# Recommend a romantic comedy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 29, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895 "2007-01-29T00:20:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/1 "2007-01-29T00:20:18Z")
I watched a couple of movies while working on a sewing project this afternoon: _The 40-Year-Old Virgin_ (which I liked a whole lot – it was sweet and good-natured, which I really hadn’t expected) and _10 Things I Hate About You_, which I saw years ago, and which holds up extremely well. So, yeah, I’m a girl, and I like a good romantic comedy. Sweet is good – diabetic-shock-inducing is bad. Sexy male star is good (“10 Things”) but not necessary (“40-YOV”). The premise doesn’t need to be particularly realistic (“40”). Literate dialogue and funny incidental characters a plus. Anyone want to recommend one? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/2 "2007-01-29T00:26:09Z")
**Love, actually.** It’s bittersweet, fun, silly, awkward (just like love is - actually), and full of great great actors. Oh, and **Groundhog Day**. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/3 "2007-01-29T00:28:11Z")
_Love, Actually_ is wonderful, though I grant it’s possible that some parts could be too cute for your taste. But the cast is wonderful; Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Kiera Knightley, Hugh Grant, and probably some others I’m forgetting. Definately worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/4 "2007-01-29T00:29:58Z")
I’m not really one for romantic comedies (give me a semi-decent action flick with a good looking lead and lots of explosions/fights any day) but I quite enjoyed How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/5 "2007-01-29T00:31:21Z")
**Love Actually** is on my Netflix queue – I guess I’ll move it up a bit. And **Groundhog Day** is right on target (I’ve seen it and love it) – let’s not get into my really embarrassing decades-long crush on Bill Murray… ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/6 "2007-01-29T00:47:51Z")
I’m not usually a big fan of romantic comedies, but I really love an unofficial trilogy of John Cusack movies: _Say Anything_, _Grosse Pointe Blank_, and _High Fidelity_. They are romantic comedies that men can enjoy as much, if not even more, than women. And due to a bit of creative fan-wankery, I have connected them to each other, so they’re in the same continuity and Cusack is the same character in all three at different points in his life (never mind the different character names). Another good one is _Keeping the Faith_, with Ben Stiller, Edward Norton, and Jenna Elfman. Forgive Elfman for her crazy Scientology viewpoints; it’s a very entertaining movie that Norton (one of the best actors of our time) actually directed, and he and Stiller are great as a priest and a rabbi who are lifelong best buddies. ---
**Author:** ![Grey\_area](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Grey\_area](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey_area)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/7 "2007-01-29T00:55:53Z")
Thanks to my sister and SO I am unusually well versed romantic comedies. **Nine Months** and **Forget Paris** are two charming movies that aren’t nauseatingly sweet or cheesy. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/8 "2007-01-29T01:06:18Z")
Have you seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? It’s funny, deeply moving and yet realistic in its treatment of the uncertainties of love. I absolutely love it. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/9 "2007-01-29T01:08:01Z")
Maybe it’s not considered a romantic comedy, but \*\*About A Boy \*\* was good. [About a Boy (2002) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276751/) Is **Bandits** considered a romantic comedy? That was good and pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/10 "2007-01-29T01:12:20Z")
[QUOTE=Elysium] Have you seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? It’s funny, deeply moving and yet realistic in its treatment of the uncertainties of love. I absolutely love it. [/QUOTE] That is in my Top Ten Movies of All Time! It didn’t even occur to me as a “romantic comedy” because I think of it so highly. Definitely a great choice, absolutely beautiful and touching, incredibly well-made, and ought to be required viewing for all. On that note, Garden State is pretty great as well. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/11 "2007-01-29T01:13:38Z")
Legally Blonde surprised me by how enjoyable it was. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days was mostly enjoyable, but there was one joke I that I objected to that kept reappearing. (Objectionable joke in spoiler below). I loved the interactions between the leads and their best friends. The girl named the guy’s penis something like Princess Sophia. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/12 "2007-01-29T01:14:53Z")
OK, I’m gonna recommend an odd one. I’m not convinced it is a comedy exactly, but well, heck, give it a try. [Creator](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088960/) I felt its marketing left it down. I enjoyed it a lot and it is one of the few DVDs that I own. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/13 "2007-01-29T01:24:44Z")
**L.A. Story** , with Steve Martin. Very literate dialogue; for some of the jokes it will help to know a little Shakespeare. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/14 "2007-01-29T02:13:03Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] **Love Actually** is on my Netflix queue – I guess I’ll move it up a bit. [/QUOTE] If you end up liking Love, Actually, you might also like Notting Hill, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain or Wimbledon (all but the last star Hugh Grant). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/15 "2007-01-29T02:22:40Z")
I’ll add my voice to those recommending _How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days._ _Shakespeare in Love_ is a romantic comedy in a fun historical setting. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/16 "2007-01-29T02:27:13Z")
_Down With Love_, with Ewan Mcgregor and Renee Zellweger. It’s a tribute and update to the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies with a smart script. ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/17 "2007-01-29T02:30:11Z")
I love About a Boy. My best friend is obsessed with Love, Actually. High Fidelity is good, but I do prefer the novel. Grosse Pointe Blank is one of my favorites. Bend It Like Beckham has a romance aspect to it and is really good. Keeping the Faith is cute as well. I can’t think of any of my own recs really, except for the one, but the ones mentioned in this thread are great. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/18 "2007-01-29T02:34:27Z")
Some that I like: A Room With a View Roxanne Sweet Home Alabama (Reese Witherspoon is very enjoyable in everything I’ve seen her in) The Awful Truth The Holiday was quite enjoyable While You Were Sleeping Elizabethtown (more of a dramedy) I know some of these are ancient and you’ve probably seen all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/19 "2007-01-29T02:34:28Z")
[QUOTE=Dr. Rieux] _Down With Love_, with Ewan Mcgregor and Renee Zellweger. It’s a tribute and update to the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies with a smart script. [/QUOTE] I thought it fell kind of flat, though. If you’re going to do a Doris Day/Rock Hudson-like movie, go for one of the originals. I’ve always like _Pillow Talk_ and _Send Me No Flowers_. ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895/20 "2007-01-29T02:49:12Z")
Hey **Twickster** :). If you would like to see a romantic comedy from the gay amish perspective, try [Big Eden](http://www.bigeden.com/). Great cast. Sweet story. Beautiful locations. It is definitely in my top ten here. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-romantic-comedy/389895.md?page=2)