Best Love Triangles In The Movies, Ranked From Controversial To Heartbreaking

From controversial affairs to heart-wrenching decisions, love triangles have been the moving force of romantic movie plots for decades, creating one of the best tropes in the movies.

Ranked from the most controversial to the most heartbreaking, here are the movie couples stuck in a slightly crowded room of three.

5. Tauriel, Legolas, Kili — The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

Tauriel, a new character who didn't exist in J.R.R. Tolkien's books, was introduced to add a strong female presence to the Hobbit saga. However, her importance was overshadowed by the romantic entanglements of the beloved elf Legolas and Kili, the dwarf from Thorin's group.

While the love triangle between these characters felt unnecessary and far-fetched, it is still one of the most heart-wrenching heartbreaks we have ever witnessed on the big screen.

4. Rafe, Danny, Evelyn — Pearl Harbor

Rafe and Danny, USAAC combat pilots and best friends since childhood, both fall in love with the same woman, Evelyn, the nurse transferred to Pearl Harbor. Rafe leaves for the war and is presumed dead, causing Evelyn and Danny to grow closer.

But when Rafe returns, the love triangle becomes more complex, creating one of the most controversial and heartbreaking twisted loves on screen.

3. Jack, Rose, Caledon — Titanic

Probably the most iconic screen love trio with one of the most epic love stories of all time.

While Jack and Rose's connection is otherworldly, Cal's role as Rose's fiancé adds suspense to the story. In spite of Cal's chivalrous yet unsympathetic demeanor of an abusive husband, the tragic events on the ship ultimately bring the love triangle to a heartbreaking conclusion and cement the characters' story as one of the most iconic in the history of cinema.

2. Gatsby, Daisy, Tom — The Great Gatsby

In The Great Gatsby, there is a love triangle between Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan. Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious man, is infatuated with Daisy, who is married to Tom.

While Daisy is torn between her husband Tom and her former love interest Gatsby, both of whom desire her affection, the story finale shows the tragic consequences of chasing someone who was never willing enough to choose you.

1. Noah, Allie, Lon — The Notebook

Set in the 1940s, this book-based film captures the story of a first love that had to end before it really began. The love between Noah Calhoun, a working-class man, and Allie Hamilton, a wealthy girl, is rekindled after seven years of separation, leaving Allie's fiancé, Lon Hammond, an intelligent and hard-working lawyer, in the lurch.

Though there's no doubt that Noah and Allie were meant to be, the character of Lon was too hard not to fall in love with, which is why Allie's choice is always satisfying yet heartbreaking to watch.