As I began compiling my list of favorite rom-coms (aka Romantic Comedies) and weeding out the ones that wouldn’t be the *most* appropriate to include on a church blog), three categories rose to the top. Take them, leave them, laugh at them. I hope you enjoy and maybe even find a movie to add to your list!
THE “MY JAW DROPS WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY HAVEN’T SEEN IT” ROM-COMS
When someone casually says, “Oh, I’ve never seen it” to the following movies, I am borderline offended. Do they not have any regard for the rom-com? Do they live in a bunker shut off from the outside world? Do they not enjoy romance and comedy put together in a magical formula that will leave you laughing and also very much in love with love?? This is what I wonder.
How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days
This is just a CLASSIC. I have seen it a billion times and quoted it even more. Kate Hudson takes a bet that she can date a guy, implement all the worst dating faux pas she sees women making, and lose him in 10 Days. Matthew McConaughey takes a bet that he can KEEP a girl and make her fall in love with him in 10 Days. Game, set, match. Also, there is a yellow dress so gorgeous that it made everyone in my high school attempt to mimic it at some dance or another.
Sleepless in Seattle (and for that matter...You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally because Nora Ephron knew a thing or two about writing rom-coms)
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are the quintessential couple of the 90s rom-com and it is almost a CRIME to have never seen Sleepless in Seattle (or You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally, the latter where Meg pairs with Billy Crystal.) It is one of those movies that makes a completely unlikely scenario seem realistic and normal. Dramatic without fanfare, entirely endearing and funny. Fun fact: if you’re in Seattle, you can kayak past the Sleepless in Seattle house.
Roman Holiday
Who would I be if I didn’t include an Audrey Hepburn movie on my list? This movie is by far my favorite of hers, but I could listen and watch her daintiness and facial expressions any day. And the clothes! The clothes! Here’s one of my favorite clips from the film.
Hitch
Okay, men should watch Hitch with a pen and paper to write down the truly great dating tips in this movie. (My dad now references and practices the snap and step dance move at every wedding.) Hitch is so fun, the cast is perfect, and Will Smith getting an allergic reaction in the pharmacy is a scene I crack up at no matter how many times I’ve seen it.
Runaway Bride and My Best Friend’s Wedding
In the same sentiment of my Audrey Hepburn pick, who would I be if I failed to include a Julia Roberts rom-com, or in this case...two? I started with only one but was so torn that I couldn’t go on and then I thought, “Hey, this is my list. There can be two Julia Roberts movies if I want there to be.” In Runaway Bride, It’s hard not to be dazzled by the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere combo (also with the same director of Pretty Woman.) I’ve watched this movie since childhood and the excellent soundtrack is burned into my brain. My Best Friend’s Wedding is not only set in the best city in the world (Chicago), but it also stars Dermot Mulroney and his upper lip scar. I also love that it gives us a reality check (sometimes in life, you don’t get the guy) without leaving us depressed. How does it do that? I think the singing number of “I’ll Say a Little Prayer” has something to do with it. And Dermot Mulroney’s upper lip scar.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
This is the highest grossing and most successful rom-com in film history (earning a whopping worldwide $368.7 million against a budget of $5 million.) Is it the family quirks? The truly sweet love story? The barrage of one good joke after the other? The makeover element? It’s probably a mix of all of the above, but My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a smart and impossibly charming crowd-pleaser.
SURPRISINGLY AMAZING ROM-COMS
Bride and Prejudice
There may be about 1,000 adaptations of Pride & Prejudice, but for me, Bride & Prejudice is the adaptation you never knew you needed. In true Bollywood fashion, it is full of incredible dance numbers, songs and colors, plus Aishwarya Rai is one of the most beautiful women on Planet Earth. Is it cheesy? Yes. Is that part of why I love it? Y-E-S.
To All The Boys
If you have given up on teen rom-coms, vowing that none can top Princess Diaries (which is unlikely to be knocked from being #1 on that list, ever), you may want to reconsider and click play on To All The Boys, one of the most re-watched movies on Netflix. The premise? 16-year old Lara Jean’s younger sister finds the secret love letters Lara Jean has written to her five major crushes but stashed away in her room...and then mails them. It is so cute it sometimes hurts and is somehow nostalgic while also being a completely modern Gen Z movie.
Ashton Kutcher In…
Okay, okay, I know. This list is breaking all sorts of rules. But the more I thought about it, the more I just had to mention Ashton Kutcher because I don’t think anyone has made me laugh harder in rom-coms. A Lot Like Love, Just Married, What Happens in Vegas, Cheaper by The Dozen (not really a rom-com, but it’s a fav)... he’s my go-to guy when I need a little more com in my rom.
Dan in Real Life
This is a “surprisingly amazing” rom-com mainly because I feel like it should be in its own category of “family rom-com”, which sounds weird but let me explain. If you haven’t seen it, Dan in Real Life is set over a big family weekend at the grandparents: the weekend spills over with the “kids table”, talent shows, walks on the beach, and the creaky spare bedroom that’s also the laundry room. It is as much a story about family and parenting as it is about romance. It is delightful and hilarious and everyone should go watch it right now.
DRUMROLL...THE BEST ROM-COM OF THIS DECADE
Crazy Rich Asians
This is hands-down the best rom-com of the decade. When I walked out of the theater, I proclaimed to the entire hallway with my arms raised: “THIS is the rom-com America has NEEDED!” Try to top the extravagance, the gorgeous cast, Henry Goldings’s smile or eyes or hair or face, the fairytale of a story, the backdrop of Singapore, and the soundtrack. It can’t be done! Crazy Rich Asians reigns supreme in a decade that feels like the dry, barren, desert wasteland of rom-com theater releases. And I guarantee you’ll be googling how much plane tickets are to Singapore after you watch it.
What movies would you add to the list?
Meet the Author!
Makenzie graduated from Wheaton College where she majored in Christian Ministry, Urban Studies, and Photography and somehow managed to apply all of her degrees to work in the real world! She has a passion for community development after years working in urban ministry in Chicago, non-profits in Austin, and has been on staff at CRBC since 2012. She loves being able to equip and serve the church through her role as Minister of Missions at CRBC which includes both local and global partnerships. Despite being the missions minister, she is quite the homebody. She is an avid Harry Potter fan, loves Oklahoma City, and is happiest when surrounded by friends, family, and her ADORABLE weenie dog, May.