Two’s company. Three’s a crowd. But when the three is a drama-invoking love triangle that keeps you on your toes? Yes, please. Love triangles have been a cinematic go-to since the era of silent film. And it’s been successful every single time. The secret: Everyone likes drama. Excitement, and intrigue, have a way of drawing you in, and then there’s the thrill of choosing a side and spending endless hours debating who’s the best.
Love triangles and relationship drama in real life can be anxiety-inducing and should be avoided at all costs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t live a happy, rainbow-filled life while enjoying some fabulous movies to scratch your deeply-ingrained itch for complicated romance drama.
‘Titanic’ (1997)
Titanic is one of the most epic love stories ever made into a movie, and it can be easy to forget that the film was a member of the love triangle association. While he is no competition to the soulmate bond developing between Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), Caledon (Billy Zane) is, indeed, Rose’s fiance, which proves the following point. It’s important to note that Jack is, technically speaking, a sidepiece because Rose and Cal were committed, at least by means of being engaged.
Technicalities aside, Cal was a chivalrous jerk, and when the ship breaks, much like our hearts, this incredible love triangle receives a tragic end.
‘The Great Gatsby’ (2013)
After his service in World War I, army veteran Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) underwent treatment at a psychiatric hospital in December 1929. There, he recalls the story of the summer of 1922, when he moved from the Midwest to New York after abandoning writing and found himself oddly attracted to his wealthy neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).
No one can talk of love triangles without passing a nod toThe Great Gatsby. While we aren’t all uber-rich personalities throwing elaborate parties to seduce our now-married crushes, deep down, we all want to. The classic novel has been adapted as a movie four times over the years, but the 2013 version was the most popular.
‘Alex Strangelove’ (2018)
Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) has been friends with Claire (Madeline Weinstein) forever, but when an emotional moment leads to a kiss, they know they will be each other’s firsts. However, when Alex meets Elliot (Antonio Marziale), an openly gay teenager, at a party, things are about to change. Alex is questioning his sexuality, and while his friends think it’s a momentary lapse because he’s nervous about losing his virginity, Alex knows this isn’t a false conclusion.
An LGBTQ+ Netflix Original, Alex Strangelove hosts a light-hearted love triangle and encourages you to discover yourself and who you’re truly meant to love.
‘Love Actually’ (2003)
Love Actually featured a flurry of unique lo ve stories, each depicting different aspects of love, but one of those stories stayed with us long after all the others faded away. Juliet (Keira Knightley) and Peter’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wedding was filmed by their best man, Mark (Andrew Lincoln). But despite being Peter’s best friend, Mark dislikes Juliet, or so the couple believes.
Movie theatres around the world rumbled with cries and sighs as it was discovered that Mark was hiding his love for Juliet by means of acting rude to her because she was married to his best friend. Albeit a little dysfunctional, the story is one of the most heartwarming moments in the history of movies.
‘Something Borrowed’ (2011))
When Darcy (Kate Hudson) throws Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) a surprise birthday party, they don’t see what’s coming next. After Darcy is safely home, a drunk Rachel ends up having sex with her best friend’s fiance, a move driven by her long-term crush on Dex (Colin Egglesfield). As the days to Darcy and Dex’s wedding approach, Rachel switches between the role of a supportive friend and a backstabbing temptress.
Something Borrowed offers an unusual take on friendships and relationships. While it isn’t healthy to condone actively ruining relationships, you are allowed to side with the other woman just this once.
‘The Kissing Booth 2’ (2020)
After Noah’s (Jacob Elordi) departure to Harvard, Elle (Joey King) is focused on her senior year. Their relationship gets rocky when Elle meets his friend Chloe (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), who tends to forget boundaries. Meanwhile, Elle and Lee (Joel Courtney) are planning to convince Marco Peña (Taylor Zakhar Perez), the new transfer student known as the new “Noah Flynn,” to be one of the kissers, but she embarrasses herself in front of the entire school on his first day. Elle must make a choice as sparks fly, and it might not be the choice you think.
Based on The Kissing Boothbooks by Beth Reekles, the series is one of the most coveted love triangles of the 2020s.
‘The Accidental Husband’ (2008)
Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is preparing to live the rest of his life with Sofia (Justina Machado) until she makes a call into the radio show hosted by renowned love expert Dr. Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman). Upon Emma’s advice, Sofia breaks up with Patrick, making him furious, especially when he learns that Emma is about to be married. Determined to take revenge, Patrick allows his young neighbor, Ajay (Jeffrey Tedmori), to hack into public records and create a fake marriage certificate between himself and Emma.
A hilarious comedy leading to uproarious laughter and a few tears, The Accidental Husband is one of the most crooked love triangles ever.
‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997)
Years ago, Julianne “Jules” Potter (Julia Roberts) and Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney) agreed that they would marry each other if they were both unmarried by age 28. Three weeks before Jules’s 28th birthday, she receives a call from Michael that he is getting married in four days. Realizing he’s the love of her life, Jules is determined to make Michael and Kimmy (Cameron Diaz) break up for good and asks her friend, George (Rupert Everett), for help.
A rational story with a fresher perspective on the friends-to-lovers trope, My Best Friend’s Wedding, offers an ending you won’t see coming.
‘Sweet Home Alabama’ (2002)
Sweet Home Alabama is the story of Melanie (Reese Witherspoon), a successful New York fashion designer. She wants a high life and society and is set to marry the wealthy Andrew Hennings (Patrick Dempsey). The only thing holding her back is a small-town husband, Jake Perry (Josh Lucas), whom she married as a pregnant teen and left after a miscarriage.
While these childhood sweethearts eventually find their way back to each other, Patrick Dempsey’s Andrew Hennings plays an essential distraction to the couple, making the ending much more delicious.
‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ (2001)
Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is like every other unmarried woman in her 30s: engagingly imperfect and anxious about her weight. She works at a publishing company in London, where her primary focus is drooling over her boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Then, her mother introduces her to Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), an old acquaintance and barrister, at the New Year’s party. They immediately grow a hatred for each other, and Bridget, appalled by his demeaning comments, decides to turn her life around and starts writing a diary.
One of the best triangles in the history of movies, Bridget Jones’s Diary, is based on Helen Fielding‘s novel of the same name, which is a reinterpretation of Jane Austen‘s novel Pride and Prejudice.
