By now, everyone probably knows about most of the best romantic comedies of all time, but for every Sleepless in Seattle there are at least a couple of rom-coms that are either unfairly judged, quickly forgotten or largely ignored by the light-romance loving public. Here’s a list of 32 rom-coms that are way better than you remember them being.
Two Weeks Notice
This opposites-attract rom-com saw Hugh Grant fully lean into smarm-charm and Sandra Bullock bring us another spunky, smart character who likes to do good as a womanizing billionaire and the lawyer he hires for his company. There’s great chemistry between the leads and since it’s difficult to dislike either of them in anything, this is a romantic comedy that still delivers.
Definitely, Maybe
Ryan Reynolds leaned away from smarm-charm to play a single dad to Abigail Breslin, whose character asks to hear how he ended up with her mom for a time, meaning that we get a sweet and funny look back at the romances that impacted him the most while trying to figure out who her mom is and which lady from his past is his end-game. That mystery aspect really adds to the warm-hearted story that was already sweet and intriguing without it.
Kate & Leopold
There’s nothing wrong with a little sci-fi with your rom-com, and we get that in this Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman film. His sophisticated (but poor) duke is accidentally pulled into modern-day New York from the 1870s, where he stumbles upon her crusty market research exec and they fall for one another as he attempts to figure out his new world and she tries to understand what his whole, old-timey deal is. If you want a romance where Ryan gives us something different and Jackman seduces the audience by talking about butter, this is your movie.
Just Wright
Amazing chemistry between leads is what can always get you hooked on a rom-com, and that’s what we get in the performances of Queen Latifah and Common as her physical therapist takes over his NBA player’s care after a major injury, and they begin to grow close, despite his engagement to her god-sister. The duo is perfect as a dedicated basketball fan who’s dying to have a man appreciate her as more than a friend and a guy who knows he needs more than his current romance is delivering, and when they finally admit their feelings…yeah, it’s hot.
This Is 40
Not many romantic comedies center on a married couple, but that’s what we get from this film, where Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann revive their characters from Knocked Up. As both approach 40, the parents of two take us through the many complications of their lives and show both how difficult and rewarding it can be to stick with your partner through thick, thin and…weird.
27 Dresses
Lovelorn Jane (Katherine Heigl) has been a bridesmaid 27 times, but still harbors a long-time crush on her boss. When she meets reporter Kevin (James Marsden), who’s been tasked with writing about her sister’s wedding to her boss, they begin to fall for one another as he secretly writes a piece about her always-a-bridesmaid status. You can’t go wrong with two funny, attractive leads who play off each other well, and a story that will drop a bombshell secret on one of them to make things complicated, and this movie is still worth its rom-com status well over a decade later.
Baggage Claim
Flight attendant Montana (Paula Patton) elicits help from her co-workers to traverse the country to revisit old boyfriends in the hope of securing a date for her sister’s wedding, meanwhile, she’s ignoring someone at home who’d be the perfect, long-term love. Because of Patton, Montana’s adventures are great fun to watch, and even better when she realizes what and who she already loves about her life.
Friends With Benefits
Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake play the titular friends here, who began their relationship as buddies, and then insisted they could take things further without complications like falling in love. This one is funny, with likable leads who are perfectly matched, and it will feel like you’ve watched the two pretend they’re not each other’s endgame forever.
I Want You Back
When heartbroken strangers Emma (Jenny Slate) and Peter (Charlie Day) randomly meet after being freshly abandoned by their previous partners, they bond over their desperate love lives and quickly agree to help the other win back their exes. Attempted romantic sabotage has never been funnier or more heartfelt, and this rom-com really delivers on a perfect ending.
The People We Hate At The Wedding
There are several romantic plots weaved into this tale of struggling siblings Alice and Paul (Kristen Bell, Ben Platt) flying to England with their estranged mom (Allison Janney) to attend the wedding of their older, much more sophisticated, rich and put-together half-sister, Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), of whom they’ve always been jealous. But, this rom-com about family members who make some bad decisions and have to find a way to reconcile is way hotter for the growing romance of Alice and fellow airplane passenger, Dennis (Dustin Milligan).
Shotgun Wedding
Action adventure, plus romantic comedy about an engaged couple trying to save their wedding and all their guests from pirates? Yes, please! Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star as the soon-to-be-wed-as-long-as-they’re-not-dead couple, and it has never been more fun to watch two people fight, run and ruin formal wear as they attempt to salvage both their relationship and the safety of their families and friends.
The Lost City
If you thought that Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum (with assists from Daniel Radcliffe, 2024 Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Brad Pitt) weren’t going to be a great rom-com duo, you were wrong. As a starchy romance novelist/former academic and her hunky/sorta dumb cover model who’s secretly in love with her, these two make getting lost in the jungle and being hunted by a crazed billionaire (Radcliffe) and his henchmen one of the most laugh out loud action rom-coms you’ll ever see.
Bros
Want an R-rated romantic comedy that will bring wall-to-wall laughs, cringe-worthy situations and sweet moments? Then this movie is for you. Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane star as two commitment-phobes who can’t quite stay away from each other but are also unsure of how to make a relationship work. The enjoyable stars are backed by a great supporting cast and a story that’s realistic but also nutty enough to make your stomach hurt from the belly laughs.
The Hating Game
Based on the hit romance novel of the same name, this movie, starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell, sees two co-workers go from hate to love as they vie for the same promotion. Largely overlooked when it was released, The Hating Game is great on all fronts; from the enemies-to-lovers romance, to the sweet and sultry times and the leads giving us a couple to root for, this one is definitely worth your time.
A Knight's Tale
Where else can you get a 14th-century rom-com with jousting tournaments, historical figures like Geoffrey Chaucer and music by the likes of David Bowie, Queen, Sly and the Family Stone and more classic rock? Heath Ledger stars as the pauper who poses as the titular knight to win a series of jousting tournaments and romance the noble-born Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon), and helps make this the funniest, most delightful middle ages action-packed romantic comedy you’ll ever see.
Some Kind Of Wonderful
John Hughes’ 1980s teen rom-coms have gone down in history as some of the best, but people seem to keep forgetting this classic ‘80s movie with Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Leah Thompson. It has great ingredients in three kids from the wrong side of the tracks, with one as the high school “it girl” (Thompson) that Stoltz’s character dreams about, while his best buddy (Masterson) has a long-held unrequited crush on him and attempts to help him win his dream girl. If you haven’t seen this one in a while, it’s time to give it another shot.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back
We don’t often see older woman/younger man romances, but that’s just one thing that makes this smart and sizzling rom-com great. There are also funny and deep performances by Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs and a great supporting cast, as their two-decades-apart lovebirds try to figure out how to make things work after meeting on Stella’s tropical vacation.
Happy Accidents
Marisa Tomei and Vincent D’Onofrio star in this delightfully funny and weird sci-fi rom-com about a lovelorn woman who meets and falls for her dream man…who eventually tells her that he’s from 470 years in the future. This one is pure joy through and through and you just have to watch it and see for yourself.
Wilbur Wants To Kill Himself
Adult brothers Wilbur (Jamie Sieves) and Harbour (Adrian Rawlins) try to adjust to life after their father dies, when Harbour takes over the older man’s bookstore, care of his suicidal younger brother, and quickly falls in love with a customer (Shirley Henderson) who has a young daughter, with whom he begins a new life. It’s possible that no movie about several serious subjects has also been as funny, oddball and lovingly sweet as this one.
Just My Luck
Lindsay Lohan and pre-mega-fame Chris Pine? Yes, please and thank you! When the ever-lucky Ashley and bad-luck Jake kiss at a masquerade ball, their luck switches and their fortunes are changed, eventually leading them back to one another and a chance at love, whether it be lucky or not. Fantasy rom-coms are not the norm, and the lovable performances of an adorably matched Lohan and Pine only make this one better.
Next Stop Wonderland
Sometimes it’s the person life seems to keep throwing your way who ends up being your true love. This winning, slice of life rom-com starring Hope Davis and Alan Gelfant is a great way to see two people who've struggled in life and love finally realize what they need.
Mostly Martha
There’s nothing like a grumpy/sunshine romance and this German romantic comedy is a thoroughly enjoyable entry into that canon that switches the trope to see workaholic chef Martha (Martina Gedeck) confronted by major changes at home when she’s forced to care for her young niece after her sister’s death, and at work when a playful new sous-chef (Sergio Castellitto) joins her staff and they begin to grow closer. This one will make you feel cozy.
My Favorite Wife
Many a screwball comedy from Hollywood’s golden age are still fêted today, but people seem to forget about the joys of this one. Starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a man who’s had his missing wife (Dunne) declared legally dead so he can remarry seven years after her disappearance, we see shenanigans erupt when she returns home from being shipwrecked on a deserted island just after he’s wed again.
Pillow Talk
Doris Day, Rock Hudson and Tony Randall made three amazing rom-coms together from 1950-1964, but this might be the funniest. Successful decorator Jan and womanizing composer Brad are forced to share a telephone party line, leading Jan to become irritated by Brad’s constant conquests. When he finally sees her and realizes she’s pretty, however, he concocts a ridiculous plan to woo her, roping in their mutual friend. It’ll bring great pleasure to your day whenever you give it a watch.
Love, Rosie
Lily Collins and Sam Claflin star in this friends-to-lovers tale that follows buddies Rosie and Alex from high school through their late twenties as they date and marry others on their way to admitting who their true loves really are. This one’s funny, sweet, charming and not one to ignore anymore.
What's Your Number?
Anna Faris and Chris Evans star in this rom-com that sees Ally (Faris) track down her exes in the hopes that one has finally become the type of guy she wants to marry, with the help of her neighbor, Colin. Watching Faris and Evans get into comical scrapes as they slowly fall for each other is just the best. Give this one another try.
Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past
This rom-com retelling of A Christmas Carol sees Matthew McConaughey’s womanizer visited by, yes, the ghosts of important past, present and future girlfriends, as he reconnects with the only woman he really loved (Jennifer Garner). Come for the premise, stay for the chemistry between Garner and McConaughey.
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor star as a financial advisor and fishing expert who join a project that tries to bring salmon fishing to Yemen, and this quietly satisfying rom-com will leave you feeling like love can be found in the most unlikely places and ways.
Something New
Race and class threaten to get in the way when Black, successful and rigid CPA Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) is set up on a blind date with white, free-thinking landscaper Brian (Simon Baker), but after another meeting, when she decides to hire him to work on her property, sparks fly despite her reservations. This romantic comedy really rides the line between sweet and heat, and makes good on the promise of both.
One Fine Day
You really can’t go wrong with a rom-com starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney as two single parents who have to rely on each other to get through a frantic day with their kids and go from strangers to much more because of it. This one has held up well since the ‘90s, and is just as great today as it was then, despite often being forgotten.
Chasing Liberty
Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode really make this rom-com about the somewhat rebellious daughter of the U.S. president and a young secret service agent falling for each other, as he protects her through a series of adventures without her realizing that he’s not just an average hottie. It’s a wonderful way to spend 111 minutes that will speed by as soon as the opening credits roll.
Jumping The Broom
Every now and then you need to watch two messy families and their friends try to merge as wedding festivities begin and romance blossoms among surprising parties, and you get that in spades with this Paula Patton and Laz Alonzo starring story that will leave you with plenty of romance and comedy to love.
Now you have great list of rom-coms to revisit any time you need a quick hit of love!
