10 Sad Romantic Movies Rated PG or PG-13 (Tissues Ready)
10 sad romantic movies rated PG or PG-13, sorted by mood, with the rating reason for each from filmratings.com and no spoilers. Grab the tissues.
In this guide
You know the feeling. It’s raining, you’ve got a blanket and a snack, and you want a love story that’s going to make you cry a little. Good news: plenty of sad romantic movies are rated PG or PG-13, so you don’t have to dig through R-rated stuff to find one.
Here are 10, sorted by mood. I checked every rating and its reason on the Motion Picture Association’s site, filmratings.com, and I kept the descriptions to the setup only. No endings spoiled. You’re going to have to find out what happens yourself.
What do PG and PG-13 mean for a romance?
Every movie here is PG or PG-13. According to the MPA ratings guide, a PG movie generally has minimal language and mild violence, and any nudity is brief and never tied to sexual activity. PG-13 is a step up: if sexual activity is shown, it’s meant to be brief or infrequent and not graphic, and nudity is brief or infrequent.
That’s why the reason line next to each title matters. Two PG-13 movies can feel very different. I’ve copied the reasons from filmratings.com so you can decide for yourself what fits you and your family’s movie rules.
Teen love stories with a lot at stake
1. The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some sexuality and brief strong language (filmratings.com). Hazel is a teenager with cancer who meets Augustus at a support group. They bond over a book, a sense of humor and a lot of hard questions. It’s funny, which makes the sad parts hit harder.
2. Five Feet Apart (2018)
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language and suggestive material (filmratings.com). Stella and Will both have cystic fibrosis, and their doctors say they have to stay six feet apart. They start to bend that rule by a foot. A good pick if you like romances where the obstacle is physical, not just a misunderstanding.
Classic love stories
3. The Notebook (2004)
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality (filmratings.com). Noah is a local guy and Allie is a girl from a wealthy family, and they fall in love one summer in the 1940s South. Her parents have other plans.
4. Casablanca (1942)
Rated PG for mild violence (filmratings.com). Rick runs a nightclub in Casablanca during World War II, and one night the woman who once broke his heart walks in. It’s black and white and very old, but the lines are still quoted all the time. A good pick if you want a classic that isn’t long or heavy on content.
5. Nights in Rodanthe (2007)
Rated PG-13 for some sensuality (filmratings.com). A woman minding a friend’s inn on the North Carolina coast and the one guest who checks in just before a big storm. Slow, quiet and about grown-ups, so it’s a good pick if you want something gentler than the teen movies.
Love that has to wait
6. Dear John (2009)
Rated PG-13 for some sensuality and violence (filmratings.com). John is a soldier on leave and Savannah is a college student on a beach vacation, and they fall for each other fast. When he has to go back to duty, all they have are letters. Good for anyone who has ever missed someone a long way away.
7. The Lake House (2006)
Rated PG for some language and a disturbing image (filmratings.com). Kate and Alex live in the same house, but two years apart. They start writing to each other through the mailbox. It’s the gentlest of the sad picks and one of the few rated PG, so it’s a good fit if you want romance without much edge.
Bittersweet and quiet
8. Brooklyn (2015)
Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and brief strong language (filmratings.com). In the early 1950s, a young Irishwoman named Eilis moves to New York for a better life. She’s homesick, then she falls in love. It’s a slow, pretty movie about growing up and having to choose where you belong.
9. La La Land (2016)
Rated PG-13 for some language (filmratings.com). Mia wants to be an actress and Sebastian wants to play jazz, and they meet in Los Angeles while both chasing big dreams. It’s a musical, so it’s colorful and not one long cry.
10. Breathe (2017)
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material including some bloody medical images (filmratings.com). Robin and Diana fall in love and get married in the 1950s, and then Robin gets sick. It’s based on a true story and it’s more about a couple facing something hard together than about big romantic gestures. The reason line mentions medical images, so skip it if hospital scenes bother you.
Why do we like crying at movies?
Researchers don’t agree on everything about crying, but there’s something to it. Cleveland Clinic describes one key study that found people felt worse right after crying, but 90 minutes later they felt better than they did before. Cleveland Clinic also notes that researchers don’t completely agree on whether emotional crying is good for you, and its bottom line is: if having a good cry helps you, don’t hold back.
If you cry at everything, not just movies, and it’s starting to feel like too much, read why do I cry for no reason.
How to set up the perfect sad movie night
- Pick your mood first. Want a full cry, or a soft “aww, that was sad”? Use the sections above.
- Bring a friend. Sad movies are better when someone else is also reaching for the tissues. Add it to your sleepover ideas list.
- Stock up. Tissues, blanket, something warm to drink, and a snack that isn’t crunchy, because you’ll want to hear.
- Plan a happy ending for yourself. Put on something light after. Or try something from our self-care ideas for teens list.
- Know your limits. If a movie hits too close to something real in your life, like a loss, a breakup or a sick family member, it’s okay to pause or pick something else. Our guide on how to get over a breakup is there if the story gets a little too personal.
I haven’t included where each movie streams. It changes all the time, so check your streaming apps or your library before you plan the night around one title.
