With Valentine's Day approaching, whether single or happily coupled up, you may be looking for a fun romantic movie to watch by yourself or with your loved ones. Although I have little to no film analysis expertise, I am a self-proclaimed rom-com master. Although the genre is belittled by many, I consider it to be one of the most enjoyable types of movies there are to watch. Yes, many romantic comedies are corny, no one is disputing that. But not only are these badly made films fun to watch and make fun of there are also many rom-coms that are genuinely amazing pieces of film. So whether you are looking for a beautiful thought-provoking film about the intricacies of love, or an incredibly cringe-worthy but lovable movie to laugh at, this list has what you're here for.
(DISCLAIMER: my ratings for these movies are NOT based on how good they are. As stated before some of these films are downright horrible. however, I will be rating them based on enjoyment purposes purely. So with that in mind if you see a movie on this list that I've rated 9/10, do not be shocked if you look it up and it has a 27% on rotten tomatoes. I am merely a girl who loves to be entertained)
Each Listed movie will have the tropes it includes, a brief plot description, and a rating/review by me
Table of Contents:
My Top 10 Favorite Romance movies ever
10. Life as we Know it
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tropes: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Second chance romance
Life as we Know it is a 2010 romcom about Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Messer (Josh Duhamel), two individuals who despise each other that are left to raise their goddaughter Sophie after their best friends die in a tragic accident.
This movie doesn't have the best ratings however I found it to be very heartwarming and funny. Sure, it's not the most profound movie in the world, but despite the sad opening plot, there isn't much meaning that goes beyond the surface level. That being said, both main actors portray their budding romance in a beautiful and hilarious manner, and I even teared up at the ending. This is a fun lighthearted watch and perfect for fans of the enemies-to-lovers genre.
9. Love, Rosie
★★★★★★★★★☆
Tropes: friends to lovers, slow burn, second chance romance, accidental pregnancy (gag)
Love, Rosie is a British romcom based on the Irish novel Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahren. It surrounds two childhood best friends Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) who are harboring secret feelings for each other. The story follows their decades-long journey to falling for each other.
This movie life the previously mentioned Life as We Know it received very mediocre reviews from critics, that being said I actually disagree this time. Love, Rosie has incredible performances from both Claflin and Collins. While watching these two struggle to finally find their way to each other viewers see how life can sometimes get in the way of two people who are seemingly perfect together. I highly recommend this movie to all viewers.
(the only reason I didn't give it 10/10 is sometimes their slow burn was so frustrating that I wanted to throw something)
8. 500 Days of Summer
★★★★★★★★★☆
Tropes: will they won't they? (they won't), the one that got away
500 days of summer is a 2009 indie film about two coworkers Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Zoey Deschanel) who fall in love and then break up, causing Tom to reflect on their relationship and how it went wrong.
This may be a controversial one, considering it isn't really a romcom, and some debate if it's really a romance at all. This movie has received many arguments in the years after it's released whether which character was the "villain" of their relationship. Tom the yearnful leading man is criticized for idealizing summer too much and ignoring her obvious signs that she wasn't looking for a serious relationship. While Summer has been criticized for leading Tom on. My opinion on this matter is much too long to include in this rating, but for now, I encourage you all to watch it and form one of your own. Although it's not necessarily a happy movie it provides an interesting take on the romance genre and whether or not the relationships in these movies are realistic to people in the real world.
7. She's the Man
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: enemies to friends to lovers, public love confession, hidden Identity
This 2006 Amanda Bynes MASTERPIECE is a brilliant and hilarious Shakespeare retelling based around his play The Twelfth Night. Viola (Bynes) decides to go undercover disguised as her twin brother Sebastian to try out for his school's soccer team in order to prove to her school's sexist soccer coach that she has the skill to play in the boy's league. Here Viola meets her roommate Duke (Channing Tatum) who she enlists to help her get better at soccer. She quickly realizes she is falling for Duke and has to balance her feelings for him with her secret identity.
I do not care how corny and slightly outdated this movie is, it is one of the funniest things I've seen in my whole life. Amanda Bynes absolutely killed this role, nailing every line. Her ridiculous wig and boy accent paired with the incredibly stupid yet funny script make an amazing teen rom-com. On top of that the romance between Duke and Olivia is not only extremely funny but for lack of a better word adorable.
6. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: "It was all a bet", fake romance, second chance romance
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a widely loved romantic comedy about Andie a How-to Colum writer, who is assigned to write an article about driving a man away within 10 days. What she doesn't know is that the subject she decides to write about, advertisement agent Benjamin, has entered a bet with his coworkers to get a woman to fall in love with him in the same time frame.
As a person who HATES movies about dating bets, I am obsessed with this movie. Typically in movies like these (cough cough She's All That) one of the characters always gets screwed over and humiliated which always makes me wonder why they decide to forgive the other character. However, these two are both technically using each other whilst simultaneously falling in love with their real selves. While Andie is trying to wear out Ben she uses amusing antics to make him cave.
5. 10 Things I Hate About You
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: enemies to lovers, "it was all a bet", second chance romance
This 1999 Shakespeare retelling of Taming of the Shrew is another 10/10 with 10 in the title. It starts with new student Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who becomes enthralled with popular girl Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). He soon discovered in order to date Bianca her father created the rule that her sister Kat (Julia Stiles) must be dating someone as well. With this, he begins paying the school delinquent Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date her.
Okay, I know I stated previously that I hate dating as a bet trope, and I do, but for this one, I can make an exception. The plot on paper sounds quite frankly sexist, and maybe it kind of is, but with the satirical comedy and incredible chemistry between the lead couples, I can get past it. This movie is a timeless classic with fun outfits, witty one-liners, and good music.
4. Crazy Rich Asians
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: second chance romance
Crazy Rich Asians, based on the 2013 romantic comedy novel of the same name, teacher Rachel (Constance Wu) accompanies her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) to his best friend's wedding in Singapore, where she discovers his family is extremely wealthy. Here she is faced with the conflict of impressing his family matriarch who does not believe she is good enough for him.
This is a very sweet yet funny movie that always makes me tear up at the end. Not only are the main characters impossible to not love, but the side plot surrounding Nick's cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan) goes beyond the classic formula of a romantic comedy. I am hopeful that in the future we will get a movie dedicated to her story.
3. 27 Dresses
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: enemies to lovers, “It was all a lie?”
Another Katherine Heigl classic which follows Jane who is seemingly “always the bridesmaids, never the bride.” Jane runs into conflict when her boss George (Edward Burns) who she has been harboring a secret crush on for years, falls for her carefree younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman). She is then enlisted in planning their wedding and starts spending time with the cynical wedding journalist Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) who is secretly writing an article about her unfortunate love life.
This is one of my all-time favorite comfort movies. It’s a very lighthearted easy watch with hilarious scenes and excellent chemistry between the leads. One performance that stood out for me was from Marsden who I believe should be cast as a leading man more often. In every other romance movie I’ve seen him in (The Notebook, Enchanted) he is always seen playing the second choice. He has the charisma and talent to play an excellent leading man and it really shows in this movie.
2. Palm Springs
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: slow-burn romance, forced proximity, enemies to friends to lovers
Palm Springs follows Sarah (Cristin Miliotu) and Nyles (Andy Samberg) who get stuck in a time loop together on the day of Sarah’s sister’s wedding. After coming to terms with their situation Sarah and Nyles begin doing stupid yet fun stunts and begin to find comfort within each other.
This is the newest movie on my top 10 list but I think it will soon be recognized as a classic staple in the rom-com genre. As someone who is not the biggest fan of time-loop movies, I think Palm Springs does a realistic yet funny take on it. Andy Samberg who plays the leading man is not only hilarious but relatable in the way he navigates being stuck. Although he has not been a romantic lead in many movies it is very adamant that he possesses the charm and looks to pull it off. This movie has a very simplistic yet romantic quote that I think about all the time: “But what if we get sick of each other?” “We’re already sick of each other, it’s the best.”
1. When Harry Met Sally
★★★★★★★★★★
Tropes: Enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, dramatic love confession
This 1989 classic created by the romantic comedy foremother Norah Ephron is a tale of two friends Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) who slowly fall in love over the course of 12 years. When they first meet after college graduation they dislike each other. Years later they meet again and the dislike slowly starts to fade. Years after that they meet AGAIN after both have suffered from tumultuous breakups and form a friendship that gets them through their tough times.
Before I start talking about this movie, I know what you’re thinking, Billy Crystal as the lead in a romantic comedy? Before I watched this movie I only saw him as an old man or the voice of Mike Wazowski, but his charisma and humor make you forget about that for 1h and 36m. Although it’s been decades since its release, I still consider When Harry Met Sally to be the best Rom-com of all time. When My parents introduced me to it they were worried it would have aged badly like many other 80s and 90s movies I’ve watched with them. However not only does it thankfully lack offensive jokes and stereotypes (unlike many films of its time, cough cough 16 candles), but its portrayal of Harry and Sally’s love story shows an accurate and beautiful portrayal of love. My absolute favorite detail of the film is the couples shown in between scenes. During transitional periods in the movie, an older couple tells a small blurb about their relationship and how they ultimately got together. Not only is this a clever stylistic choice, but the couples shown are also actually all together in real life. The stories they’re telling to the camera are about how they all fell in love.
Some Other Classic Feel-good Romcoms
While these movies didn't quite make it into my top 10 favorites, they are perfect light-hearted movies to watch on any occasion (alone or with others)
13 Going on 30
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, the one that got away
A classic rom-com starring Jennifer Garner as Jenna, a young girl who after experiencing an embarrassing mishap at her thirteenth birthday party, wishes she was thirty. After her wish magically comes true, she has to navigate the adult world and her job as a big-time magazine editor with help from her childhood best friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo)
This is another favorite of mine that always makes me emotional. There is a really impactful scene where Jenna visits her childhood home and it’s all dark and empty while Billy Joel’s Vienna is playing in the background that always makes me cry. The only reason this movie didn’t make it into my top ten is that I watch it more for the coming-of-age story and not the romance (which is still excellent but very bittersweet)
Notting Hill
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tropes: Big star and ordinary boy, second chance romance
This 1999 romcom surrounds divorced British bachelor William Thacker (Hugh Grant) who owns a small travel bookstore in Notting Hill. One day famous American movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) enters his shop and they soon spark a connection. The movie follows their navigation around her suffocating stardom and differing lives, eventually leading to this iconic quote: “I’m just a girl, standing in from of a boy, asking him to love her.”
I have only seen this movie once (fairly recently) but it has quickly become a crucial watch for me. I’m typically not a huge fan of the “big star falls for a normal civilian!” trope, but this one is very realistic and beautiful to me. Anna does not make apologies on behalf of her success and showcases a realistic portrayal of a woman who has been picked apart by the media for years.
He's Just Not That Into You
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
This 2009 rom-com based on the self-help book of the same name surrounds several stories of heartbreak, cheating, divorce, and rejection. Despite its kind of outdated takes on male and female relationships, it brings a funny and lighthearted take to the side of dating that’s honestly kind of depressing.
This was a really fun watch for me. I absolutely love movies that surround multiple stories because even if one of them is horrendously boring and weird (Ben and Anna’s) the movie is saved by the cute interesting ones (Gigi and Alex’s) One thing I really enjoyed about this movie was that it was the first time I ever watched a Ben Affleck movie and didn’t feel the need to punch him (I really dislike Ben Affleck)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Tropes: Fake dating, love triangle, childhood friends to lovers
This 2018 Netflix original based on the hit book series by Author Jenny Han follows Lara Jean (Lana Condor), a hopeless romantic teen who writes letters to all the boys she’s ever loved. When her letters end up getting sent out she begins faking a relationship with popular guy Peter Kavinsky (recipient of said letter) to avoid further humiliation.
This is a cute modern-day rom-com that I believe deserves more respect (cough cough STOP COMPARING IT TO THE KISSING BOOTH) Although I did not really enjoy the next two movies in the franchise (especially the last one) I think it works perfectly as a stand-alone movie.
Crazy, Stupid, Love
★★★★★★★★☆☆
This 2011 multi-narrative film contains a cast of some of my favorite actors ever. It follows Cal (Steve Carrell) a father of two who is going through a divorce from his wife Emily (Julianne Moore). While sitting depressed at a bar he comes across bachelor Jacob (RYAN GOSLING!!!) who helps him navigate his way through being single.
This movie is one of my family’s all-time favorites (because we are all obsessed with Ryan Gosling, especially my dad, he loves Ryan Gosling). Not only is it hilarious and sweet but it also has the same pairing as one of my favorite movies of all time, La La Land.
(The only reason it is not 10 stars is that the little boy in it freaks me out, he is seriously weird and stalkery)
But I'm a Cheerleader
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tropes: Opposites attract, big love confession
This 1999 (great year for romcoms) satirical comedy stars Natasha Lyonne as closeted lesbian cheerleader Megan, who is sent away to a conversion camp where she meets Graham (Clea DuVall) and they soon realize their feelings for each other.
Okay so the plot sounds extremely dark, nobody thinks they’re going to watch a film about a literal conversion camp and laugh, but I assure you it is completely satire. One of the leaders of the camp, who is a supposed “former gay” is literally played by RuPaul, which is very telling of the seriousness of this film. But I’m a Cheerleader is a hilarious film that critiques idiotic gender roles and ridiculous gay stereotypes, while still portraying a sweet sapphic relationship, with a happy ending (something very rare for LGBTQ+ films)
Sabrina (1954)
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Tropes: Love triangle, Cinderella story
While I have been calling many of these movies “classics” Sabrina is an actual classic. The 1963 Cinderella-based film is about Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) the daughter of a Chauffer to a very rich family, who has had an unrequited love with one of their sons David (William Holden) for many years. After spending two years in Paris she returns and immediately catches the eye of David, who doesn’t even realize who she is. He thus begins to pursue her but is met with the restraint of his older brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) who needs him to marry an Heiress for their family business.
As a little girl, I grew up watching Audrey Hepburn movies with my mom and this was always my favorite. Not only is it a sweet movie with many twists and turns, but her outfits in it are also fabulous. The white and black dress she wears while at the tennis court with David is one of my favorite pieces in fashion from any movie.
Jerry Maguire
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
The 1996 Cameron Crowe movie (director of one my favorite movies ever Almost Famous!!) stars Tom Cruz (gag) as Jerry Maguire, a sports agent who faces an epiphany about the sports industry, which further leads him to lose his job and fiance. After being forced to leave his company he asks his office who will join him, receiving only one yes from the receptionist and young widow, Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger).
This is one of my favorite romcoms with one of my favorite love confession scenes (“you had me at hello”) Not only does it have a very realistic love story (cough cough Jerry being kind of awful to Dorothy for half the movie), but it also has aspects of sports which can be very interesting if you’re invested in that stuff (I personally am not)
Tear Jerkers
While these are still technically romcoms, you should only watch them if you're in the mood for tears
Me Before You
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
This 2016 Romance/Drama surrounds the young and eccentric Lou (Emilia Clarke) an unemployed woman who takes a job as a caregiver for the recently disabled William, a depressed businessman who has no interest in her cheerfulness.
This movie made me sob violently. Not really much else to say but only watch it if you want to be sad.
One Day
★★★★★★☆☆☆☆
Tropes: slow burn, friends to lovers
Another romance/drama that follows two friends Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dex (Jim Sturgess) who meet on the 15th of July for the next 20 years, slowly falling in love with each other.
This movie is kind of similar to Love, Rosie if Love, Rosie had an awful tragic ending and was actually really depressing. Good watch though.
Remember Me
★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
Tropes: fast burn, grumpy sunshine
Rebellious and troubled young adult Tyler (Robert Pattinson) meets Ally (Emilie de Ravin) a warm and spirited college student, who like him has suffered a painful past but maintains a soft exterior. Together the two of them fall in love, tackling separate familial issues.
This movie was super cute till the last 5 minutes. The plot twist in it was honestly kind of dumb and random, without giving too much away it felt like an unnecessary addition for the shock factor. regardless, I think it's worth a one-time watch.
Romcoms that are NOT worth watching and I think I should receive financial compensation for sitting through
Okay, so I know that this article was to give people suggestions but I have decided to just use this space to talk about two movies that were HORRIBLE. Not even quality wise they were just morally corrupt and AWFUL.
My Best Friend's Wedding
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Tropes: HOMEWRECKING, ADULTERY, childhood friends to lovers (IN A BAD WAY)
Childhood friends Julianne (Julia Roberts) and Michael (Dermot Mulroney) have always had a “will they? won’t they?” type of relationship. When Michael announces his plans to marry Julianne quickly realizes she’s been in love with him for years and needs to stop the wedding.
Okay look I can get behind cheating in movies if it is called for but this was just CRAZY. Not only was his fiance the totally gorgeous and awesome Cameron Diaz, but she was also SUPER SWEET AND NICE. JULIA ROBERTS CHARACTER NEEDS TO STOP BEING A HOME WRECKER. The only thing that saved this movie was that they didn’t get together in the end and she had to suffer (sorry for the spoiler).
Something Borrowed
★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Tropes: more ADULTERY
Not even gonna add a plot description for this one because I’m just gonna rant about the plot in my review. This movie is yet another example of the cheating trope being used absolutely horribly. Basically, the protagonist Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) had this big fat crush on her law school friend Dex (HOW ARE YOU GONNA BE NAMED SOMETHING AS BAD AS DEX AND CHEAT) (Colin Egglesfiend) (dumb last name), and one night I think it was before or after their LSATS (I’m not gonna google it because I hate this movie too much) she invites her best friend Darcy (Kate Hudson) to celebrate with them. Darcy then flirts with Dax (sounds messed up but she didn’t know about Rachel’s crush) and they end up entering a longtime relationship. Years later at Rachel’s 30th birthday party she gets drunk and confesses her feelings for him, WHICH HE RECIPROCATES (even though he’s literally engaged TO BE MARRIED to her best friend) and they begin a literal affair. And through this whole movie, we’re supposed to feel bad for them because Darcy is kinda annoying, BUT THATS NOT AN EXCUSE FOR CHEATING. And to make matters worse this super sweet and nice guy (who is played by JOHN FREAKING KRAZINSKI) confesses his feelings for Rachel but she rejects him because she is stupid and dumb.
Rumor Has it
★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Tropes: Cheating, borderline incest
Okay, this movie is literally insane and I’m just gonna spoil it because I don’t even think it's worth watching unless to laugh. But basically, Jennifer Aniston’s character (I don’t even remember her name and I don’t feel like looking it up) figures out the movie The Graduate (which is about this man who sleeps with a woman AND her mom) is about her mom and grandma. So she goes to find the man because she thinks he’s her dad, and he’s like no I’m not I’m infertile! So she’s like okay AND THEN THEY SLEEP TOGETHER (all while she's engaged to Mark Ruffalo btw, more cheating) So basically this man has slept with three generations of her family. Then the craziest part is after all this happens she meets his SON and is like “what the heck you lied about being infertile, I think I just slept with my dad!!!” and he’s like “no he’s adopted don’t worry” I don’t even remember how this movie ends because it was so bad.
BONUS MOVIES!!
These next few are more female-centric movies with a romantic subplot. Really fun movies to watch at a girl's night/"galentine's day" (no plot description or review because this article is already too long)
Pitch Perfect: ★★★★★★★★★★
Juno: ★★★★★★★★★★
The Princess Diaries: ★★★★★★★★★★
Bride Wars: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Clueless:★★★★★★★★★☆
Easy A: ★★★★★★★★☆☆
Bridesmaids: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Ending Note!
I hope this list helped you all figure out what to watch this February (or what not to watch). Even if you think Valentine’s Day is an excuse to sell greeting cards and chocolate, there’s never a bad time to watch a cheesy romantic comedy! If you're like me, and love watching movies like these, feel free to leave your favorite's in the comments.
Other favorite rom-coms are Duff for sure and Dirty Dancing if that’s considered one!