Love at First Sight: How to Write a Memorable Meet-Cute
June 2, 2025
Every great romantic comedy has a moment where two characters collide, clash, or connect for the first time. That moment is a meet-cute – the heartbeat of any romantic comedy.
Meet-cutes set the tone, stakes, and emotional undercurrent for everything that follows the story. It’s where we, the audience, decide if we want to watch these characters fall in love. When done right, it can hook your viewer, define your characters, and spark a journey that feels both familiar and fresh.
Let’s break down what makes a meet-cute memorable, and how you can write one that stands out with some of our favorite examples.
What Is a Meet-Cute?
A meet-cute is a pivotal moment in a romantic comedy when two characters first meet and sparks begin to fly. It sets the tone for their relationship and lays the foundation for the story’s emotional payoff.
While obstacles and misunderstandings will inevitably keep the couple apart for much of the story, the meet-cute is what hooks the audience; it’s where we start rooting for them.
The most memorable meet-cutes make us laugh, swoon, or even cringe. They’re packed with personality and often hint at the emotional or thematic hurdles the couple will face. The more tension or complication introduced in this first encounter, the more satisfying it is when love finally works out.
The scene is usually pretty short and gets to the point. It’s a familiar rom-com trope that has been around since it was coined in Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938) when Claudette Colbert and Gary Cooper met for the first time while shopping for pajamas.
Channing Tatum Meat Cute Sandwich Scene | 22 Jump Street
Why Is the Meet-Cute an Essential Rom-Com Trope?
The meet-cute is a vital rom-com trope for several reasons. This is the first impression of why we want these two characters to come together at the end of the story, while setting up what obstacles could get in the way of their love.
In short, the meet-cute is the inciting incident.
It is important to remember that satisfying meet-cutes will be what makes your rom-com stand out from other romantic comedies. It should be original, memorable, and authentic to your story.
How to Write a Meet-Cute (with Examples)
Make It Character-first
The best meet-cutes reveal something essential about each character the moment they meet. Instead of relying on gimmicks or plot contrivances, character-first meet-cutes thrive on the dynamic between the two leads. These moments aren’t just about how they meet, they’re about who they are when they meet.
Take When Harry Met Sally…, the perfect example of a character-driven meet-cute with major emotional payoff. When Harry (Billy Crystal) meets Sally (Meg Ryan) for a cross-country drive to New York City, they immediately launch into a debate about love, sex, and friendship.
From the jump, we learn exactly who they are. Harry is cynical, blunt, and self-absorbed, while Sally is optimistic, meticulous, and tightly wound. They clash—but that clash is what makes us lean in. The chemistry doesn’t come from them falling into each other’s arms, it comes from the idea that opposites attract, and from the anticipation of watching them slowly, begrudgingly grow toward each other.
When Harry Met Sally... (2/11) Movie CLIP - Men and Women Can’t Be Friends (1989) HD
Use Tension to Create Energy
Whether it’s conflict, cultural barriers, or mistaken identity, tension is essential to making a meet-cute memorable, emotionally charged, and dramatically meaningful. Without it, a meet-cute is just two people bumping into each other. No sparks. No stakes. No story.
With tension, though, the meet-cute becomes the spark that ignites the entire romance.
In 2005’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) overhears Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) dismiss her as “barely tolerable, and not handsome enough to tempt me.” Later, she throws his own words back at him in front of a crowd, publicly calling out his arrogance and wounding his pride. The clash between Darcy’s aloofness and Elizabeth’s sharp wit creates immediate friction. That tension isn’t just entertaining—it sets the emotional stakes for the entire relationship. We’re rooting for a shift in power, for growth, and for the moment when they both let their guards down and allow themselves to be, in Darcy’s words, “bewitched, body and soul.”
Tension doesn’t have to be as loud as this, but it should add emotional stakes to the story.
“Barely tolerable” Pride and Prejudice scene
Tie It to the Story Arc
Meet-cutes are essential to the story arc of a rom-com because they do more than simply introduce the love interest: they set the emotional tone, establish the central dynamic, and foreshadow the journey ahead.
In many ways, the meet-cute is the thesis statement of the romance.
In a genre driven by structure, the meet-cute becomes the anchor screenwriters can return to when everything falls apart in Act 2. It reminds the audience why this relationship matters in the first place.
Notting Hill expertly ties in the film’s themes, emotional conflict, and future tension when William (Hugh Grant), a humble bookshop owner, meets Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), an A-list movie star. The scene is understated, but rich with subtext: class difference, the desire for authenticity, and the emotional risks of fame. The moment tells us what kind of rom-com we’re about to watch: quiet, heartfelt, and deeply character-driven.
Subvert Tropes
Familiarity isn’t a bad thing, but adding a twist can make a meet-cute unforgettable. To subvert a meet-cute trope, a film has to take the audience’s expectations and flip them in tone, timing, motive, or structure.
Moonstruck subverts rom-com expectations in a rich, character-driven way. Loretta (Cher) meets Ronny (Nicolas Cage) in a rage-fueled confrontation after her fiancé (Ronny’s estranged brother) asks her to invite him to their wedding. Ronny is sweaty, bitter, and full of resentment, blaming his brother for his lost hand, lost wife, and ruined life. Whether out of pity or care, Loretta simply asks if they can just talk over steaks.
There’s nothing “cute” about this meet-cute. It’s chaotic, melodramatic, and flips the calm, charming introduction we expect in most rom-coms. But it still hits the core idea of the trope: love as a catalyst, often disruptive, irrational, and impossible to ignore.
MOONSTRUCK (1987) | Meet Ronny | MGM
Remember Tone
Tone is essential when writing a meet-cute because it sets the emotional temperature of the romance. It’s not just about how the characters meet, it’s about how the audience feels during that moment.
500 Days of Summer is a perfect example of how tone shapes a meet-cute. When Summer (Zooey Deschanel) hears The Smiths playing on Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) headphones, she casually says, “I love The Smiths.” It’s subtle, sweet, and feels like kismet, exactly how Tom wants love to feel. The tone mirrors his romantic ideals and frames the entire relationship through his lens.
Getting the tone right can turn a meet-cute into more than just a clever setup. It becomes the heartbeat of the rom-com, shaping the audience’s expectations and emotional investment in the story to come.
500 Days of Summer | Elevator Scene | Summer Meets Tom | Film Clip |
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Meet-cutes are more than just introductions. They are the emotional blueprint for the entire romance. Meet-cutes tell the audience what kind of love story they’re stepping into, who these characters truly are, and why their connection matters.
When done right, a meet-cute doesn’t just start the romance—it defines it. Use these tips to craft a moment that stays with your audience long after the credits roll.
