Some of the best love stories are born from situations where the two halves absolutely hate each other at first and then fall in love somewhere down the line. We adore an enemies-to-lovers trope! Here are 10 movies with characters who epitomize just that, creating some of the most loved romance movies ever!
1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
How do you lose a guy in ten days? It seems Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) has got all the answers, and Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey) is the perfect person to test her theory on. Meanwhile, Benjamin’s goal is to get a woman to fall in love with him. How is that gonna work? Trying to make one person hate the other, they end up falling for each other in the strangest way possible. Stream now on Paramount+.
2. The After Series (2019 - 2022)
Honestly, I don’t know if Tessa (Josephine Langford) and Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) qualify as “enemies to lovers” -- They’re more like "enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers…and then back to enemies and lovers again"! So, I guess they pass the test with flying colors. Tessa and Hardin have a love that is born through lots of... well... tension. Stream After on Hulu; stream After We Collided, After We Fell, and After Ever Happy on Netflix.
3. Purple Hearts (2022)
I’m sure that the last thing on Cassie’s (Sofia Carson) mind was getting into a relationship with Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a guy she just met. But when the shoe fits… you get married? These two did not get along, but for Cassie, her health was more important, and sometimes you gotta fake it till you make it. And maybe faking leads to something that becomes real, and when it’s real, you don’t let go. Stream now on Netflix.
4. The Proposal (2009)
There’s nothing that says love like marrying your co-worker… well, your boss actually. Margaret (Sandra Bullock) and Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) star in this hilarious film where they travel to Alaska to try and fool their families into believing they’ve been in love for years and are finally getting married. Keyword: “Try”. Stream now on Hulu.
5. Falling Inn Love (2019)
Gabriela (Christina Milian) is tired of the corporate world and wants a change of scenery, so she writes an essay to win a beautiful Inn, and she does! Except… it's in New Zealand. So, she flies over to see the house, but it ends up needing a lot of work. Enter stage left, Jake (Adam Demos). And he keeps popping up -- everywhere! I guess their love was written "inn" the stars. Stream now on Netflix.
6. Mr & Mrs. Smith (2005)
This might be more of a lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers story. Jane (Angelina Jolie) and John (Brad Pitt) met on an island where they fell in love after a hot night spent together. But it’s not too long before they find out that they’re each hiding something: they’re both spies! They spend the movie trying to kill each other. Nothing spices up a marriage more, amirite?
Who are your favorite on-screen enemies-to-lovers pair?