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The Lake House poster

Movies that feel likeThe Lake House (2006)

When architect Alex Wyler moves into an unusual glass house on stilts over a lake, he discovers a note from the previous tenant in the mailbox--but no one's lived in the house for years. He replies and soon discovers that he's corresponding with a doctor named Kate Forster. Their correspondence, only through the 'magical' mailbox, turns romantic and their paths cross in unexpected ways, but when they try to truly connect, danger looms.Β They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

If you loved The Lake House, the closest films we have are The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Meet Joe Black (1998) and Before Midnight (2013). All three share The Lake House's romantic and tender feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Nostalgia (1983).

πŸ… 36% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 6.8 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Alejandro Agrestiromantictendercontemplativedreamlike
10 of 12 streaming nowNetflix Β· HBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video

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If The Lake House hit the spot, these will too

The Time Traveler's Wife poster
The Time Traveler's Wife
2009 Β· dir. Robert Schwentke
πŸ… 38%β˜… 7.1drama Β· romance Β· fantasyParamount+

The same mix in both: romance, then tenderness

Due to a genetic disorder, handsome librarian Henry DeTamble involuntarily zips through time, appearing at various moments in the life of his true love, the beautiful artist Clare Abshire.

Meet Joe Black poster
Meet Joe Black
1998 Β· dir. Martin Brest
πŸ… 48%β˜… 7.2fantasy Β· drama Β· romancePrime Video

Both are built on the same subject: doctor

Bill Parrish has it all - success, wealth and power. Days before his 65th birthday, he receives a visit from a mysterious stranger, Joe Black, who soon reveals himself as Death. In exchange for extra time, Bill agrees to serve as Joe's earthly guide. But will he regret his choice when Joe unexpectedly falls in love with Bill's beautiful daughter Susan?

Before Midnight poster
Before Midnight
2013 Β· dir. Richard Linklater
πŸ… 98%β˜… 7.9romance Β· dramaRent or buy

Contemplative and dreamlike in the same breath

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

It has been nine years since we last met Jesse and Celine, the French-American couple who once met on a train in Vienna. They now live in Paris with twin daughters but have spent a summer in Greece at the invitation of an author colleague of Jesse's. When the vacation is over and Jesse must send his teenage son off to the States, he begins to question his life decisions, and his relationship with Celine is at risk.

Wings of Desire poster
Wings of Desire
1987 Β· dir. Wim Wenders
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9drama Β· fantasy Β· romanceMax

Romance built on romance, twice over

Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds β€” with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk β€” that it might be possible for him to take human form.

The Age of Adaline poster
The Age of Adaline
2015 Β· dir. Lee Toland Krieger
πŸ… 54%β˜… 7.2romance Β· fantasy Β· dramaMax

Drama with a pulse of tenderness, in both cases

After 29-year-old Adaline recovers from a nearly lethal accident, she inexplicably stops growing older. As the years stretch on and on, Adaline keeps her secret to herself until she meets a man who changes her life.

About Time poster
About Time
2013 Β· dir. Richard Curtis
πŸ… 70%β˜… 7.8drama Β· romance Β· fantasyNetflix

Contemplative fantasy in both cases

The night after another unsatisfactory New Year's party, Tim's father reveals to him that the men in their family have the ability to travel through time. They can't change history, but they can change what happens and has happened in their own lives. Thus begins the start of a lesson in learning to appreciate life itself as it is, as it comes, and most importantly, the people living alongside us.

Beautiful Creatures poster
Beautiful Creatures
2013 Β· dir. Richard LaGravenese
πŸ… 47%β˜… 6.1fantasy Β· drama Β· romance

Dreamlike romance, and it commits to that

Ethan Wate just wants to get to know Lena Duchannes better, but unbeknownst to him, Lena has strange powers. As Lena's 16th birthday approaches she might decide her fate, to be good or evil. A choice which will impact her relationship forever.

Sapphire Blue poster
Sapphire Blue
2014 Β· dir. Felix Fuchssteiner
β˜… 6.2fantasy Β· romance Β· drama

Both lean on romance more than on drama

Gwen has just discovered, that she's the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. Now she has to juggle with constant trips to the past, her relationships with Gideon and figuring out dark secrets surrounding the Circle.

Beastly poster
Beastly
2011 Β· dir. Daniel Barnz
πŸ… 20%β˜… 5.5romance Β· fantasy Β· dramaParamount+

Tender fantasy, and it commits to that

A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 poster
πŸ… 49%β˜… 5.6fantasy Β· drama Β· romanceNetflix

Romance with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

After the birth of Renesmee, the Cullens gather other vampire clans in order to protect the child from a false allegation that puts the family in front of the Volturi.

Nostalgia poster
Nostalgia
1983 Β· dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
πŸ… 89%β˜… 7.9drama Β· romance

Dreamlike drama, and it commits to that

The difference: 23 years apart, and the 1980s show

Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov journeys through Italy with his interpreter Eugenia to research the life of an 18th-century Russian composer who once lived abroad. Isolated and consumed by an unrelenting longing for his homeland, Andrei becomes drawn to Domenico, a radical mystic obsessed with spiritual redemption. Through austere imagery and extended temporal rhythms, Tarkovsky examines exile, memory, and the profound melancholy of being unable to belong fully to either place or language.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button poster
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008 Β· dir. David Fincher
πŸ… 72%β˜… 7.8drama Β· fantasy Β· romance

Both working the same fantasy territory

Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flits in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer. Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.

In the mood for more romantic?

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The best-reviewed films that share The Lake House’s defining feeling.