Who doesn’t love a good romantic comedy? Rom-coms are everything; they can be a thoughtful exploration of romance and its many intricacies, challenges, and rewards; they can also be fluffy, silly stories about boy-meeting-girl that bring butterflies to millions of stomachs; finally, they can be guilty pleasures best enjoyed with a drink and a few snacks on a casual Tuesday afternoon.
The romantic comedy remains one of Hollywood’s best genres. Hollywood has produced many amazing romantic comedies throughout the years. Although it suffered a slump throughout the 2010s, the genre bounced back and is now back to its place of honor as an audience and industry favorite.The greatest of these game-changing, grin-generating romances rank among the best and most memorable pictures in cinema, whether because of their heartwarming storylines, unforgettable quotes, electrifying chemistry between their leads, or a combination of all these factors. Acclaimed by fans and critics, these movies (Hollywood and international) are the best the genre has to offer, among them outright legends in pop culture and milestones in the entertainment industry.
45’How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' (2003)
Directed by Donald Petri
Modern rom-com queenKate HudsonjoinsMatthew McConaugheyin 2003’sHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The plot centers on Andy Anderson and Benjamin Barry, a couple who go into a whirlwind romance. Unbeknownst to one another, they each have their own agendas: he bet he could make her fall in love in one week while she is on a work assignment to drive him away in 10 days.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysfeaturesthe most rom-com premise ever in that it’s wholly unbelievable and not particularly ethical, but weirdly irresistible. Hudson and McConaughey are outstanding together, bringing equal amounts of humor and romance to a film as funny as it’s charming.How to Lose a Guy in 10 Daysis a modern rom-com classic, proving that the genre can sell the most ludicrous plotsas long as the central couple is engaging, beautiful, and endearing.
How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days
44’Silver Linings Playbook' (2012)
Directed by David O. Russell
Silver Linings PlaybookstarsBradley CooperandJennifer Lawrencein their first collaboration. The film tells the story of Patrick “Pat” Solatano, a man with bipolar who forms an unexpected connection with the young Tiffany Maxwell, a young and emotionally unstable widow while training for an upcoming dance competition.
The romantic comedy seldom attracts wild amounts of acclaim from critics. However,Silver Linings Playbookis the rarerom-com that ruled the Oscars, thanks to its unique approach to love, loss, and romance. Cooper and an Oscar-winning Lawrence are electrifying together, crafting a unique cinematic relationship with emotional heft. However, they never sacrifice the feels, finding gentleness in the most unexpected sides of romance.
Silver Linings Playbook
43’Trouble in Paradise' (1932)
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch
The pre-Code romantic comedyTrouble in Paradiseis among the genre’s most underappreciated efforts. Directed byErnst Lubitsch, the film starsMiriam Hopkins,Kay Francis, andHerbert Marshalland follows a con artist and a pickpocket who team up to scam a wealthy woman. The early days of Hollywood were filled with trailblazing rom-coms, and this is one of the best.
An essential entry for Lubitsch aficionados,Trouble in Paradiseis one of the earliest romantic comedies to feel like one. A passionate and surprisingly frank love triangle with effervescent performances from its three well-matched leads,Trouble in Paradisejuggles ideas of its era with a distinctively progressive approach. The result is asingular classic romantic comedythat deserves far more attention from modern audiences.
Trouble in Paradise
42’Notting Hill' (1998)
Directed by Roger Mitchel
The undisputed rom-com queen of the 90s,Julia Roberts, joins the undisputed rom-com king of the 90s,Hugh Grant, in a once-in-a-lifetime pairing for fans of the beloved genre.Notting Hillsees Grant as a meek bookshop owner, William Thacker, who falls in love with world-famous actress Anna Scott, leading to a complicated romance.
Notting Hilllives and dies with its two powerful and never-better stars.Roberts and Grant are utterly winning with their clumsy, awkward, enchanting chemistry; they might possibly be the ultimate rom-com couple of the decade. Few times have two actors been more well-suited, playing off each other’s strengths in a delicate balancing act.Notting Hillis among Roberts' andGrant’s all-time best movies, solidifying their legacies as titans of the rom-com.
Notting Hill
41’Pillow Talk' (1959)
Directed by Michael Gordon
Rock HudsonandDoris Dayare one ofthe all-time great cinematic pairings. Their three films together have become synonymous with romance and passion, turning them into icons of the romantic comedy genre and legends of American film. All three movies are classics of 50s cinema, but their first collaboration, 1959’sPillow Talk, reigns supreme atop the mountain of their success.
Pillow Talkis very much a film from 1959, meaning it has some themes, scenes, and dialogues that might seem outdated to modern audiences. However, Hudson and Day are explosive together, crafting a unique dynamic many have tried to imitate, but none have succeeded in replicating.Pillow Talkis fun, funny, witty, seductive, and absurdly romantic; everything one of the best rom-com movies should be.
Pillow Talk
40’Bridget Jones’s Diary' (2001)
Directed by Sharon Maguire
Image via Universal Pictures
Renée Zellwegerreceived her first Oscar nomination for her star-making performance in the 2001 adaptation ofHelen Fielding’s 1996 novel.Bridget Jones’s Diaryfollows the romantic misadventures of the titular character, a thirty-something living in London who finds herself deciding between two romantic interests. The film, a modern adaptation ofJane Austen’sPride and Prejudice, co-stars Hugh Grant andColin Firth.
Bridget Jones’s Diaryis a modern triumph and further proof of the universality of the author’s stories, with one ofJane Austen’s greatest heroinesat its helm. Powered by a spectacular, vulnerable, and self-deprecating performance from Zellweger,Bridget Jones’s Diaryis an ode to the modern woman – or at least, the idea of the modern woman from the late 90s. Further elevated by Grant and Firth, two of the defining leading men in modern rom-coms,Bridget Jones’s Diaryis a classic story of romantic deceit and confusion, with a memorable ending that will leave audiences cheering at Zellweger’s clumsy heroine’s happy ending.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
39’While You Were Sleeping' (1995)
Directed by John Turtletaub
Sandra Bullockis one of modern cinema’s ultimate rom-com queens, thanks to her generous contributions to the genre. 1995’s holiday rom-comWhile You Were Sleeping, one ofthe most underappreciated Christmas films, sees her starring oppositeBill PullmanandPeter Gallagherin the story about Lucy, a woman who saves Peter, her longtime crush, from an oncoming train. Mistaking her for his finacée, his family takes her in, but things get complicated when she develops feelings for Peter’s brother.
Although the plot is admittedly silly and perhaps a tad questionable under the modern gaze,While You Were Sleepingsoars thanks to Bullock’s endearing portrayal of loneliness and longing. The film finds Bullock at her warmest and most sympathetic, almost single-handedly elevating the formulaic premise and turning it into a feel-good classic.
While You Were Sleeping
38’Fire Island' (2022)
Directed by Andrew Ahn
Jane Austen’sPride and Prejudicestands as one ofthe books that cinema most often adapts. However, few adaptations feel as fresh or topical as 2022’sFire Island, a gender-bent, LGBTQ+ take on Austen’s most famous romance. The plot centers on a group of gay friends on holiday at Fire Island, finding love but facing challenges that might risk their bond.
Fire Island, one of the top romantic comedies of the 2020s so far, feels like a genuinely interesting take on Austen’s novel.The film keeps the story’s main themes but reframes them under the queer perspective, delivering a satisfying tale of romance, identity, social expectations, and class. Thanks to a ravishing cast, a clever screenplay, and an earnest, empathetic portrayal of LGBTQ+ sexuality and romance,Fire Islandis among the best modern rom-coms.
Fire Island
37'(500) Days of Summer' (2009)
Directed by Marc Webb
The antidote to the classic romantic comedy,Marc Webb’soften misinterpreted but always delightfulclassic(500) Days of SummerstarsJoseph Gordon-LevittandZooey Deschanel. The plot centers on the complicated relationship between Tom, a hopeless romantic, and Summer, a cynical woman unwilling to commit to him.
(500) Days of Summerfeatures one of the most intriguing plots in any modern rom-com.Challenging audiences' notions about love and romance, the film presents a narrative that subverts familiar tropes, offering a more nuanced and realistic approach to the boy-meets-girl tale. It’s bittersweet almost to the point of being tragic, but it’s an undeniably satisfying alternative to the saccharine offerings that dominate the rom-com genre.
(500) Days of Summer
Tom is a man who believes in true love. On the other hand, Summer is a more practical person who doesn’t want a serious long-term relationship. When their fates meet, the result is intense and complicated for him.
36’Harold and Maude' (1971)
Directed by Hal Ashby
Romantic comedies don’t typically make for enduring cult classics, but being one of the most beloved cult movies of the ’70s,Harold and Maudedoesn’t really fit that mold (or any other, really). It’s about a rich young boy obsessed with death named Harold, who finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.One of the most offbeat romances in cinema’s history ensues.
Haroldand Maudesubverts all rulesand twists all rom-com tropes on their head, entirely unafraid of stepping over certain bounds — like all good cult classics do. The movie’s dark humor may be a bittoodark for some, but rom-com veterans looking for something different that’s pretty much guaranteed to surprise them will very likely fall in love withHarold and Maude.
Harold and Maude
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
