Love Story (1970)

57% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(33,896 ratings)

In director Arthur Hiller's hit tearjerker -- based on Erich Segal's novella -- Ryan O'Neal plays Oliver Barrett IV, a comfortably off Harvard pre-law student who falls in love with Radcliffe music student Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw), a freewheeling, delightfully profane product of a blue-collar… More In director Arthur Hiller's hit tearjerker -- based on Erich Segal's novella -- Ryan O'Neal plays Oliver Barrett IV, a comfortably off Harvard pre-law student who falls in love with Radcliffe music student Jenny Cavilleri (Ali MacGraw), a freewheeling, delightfully profane product of a blue-collar Italian-American family. Oliver's father (Ray Milland) heartily disapproves of the subsequent marriage and cuts off his son's allowance. Despite financial travails (the pampered Oliver actually has to go to work!), the couple is blissfully happy....until Jenny is diagnosed as having an unnamed disease that consigns her to an early death. The movie's tagline "Love means never having to say you're sorry" became an iconic American catchphrase, the film's theme a number one hit. One of the early products of Paramount guru Robert Evans, Love Story grossed more money than any Paramount production before it. This enormously successful film inspired a 1978 sequel, Oliver's Story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Arthur Hiller
Written By: Erich Segal
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Dec 16, 1970 Wide
On DVD: Apr 24, 2001
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

, TIME Magazine
Ryan O'Neal gives the character of the neon scion a warmth and vulnerability entirely missing from the bestseller.
Variety Staff, Variety
Love Story is an excellent film.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The only really depressing thing about Love Story is the thought of all of the terrible imitations that will inevitably follow it.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Hiller earns our emotional response because of the way he's directed the movie.
Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine
With this Love Story Blu-ray, Paramount proves that you can, in fact, polish a turd.
, Empire Magazine
We all know what happens in the end so what's the bleeding point?
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...drippy, slow, unrealistic, unbelievable, poorly written, and badly acted. I mean, other than that, it's OK. (Blu-ray edition)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
If you're going to make a serious tearjerker, somebody's got to die. It's in the handbook of romantic platitudes.
Common Sense Media Editors, Common Sense Media
Mega-hit of the 1970s is a real cringer today.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Guilty pleasure par excellence: How did this poorly-acted schmaltzy romantic melodrama ever get Best Picture Oscar nomination?
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
By the time O'Neal gets around to intoning the famous tag line, you'll be so sick of hearing Francis Lai's love theme that you'll want to strangle the projectionist.
Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers
Cornball classic weeper is at least true to its book basis.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Dated before it was made.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
Although the relationship between Oliver and Jennifer remains one of the best ever produced, [it] lacks excitement and tension that are primary ingredients for any movie.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
As soapy as it ever was.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

The best romantic drama of the seventies! It's sweet, tragic, dramatic, intense, and very modern too. I loved it and if you like sad romantic dramas you will love it too. I especially loved O'Neal in this movie.
Red L

I better stop watching 40-year-old movies. When I see them today, they seem disappointing compared to today's movies, and there are a few of these 1970's era movies I have down-rated from my initial rating. Very simple script. Still you should see it - it made a big… More
I better stop watching 40-year-old movies. When I see them today, they seem disappointing compared to today's movies, and there are a few of these 1970's era movies I have down-rated from my initial rating. Very simple script. Still you should see it - it made a big impact in the early 70's.
Conner R

It's exactly what it aspires to be, an extremely honest and believable romance drama. It has great dialogue and acting, the chemistry between Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw is what makes it work as well as it does. It's sort of the reason all movies like it since seem… More
It's exactly what it aspires to be, an extremely honest and believable romance drama. It has great dialogue and acting, the chemistry between Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw is what makes it work as well as it does. It's sort of the reason all movies like it since seem cliched, there's no better tear jerker like this. You feel for these people and automatically relate to them.
jay n

Puerile drama with one of the worst performances, by Ali MacGraw, ever recorded on film. Somehow this was an enormous hit in its day, the mind reels as to why or how.
Jason O

My dad's favorite movie of all time. In "Love Story," a rich guy, Oliver (Ryan O'Neal), and a poor girl, Jennifer (Ali MacGraw), fall in love while both are attending Harvard University. When you see the two characters, it's hard to see how a smart talking… More
My dad's favorite movie of all time. In "Love Story," a rich guy, Oliver (Ryan O'Neal), and a poor girl, Jennifer (Ali MacGraw), fall in love while both are attending Harvard University. When you see the two characters, it's hard to see how a smart talking music girl and a rich hockey player could possibly be right for each other, but they'll show you how it can be done. But it won't be an easy road to travel because they both have their separate problems/situations to deal with, such as Oliver's dad not being too fond of people unless they're very successful and rich. I watched "Love Story" because my dad said it was his favorite movie of all time and that it's the only movie he's ever went to the theatre to watch twice, so I thought that it really had to be a good movie. I did like "Love Story," even though I wouldn't call it one of my favorite movies of all time....I'm more the action, sci-fi, comedy, and horror movie type. "Love Story" is good because it seems realistic, just like two normal people who are real different from each other might act in a real life relationship. Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw brought their acting skills and used them in this love story of a movie. If you like love stories, I recommend purchasing "Love Story." NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.
Jeremy S

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."
Leigh R

That is a love story...
Quinto W

I really liked how the characters were written and their dialogues, especially at the beginning, showed the effort put into creating believeable persons to relate to. The film can't completely escape its cheesy sentimentality (''Love means never having to say… More
I really liked how the characters were written and their dialogues, especially at the beginning, showed the effort put into creating believeable persons to relate to. The film can't completely escape its cheesy sentimentality (''Love means never having to say you're sorry'', as famous as it is, is a very stupid and meaningless thing to say), but Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw are good enough to make you go with it.
Erin C

Some of the acting was pretty cheesy, but the story itself was adorable. Their relationship was very unique and touching. Very sad!
d j

So many remakes and different titles since then, All movies are are remakes of the good ones back in the day when there was acting.
Lauren D

Some of it was stupid and I hated the female character, but overall I enjoyed it.
Daisy M

Maybe it won't be a movie that everyone will like, seeing the script of Love Story was just a traditional Hollywood cliche movie.It started slow, some scenes were distracted and some of the characters were not well developed as they could have been.But the music score was… More
Maybe it won't be a movie that everyone will like, seeing the script of Love Story was just a traditional Hollywood cliche movie.It started slow, some scenes were distracted and some of the characters were not well developed as they could have been.But the music score was amazing, one of the greatest romantic, piano music ever. The story was a simple mixture of true love and life threatening illness, and it was quite effective, and the dialogue was touching. Just the ending was real tear jerking.Acting was good, Ali McGraw as Jenny and Ryan O'Neil as Oliver, they draw you through the course of the movie, enough that you do end up caring for them.
Sarah B

I don't understand the attitudes surrounding this film. It's distinctly average, if well acted, featuring great music and compelling ideas.
Audrey L

Thought I'd watch this movie again after many years. Oh my-it's bad-the horror,the horror...
Leo L

A great romance/love movie.