I’ve always loved love stories. Particularly black love stories. And by love story, I don’t mean a romantic comedy where the focus is on comedy. I mean an authentic love story where the focus is on the love between a black man and a black woman. They hardly make these types of movies anymore. But when they do, and it’s done right, they often become classics.
Here’s my list of the best black love movies made in America…
LOVE JONES | 1997
A young black poet on the verge his publishing his first novel starts dating a talented photographer seeking to level up in her career, while they both try to figure out if they’re in love or just kicking it.
LOVE & BASKETBALL | 1999
Two hoop stars love and play basketball together through many different challenges from childhood to adulthood.
DISSAPEARING ACTS | 2000
Sanaa Lathan and Wesly Snipes are at their best in this compelling romantic drama about a struggling construction worker and an aspiring musician from two different walks of life.
CLAUDINE | 1974
In the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop falls in love with Claudine, a single mother of six on welfare. One of the most authentic accounts of black life on film.
BROWN SUGAR | 2002
Friends since childhood, a magazine editor and a hip-hop record executive stumble into romantic territory. This is technically a rom com, but the love story is the foundation.
SYLVIE’S LOVE | 2020
When a young woman meets an aspiring saxophonist in her father’s record shop in 1950s Harlem, their love ignites a sweeping romance that transcends changing times, geography, and professional success.
DADDY’S LITTLE GIRLS | 2007
A father doing all he can to provide and protect his three daughters, while falling in love with his lawyer in the process. It’s a comedy, but the love story keeps it going.
POETIC JUSTICE | 1992
Grieving hairdresser and poet goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck alongside her friend and a postal worker which she cannot stand, but eventually grows to love.
THE PHOTOGRAPH | 2020
The discovery of a hidden family photograph sends a girl on a quest for answers regarding her estranged mother’s past and ignites a powerful, unexpected romance.
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD | 2005
Based on the bestselling novel, this drama is set in the 1920’s, where a free-spirited woman’s search for happiness leads her through several different marriages before finding the love of her life.
A WARM DECEMBER | 1973
A doctor falls in love with the niece of an African ambassador during his vacation in London, but it turns out that she is suffering from a rare terminal illness.
QUEEN & SLIM | 2019
A couple’s first date takes an unexpected turn when a police officer pulls them over. After a cop is shot dead in self-defense, the two fight to stay alive and grow to love each in other in the process.
JASON’S LYRIC | 1994
Two brothers, survivors of family tragedy, take different life paths: one falls for a high-spirited waitress and dreams of success, the other follows a life of petty crime.
BLACK COFFEE | 2013
After being fired from his father’s company, a painter falls for a lawyer who inspires him to start his own business. One of the most positive black films ever.
REALLY LOVE | 2020
Set in contemporary Washington D.C., a rising black painter strives to break into the competitive art world, while balancing a bittersweet romance he never expected.
THINGS NEVER SAID | 2013
An aspiring poet in a troubled marriage sparks with a new man who helps her find her artistic voice.
TRUE TO THE GAME | 2017
Based on Terry Woods best-selling novel, this crime thriller is about a Muslim drug lord who seeks to give up the game after falling for an aspiring novelist.
What about you… What are your favorite black love movies?
Peace & Love! I am Mo’Reese Madu, blogger, screenwriter, and author of 
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