Best Romantic Comedies

 

Crazy, Stupid Love (2011): Shakespearean in nature and filled with an amazing cast, “Crazy, Stupid Love” is a quintessential rom-com.  Starring Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, “Crazy Stupid Love” mixes miscommunications and misinterpretations into contemporary California.  Emily (Moore) asks Cal (Carrell) for a divorce because she had an affair.  Cal’s whole world gets thrown into disarray until Gosling offers him a chance to rediscover who he is. In this film, everyone falls for the wrong person.  You laugh, you cry, you root for Steve Carrell and then wish him hell.  But like all Shakespearean plays, this movie leaves you reminded that love perseveres all. 

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (2003): Starring Mathew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, this film is the perfect guide to what not to do when you meet the man of your dreams.  A journalist who covers the “How To” section in her magazine, Andie (Hudson) volunteers to write a piece on how to lose a guy in ten days.  Ben (McConaughey) makes a bet with his coworkers that he can make a girl fall in love with him in ten days.  By happenstance the two meet, initiating a rollercoaster of a relationship. As Andie pushes Ben away with her turn-offs, she falls for him, and Ben falls for Andie even though he only needs to seduce her for his bet.  Filled with dramatic irony, you will cringe as much as you laugh at the nuances Andie and Ben share throughout their relationship.  “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” is an off-beat yet equally hilarious rom-com. 

 

Wedding Crashers (2005): Though it isn’t as chic-flick esque as many romantic comedies are, this film features Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn at their finest.  These two comedic geniuses would play improvising lines off each other over games of pool, and it clearly shows their work paid off.  Veterans of crashing weddings to meet girls, Wilson and Vaughn crash their biggest wedding yet.  As though this wasn’t a challenge enough, they run into trouble when invited back to Secretary of State Cleary’s house (Christopher Walken).  Wilson longs for something more with Clare Cleary (Rachael McAdams), while Vaughn is clung onto by an infatuated Gloria Cleary (Isla Fischer).  Not a line is wasted, and although it’s not your conventional/stereotypical rom-com, it is definitely funny and romantic in its own way. 

Midnight in Paris (2010): Directed by Woody Allen, this movie teaches an important lesson: no matter how much you drink in Paris, unless you are Owen Wilson you won’t travel back in time.  After getting a little too tispy at a Paris winetasting, the aspiring author Gil (Wilson) is transported to 1920’s Paris, where the modern arts flourished.  He embarks on a love affair with Adriana (Marion Cotillard) a flapper,and mingles with Pablo Picasso and F. Scott Fitzgerald. This movie does teach that life is unsatisfying no matter what time period you live in. Romantic, beautiful Paris and a fabulous cast including Kathy Bates and Rachael McAdams makes this film a must-see. 

 

 

The Five Year Engagement (2012): What if you get engaged to your soul mate, but can’t plan a wedding for any sooner than five years after the proposal?  “The Five Year Engagement” plays out this scenario in the form of Jason Segel and Emily Blunt.  Hopelessly in love with each other, the pair must make huge sacrifices for each other to further their careers.  Pressures of work, families and adapting to new lifestyles strain the bond that Segel and Blunts characters’ have.  It assesses the question of whether or not love can last through all, no matter how strong the love.

It’s Complicated (2009): Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep have excellent chemistry in this film.  Ten years after divorcing, (Streep) and Jack (Baldwin) go out one night in New York.  After a few drinks and some reminiscing of their marriage, they embark on a love affair.  Confused and excited, they try to hide their happenings from their family and friends.  However, this bittersweet adventure doesn’t run smooth. Featuring John Krakinski and Steve Martin, “It’s Complicated” is a comedic reflection of whether or not we can honor that the decisions we made were right. 

Love Actually (2003): Various vignettes compose this rom-com, as viewers follow the lives of eight different couples living in contemporary England.  December before Christmas in London makes the perfect backdrop, giving all viewers the warm-fuzzy feeling, and with the heartwarming stories laced in enhances the overall film.  Featuring the talents of Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, and Keira Knightley, “Love Actually” is a classic romantic comedy that holds your attention with its various stories glued together. You will fall in love with everyone just as much as they do with each other in this film.

 

 

When Harry Met Sally (1989): Brought to you by rob Reiner, “When Harry Met Sally” poses the question of whether men and women can just be friends. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star in this film as two friends who meet each other over the course of several years. Crystal believes that men and women can be friends without sex getting in the way. Ryan disagrees, as some women believe that what can seem a simple compliment can be called out as a pass. This film traces Harry and Sally through their relationships, as Harry and Sally meet up and reminisce over love lost. Ryan and Crystal’s chemistry is flawless, as life takes them back to each other various times.  The soundtrack is also pretty stellar, as Harry Connick Jr. is the main attraction of it. This film will leave viewers sure that love isn't hopeless, and worth the risk.

French Kiss (1995): A disheartened Kate (Meg Ryan) heads to Paris, in fear that her fiancé is straying from her.  On her flight, she meets Luc (Kevin Kline) a Frenchman, and their meeting drags her into his plant smuggling.  Kate searches the country for her fiancé with Luc, but the time they spend together makes them fall for each other.  Ever twisting and turning, their adventure teaches them that sometimes if you let go of someone, you can find someone better when you least expect it.  Quirky and light-hearted, “French Kiss” is a wonderful film that proves you can find love in the most peculiar places. 

27 Dresses (2008): Stuck being a bridesmaid for 27 weddings, Jane (Katherine Heigl) is about to be one for the twenty-eighth time.  This wouldn’t be such a big deal if the man her sister was marrying wasn’t someone she had been secretly in love with for quite a while, plus plan the wedding.  When she meets Kevin (James Marsden), her world gets turned upside-down further, as he clings onto her possibly to advance his own career as a writer.  This film is a lighthearted reminder of how even when things seem completely hopeless, it is important to stay true to yourself.  Even if you always say yes to others, it is important to put yourself first every now and again.  Although it is a pretty stereotypical chick-flick, “27 Dresses” is a must-see for anyone who loves staring at James Marsden for a good couple hours.