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InStyle’s 33-film list of the best movie kisses of all time is an editorial watchlist, not a definitive ranking. It ranges from the rain-soaked reunion in The Notebook to the beach encounter in Moonlight, with classic Hollywood, comedy, musicals, animation and even a near-kiss in La Dolce Vita. What makes these moments worth revisiting is not just romance: some turn on comic timing, tension, performance or the way a scene changes a story.
Bailey Bujnosek, writing for InStyle, describes a memorable cinematic embrace as “a mix of the buildup, chemistry between the leads, and the execution of their iconic lip-lock.” That is a useful way into the list, but it is the writer’s judgment, not a formal scoring system. The article does not publish a reproducible method for ranking the scenes, and other publications make different selections; British Vogue, for example, has its own gallery of memorable screen kisses.
The order below follows InStyle’s selection, updated February 2, 2026. Rather than treating the sequence as an objective measure of quality, consider what each moment does: express a relationship, deliver an emotional payoff, make a joke land, or lodge in movie culture. The descriptions and reasons for inclusion are the publication’s editorial framing.
The 33 selections, in InStyle’s order
- Titanic. The list foregrounds Rose and Jack and the actors’ on-screen kiss, a moment tied to the film’s sweeping romance.
- Moonlight. Chiron and Kevin’s beach moment is a tender, vulnerable encounter. InStyle notes that it won Best Kiss at the 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards.
- To Have and Have Not. The kiss is inseparable from the characters’ flirtatious banter. After she kisses him, he asks, “What’d you do that for?” She replies, “Been wondering whether I’d like it.”
- The Notebook. The lovers’ reunion in the rain makes the kiss an emotional release. InStyle notes that it won Best Kiss at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards.
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. A contemporary teen-romance entry, included among the list’s changing generations and styles of screen romance.
- Lady and the Tramp. The animated spaghetti dinner turns a shared meal into one of cinema’s most recognizable romantic set pieces.
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Its rainy New York alley finale gives the kiss a dramatic setting and a sense of arrival.
- Love Story. The list highlights Ali MacGraw’s praise for her co-star: “First of all,” she said, “he’s a great kisser.” InStyle points to her 2010 interview with Oprah.
- The Way We Were. A romance shaped by the characters’ differences, with its kiss carrying the weight of their complicated connection.
- The Graduate. The article discusses the first kiss and includes a filming anecdote, emphasizing the scene’s place in the film’s uneasy romantic story.
- 10 Things I Hate About You. A late-1990s teen comedy brings youthful chemistry and romantic payoff to the list.
- Say Anything. A defining romantic moment in a coming-of-age film, remembered as much for its emotional directness as its image.
- When Harry Met Sally. The kiss serves a story built around friendship, timing and the question of whether two people can become a couple.
- Pretty Woman. The scene matters partly because Vivian’s willingness to kiss on the mouth marks a change in the terms of her relationship with Edward.
- Ghost. Its romance blends intimacy with the film’s supernatural premise, giving the central relationship a distinctive emotional register.
- The Age of Innocence. InStyle’s selection offers a quieter, more restrained kind of romantic tension than the list’s grand declarations.
- Shakespeare in Love. A period romance that brings theatrical performance and passion into the same frame.
- West Side Story. The kiss sits within a musical tragedy, where romance is inseparable from the danger surrounding the couple.
- Love and Basketball. The film connects romantic intimacy to a relationship shaped by ambition, rivalry and shared history.
- Spider-Man. The upside-down kiss in the rain became a signature superhero-romance image. InStyle recounts Tobey Maguire’s practical difficulty with the scene.
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith. A kiss charged by the film’s mix of marriage, action and the couple’s dangerous secrets.
- Slumdog Millionaire. The romance forms part of a story that spans years and circumstances, so the moment carries more than immediate attraction.
- Twilight. A supernatural romance built around desire and restraint contributes a notably intense entry.
- Sabrina. A classic Hollywood romance adds a more polished, old-studio-era register to the selection.
- Sixteen Candles. A teen-comedy kiss, included among the list’s youthful and nostalgic moments.
- Rear Window. The kiss belongs to a film that entwines romance with suspense and a watchful, confined setting.
- Contempt. This selection brings European art-house cinema into a list otherwise spanning popular romance, comedy and studio classics.
- Dirty Dancing. A romance rooted in dance gives physical movement and performance a central role in the attraction.
- From Here to Eternity. InStyle highlights the beach embrace and its period context, a scene whose setting is inseparable from its impact.
- The Princess Bride. A fairy-tale adventure makes room for an openly idealized, romantic payoff.
- Romeo and Juliet. The lovers’ kiss carries the force of a tragedy in which passion and danger arrive together.
- Roman Holiday. A classic romance whose charm rests in the relationship and the moment’s emotional delicacy.
- La Dolce Vita. This final selection is a near-kiss, not a completed one. Its inclusion broadens the list from kisses alone to screen moments of romantic anticipation.
How to compare the scenes
A useful watchlist need not claim that every scene is romantic in the same way. These films offer different tones and story purposes. Compare them along a few clear dimensions:
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- Buildup: Does the moment feel earned by what came before, or does its surprise create the effect?
- Character and performer chemistry: Does the scene make the characters’ connection legible, whether through ease, hesitation, wit or intensity?
- Story function: Does the kiss change the relationship, reveal a boundary, or provide an emotional payoff?
- Tone: Is the moment sweet, comic, tense, sensual, restrained or deliberately unresolved?
- Cultural recognition: Has the scene endured as a familiar image or line, apart from the film’s original release?
Those lenses help explain why one viewer might favor the rain in The Notebook, another the intimacy of Moonlight, and another the playful exchange in To Have and Have Not. Awards cited by InStyle show recognition in a particular award context; they do not establish universal quality. Streaming availability also changes by territory and date, so this list makes no claim about where the films can currently be watched.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Sources and scope
The ranking, scene descriptions, quotations and award references here follow Bailey Bujnosek’s InStyle article, “The 33 Best Movie Kisses of All Time, From ‘The Notebook’ to ‘Moonlight’,” updated February 2, 2026: InStyle’s 33 best movie kisses. The distinction between editorial lists is illustrated by British Vogue’s gallery of memorable on-screen kisses. CBS News also linked to InStyle’s selection in its February 8, 2026 coverage, “This week on ‘Sunday Morning’”.
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