Overview
A love that transcends class divides faces insurmountable challenges and heartbreak.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- sincere
- nostalgic
- date night
- classic romance night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a well-acted, emotionally effective romantic tearjerker whose central performances and dialogue temper its melodramatic premise.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Oliver belongs to an old-money New England family while Jenny comes from a working-class Rhode Island background, making his father's disapproval a central obstacle.
The film builds its love story toward severe illness and mortality, and its reception repeatedly identifies it as a tear-jerker.
Leukemia and the couple's confrontation with limited time become the defining late-stage challenge to their marriage.
The film is identified with New Hollywood and combines contemporary youth culture, class tension, and major star performances by Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal.
Films like Love Story, and why
The Fault in Our Stars
tragic romance, class differences, young lovers, and emotionally direct melodrama
The Notebook
cross-class romance, family opposition, and tearjerker romantic drama
A Walk to Remember
young love, illness, and bittersweet emotional melodrama
Terms of Endearment
romantic tragedy, social barriers, and star-driven emotional storytelling
Movie Details
- Director
- Arthur Hiller
- Release Date
- 1970-12-16
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (763)
Cast
- Ali MacGraw
- Ryan O'Neal
- John Marley
- Ray Milland
- Russell Nype
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Sydney Walker
- Robert Modica
- Katherine Balfour
- Walker Daniels
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Love Story about?
- A sharp-tongued music student and an old-money Harvard law student defy class expectations for a love tested by devastating illness.
- What is Love Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Love Story as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Love Story violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Love Story.
- What did critics think of Love Story?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a well-acted, emotionally effective romantic tearjerker whose central performances and dialogue temper its melodramatic premise.
- Which films are like Love Story?
- Films with a similar feel include The Fault in Our Stars, The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Terms of Endearment.
- How long is Love Story?
- Love Story runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Love Story?
- In United States, Love Story streams on fuboTV, MGM Plus.
