While an age gap romance with an older man is seen as more common, there are plenty of great movies about an older woman dating a younger man. These movies are sometimes difficult to pull off without falling into cliché, and the idea of too big of an age gap can be offputting. However, this is not always the case, and some films treat these romances with the respect they deserve. Love can look like many things, whether a friendship, a family bond, or even a relationship that strays from the usual conventions of "acceptable" love.

Many of these films center the age difference in the plot, even in movies like The Graduate, where the actors playing them are closer in age than their characters. However, sadly, in some movies that showcase a romance where there is a significant age gap between the two leads, viewers can be met with a story that seeks to sexualize and fetishize the age difference, with the "MILF" storyline in American Pie as a good example. However, some movies create a lovely onscreen representation of love between an older woman and a younger man.

16 Lonely Planet (2024)

A Struggling Writer Begins An Affair With A Younger Man At A Morrocan Retreat

Lonely Planet is the latest movie to explore the dynamic between an older woman and a younger man. The Netflix drama stars Laura Dern as Katherine, a writer who leaves behind her troubled life at home to visit a writer's retreat in Morocco. Also at the retreat, accompanying his girlfriend, is Owen (Liam Hemsworth). With the two lonely souls quickly forming a connection, their friendship builds into an intense love affair.

Lonely Planet's age gap is considerable, but the romance between the two adults is not seen as scandalous because of their age difference but rather their own complicated love lives. However, the movie explores loneliness and the isolated feeling of being in a new place only to become tethered to someone new, similar to the relationship explored in another age-gap movie, Lost in Translation. It makes for a steamy and engrossing romance with a particularly great performance from Dern.

15 A Family Affair (2024)

A Famous Movie Star Begins Dating His Assisstant's Mother

As some audiences can get unsettled by age-gap romances, it is not often that the subject is used for a comedy. However, A Family Affair found there was enough room for laughs along with the romance by addressing some of the awkwardness of it all. The Netflix comedy stars Joey King as Zara, the long-suffering assistant to a pompous movie star, Chris Cole (Zac Efron). The relationship is only made worse by the fact that Zara discovers that her mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), is having an affair with Chris.

The comedy is elevated thanks to the great chemistry between Efron and Kidman...

The sitcom-like premise goes for the laughs in how frustrated and mortified Zara is with this relationship. However, at the center of it all is a genuinely tough romance between Chris and Brooke. She helps him to be a better person and they struggle with Zara not accepting that they love each other. The comedy is elevated thanks to the great chemistry between Efron and Kidman, who bring out the comedy and the heart in the relationship.

14 Something's Gotta Give (2003)

A Woman Is Torn Between A Man Her Age And A Young Doctor

Rom-com legend Nancy Meyers explored the subject of age differences in romances with Something's Gotta Give. Jack Nicholson stars as Harry, a serial bachelor who enjoys dating younger women. However, after an embarrassing encounter, Harry finds himself drawn to one of his young girlfriends' mothers, Erica (Diane Keaton), which changes his view of women and how he has approached his love life.

As Harry dates younger women, the more reserved Erica finds herself pursued by younger doctor Julian (Keanu Reeves), much to Harry's annoyance. While the movie ultimately wants the audience to root for Harry and Erica to get together, it perhaps makes the mistake of presenting Erica and Julian as the more engaging couple. Keaton and Reeves have such wonderful chemistry that the movie's message about two people finding love with each other later in life is somewhat undone.

However, the film is a funny and charming rom-com with an all-star cast of legendary actors. Keaton is especially good in the movie, scoring a rare Oscar nomination for a rom-com role.

13 Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

Two Teens Go On A Road Trip With An Older Woman

Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón delivered one of his best projects with the coming-of-age movie Y tu mamá también which also takes one of the more interesting approaches to an age-gap romance. The Mexican film stars Diego Luna as Tenoch and Gael García Bernal as Julio, two teenage best friends who take a road trip with a woman in her late 20s, Luisa (Maribel Verdú). The trio bonds on this adventure together while the two boys harbor an infatuation with Luisa.

While they both pursue her separately, the climax of the movie features the iconic and sexy scene of the three of them surrendering to the ion together.

While the age gap is not as wide as in other movies, the relationships at the center of the story are engrossing. It is as much about the friendship between these two boys as it is about the affair they have with this older woman. While they both pursue her separately, the climax of the movie features the iconic and sexy scene of the three of them surrendering to the ion together. The movie is a beautiful and captivating experience that earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay​​​​​.

12 Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022)

A Widower Hires A Sex Worker

One of the biggest age gaps in any rom-com comes in the intimate Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, which is more about connection than romance and sex. The movie stars Emma Thompson as Susan, an older woman who, following the death of her husband, addresses her life-long unhappiness with her sex life and hires a sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack). The movie is told through several sessions these two strangers have with each other as Susan explores her sexuality and gets to know Leo.

There is an attraction between the two and a connection beyond the physical, but it is interesting that the movie never explores the idea of a romance between these two. They are both under the understanding that this is a transaction relationship, but that doesn't stop them from enjoying each other's company, blurring the professional lines. It is a simple yet entertaining movie that celebrates beauty and sexuality at older ages. Thompson earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

11 How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998)

A Middle-Aged Woman Finds Happiness On Vacation With A Younger Man

Released in 1998, Angela Bassett stars in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, a romantic comedy-drama based on the novel by Terry McMillan. The story has Bassett starring as Stella Payne, a 40-year-old single parent raising her son.

She always has to answer to her friends and family for being out of a relationship for too long. This situation changes when she vacations to Jamaica and meets Winston Shakespeare (Taye Diggs). Winston is 20 years younger than Stella, a chef's assistant who falls in love with the woman. It is through their love that Stella finally finds herself.

The idea of the older woman dating a younger man in this movie is Stella finding happiness outside work and breaking out of her midlife crisis by finding her youth again with Winston. Angela Bassett stole the show, and won an NAA Award for her performance.

10 Bull Durham (1988)

An Love Triangle Between An Older Woman, Her Young Lover, And His Older Coach

The central love story in Bull Durham is actually about two people around the same age, but an age gap is central to the story. Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is a 12-year veteran sent down to the minor leagues to work with a hot-shot young pitcher. While working with the rookie, Ebby (Tim Robbins), both men end up falling for Annie (Susan Sarandon), an older woman who is a self-confessed baseball groupie, who picks a young player each year to have a fling with and teaches him all about sex, love, and life.

There are definitely problematic elements to the main plot, as the entire purpose of the older woman and younger man relationship here was that Annie always set out to seduce younger men every baseball season, as she felt it would improve their lives and gameplay. Despite this, it is a charming (if dated) film. However, it's worth noting that in real life, the actors were all around the same age, and ironically, Robbins and Sarandon ended up getting married in real life.

9 Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool (2017)

A Real-Life Romance With A 29-year Age Gap

The story of Peter Turner and Hollywood film star Gloria Grahame is both heartbreaking and wholesome. Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool showcases the true history of their love story through memories, through ups and downs, and with a focus on the tragedy of her battle with cancer, and how it impacted their relationship.

The romantic drama creates a lovely onscreen portrayal of a true romance that very much took "Till Death Do Us Part" seriously.

The romantic drama creates a lovely onscreen portrayal of a true romance that very much took "Till Death Do Us Part" seriously. Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool may be tragically sad, but it shows romance's ups and downs and pays little attention to the obvious age gap.

The real-life age difference was 29 years, with Turner 27 years old when they started dating and Grahame was 55 at the time. She died two years into their relationship at 57. Bening won the AARP Movies for Grownups Award for the film, and Bell won the New Hollywood Award.

8 White Palace (1990)

An Unexpected Romance Between A Young Widower And A Middle-Aged Waitress

At first, White Palace looks like it will be another stereotypical addition to the age-gap romance genre - as a younger man falls for an older woman of a lower social class. In some ways, it would be easy to expect a Pygmalion story packed with cliches, but the film surprises its viewers and creates an endearing love story instead.

White Palace buys into the 'instant connection' trope when Max (James Spader) first meets Nora (Susan Sarandon), but the couple struggle with issues of public opinion, shame, and secrecy because of their age difference.

White Palace creates a conversation that strays away from the stereotype that renders older characters uninterested in sex while avoiding the seedy older woman/younger man complex. It helps that the age gap isn't huge, as the characters are 27 and 43. The central theme is Max's initial embarrassment at dating an older woman, hiding it from his friends and family, but eventually, he realizes the error of his thinking.

7 The Graduate (1967)

A 21-Year-Old Is Seduced By An Older Woman

is a film with an iconic ending and one of the most famous love triangles in movies, making it a must-watch, despite some of the more problematic elements. The Graduate stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin, a young man fresh out of college, who doesn't know what to do with his life.

He finds himself caught in a love triangle between Mrs Robinson (Anne Bancroft) and her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross) - with Mrs Robinson originally seducing the young man, and then Benjamin and Elaine falling for each other. The themes of power, control, and uncertainty loom large, with this being a film where the age-gap relationship definitely does not get a happily ever after.

It was controversial when it came out because of the relationship between the older woman and the younger man. However, Dustin Hoffman was 30 and only six years younger than Anne Bancroft at the time, although he played a 21-year-old college graduate. The movie earned seven Oscar nominations, winning for Best Director (Mike Nichols). The AFI calls it the 17th-best American movie of all time.