Lately, we’ve been finding that our movie nights have been less than satisfying. We prepare our popcorn, pour our wine, cozy up on the couch, then try to find a movie. And even though there are more choices than ever when it comes to movies, we always feel let down. Do we always have to watch young twenty-somethings fall in love? Sometimes, we just want to see movies about middle-aged couples whose lives are somewhat familiar to us. So, whether you’re looking for something to watch by yourself or on your next date night, these are the best movies about middle-aged couples.
- Our Souls At Night
In Our Souls At Night, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford join forces for their fourth movie together. Fonda and Redford play next door neighbors; she’s a widow, he’s a widower. They begin a friendship meant to combat the loneliness they each feel as the climb into bed by themselves each night. As news of their relationship reaches the community, Fonda and Redford’s companionship begins to blossom into something new and wonderful. Streaming on Netflix.
- Something’s Gotta Give
Easily one of the best movies about middle-aged couples, Something’s Gotta Give stars Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson as two total opposites forced together by circumstance. Nicholson plays a playboy who only dates women under 30; Keaton plays a divorced playwright struggling through a disappointing love life. The pair are thrown together, and despite being incredibly different from each other, manage to forge a surprising bond that proves love has no age boundaries. Available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin star in this fun comedy about a man and a woman who are divorced from one another and begin an affair. None of their adult children know about their reunion, nor does Baldwin’s new wife. This is a great movie to show that love isn’t always so clear cut, and that it takes time to let go of some people in our past. The ending, also featuring Steve Martin, shows how you sometimes have to get through the people from your past to fully move on to someone new. Available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
This star-studded comedy brings together some of England’s finest veteran actors in India, each looking to find something in their older age. Whether it’s a cheap hip replacement, a long-lost lover, or a way to recapture their youth, each of them begins a process of self-discovery, proving it’s never too late to live the life you want. Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, and Dev Patel star in this charming film. Available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- The American President
Michael Douglas stars as — you guessed it — the American President. A widow, his chances of re-election are all but guaranteed, until he falls in love with a lobbyist, played by Annette Bening. As the people around him begin to question the relationship, and his approval ratings sink, he must choose between the woman he loves and his political career. Sure, this not be the most relatable when it comes to movies about middle-aged couples, but there are some themes here that are universal. Even if you’re not POTUS. Available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- The Thomas Crown Affair
Pierce Brosnan plays a bored billionaire who decides to steal a Monet painting, just for kicks. When Rene Russo, an investigator for the museum’s insurance company, takes an interest in Brosnan’s character, they begin a back-and-forth with heavy romantic undertones. To test her feelings for him, Brosnan decides to turn himself in to see if she loves him enough to help him escape. Let’s just say that, when it comes to movies about middle-aged couples, there are few that are this entertaining and have the sexual magnetism of Pierce Brosnan. Streaming on Hulu; available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- What Women Want
Mel Gibson plays an advertising executive who thinks he’s God’s gift to women, until he gets a whole new outlook on life. A freak accident leaves him with the ability to hear women’s thoughts. At first, his new ability is a bit too overwhelming for Gibson, until he learns how to use it to his advantage. He uses his ability to hear women’s thoughts to out-maneuver his new boss, played by Helen Hunt, but also starts to fall for her. Will he be able to use his new talent to improve as a person, or will he just use it as the most effective tool of manipulation he’s ever known? While this one might not be the most romantic on this list, it does offer up some pretty interesting thoughts on the inner workings of people’s minds. Streaming on HBO Go; available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- Wild Oats
After she mistakenly receives $5,000,000 instead of $50,000 from her late husband’s life insurance company, a widow (Shirley McLaine) and her friend (Jessica Lange) set off for an island getaway. They both meet men on this adventure and find themselves sexually revitalized and having the time of their lives. Eventually, an insurance investigator tries to track McLaine down — and things only get more complicated from there. The one great thing about this movie is how fun it is to watch two older women enjoying themselves and rediscovering sexual satisfaction after 7 year dry spells and husbands leaving them. Streaming on Netflix; available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- The Bridges of Madison County
The Bridges of Madison County tells the story of a photographer on assignment to photograph the bridges of Madison County and the four-day affair he begins with a housewife while her husband and children are away. Starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood, it’s the story not of some sordid affair, but of two soulmates who happened to meet too late in life, and the consequences that has on the rest of their lives. It’s a wonderful tale about the power of love and a connection to another person, but it’s also about how sometimes, even if you’ve married a good, loving man, you don’t meet your soulmate until it’s too late. Available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- On Golden Pond
Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda star in this film about an older couple who spends every summer in a cottage by a lake called Golden Pond. Their daughter, played by Jane Fonda, stops by on her way to Europe, bringing along her fiancé and his son. They decide to leave the son behind while they go to Europe, and when they return, they discover the son has bonded with the curmudgeonly father, played by Henry Fonda. The film focuses on aging, loss of memory, death, and family relationships. But it’s also a story about love, and about what happens to a couple as all their children leave the nest. Streaming on Netflix; available to rent from Amazon or iTunes.
- The Prince of Tides
After his sister’s latest suicide attempt, a South Carolina teacher (Nick Nolte) travels to New York to help his sister’s psychiatrist (Barbra Streisand). He reluctantly begins sharing parts of his life and his sister’s, growing up in South Carolina, with the shrink in the hopes that he’ll be able to save his sister’s life. Though both he and the psychiatrist are married, they begin having feelings for one another as they start sharing parts of their lives with each other. After uncovering a painful secret from his past that he’d repressed, things between the two begin to intensify. It’s a powerful story, yet again, about not being able to control who you love, but it’s also one of the loveliest movies about middle-aged couples out there. Available to rent from Amazon.
