In Her Shoes almost fits. I thought this was one of the best few movies of 2005. Besides, it takes place in Philly. Ostensibly about the relationship between two sisters, but still a lot of the stock rom-com elements.
I also thought Clueless was one of the funniest movies of the 90’s.
Also, I think that When Harry Met Sally was really the movie that set the groundwork for almost every rom-com that has come since. If you haven’t seen it, see it.
I think the best one from the last few years was The Break Up.
For more of a straight-up comedy, Along Came Polly was underrated. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is in it, and every one of his scenes (from his prat-fall entrance to his proxy role) is hilarious.
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou]
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.
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I’d add a fourth to the Cusack trilogy. I thought the older “The Sure Thing” was great too.
Dangerosa - Lost in Translation is a romantic comedy??? I’m willing to allow that my tastes differ from others and people will like this movie which I hated, but I can’t imagine anyone considering it a comedy.
I anti-suggest silenus suggestion of Something’s Gotta Give. It’s a movie that I recommend running from as fast as possible.
[QUOTE=Ranchoth]
I’ll second it. (As a film, it rates about 6 decapuppies on the “cute/sweet” meter. That’s the Imperial-style measurment, mind you.) And PastAllReason’s suggestions, whch are basically the Old Testament of romantic comedies, I think.
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Ranchoth and TastesLikeBurning beat me to it, but Return to Me is quite good.
I’ll add Spanglish and Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Dangerosa - Lost in Translation is a romantic comedy??? I’m willing to allow that my tastes differ from others and people will like this movie which I hated, but I can’t imagine anyone considering it a comedy.
I anti-suggest silenus suggestion of Something’s Gotta Give. It’s a movie that I recommend running from as fast as possible.
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I thought it was funny - but its the awkwardness of two strangers in a foreign country that is funny. (The DVD box uses the word “hilarious” so apparently the marketers think its funny.)
I think making a good romcom is extremely difficult. There are certain conventions that must work, the lovers must get each other at the end and we in the audience know it, so it’s hard to create tension. Many times there are only the two protagonists, and no antagonist to create dramatic tension, and we enter the theatre expecting to get som laughs out of it too.
I’ll throw in another couple of titles: Blast from the past, mostly because Brendan Fraser is superb as the dofus raised with 50’s values showing up in 90’s L.A.
And (what’s the title, I’m too lazy to search IMDb): Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick stalking that French guy, mostly because it’s much darker and the voyeuristic twist makes it somewhat disturbing.
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan]
I think making a good romcom is extremely difficult. There are certain conventions that must work, the lovers must get each other at the end and we in the audience know it, so it’s hard to create tension. Many times there are only the two protagonists, and no antagonist to create dramatic tension, and we enter the theatre expecting to get som laughs out of it too.
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Agree. I think that’s one reason I liked My Best Friend’s Wedding so much – it successfully played with some of our expectations.
Also agree on Blast from the Past, which I thought was a charming movie.
[QUOTE=teela brown] How To Steal A Million, with Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn. It’s overlaps onto “caper” territory, but it’s still a good romantic comedy as well.
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And if you like Hepburn, try “Charade” which is one of my very favorite movies ever. It’s a romantic thriller.
I’ve always liked Steve Martin’s retelling of Cyrano: Roxanne. And for the classics, I love Preston Sturges’ Unfaithfully Yours (which shades into slapstick), The Palm Beach Story, and of course The Lady Eve. I also like Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy and James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News, which don’t have particularly happy endings (making them more realistic, if ya ask me . . . )
Wow, my mind boggles. I don’t think I could possibly imagine a movie in which the overall mood is loneliness and depression as LiT. Even when Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen are having fun together, and the mood is therefore a little lighter, it never struck me as a comedic atmosphere. I guess this is just one movie with which my mind has a total disconnect.
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