A good first kiss can make for an iconic moment in movie history — and turn a great film into
something unforgettable. But which on-screen kisses are the best of the best? From superhero
smooches to prom night pecks, these are the very best first kisses in cinematic history.
Throughout The Princess Bride, Buttercup and Westley share plenty of kisses — or
they probably do, at least. It's just that the audience never gets to see them. This is
because the grandson being told their story isn't really into hearing about the kissing scenes.
"What is this? Are you trying to trick me? Where's the sports? Is this a kissing book?"
So although Westley and Buttercup seem to have had a truly epic first kiss earlier in the film,
it's not really properly shown. At the end of the movie, however,
Buttercup and Westley ride off into the sunrise together. The grandson has been
so moved by their tale of love that he allows his grandfather to keep reading — and the film
finally shows the two heroes smooching, with the grandfather aptly narrating:
"Since the invention of the kiss, there have only been five kisses that were rated the most
passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind."
The Back to the Future franchise is one of the most fun sci-fi trilogies around, but it's a
little lacking in the romance department. Marty and Jennifer aren't exactly swoony,
and though Doc Brown and Clara Clayton get all googly-eyed in the third movie,
their relationship is more adorable than it is passionate.
But George and Lorraine are truly meant to be — especially if Marty wants to stop
himself fading into nothingness. For most of the movie, Lorraine outright ignores George,
but when George saves her from Biff, their passions ignite. That first kiss on the dance
floor, while the band sings "Earth Angel," is a little bit naughty, a little bit nice,
and altogether unforgettable. And it saves Marty's bacon, too — which is never a bad thing.
Atonement tells the story of Cecilia and Robbie, two youngsters deeply in love.
Unfortunately, their romance is thwarted by the outbreak of World War
II and the devious machinations of Cecilia's younger sister, Briony. But early in the film,
before tragedy strikes, Cecilia and Robbie get to share a few intimate moments together.
First, there's that flirtatious scene by the fountain, where Cecilia dives in to retrieve a
piece of broken vase wearing nothing but a slip. When she emerges, soaked, Robbie doesn't look
away — and, naturally, Cecilia doesn't want him to, either. All that tension is released later,
when an unusually well-dressed Robbie meets Cecilia for a fancy dinner party. In the
darkened library, the two lovers finally collide — and kiss like they've never kissed before.
William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet is one of the most popular love stories ever told. Sure,
it doesn't exactly end well, but this story has stolen the hearts of lovers around the
world ever since it was written — and it's been adapted for the silver screen a number of times.
One of the best cinematic adaptations of this timeless love story is Baz Luhrmann's
Romeo + Juliet in which Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio play the famous star-crossed lovers. In
Luhrmann's movie, their first kiss takes place in an elevator in the midst of a dazzling costume
party. Juliet wears a white dress and angel wings, while Romeo is in a knight's armor,
making both of them look decidedly Shakespearean, despite the modern setting. Their flirtatious
meet-cute unfolds while Des'ree's "Kissing You" plays, and escalates into the frenzied
lip-lock in the elevator — perfectly capturing the whirlwind of their doomed relationship.
Star Wars' Princess Leia and Han Solo have a relationship fraught with bickering,
sexual tension, love, and tragedy. But their first kiss starts a romance that goes on to
cross the galaxy, survive the fall of an empire, and last for many decades.
In The Empire Strikes Back, as Leia is trying to fix a bit of machinery, Han approaches her
from behind. They flirt a little and fight a little, and then Han takes his chance.
Recently, some fans have criticized this kiss — as well as the early stages of their relationship
in general, citing Han's aggression and persistence as kinda problematic.
And while that's fair enough, it's undeniable that, for many Star Wars fans,
this kiss is an iconic declaration of both Han and Leia's love.
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial isn't a particularly romantic movie,
and doesn't really feature a love story per se. But sparks nonetheless fly — albeit
briefly — in Steven Spielberg's story of a lost, lonely boy and his alien companion.
With Elliott off at school and E.T. left alone at home, the abandoned alien gets into some beers
in the fridge and puts on a John Wayne movie. At this point, Elliott can feel E.T.'s feelings, so
he acts drunk, frees a bunch of frogs, and starts a bit of a classroom riot. As E.T. watches John
Wayne and Maureen O'Hara embrace in a passionate kiss, Elliott nabs the girl with a crush on him,
gets a boost from another classmate, and plants a kiss on her. John Williams' classic score
sweeps over the whole moment, making it a kiss as stirring and memorable as it is utterly bizarre.
The first kiss in Good Will Hunting isn't so much passionate or sexy as it is totally adorable.
It's the kind of kiss that comes from pure comfort with another person — and
the chemistry needed between two actors to make it work. During the movie,
the titular character Will takes Skylar out on a date at a low-key burger joint.
As the two chat and flirt, the chemistry between them becomes palpable.
"You know, I tell ya. I was hoping to get good-night laid. But I'll settle for a kiss."
Their witty banter comes to a head, however, when Skylar suggests they get their good night
kiss over with before the end of the night — and, inevitably, this happens.
A film already cited as one of the best of the century so far, Moonlight features a number
of revolutionary love stories between Black men, both familial and romantic.
The first kiss between Chiron and Kevin is a tender, intimate moment
filled with excitement, trepidation, and hope.
When the moment went on to win Best Kiss at the MTV Movie Awards, actor Ashton Sanders said:
"This represents more than a kiss. This is for those who feel like the others,
the misfits. This represents us."
Meanwhile, Jharrel Jerome added:
"This award is [...] for us artists who are out there who need to step
out of the box to do whatever it takes to get people to wake up."
Many Spider-Men have taken to the silver screen since Tobey Maguire first flung his
web in 2002's Spider-Man, but his kiss with Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane is still
commonly regarded as one of the most iconic movie moments the character has ever had.
After rescuing MJ from some muggers, Spidey hangs upside down from a
building as he makes sure she's alright. There's a little flirting, naturally…
"Nice to have a fan."
"Do I get to say thank you, this time?"
And then MJ decides to thank him properly,
pulling his mask down to the bridge of his nose, and giving him a rain-soaked,
upside-down kiss — one that went straight into the Hollywood history books.
There's really no denying that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have some serious chemistry
together. While La La Land saw them fall in love through song and dance,
things get a little more R-rated in Crazy, Stupid, Love. And in this movie,
their first kiss is just an appetizer to the rest of their evening together.
Devastated after not getting the proposal she expected from her boyfriend, Hannah marches
through the rain back to a bar where Gosling's character Jacob hit on her a few nights prior.
Looking for a quick hookup, Hannah marches over to Jacob while he's hitting on another girl and
plants a hard, long kiss on him. Jacob, of course, takes the hint, and quickly
lifts her off her feet. It doesn't take long before the two are heading home together.
The romance between Steve Rogers and Agent Peggy Carter is one that spans
almost a century. Luckily, it all turns out pretty well. At the end of Avengers: Endgame,
after Steve travels back in time to place the Infinity Stones back where they belong,
he decides to stay in the 1940s with Peggy, and live out the rest of his life with her.
And it all begins with one quick kiss in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. As Cap, Peggy,
and Colonel Chester Phillips chase down the Red Skull's plane, Cap prepares to jump off their Jeep
and head into battle. Before he departs, Peggy grabs him by the collar and plants a kiss on him.
It's not particularly long, but it is passionate, and sparks a love that defies time itself.
As an adaptation of the racy 1782 novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses,
Cruel Intentions is salacious to say the least, and famously features a racy kiss
between Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar's characters, Cecile and Kathryn.
Though the moment is a bit of a tease, at the time, it was still revolutionary to see two
people of the same sex kissing in a mainstream movie. As Chelsea Steiner at The Mary Sue put it:
"While the kiss was gratuitous and very much for the male gaze,
it was many of our first experiences seeing any kind of queer kissing on the big screen.
For many queer women and folks, that kiss was something of a light bulb moment."
As Harry Potter grows up throughout the eight movies in his franchise,
he goes on through all the typical teenage rites of passage — crushes,
breakups, first kisses and all. And while the Harry Potter movies feature some great kisses,
it's Harry's very first smooch that remains the series' most memorable.
Harry has his first kiss with his crush, Cho Chang, in a romantic moment under the
mistletoe. But it's an experience Harry later describes as "wet," due to Cho crying during
the act. And no, it's not that Harry's a terrible kisser. As Hermione explains:
"Well, obviously she's feeling sad about Cedric,
and therefore confused about liking Harry and guilty about kissing him."
Teenagers, right?
There are a ton of steamy scenes in Dirty Dancing – so many, in fact, that it might
be difficult to precisely recall when Baby and her dance instructor Johnny first kiss.
Indeed, they get so close so often throughout the movie that you might
be forgiven for thinking they're kissing pretty much the whole time.
But Baby and Johnny's first kiss actually goes way farther than just a kiss.
It finally happens during the scene in which they sleep together for the first time — which was kind
of a scandalous thing for a couple to do back in 1963. So how does it go down? Well, Baby heads
up to Johnny's shack of an apartment and finally confesses her love. The two then seductively dance
to Solomon Burke's 1962 song "Cry to Me," gyrating and dipping before they eventually disrobe.
At long last, they kiss one another, before lying down on the bed, and — well, you know.
James Cameron's Titanic is probably one of the most romantic movies ever made,
yet it's also shrouded in tragedy. But even in the depths of the film's saddest moments,
the romance between Jack and Rose is a stalwart life preserver.
Their big moment comes on the ship's bow,
right after Rose has decided to get off the boat with Jack when they dock.
At this moment, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Jack and Rose finally kiss.
But then, as the scene transitions, the two lovers fade into the sea as the Titanic's shining bars
transform into those long sunk beneath the waves. Jack and Rose do get a few more moments together
before the end, but it's their first kiss that's the most romantic — and most haunting — of all.
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