring themes in cinema – such stories allow directors to explore the complexities of human relationships, depict characters' inner growth, and provide viewers with a deeply personal heartbreak experience.

After all, who among us hasn't experienced unrequited love?

8. 'The Great Gatsby', 2013

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49%

In 1922, Nick Carraway moved to New York City and settled next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. This mysterious man appeared out of nowhere and regularly threw lavish parties attended by high society.

Gatsby's main goal is to win back Daisy Buchanan, his first love who is now married to the aristocrat Tom Buchanan.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby has been adapted into five movies, but Baz Luhrmann's version is the most beloved by audiences and remains the most popular today.

7. 'Love Actually', 2003

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

One chapter of Love Actually is dedicated to Mark, who is in love with his best friend's wife, Juliet. He tries to hide his feelings, but after Peter and Juliet's wedding, his secret is revealed – Mark had filmed the ceremony, and the entire video consisted of shots of the bride.

Mark's declaration of love is one of the most romantic scenes in cinematic history. On Christmas Eve, Mark approaches Juliet and reveals his feelings through notes written on her tablets.

6. 'My Best Friend's Wedding', 1997

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

Julianne and Michael have been friends for years. Their friendship is put to the test when Michael announces his engagement and Julianne realizes that she has been in love with him all along.

Without wasting a minute, she rushes to the wedding to confess her feelings and win him over. Her rival is the charming Kimberly, who sincerely tries to find common ground with her future husband's best friend.

My Best Friend's Wedding, a landmark 1990s rom-com, was directed by P. J. Hogan. Julia Roberts plays an atypical rom-com protagonist – a homewrecker who tries desperately to ruin other people's relationship.

5. 'Bridgerton', 2020-...

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Penelope Featherington, a neighbor of the Bridgertons and best friend to Eloise, has been a fixture in the story since the first season. She has long been in love with her friend Colin Bridgerton but is afraid to confess her feelings.

Initially, her love was unrequited, causing her much pain. Fans of the couple were delighted by the third season, when the writers gave viewers the opportunity to witness Colin's newfound appreciation for his friend.

Bridgerton is a retro melodrama about a respectable family living in Regency-era London. The show is based on Julia Quinn's book series, which includes eight novels, and the series will have the same number of seasons.

4. 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower', 2012

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

It's the early 1990s. Teenager Charlie is struggling to cope with the death of his best friend. He has a hard time adapting to high school and finding common ground with his peers.

Everything changes when he meets Patrick and Sam, a brother and sister who shower the shy boy with love and welcome him into their group.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an adaptation of Stephen Chbosky's novel of the same name. Key themes in the movie include teenage depression, trauma, and the challenges of growing up.

3. '500 Days of Summer', 2009

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Tom works at a greeting card design company. When a new girl named Summer shows up at the office, Tom knows she's the one.

However, unlike Tom, Summer doesn't believe in love and doesn't want a serious relationship. As they navigate different stages of their lives, viewers watch glimpses of the characters' pasts and presents.

The director sometimes shows the same scene from two perspectives – this allows us to see how Tom and Summer view certain situations differently.

2. 'Little Women', 2019

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

The coming-of-age story of the four March sisters – Jo, Amy, Meg, and Beth – takes place against the backdrop of the Civil War. Both the book and movie feature significant romance.

The relationship between Jo and her best friend Laurie, a neighbor boy who often spends time with the March sisters, illustrates unrequited love. Laurie has had feelings for the rebellious Jo since the day they met, but his dreams are not destined to come true.

At the climax, during a marriage proposal, Jo rejects Laurie, breaking his heart. Ultimately, each character finds happiness with a different lover.

1. 'Her', 2013

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

The writer, Theodore, is going through a breakup. The story takes place in the near future. A groundbreaking development helps him heal his broken heart: a voice assistant named Samantha who converses with him daily.

Theodore gradually becomes attached to the artificial intelligence and falls in love with the system and its soothing voice.

Even before AI became an integral part of modern life, Spike Jonze made a film about longing and loneliness in the age of rapid digital development. Joaquin Phoenix's character suffers from a divorce, and in the end, he realizes that his intimacy with Samantha was illusory.