It’s Never Too Late: 15 Exciting Movies About Older Romance.

Love in movies is often associated with youth. The romance genre is crowded with teens and young adults, with far fewer films targeting couples over 50. Simultaneously, I found myself contemplating the future – what would become of my spouse and me in our 50s or 60s?

This impulse prompted me to compile a list of the best films about mature love. 

Great movies about love after 50.

Elsa & Fred, 2014.

Gloomy widower Fred moves into a new apartment. He brings his dog and medicine, and he plans to spend the modest remainder of his life there. Fred has been married to a prim woman all his life and has done his boring job well. The hero has already prepared for a dreary old age, but his neighbor is the cheerful old lady Elsa.

It is an Argentine-Spanish drama with passion and strong feelings. And you can’t say that pensioners play the leading roles!

For me, the whole film refutes thoughts about fear of life and fear of that without which it is impossible to be happy. And here, age is no longer important—the main thing is to start and throw your doubts and precautions into the toilet, as Elsa did with Fred’s pills.

Something’s Gotta Give, 2003.

In this film, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton tell one of the most exciting stories of mature romance, proving that love can always be found beyond your youth.

63-year-old Harry loves young women but is surprised to find himself falling in love with Erica, the mother of his last girlfriend. While both leads have younger co-stars, including Keanu Reeves as the dashing doctor, Harry and Erica are perfect for each other. They both share a love of Paris, eating pancakes at night and are both very stubborn.

Prepare to be captivated by the incredible emotional journey of Harry and Erica in this film. This heartwarming story proves that love can thrive and endure regardless of age, proving that it’s not just the younger generation that can experience a successful and lasting romance.

Another Year, 2010.

Tom and Gerri (what cute names! ) are a charming, cheerful family of seniors. Despite their long marriage, their relationship still looks like it was just yesterday when they returned from their honeymoon. Their quiet happiness is especially noticeable against the background of two lonely friends: friend Mary, a secretary who is slowly drinking herself to death, and widower Ken.

It is a piercingly realistic, calm English film in which the real joys and tragedies of ordinary people unfold behind everyday affairs and reflections. Another Year is an image of a small but cozy garden, which Tom and Jerry diligently and patiently look after throughout their lives.

Away From Home, 2006.

Fiona and Grant have been together for 44 years. They would have had fun until their death with ski trips and evening reading of their favorite books, if not for one “but.” One day, Fiona puts a clean frying pan in the refrigerator, but it’s not just an old lady’s forgetfulness – it is Alzheimer.

In the hospital, her illness will progress, and Fiona will forget even the face of her beloved husband, turning her attention to the gloomy, autistic old man Aubrey.

Alzheimer’s syndrome, which has long become an ordinary circumstance in age-related melodrama, vividly illustrates the “love without memory” metaphor. The film may seem boring and cheerless to some, but is it possible to talk about the experiences of a person who loses a loved one in other colors?! 

Gloria, 2013.

What should you do when you are fifty-eight and the children are grown up? Of course, enjoy your life!

Office worker Gloria follows this precept and takes everything from life: smokes, goes to retro discos and desperately flirts with men. One of these gentlemen is 65-year-old dandy Rodolfo, a distinguished and courteous man. He lets Gloria remember the joys of life and the torment of jealousy and anger at men.

The film raises another important topic – the level of physical attractiveness of women over 50, determined by men of the same age, who still consider themselves irresistible and attractive to much younger women. Under such social and demographic dogmas pressure, Gloria has to experience disappointments, humiliations, and losses, but her sad circumstances cannot shake her persistent cheerfulness.

It’s Complicated, 2009.

It is an inspiring film with amazing actors takes on one of the eternal themes – the love triangle. Love triangles can happen at any stage of life.

Jane divorced Jake long ago, and he now has a new wife. The ex-spouses go together to see their daughter off to college, and a spark runs between them. Jane interrupts Jake’s marital status, and it appears that her friend Adam may be interested in starting a relationship with her.

It is a film that you want to watch again and again. And every year, it only becomes more interesting because gradually, you begin to look at the heroes’ actions from a different perspective, which can only be revealed with the advent of a certain age or experience.

Last Tango in Halifax (2012-2020).

Perhaps it is the only series dedicated to the love of those over 60.

Celia and Alan were once in love, but they broke up and met again 50 years later. They want to build a new family, but their feelings have to undergo many tests. I am sure that you will cry with emotion at least three times per episode and with pity for the characters the same amount.

I really like the detailed and attentive attention to the small details of emotional experiences in British cinema. The series shows this subtly and carefully. And what wonderful locations are in this film!

Book Club, 2018.

It is a funny and unusual picture of what happens when you expand the boundaries of your perception of reality with the help of just one book.

Elderly friends organized a book club and one day decided to discuss the scandalous and very frank book “Fifty Shades of Gray.” No one suspected what such discussions could lead to! Those who say that there is no more life after retirement are wrong. Look at Keaton, Fonda, Steenburgen and Bergen. They are no longer girls but know how to get the most out of life. 

Overall, The Book Club won my heart with its humor, great cast, and pretty sweet message: love, be loved, experiment in bed, and don’t look at the calendar. This film has a second part.

Hope Springs, 2012.

Even if a 30-year marriage is bursting at the seams, Arnold Soames is in no hurry to save it. And loving wife Kay wants the best. They sleep in separate rooms and barely communicate with each other. So Kay enrolls them in an expensive, week-long course of intensive couple’s counseling with Dr. Bernie Feld. Even with the doctor’s advice, Kay and Arnold find bringing the fire back into their marriage challenging for both of them.

In my opinion, the film was a success. The picture allows elderly couples to have no complexes toward each other because love and feelings should always remain! So, this movie really teaches a lot.

Our Souls at Night, 2017.

Addie Moore and Louis Waters were widowed long ago, and their children grew up and left their parents. The characters have lived close to each other for many years but have never communicated. One day, Addie comes to Louis and invites him to meet in the evenings and sleep in the same bed. It’s not a matter of surging passion—both need an attentive interlocutor who will listen patiently and help them cope with loneliness.

Only a few films focus on older people’s lives and relationships, which is understandable: such a movie will definitely not make money for its creators.  Meanwhile, this topic should concern everyone. After all, we all can find ourselves in the place of the heroes of this picture. It’s a moment when the number of departed loved ones outweighs those still by our side.

It is one of my best-loved movies about older romance.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2011.

This romantic comedy about retirees heading to what they think is a luxurious hotel in India features the best of British senior actors. Ultimately, the heroes are enchanted by the old hotel, and their adventures change each of them.

If this were a film about young travelers, there would be romantic dates and betrayals. The story, which focuses on retirees, is no different as we watch the characters fall in love with India and, in some cases, with each other. It makes it clear to the audience that life does not lose color after retirement. Additionally, an older person can make the same poor decisions that younger people make regarding romance.

Check out the second part if you like this picture.

The Bridges of Madison County, 1995. 

This film with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep has already become a film classic. The plot is based on the conflict between the feeling of love and the sense of duty. A photographer comes to the American outback to photograph old wooden bridges on instructions from the magazine’s editors. A chance acquaintance with Francesca, who has been living in these parts for a long time and not very happily, quickly develops into a romance. It seems to be true love. But the woman is married and has two children. My husband and children are returning from a trip to Chicago in a few days. During this time, Francesca will have to make a difficult choice.

Eastwood’s film is about love – spontaneous, passionate, and, in its way, hopeless love. Forty-five-year-old Streep, with her Italian accent and manners of a born housewife, proved for the thirtieth time that she could play absolutely anything. Her Francesca is unforgettable!

Unaffected by aging, Clint plays a lively photographer roaming the expanses of Iowa, a real man whose charisma and bottomless charm will be envied by many youngsters who could be his grandchildren.

It’s just perfect melodrama!

Who You Think I Am, 2019.

This French drama is about love in the age of social media, starring Juliette Binoche. Her character, Claire, is having difficulty divorcing her husband after 20 years of marriage. She takes on a young lover, but he is not serious. Claire thinks that by posing as someone else, she can become closer to the object of her affection. The woman creates a page on a social network with a fictitious name and a photo of a young girl.

Finding her lover’s secrets is impossible, but Claire begins to correspond with his peer Alex. They start a real virtual romance. Alex is very keen and insists on meeting, but Claire fears his reaction. After all, he will see not a 24-year-old girl but “a woman with heavy eyelids and a withered pale face.” She is in love and cannot break off the relationship or reveal the truth. But this cannot go on for long.

The main idea I came up with is that we have nothing to offer this world except ourselves. But for some reason, this is never enough, and we enthusiastically flagellate ourselves for not meeting ephemeral standards.

Amour, 2012.

The elderly couple Georges and Anna are already over eighty. Anna begins to lose her memory, and then the decline affects her body – she is partially paralyzed. She cared for Georges for many years, but their roles have changed. The husband becomes a nurse for his wife, seeing her off to the end of life.

In old age, our parents will not be with us. Children will fly away, and only the main person will be nearby. Haneke proves that it is in our power to find such a person and, through all the happiness and bad weather, to live together to the end so that we can sit side by side, read books, talk, joke, remember, and read again. Two people cannot live without each other.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, 2009.

50-year-old housewife Pippa Lee moved to a small town from New York with her 80-year-old husband and children. Pippa occasionally recalls her tumultuous early years with promiscuous romances. Nostalgia for her bygone youth overwhelms her, and a meeting with her neighbor Chris makes her remember the old things, not only in theory.

It is a perfect, leisurely film about the life of an ordinary woman who “grew up” from an utterly typical girl. And now, there comes a moment at which her life begins to change. She begins to rethink something; perhaps, a personality awakens in her for the first time.

I would recommend this film to Keanu Reeves fans.

MORE ROMANCE MOVIES

15 Tragic Movies About the Forbidden Relationship.

Sad and Happy Romance Movies That Make You Cry.

Best Sensual Movies For A Hot Date Night.

Final words.

I think I managed to find good examples of romantic movies for seniors.

Mature love stories not only feature a level of sophistication often absent in high school romances but also convey the powerful message that age is not a barrier to finding love, exploring new experiences, and enjoying oneself in the process.

Did you watch any of these pictures? 

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