Seems the Romantic Comedy as movie genre has been particularly derided here at the dope of late.
Are there any recent ones that you guys enjoyed? I personally enjoyed almost every predictable schlocky minute of “The Proposal”.
Of course I’m avoiding the problem of defining Rom-Com, but everybody seems to know it when they see it. Still, is “Love, Actually” a Rom-Com? Classic Hepburn/Tracy?
Thoughts?
I’m not sure how closely it fits the Rom-Com definition, but Vicki Cristina Barcelona is very good. I’ve rented it more then once and I’m sure I will again in the future.
“When Harry Met Sally” is a good movie. I think that fits the rom-com definition.
Some Woody Allen movies are kind of romantic comedies (Manhattan, Annie Hall). Though they don’t really follow the standard boilerplate of being a dumb movie with a big ad budget, marketable stars (maybe they were when they came out), and bad writing.
See, you hit on the crux of the matter: “… and bad writing”.
I’m NOT opposed to Rom-Coms*. But I’m downright allergic to bad writing, and that disqualifies almost all of them.
To the extent that I don’t even think of good stuff like Woody Allen as Rom-Com. They’re a category called “Woody Allen Movies”.
*Please, you guys, tell my wife. It’s not her, it’s… Norah…
I’m not a big comedy or romantic movie fan, but sometimes the genre-mashup works for me.
I really like:
The Wedding Singer
10 Things I Hate About You
If Lucy Fell
Drive Me Crazy
The Holiday
I really enjoyed Baby Momma. It was written by Tina Fey and surprisingly funny. I didn’t think I, a 24 year old male, would like it. But I did.
Is Meet The Parents a romantic comedy? I think it’s hilarious. I’ve seen it a billion times and still laugh at it.
Get Well Soon, starring Vincent Gallo and Courtney Cox (also featuring Jeffrey Tambor from Arrested Development) is fuckin’ hilarious.
I Love You, Phillip Morris is the best, and funniest, romantic comedy I’ve seen in years! The fact that’s based on a true story makes it even more enjoyable and entertaining.
And I am NOT kidding. It’s true. It really is.
I enjoyed “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” “High Fidelity” has been called a romantic comedy from a man’s POV, and I liked it.
Kevin Costner’s two best movies are Bull Durham and Tin Cup, both Rom Coms and both quite good. They hold up to repeated viewings.
I liked Notting Hill.
I like Down With Love. A quirky affectionate look back at Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies.
My favourite is without a doubt the quirky and underrated Meg Ryan vehicle “Addicted to love”. And speaking of Meg Ryan, “When Harry met Sally” and “Sleepless in Seattle” are great.
For a more indie-ish take on the rom com, try “(500) Days of Summer” with Zooey Deschanel.
Some that are decent (like choking down quiche):
Forget Paris (this is actually the much better Billy Crystal rom-com than When Harry Met Sally because he’s an NBA ref in this film and there’s plenty of cameos from actual players.)
An Officer and a Gentleman (there’s quite a few good martial arts scenes in it. Gere uses some sort of Filipino-hybrid karate, similar to Billy Jack.)
Say Anything (some good kickboxing scenes.)
There’s Something About Mary (some truly hilarious jokes in there. I liked the whole “beans or pork?” gag.)
Miss Congeniality I or II (couple of good fight scenes.)
The 40-year old Virgin (great jokes.)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (superheroes, but otherwise meh.)
Il Mare/The Lake House (features an original time travel puzzle/mystery.)
What Women Want/Hitch (doesn’t glorify women as all-knowing and all-powerful like other rom-coms.)
The Sweetest Thing (if you’ve never seen it, it’s like the endlessly quotable Monty Python and the Holy Grail of rom-coms. Some of the sight gags are amazing. Check out the scene where two of the main characters are discussing, without dialogue in the distance, how to give a blowjob.)
Those with actual stories:
Any by Jack Nicholson: the dude never misses with his rom-coms. As good as it gets, Something’s gotta give, even Witches of Eastwick all have great stories and drama.
Pretty Woman: Great story, features universal and timeless themes, doesn’t make men out as pigs and/or children.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: it’s not so much the romantic story that is the star of this film, but the Greek-American culture, which is nearly non-existent in other films. Quite possibly the Godfather of Greek-America.
My Best Friend’s Wedding: Breaks the rom-com mold where the main character doesn’t get the man at the end, and the man doesn’t end up on his knees begging for the woman who has treated him like crap the entire film. Amazingly refreshing, actually.
50 First Dates: Adam Sandler is another one who rarely misses with his rom-coms. My favorite of the ones he’s made, but the Wedding Singer, Anger Management, Spanglish, etc. are all winners.
Recently, I’ve also been borrowing a ton of Chinese and Hong Kong martial arts films from my friends and they all feature romance as a major plotline.
I really like French Kiss. Kevin Kline plays a blinder.
For a bit of a change, try Trick. It’s a gay rom-com. And it’s very cute and funny. And yes, Tori Spelling is in it but she’s actually pretty good in her not-omnipresent role…she plays the nerdy gay guy’s best friend but only appears at the beginning and end of the movie, really.
Does “recent” mean something else to most of the responders in this thread? If I asked for recent film recommendations, I’d be perplexed by some of these suggestions. “When Harry Met Sally is 22 years old”, and even “The Wedding Singer is 13 years old”. An Officer and a Gentleman came out in 1982, 29 years ago!
OP, how recent is recent to you?
ETA: Bringing Up Baby? The 1938 movie? For realz?
I actually read “recent” as “decent”. Given that the OP asks about Tracy/Hepburn, I’m not sure that he didn’t mean it that way.
I like romantic comedies that lean very heavily towards the comedy side. Like the Wedding Singer, i have a very hard time seeing an Adam Sandler movie as anything but a comedy. Or Shallow Hal, the 40 YO Virgin, There’s Something About Mary. Are those really considered romantic comedies or just comedies with a romantic plot? When i think romantic comedy i think of movies that lean towards the romantic side with some funny thrown in.