It's a Wonderful Life (1946): Often regarded as a Christmas movie, this classic is much more than that. The love story of George (James Stewart) and Mary (Donna Reed) is touching and complicated: she is one of the many things binding him to the small town he was always desperate to leave. Stewart and Reed make a wonderful screen couple.

Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939): While this adaptation of James Hilton's novel is best known as the story of Latin teacher Arthur Chipping (Robert Donat won an Oscar for the role), it's the character's marriage to Katherine (Greer Garson) that transforms him from a strict disciplinarian to a beloved figure.

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997): Julia Roberts plays the woman who only realises she loves her friend (Dermot Mulroney) when he is about to marry someone else (Cameron Diaz). The film humanises all the characters instead of making the lead's romantic rival unlikeable or wet (as often happens).

Pretty Woman (1990): This film shot Julia Roberts to stardom as a prostitute who is, improbably but luckily for her, hired as an escort by a corporate raider (Richard Gere). It's unlikely it would have been anywhere near as successful if the story had remained the downbeat, gritty drama it was originally intended to be.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002): This low-budget rom-com about a Greek-American woman (Nia Vardalos) who falls in love with a handsome WASP (John Corbett) was a sleeper hit, grossing more than 50 times its budget.

Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990): This British film, released the same year as Ghost, is a British take on the idea of a love that lingers beyond the death of one of the partners. Alan Rickman, too often typecast as a villain, plays the deceased boyfriend of Nina (Juliet Stevenson), whose joy at his supernatural return is marred by his selfish behaviour.