Let’s face it, if you’re a fan of movies or TV, chances are you’ve fallen for the enemies-to-lovers trope more times than you can remember. There’s just something charged about seeing two people go from eye-rolling at each other to not being able to imagine living without them. It’s a plot that never wears off, whether driven by banter, competitiveness, or plain old obstinate denial. From Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare to Pride and Prejudice by Austen, the trope has been entertaining people for centuries. And today, it continues to thrive in everything from teen romcoms to epic sci-fi epics. So let’s take a look at nine of the greatest enemies-to-lovers stories on film and TV, each one showing us that a little tension often makes the perfect bed for love.
9. Fire Island (2022)
Joel Kim Booster’s Fire Island transplants Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to a lively, contemporary setting filled with beach gatherings, chosen family, and romance. The movie centers on Noah and Will, two fellows who couldn’t be farther apart: Noah is outgoing, sardonic, and a good friend to have around, whereas Will is reserved, stoic, and a bit of a judge. Their first confrontations are riddled with side-eye and barbs, but under the surface, actual chemistry develops. Fire Island excels because it brings together the humor and vulnerability of the enemies-to-lovers trope and depicts that love is not just romance, it’s understanding and development as well.
8. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
Bridget Jones and Mark Darcy would be missing from a list like this. This 2000s romcom retells Pride and Prejudice for our time, with Colin Firth reprising his role as a slightly clumsy, but utterly charming Darcy. Bridget and Darcy’s initial encounter is a complete disaster. He finds her embarrassing; she finds him snobbish. But as the tale unfolds, their misconceptions become affection, and what repels them becomes what makes them well-suited for each other. It’s a messy, passionate love story that continues to get it all right, and then some. It reminds us that great love commonly begins with a bit of awkwardness.
7. Moonlighting (1985–1989)
Pre-dating the “will they or won’t they” as TV shorthand, there was Moonlighting. Businesswoman Maddie Hayes, once a model, and David Addison, her infuriatingly charismatic private eye, spend the majority of the show arguing their way through cases. Their chemistry is absolute fire, equal measures of annoyance and desire. When they finally confess their love, viewers were ecstatic… but the tension that rendered the show addictive was so potent that after it dissipated, the series lost some of its sheen. Nevertheless, Maddie and David paved the way for TV’s battle-of-the-romance.
6. Avatar (2009)
Long before The Way of Water, Jake Sully and Neytiri’s relationship in Avatar began with mistrust and conflict. Jake arrives on Pandora as a soldier tasked with exploiting the Na’vi people, something Neytiri sees through immediately. She resents him, challenges him, and nearly kills him before realizing there’s more to this outsider than she thought. Through shared experience and emotional development, they shift from enemies to allies, demonstrating that love can conquer not only conflict but species. Their romance lends the tired trope an epic sci-fi spin and succeeds wonderfully.
5. Underworld (2003)
When you hear “enemies-to-lovers,” you might not necessarily envision a vampire warrior and a human caught up in an ancient conflict—but Underworld manages to pull it off. Selene, the vengeful vampire killer, is bound to kill werewolves until Michael Corvin, the man who is more than just a man. Theirs is relationship is born of complete opposition that becomes a connection that transcends centuries of animosity. Selene’s risk of everything for Michael makes this one of the most dramatic and underrated adventures in this trope. Who says romance tales can’t include fangs and bullets?
4. His Girl Friday (1940)
Quick-witted, fast-talking, and continually hilarious, His Girl Friday is the template for romantic comedy battles. Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell are ex-wives and competing journalists—Walter and Hildy—who can’t resist trying to outdo one another, both in their profession and in their emotions. Their quick-witted banter and constant jabs at each other make it obvious that they’re a match made in heaven, even when they’re pretending to get over each other. The screwball comedy and breakneck speed of the film established the enemies-to-lovers genre way before it became a pop-culture term.
3. It Happened One Night (1934)
A very early and powerful romantic comedy, It Happened One Night essentially wrote the manual for the genre. Spoiled heiress Ellie Andrews is running away from her stuffy family, and cynical journalist Peter Warne is hot on her trail as the scoop of a lifetime. Compressed into a car together, they struggle at cross-purposes, but as the miles roll by, their hostility gives way to something more tender. With iconic scenes such as the “Walls of Jericho” blanket divider and one shared bed, the film set down tropes we continue to find in romcoms even now. It’s evidence that enemies-to-lovers was box office gold from the beginning.
2. Pride and Prejudice (1995 & 2005)
You can’t discuss enemies-to-lovers without mentioning Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen didn’t merely write a romance; she defined the archetype. From their cutting remarks to their eventual mutual understanding, every adaptation (and there are many) captures the thrill of watching pride and prejudice give way to love and respect. Whether you prefer Colin Firth’s brooding intensity or Matthew Macfadyen’s rain-soaked vulnerability, both versions deliver on the emotional payoff that makes this story timeless. It’s not romance; it’s learning how to look and love a person for who they are.
1. Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (2015–2019)
Few contemporary rivalries have generated as much controversy, or as much fanfiction, as Rey and Kylo Ren. Over three films, their dynamic changes from simple animosity to something rich and deeply felt. Their Force bond is also a weapon and an open window to each other’s souls, and by the time they finally kiss, it is like the payoff after years of tension and atonement. It is a messy, hot, and decidedly magnetic relationship—evidence that even in a galaxy far, far away, love will flourish among sworn enemies.
At the end of the day, enemies-to-lovers isn’t about tension or snark; it’s about change. It’s about two people who push and prod each other to become better, to look past assumptions, and to find common ground where they never thought they would. Whether it’s via epic space battles, vintage banter, or cringey teenage plotting, these stories show us that sometimes, love doesn’t begin with fireworks, but it begins with a fight. And that’s precisely why we can’t help but keep watching.