10 Best Classic Romance Movies Like Pride and Prejudice

Fans of both movies and books have based on Movies Like Pride and Prejudice over the years, and many people have loved the book for even longer. Pride and Prejudice was written by the wickedly smart Jane Austen in 1813 and has been made into many movies, most notably in 1995 and 2005. It follows the Bennett sisters as they try to secure their futures. And the sisters’ crazy mother keeps telling them that a good marriage is the best way for a woman at the time to live a happy life. As our main character Elizabeth Bennett famously says, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”

Movies Like Pride and Prejudice is called a romance, but it is really a satire about love, marriage, and the way society works. It looks at these timeless issues and is still enjoyed today for its insightful comments. For a Jane Austen fix, new movies based on her works are great examples of how her stories are told today. Check out our list of ideas below if you liked the spirit of Pride & Prejudice and want to see more movies like it.

10 Best Movies Like Pride and Prejudice:

1. Dirty Dancing (1987):

Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman has to spend the summer at a boring resort in the Catskills with her family before she goes to the Peace Corps. Things get interesting when she meets Johnny, the dance teacher at the resort. They don’t get along at first because they have such different personalities—she’s a rich girl who follows all the rules, and he’s a rebel who loves dirty dancing—but when he asks her to be his new dance partner, they start to understand each other better and even fall in love. But will their new relationship be strong enough to stand up to society’s rules and, more importantly, Baby’s strict father?

2. Bright Star (2009):

As a filmmaker, Jane Campion is one of the best at showing how love works and all of its hidden corners and crevices. When she makes historical films, she uses a tender approach to see how love and intimacy looked in the past. The films are so close and honest about what they show that watching them is almost like seeing new, previously unknown parts of human history. Of course, Campion is also a master artist who knows how to make even her darkest and most difficult movies look so beautiful. So, any of her costume plays would probably go well with “Pride and Prejudice,” but “Bright Star” would be the best choice.

The tragic but truly loving relationship between the groundbreaking Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) in the early 1800s is dramatized in this 2009 movie. Campion focuses on both Keats’ painful writing and Brawne’s less well-known but equally soulful work creating and sewing dresses to show the physical, sexual, and historical parts of their growing attraction and emotional entanglements. The artistic outlets of both lovers become canvases for their passionate but fragile feelings as they give in to a love that is hard for them because Keats is poor and then gets sick. As a Campion-esque touch of life and authenticity, this period story is both heartbreaking and swoon-worthy. It’s beautifully written and will stay with you for a long time.

3. Vita & Virginia (2018):

Vita & Virginia is set in the 1920s, at the start of a literary revolution, and tells the story of the passionate and troubled love affair between famous writers Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. The film’s main characters are Gemma Arterton and Elizabeth Debicki. It’s about how their love, intelligence, and shared love of books brought them together in a way that pushed their social lives, marriages, and careers to new heights.

This book is very interesting because it looks at the real-life events that happened to two important feminist leaders and writers in the 20th century. The period romance story is not at all movies like Pride and Prejudice in terms of plot or even idea, but both movies are still important historical works. Even though the reviews for Vita & Virginia were mixed, the performances by Debicki and Arterton have become the best parts of the movie since it came out. —Madog P.

4. The Hating Game (2021):

It’s clear that Elizabeth and Darcy don’t make a good first impression on each other. We think Lucy and Joshua, the main characters in “The Hating Game,” would totally get that! At a book production company, they have to share an office and keep themselves busy by “playing” a game of total hatred. When a big raise comes up, they both plan to go for it, and they agree that the person who doesn’t get it will leave the company. But hate isn’t that different from other kinds of passion, and they both know it, even though they don’t want to accept it. They’re becoming too attracted to ignore.

5. Wuthering Heights (2011):

Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” is a classic work of romance writing, much like Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” In any case, it’s not really a romance book in the strictest sense. So it makes sense that English rebellious director Andrea Arnold chose this book as her inspiration for a movie that breaks the rules of the typical period romance movie. Arnold’s 2011 version of “Wuthering Heights” is not only the best movie adaptation of Brontë’s work (sorry, Laurence Olivier), but it’s also one of the must-see movies for anyone who loves the ups and downs of costume dramas, because it brings something new and different to the genre.

Arnold’s movie is dark, moody, and filled with gauzy humidity and lurid sensation, just like any good “Wuthering Heights” adaptation should be. James Howson plays Heathcliff, the brooding young man who is taken in from the streets of Liverpool and raised by the Earnshaw family on the Yorkshire moors; Kaya Scodelario plays Catherine, his foster sister and future lover. Although the script focuses on Catherine and Heathcliff’s childhood and deviates significantly from the original, the movie, which features Arnold’s signature mix of raw handheld shooting and stunningly beautiful visual composition, gets right to the heart of Gothic fiction as a tense yet spellbinding interaction between cruelty and kindness.

6. The Age of Innocence (1993):

The Age of Innocence, a famous book by Edith Wharton, has been turned into a lush and dramatic movie by Martin Scorsese. The movie is set in the fancy world of 1870s New York high society and is about a successful lawyer named Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) whose carefully planned life falls apart when he gets engaged to the good-hearted May Welland (Winona Ryder). But when the beautiful and strange Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer) shows up, it sparks a fierce flame in Newland.

People who movies like Pride and Prejudice will enjoy The Age of Innocence because it is similar to that movie in that it shows how social expectations can limit people. In Pride and Prejudice, Keira Knightley played Elizabeth Bennet, who had to deal with the strict social order. In the same way, Newland has to deal with the suffocating demands of 19th-century New York high society. Also, Newland and Ellen Olenska are deeply in love with each other, but they never say it. This is similar to the slowly building tension between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen). By Jom Elauria

7. An Education (2009):

Carey Mulligan played Kitty Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice.” She was the least important and least clear-cut Bennet sister. She does not have to spend most of the movie crying or fluttering because she is the main character in the 1960s film “An Education.” Jenny is played by Mulligan. She is a high school girl who wants to go to Oxford but falls in love with an older, more sophisticated guy who offers to show her the world. She might think she’s in a love story, but it’s clear that this isn’t a good relationship that will last. Like a Jane Austen character, she needs to find out the truth and decide what she wants to do with her life.

8. Sense and Sensibility (1995):

The 1995 version of “Sense and Sensibility” is another great Jane Austen movie with a fresh, modern feel. It is still the only straight-forward movie adaptation of Austen’s 1811 book of the same name. Movies like Pride and Prejudice, “Sense and Sensibility” is about the relationships between sisters in a family of wealthy gentry and how love and the need to make money can be shown through marriage. But the class issue is even more obvious, making it the main point of the story. This doesn’t take away from the romance of either the book or the movie in the least.

The way “Sense and Sensibility” was turned into a book makes you think that everyone worked hard to make sure everything was right. With a story by Emma Thompson, who was a first-time writer at the time, and great direction by Ang Lee in his early years, the movie changes some things about the book but stays true to its spirit as much as possible. You can’t watch it without being completely enchanted by the relationship between sisters Elinor (Thompson) and Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet), as well as the relationship between them and their lovers, Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman) and Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant). The sisters suddenly lose all of their money and need to get married right away to get back on their feet financially. The movie finds a way to turn the harsh realities and complicated negotiations of the 19th-century English class system into perfect family entertainment.

9. A Room with a View (1985):

If you like E.M. Forster’s books, you will love James Ivory’s wonderful version of A Room with a View. In Edwardian England, A Room with a View is about a young woman named Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter). She goes to Italy with her traditional cousin Charlotte (Maggie Smith), but things go in a strange direction. Lucy’s relationship with Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis), who is shy and proper, is very different from her relationship with George Emerson (Julian Sands), who is free-spirited. This clash of personalities makes Lucy think about what she wants.

Bonham Carter’s performance as Lucy Honeychurch is the most important part of the movie. With her wit and strength, she brings to life the spirit of Jane Austen’s heroes. The movie is a great example of a period drama because it has beautiful scenery, funny dialogue, and well-developed characters. Movies like Pride and Prejudice, A Room with a View has funny parts, romantic parts, and parts where the characters learn about themselves. I am Jom Elauria.

10. Little Women (1994):

The only real problem with Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” is that it became so hugely popular that it almost surpassed Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 version, which was just as good, felt more modern, and had a lot of great actors. You should also look for the 1994 version of “Little Women” because it gives you a different view of the book and is a great way to start reading Gillian Armstrong’s work.

Armstrong is a director, so his work is sure to be not only interesting but also important to anyone who likes Pride and Prejudice. Through films like “My Brilliant Career” and “Mrs. Soffel,” she helped to organize and solidify what we know today about the period drama film and all the beautiful, dramatic, and complex humanist stories it can tell.

“Little Women” is an especially interesting example of Armstrong’s skill because, compared to her other movies in the same genre, it is probably the simplest and least flashy. However, it is also the most moving, creating a homey atmosphere between sisters that feels almost too real and loving to be true. The actors are also great. Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Kirsten Dunst, and Claire Danes play the March girls, Susan Sarandon plays their mother, and Gabriel Byrne and Christian Bale play Friedrich and Laurie.

Conclusion:

Whether you’re drawn to witty banter, slow-burning romance, or stories that challenge social norms, these movies like Pride and Prejudice promise to stir your heart and spark thoughtful reflection. Each film captures a unique slice of period drama, feminist strength, or emotional vulnerability—qualities that continue to define Jane Austen’s legacy. From sweeping historical romances to modern adaptations with Austen-like charm, these selections are more than just love stories—they are portraits of independence, resilience, and desire across eras. So if you’re craving narratives with strong heroines and captivating romance, your next favorite film might just be waiting on this list.

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