Relationships between just two people are complicated enough, but things can really get messy when three people get caught up in the same romantic entanglement. The most well-known love triangles in cinema might be from YA franchises like Twilight and The Hunger Games, but the complexities of a love triangle have also been used by some of the world’s greatest filmmakers to capture difficult human emotions.
Mike Nichols’ The Graduate is a prime example of a movie masterpiece that digs into the unwanted complications attached to love triangles instead of glossing over them. Nichols’ sophomore feature is now widely regarded to be one of the greatest movies ever made.
The Graduate (1967)
Mike Nichols’ coming-of-age masterpiece The Graduate — one of the most crucial forerunners of the New Hollywood movement — stars Dustin Hoffman as Ben, a kid who’s just finished college and has no idea what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. It’s a universally relatable feeling.
The external conflict arises when Ben is seduced by his parents’ married friend Mrs. Robinson, played by the iconic Anne Bancroft, and begins an affair with her, then falls for her more age-appropriate daughter Elaine, played by Katharine Ross.
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore star in Indecent Proposal as a married couple facing tough financial times. Enter Robert Redford as a wealthy man who is taken with the wife and offers the couple $1 million for a night with her.
The movie received terrible reviews (perhaps rightfully so), but its fascinating premise coupled with its star-studded cast have made it a classic anyway.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona stars Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as Vicky and Cristina, respectively, two American tourists on vacation in Spain. They meet an artist named Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem, who invites them away for a weekend.
The love triangle between Juan and his guests is tense but manageable. Things really go off the rails when Juan’s ex (a scene-stealing Penélope Cruz) shows up and it becomes a love quadrangle.
Drive (2011)
Ryan Gosling’s unnamed lead character “The Driver” falls for his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive. He’s a getaway driver by night and a father figure for her son by day. The situation becomes complicated when Irene’s husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) gets out of prison.
Irene has to choose between one sociopathic career criminal and another sociopathic career criminal who has a slightly stronger relationship with the son she shares with the former sociopathic career criminal.
Titanic (1997)
James Cameron only made a movie about the sinking of the Titanic so 20th Century Fox would pay for him to explore the wreckage. Of course, Titanic was an unprecedented hit — at the time, it was the highest-grossing movie of all time.
It essentially transplants the star-crossed lovers storyline of Romeo and Juliet onto the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Kate Winslet plays a wealthy upper-class passenger stuck in a miserable relationship with Billy Zane, and Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lower-class peasant she falls for.
Rushmore (1998)
Wes Anderson’s sophomore feature Rushmore stars Jason Schwartzman as Max Fischer, a precocious 15-year-old playwright flunking out of a prestigious private school.
He falls for first-grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) and befriends wealthy industrialist Herman Blume (Bill Murray), who’s going through a messy divorce. Max is furious when Blume goes behind his back and starts dating Miss Cross.
Fight Club (1999)
David Fincher’s Fight Club, the mother of all cult classics, certainly has a fresh spin on the love triangle. Throughout the movie, the Narrator (Edward Norton) grows increasingly jealous of the sexual relationship shared by Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) and Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).
Then, the movie’s shocking twist reveals that (SPOILER ALERT!) the Narrator and Tyler are the same person, so there’s really no triangle at all — just a very disturbed mind.
Love (2015)
Gaspar Noé is one of the most visionary and unique directors working today. 2015’s Love takes place in Paris and begins with Murphy and Electra entering into a passionate relationship.
Tensions run high when they invite their neighbor into bed with them. Neither of them can anticipate how the new arrangement will affect their relationship.
Beauty And The Beast (1991)
In terms of suitors, Belle gets two short straws in Beauty and the Beast. She has to choose between an obnoxious, aggressive jerk and a monster who wants to entrap her in his spooky, isolated castle.
The latter, of course, turns out to be a softie at heart — and, unlike the live-action remake, the animated original actually forces the Beast to change and become a better person before Belle falls in love with him.
Casablanca (1942)
One of the strong contenders for the title of “greatest movie ever made,” Casablanca stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick, an American ex-pat who’s settled down in Morocco, and Ingrid Bergman as his old flame Ilsa, who arrives at Rick’s bar with her new husband.
Ilsa abandoned Rick in Paris, and although she’s now married to Czech resistance leader Victor, Rick still thinks he might have a shot.
