Can’t get enough Outlander? Well, unfortunately, Outlander is still off the air for a few more months. If you need a break from your rewatches you might consider checking out this list of amazing romantic drama films that should fill the Outlander-shaped hole in your heart, at least for a little while.
We’ve assembled movies with similar themes to the Starz series like time travel and star-crossed lovers. Check it out.
Away From Her (2006)
This touching Canadian drama film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. It starred Julie Christie as Fiona and Gordon Pinsent as Grant. Julie and Gordon have been married for a long time when Julie is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Her disease worsens and ultimately Julie decides it would be for the best if she checked herself into a rest home. While there, Julie finds herself bonding with another patient named Aubrey. Grant is devastated by this and seeks comfort in Aubrey’s wife until she experiences a crisis herself.
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook is a classic romantic film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name and starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. If you are a fan of the multiple timelines in Outlander then you should enjoy how The Notebook toys with the narrative timeline too.
We see the story of how Allie and Noah fall in love. But it’s not easy for them, due to Allie’s family money… whereas Noah comes from nothing. Fast-forward to the future and an elderly man is reading the story to an older woman at a retirement home. It’s a touching film and one that helped launch both McAdams and Gosling to the A-list.
The Lake House (2006)
The Lake House is a magical fantasy romance movie starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. They both live in the same lake house but the only catch is, they’re living there two years apart.
The only way they’re able to communicate with one another is through letters but they quickly find themselves falling in love. The only problem is, due to the fantastical difference between them, how will they ever be able to meet in person?
About Time (2013)
Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams lead the cast of this romantic drama film. Gleeson’s character, Tim discovers from his father (Bill Nighy) that the men in their family have the ability to time travel.
Tim decides to use this gift to win the heart of the woman he is madly in love with, Mary (McAdams). While at first, it seems like a simple enough task to continue going back in time until he makes himself the perfect man for Mary, he finds out that love is much more complicated than that and learns a valuable lesson along the way. Lydia Wilson and Margot Robbie also star.
Everything Everything (2017)
Nicola Yoon wrote the original book, Everything, Everything, that the movie is based on. Nick Robinson plays Olly, neighbor to a young girl named Maddy (Amandla Stenberg). Maddy is unable to leave her house due to an illness she suffers from but it doesn’t stop her and Olly from falling in love anyway.
They’re unable to resist one another and decide they would risk anything to be together, no matter the cost. This touching film also stars Anika Noni Rose, Taylor Hickson, and Ana de la Reguera. The film was a hit with audiences and wound up making more than $60 million on its $10 million budget. If you like teen love stories this will be for you and it deals with similar obstacles to those faced by Claire and Jamie.
Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Shakespeare in Love is one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s most notable roles. The movie went on to win seven Academy Awards. It is considered one of the greatest romantic films of all time and it is a period piece, which should appeal to Outlander films. The movie focuses on a relationship between William Shakespeare and a beautiful aristocratic woman who agrees to pose as a man in order to star in one of his plays.
But their relationship is forbidden and complicated, the two must decide what their love is worth to one another amidst the risk. Along with Paltrow, the film also starred Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Ben Affleck, Colin Firth, and Judi Dench.
Atonement (2007)
Atonement is another classic romantic drama film starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and Saoirse Ronan. The film is based on the popular book by Ian McEwan. It was nominated for several Academy Awards. It is also a period piece, although not during the same era as Outlander.
The story follows a pair of lovers who are torn apart by a duplicitous lie by Briony (Ronan), the younger sister of Cecilia (Knightley). All three characters must deal with the repercussions of Briony’s lie and what it could mean for their future. The film is set during the World War II-era as the war plays a focal part in the narrative.
Bright Star (2009)
Abbie Cornish stars as Fanny Brawne, a young woman who finds herself falling madly in love with a quiet poet that lives nearby, John Keats (Ben Winshaw). Once she gets the chance to read some of Keats’s poetry she cannot help but fall for him.
Unfortunately, Keats is unable to afford to have a wife which puts a large obstacle in the middle of their relationship. But they continue spending time together as Keats agrees to teach Fanny everything he knows about crafting poetry. Bright Star was nominated for several British film awards.
The Time Traveler’s Wife (2009)
Apparently, Rachel McAdams not only has a thing for playing roles in romantic comedies but particularly time-traveling romances. It’s a wonder she wasn’t cast in Outlander! She stars as Clare Abshire in The Time Traveler’s Wife, a movie following a woman whose husband has the ability to travel through time, often leaving her in the lurch waiting for him.
Eric Bana plays the role of Henry De Tamble, the man with the time-traveling disorder. He is unable to control when he travels in time and for how long. The film is based on the classic book written by Aubrey Niffenegger.
Somewhere in Time (1980)
A playwright in 1972 finds himself fascinated by a photo of an actress from years prior. He learns that time travel may be real and then he uses it to travel back in time to meet the woman he finds so beautiful.
It appears the two may be fated to be together but it won’t be easy. She has many people around her who are fundamentally against the relationship. The film stars Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve.
Next: Outlander: 10 Questions About Jamie Fraser, Answered
