The 20 best intercultural romances

If there’s one thing that makes the romantic comedy work like no other, it’s a match of opposites. This dynamic is much in evidence in Two Weeks Notice,  which features a romance between a liberal lawyer (played by Sandra Bullock) and a billionaire playboy (played, of course, by Hugh Grant). The film makes the wise choice not to try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to its plot. Instead, it knows that audiences have arrived to see the undeniable chemistry between Bullock and Grant, and the film makes the rom-com formula work to its advantage rather than its detriment.

In addition to being one of the finest singers of her generation, Whitney Houston demonstrated she was a fine actress in The Bodyguard.  She portrays Rachel Marron, a pop superstar who starts to fall in love with her bodyguard, Frank Farmer, played by Kevin Costner. The film is the perfect romantic drama, and there’s no denying that it also has one of the most powerful soundtracks in the history of movies (among other things, it elevated “I Will Always Love You” to new heights of chart success). It’s a reminder that sometimes all one needs is a bit of romantic melodrama to succeed.

The long-running conflict between Israel and Palestine provides the backdrop for the wrenching but timely romantic drama Out in the Dark. The film focuses on the relationship between Palestinian student Nimer Mashrawi and Israeli lawyer Roy Scheffer. The two forge a volatile but passionate romance, but they can’t ignore the world surrounding them, with Nimer, in particular, feeling torn between his family loyalty and his love for Roy. Equal parts thriller and romantic drama, the film excels at showing the extent to which love can endure in even the most difficult and terrifying political circumstances. 

Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan deliver pitch-perfect performances in The Big Sick, in which they portray an interracial couple who have to deal with not only illness but the fraught nature of cultural conflict. It is, in fact, based on the real-life relationship between Nanjiani and his wife, Emily V. Gordon. This endows the film with a remarkable level of emotional authenticity, and it manages to adhere to the timeworn formulas associated with romantic comedy while also showing how the genre can still allow audiences to explore new social and cultural issues.

Saoirse Ronan has slowly established herself as one of the best actresses of her generation, and her performance in Brooklyn remains one of her finest. In the film, she plays the character of Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who emigrates to the US, where she falls in love with an Italian-American man named Tony Fiorello. The film is a remarkable piece of cinema, in part because it centers on the female immigrant experience. Ronan’s performance also allows the audience to understand Eilis’ dilemma, as she has to decide whether to continue building her life with Tony in the US or return to her home and all its restrictions.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Julia Stiles was solidly associated with the genre of romantic comedy, thanks to her appearances in such films as 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance. In the latter, she portrays Sarah, an aspiring dancer who begins an interracial romance with Derek, a young African-American man who wants to be a doctor. At first glance, the film seems quite predictable, but there’s undeniable chemistry and magic with the leads, and the story does take some interesting and unexpected directions. Moreover, it is also a reminder of how interracial relationships were still extraordinary even in the early 2000s (at least as far as the movies were concerned). 

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are at the top of their rom-com game in The Proposal,  in which Bullock plays Margaret Tate, who essentially blackmails Reynolds’ Andrew Paxton into marrying her so she can get a green card. The two share an instant chemistry, and it’s fun watching them spar and lock horns. As entertaining as they are, however, there’s no question that the film's real highlight is Betty White, who plays Andrew’s grandmother. White is at the top of her game as a comedic actress, and it is just another illustration (if any were needed) that she was one of the funniest women of her generation.

Sidney Poitier gave one of his most remarkable performances in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, in which he plays a young African-American man who gets engaged to a white woman and has to meet her parents. While it looks and feels quite dated from the point of view of 2023, there’s no question that it was rather daring for its time in 1967, shortly after bans on interracial marriage were declared unconstitutional. It’s the kind of romantic comedy that does manage to have an important social message, thanks in no small part to the rich and textured performances given by Poitier, Katherine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy.

There’s no question that the original film version of West Side Story is one of the most beloved musicals ever produced by Hollywood. Like its stage antecedent, it deftly translates the plot of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to 1957 New York City, and much of the conflict centers around the romance of Tony and Maria, two teens from different ethnic backgrounds. What makes it such an extraordinary film, however, is how it balances staying true to the original play while translating it to the unique medium of cinema. It remains a true masterpiece and a reminder of what the Hollywood musical can achieve. 

In some ways, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a paradigmatic example of intercultural romance. The film focuses on Nia Vardalos’ Toula Portokalos and her attempts to get her Greek family to accept her non-Greek fiancee Ian Miller (played by John Corbett). There’s an irresistible warmth and charm to this film, much of which can be attributed to Vardalos’ performance (she also wrote the screenplay). The rest of the sprawling cast is uniformly excellent and delightfully eccentric, and any film that manages to have the likes of Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, and Joey Fatone in it is bound to be a success.

With its play on the classic romantic comedy starring Doris Day and Cary Grant, Touch of Pink is a touching and funny little film. Its story revolves around Alim and Giles, a mixed-race couple living in Toronto whose lives are turned upside down when Alim’s conservative and traditional Muslim mother comes for a visit. It hits all the notes one would expect of a romantic comedy of this type. In addition to being very thoughtful and funny, it also features Kyle MacLachlan as the ghost of Cary Grant himself, who often appears to Alim to give him advice. It’s one of the actor’s best, if underrated, roles. 

Though it isn’t often held in as high regard as its predecessor, The Lion King, Disney’s Pocahontas is still a masterful piece of animation. As its title suggests, it follows the title character as she begins a romance with the English colonist John Smith. The animation on offer is simply gorgeous, and the voice work, like so much of the Disney animation from this period, is also exquisite (Irene Bedard and Judy Kuhn are perfect as Pocahontas’ speaking and singing voice, respectively). The song “Color of the Wind” deserves to be seen as among the finest Disney ever produced. 

There’s undeniable chemistry between stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in the 1953 film Roman Holiday. Peck plays an American reporter, and Hepburn plays a fictional princess who escapes her entourage to enjoy a day in Rome. The screenplay has an undeniable warmth and charm, and William Wyler is skilled in his direction. However, it’s the incandescent charisma of the two leads, which really helps elevate this film into the realm of greatness. It would prove key to Hepburn’s rise to stardom, and Princess Ann remains one of the roles with which she is most associated.

Though James Cameron’s monumental film Avatar might be most famous for its stupendous use of motion capture technology and its environmentalist message, it’s still an intercultural romance at its heart. Of particular note is the love that slowly forms between Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully and Zoe Saldaña’s Neytiri. It’s clear from the moment they meet that there’s something electric between them, and their bond, in many ways, serves as the emotional heart of the film, grounding its larger philosophical and political messages very firmly in their love. Though it might be a bit formulaic, this in no way limits its appeal.

After struggling during most of the 1980s, Disney returned to box office dominance with The Little Mermaid, a classic story about a mermaid who longs to be a part of the human world and subsequently falls in love with a human prince named Eric. Filled with vibrant animation and songs that became instant classics, it reintroduced the Disney princess to the world. While the intercultural romance between Ariel and Prince Eric is the center of the film’s story, there’s no doubt that it is Ursula (memorably voiced by the late Pat Carroll) who remains one of the film's finest and most enduring creations. 

It’s hard to think of a better romantic comedy pairing than Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, both of whom were at the top of their game in the 1990s. In Notting Hill, viewers got the unique pleasure of seeing these two on-screen together as a British bookseller and an American actress who fell in love. It is, in many ways, the perfect romantic comedy, and it shows why this genre — and these stars – were so popular during the decade. Their chemistry is so natural, and the script so well-structured that it’s impossible not to feel swept up in their love.

Few romantic films are quite as beloved as Casablanca, which focuses on Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine, a cynical American running a nightclub in the title city in the early days of World War II. Once his old lover, Ilsa Lund (played by Ingrid Bergman), enters his life, however, he finds himself getting more involved in the fight against the Germans than he intended. It’s one of the few films that can be said to be timeless, and there is an undeniable chemistry between Bogart and Bergman, who are two people from different countries and walks of life who nevertheless share a profound connection. 

Ang Lee has established himself as one of the finest directors of his generation, with a keen understanding of the pathos of romantic drama. In The Wedding Banquet, he gives viewers a fraught love story, as gay couple Gao Wai-Tung and Simon have to hide the truth about their relationship when Wai-Tung's Taiwanese parents come for a visit. Matters are even more complicated when Wai-Tung marries their neighbor Wei-Wei, and she gets pregnant. Lee manages to keep the film from veering too far into either comedy or melodrama, instead keeping them in a delicate balance. The result is a film that manages to be both sweet and very funny.

Anne Hathaway gives one of her most charming performances in The Princess Diaries, in which she plays Mia Thermopolis, an American who has her world turned upside down when she discovers she is the heir to a kingdom called Genovia. In the sequel, Royal Engagement, Mia finds herself falling in love with Chris Pine’s Lord Nicholas Deveraux. The film has all of the charms of its predecessors, and it’s remarkable to see Pine in his film debut. However, while Mia’s romance with Nicholas is the film’s centerpoint, there’s also much pleasure from witnessing the great Julie Andrews (who plays Mia’s grandmother, Queen Clarisse). 

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Red, White & Royal Blue focuses on the steamy romance between American Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the President of the United States, and Prince Henry, the second-born son of the British monarch. It’s a fairly typical enemies-to-friends romance, but there’s undeniable chemistry between Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine. There are many funny parts to the film. Still, it also has a heart, and it’s particularly wrenching to watch Prince Henry’s struggle with his conflicted loyalties, particularly as his growing love for Alex begins to conflict with his duties to the Crown. The film is a reminder that LGBTQ+ people need their romantic comedies, too.