# Any worthwhile Rom-Coms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615 "2011-03-14T03:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/21 "2011-03-14T16:39:33Z")
My wife drags me to lots of rom-coms. Most of the handful of recent ones that I kind of enjoyed were box-office duds, so take that for what it’s worth. _He’s Just Not That Into You_ - It doesn’t follow the usual predictable rom-com story arc, and features a number of intertwining plotlines, some more serious than others, which keeps things pretty interesting. _Valentine’s Day_ - The main plot is pretty by-the-book, complete with the chase-her-down-at-the-airport climax. But the peripheral characters get lives and stories of their own as well, with some clever interlacing of the plots, which helps elevate it. _How Do You Know_ - Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon manage to craft two likeable characters who avoid the usual stupid lies and misunderstandings you see so often in bad films of the genre – and it has Jack Nicholson! _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_ - It’s really funny, for one thing. “Romantic” and “comedy” get equal billing here. Mila Kunis is absolutely adorable and Jason Segal creates a good schlubby “everyman” character for the guys to relate to. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/22 "2011-03-14T17:03:01Z")
Decent or recent,either way - I was interested in what rom-coms you guys like, since I’d read a lot of put-downs of the genre recently. I seem to be the only one who mentioned “The Proposal”, or “Love, Actually”. I will second “10 Things I hate about You” and “High Fidelity”. Both really enjoyable comedies where romance is a prominent part of the film. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/23 "2011-03-14T17:04:46Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > My wife drags me to lots of rom-coms. Most of the handful of recent ones that I kind of enjoyed were box-office duds, so take that for what it’s worth. > > _He’s Just Not That Into You_ - It doesn’t follow the usual predictable rom-com story arc, and features a number of intertwining plotlines, some more serious than others, which keeps things pretty interesting. > _Valentine’s Day_ - The main plot is pretty by-the-book, complete with the chase-her-down-at-the-airport climax. But the peripheral characters get lives and stories of their own as well, with some clever interlacing of the plots, which helps elevate it. > _How Do You Know_ - Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon manage to craft two likeable characters who avoid the usual stupid lies and misunderstandings you see so often in bad films of the genre – and it has Jack Nicholson! > _Forgetting Sarah Marshall_ - It’s really funny, for one thing. “Romantic” and “comedy” get equal billing here. Mila Kunis is absolutely adorable and Jason Segal creates a good schlubby “everyman” character for the guys to relate to. The Dracula puppet musical at the end of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” made me laugh so hard I nearly passed out. The rest of the movie is very entertaining, but for this scene alone I would recommend it even if the rest sucked. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/24 "2011-03-14T17:09:21Z")
\*[Timer](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179794/) \*is one of my favorites of late. If you can get past the implausible plot device, the movie is really charming ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/25 "2011-03-14T17:29:01Z")
I like Groundhog Day ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/26 "2011-03-14T17:29:58Z")
Many of the best RomComs that come to my mind are from back in the 1980s. Aside from the _Pretty In Pink_ / _Some Kind of Wonderful_ set, _When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Coming To America_… To a large extent these are romantic movies with a strong comedic element. In fact, my favorite funny-schmaltzy monologue of all time is also from a 1980s hit movie, _The Naked Gun_: “It’s a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don’t amount to a hill of beans… But this is OUR hill! And these are OUR beans!” The fact that that movie also has one of my favorite baseball related scenes in cinematic history just shows what a masterpiece it is 🙂 Most Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller comedy movies fall into RomCom territory but often with a much cruder twist. For example, _There’s Something About Mary_ and _Fifty First Dates_. You might say these are comedies first and romantic movies second, though I found the latter particularly sweet. I also saw a movie a few years ago called _Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist_ that strongly reminded me of the John Hughes style of teen romantic comedies from the 1980s. Except that this one made me feel old. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/27 "2011-03-14T17:48:37Z")
Oh, and if we’re allowed to reach back past the 25 year mark, I’d highly recommend a less-well-known classic film called [Midnight](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031647/) (1939) starring Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche (and John Barrymore too). I stumbled across it while channel surfing in a hotel room 2 years ago and LOVED it. I was going to say “They don’t make movies like that any more”, except that apparently they are (or were) in fact going to do just that by remaking that exact film [but starring Reese Witherspoon](http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966009?refCatId=10). ---
**Author:** ![OpusThePenguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7bcc69/32.png) [@OpusThePenguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpusThePenguin)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/28 "2011-03-14T22:21:13Z")
I’m quite partial to Chasing Amy. Kevin Smith’s take on romantic comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/29 "2011-03-14T22:43:35Z")
_It Could Happen To You_ is one of my favorites, with Nic Cage and Bridget Fonda. _Stardust_ is a fantasy rom-com. I loved it. _While You Were Sleeping_ is Sandra Bullock’s best rom-com. _Seems Like Old Times_ is a great one with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. The Japanese film _Shall We Dansu?_ is sort of a rom-com. It’s really good. The American remake with Richard Gere is okay, but inferior. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/30 "2011-03-14T23:02:47Z")
If [Amélie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211915/) is considered a Rom-Com, that’s my answer! It’s not quite ten years old. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/31 "2011-03-14T23:24:36Z")
Richard Curtis is a master at this sort of thing and _Love Actually_, _Four Weddings and A Funeral_ and _Notting Hill_ were already mentioned, so I’ll add _The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain_, which wasn’t by him but did star Hugh Grant, and _Wimbledon_, which didn’t star Hugh Grant and wasn’t written or directed by Richard Curtis (although it does seem to follow his formula) but was good. I also liked _I Could Never Be Your Woman_ by Amy Heckerling, the writer/director of _Clueless_. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/32 "2011-03-15T00:32:18Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > Are those really considered romantic comedies or just comedies with a romantic plot? I just went for the wikipedia list of romantic comedies. > [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Decent or recent,either way - I was interested in what rom-coms you guys like, since I’d read a lot of put-downs of the genre recently. The key to any great story is character development: the events in the story somehow change the character’s view of the world or themselves, and we change as well. The biggest problem I have with the cookie cutter rom-coms is that the female characters rarely develop. They start out as bitches and the male lead loves them anyway. How to lose a guy in 10 days is symptomatic of this form of lazy storytelling. In the great rom-coms, both characters develop. But, this is so rare and the lazy form is so common, that usually the good ones are labeled as “drama” instead of “romances,” e.g. Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/33 "2011-03-15T00:55:04Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > 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](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/)”, and even “[The Wedding Singer is 13 years old](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120888/)”. 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? It depends on the genre. Good kung fu movies, for example, originated in the early 70’s with Bruce Lee and the beginning of specialized teams of martial arts stuntmen. Cynthia Rothrock, Don “The Dragon” Wilson, and Chuck Norris all made craptacular martial arts films because even though they were trained martial artists, they had to work with stunt people who weren’t. And even then, they were mainly only used in HK/Chinese/Asian productions. Trained stuntmen didn’t hit the US until ~1992. Science fiction, conversely, has maybe 100+ years of history. When we’re talking about rom-coms **that men enjoy** we’re talking about maybe 20 total. I’d say any made since 1970 would be good enough to be called “modern” just because there aren’t that many to talk about. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/34 "2011-03-15T00:59:44Z")
I really liked\* P.S. I Love You\*, with Hilary Swank. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/35 "2011-03-15T03:44:04Z")
I will second When Harry Met Sally. Love that movie! It is one of those movies that when it ends, you wish you could spend more time with the characters. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/36 "2011-03-15T03:49:32Z")
_Shaun of the Dead_ is considered a “Rom-Zom-Com.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/37 "2011-03-15T04:56:27Z")
I second the recommendations of _Wimbledon_ and _P.S. I Love You_. And add that I thought _About a Boy_ was a good twist on the rom-com genre, and definitely my favorite Hugh Grant rom-com since it’s so different from his others. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2011, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/38 "2011-03-15T20:45:48Z")
> [@OpusThePenguin](#): > > I’m quite partial to Chasing Amy. Kevin Smith’s take on romantic comedy. Actually, I think Smith’s _Zach and Miri make a Porno_ would qualify as a Romantic Comedy too, it’s the dirtiest, sweetest, movie I’ve ever seen! ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/39 "2011-03-16T10:42:13Z")
As someone who thinks that rom-coms are mainly dreck, and that Hugh Grant is overused as a charming male lead, I adored _Music and Lyrics_. It revels in its silliness, and the eighties music is wonderfully done. ---
**Author:** ![Candyman74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Candyman74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Candyman74)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615/40 "2011-03-16T10:48:48Z")
> [@Dignan](#): > > “When Harry Met Sally” is a good movie. I think that fits the rom-com definition. While I don’t like the movie, it’s certainly the quintesential rom-com. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-worthwhile-rom-coms/574615.md?page=3)