Top 5 Romantic Comedies
In a recent 2016 statistic created by Statistica, comedic and action movies have conquered the top of the list for the most popular movie genre in the United States by total revenue. However, sometimes it’s good to take a break from all the gunfights, explosions and crazy antics. Sometimes what we all need is a comfortable spot on the couch with a timeless “Rom-Com” (romantic comedy) ready to play and take you far away from the mundane.
Here is a list I’ve compiled of the top five most unbeatable Rom-Coms:
- 10 Things I Hate About You
At number five, we have the late ’90s classic, 10 Things I Hate About You. This particular teen comedy, directed by Gil Junger, was hard not to see growing up, as it quickly overshadowed the rest of the original teen films. The movie is inspired by Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew — revising the story in a more modern setting with relatable characters. The movie stays true to the classic play and brings us pleasure just from the performances of Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Stiles and Ledger play the roles of Kat (the edgy feminist) and Patrick, (everyone’s favorite bad boy).
In the movie, Patrick is paid by Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to date Kat so her old-fashioned father can allow Cameron to date her younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Of course, we see the trouble Patrick and Cameron go through to impress the sisters and inevitably fall in love with them (it is a Rom-Com, naturally).
10 Things I Hate About You wonderfully showcases the struggles of teenage love and that there’s more to people once you crack through that angsty exterior. Besides, what’s a teen comedy without the problems of typical high school drama?
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding
The 2002 masterpiece, directed by Joel Zwick, is another must-see film. My Big Fat Greek Wedding perfectly balances out romance and comedy with Toula Portokalos’s (Nia Vardalos) wacky family and her relationship with Ian Miller (John Corbett).
Toula is a young Greek woman who tries to become more independent from her intensely Greek family and their values and in the process falls in love with an American man. The Portokalos family causes an uproar when they find out about the secret romance, and after a lot of convincing and some hilarity, they agree to let the wedding happen when Ian proposes. Toula becomes overwhelmed with her family’s antics, from the constant spraying of Windex every time even the slightest wound occurs, to Toula’s brother and cousin teaching Ian Greek words without him realizing that they the words are actually obscenities. Coming from a very cultured family yourself increases the comedy and relatability of the movie while also bringing forth that secret thought of marrying someone outside of your culture.
- Pretty Woman
There can be no Rom-Com list without having a Julia Roberts movie included in it. Directed by Gary Marshall, Pretty Woman is the exciting love story that some of us had to watch in secret when our parents weren’t there, since it was rated R.
In this movie, Julia Roberts plays Vivian Ward, a prostitute who gets picked up by a rich but reserved businessman, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere). Edward isn’t the type of man to pick up prostitutes on the street in another man’s car but loneliness prompted him to. Instead of participating in the usual interactions between a prostitute and a customer, Edward offers more than $4,000 to Vivian if she agrees to be his escort to social events and keep him company for a week. Knowing a good deal when she sees one, Vivian agrees and is gradually taught the ways of high society.
Pretty Woman has been close to the top of every romance list not because having a rich handsome man turn his interest towards you and fall in love with you is almost every girl’s dream, but because of Roberts’ performance as Vivian. She’s bold and outspoken; she doesn’t let her personality or her heart change even though her clothes and table manners do.
- The Princess Bride
Inconceivable! The Princess Bride, though well-loved by many, is underrated in most movie lists. The 1990 family-friendly film is one of the best examples of a book to movie adaptation, every detail and scene finely tuned and perfectly hilarious.
The movie starts with a grandfather reading the story of The Princess Bride to his young grandson who is sick in bed. The grandfather narrates and transports the audience to Buttercup (Robin Wright), a farm girl who becomes chosen to be the Prince Humperdinck of Florian’s bride — even though her heart lies with Westley (Cary Elwes) who she believes to have been killed by Dread Pirates five years prior.
When Buttercup is kidnapped by the hilarious trio, Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Fezzik (Andre the Giant), Westley comes back disguised as a masked man to save her. Each of Vizzini’s, Inigo’s and Fezzik’s performances and lines add to the humor of the film and even contribute to most of the iconic lines of all time. Fans of The Princess Bride can recite Inigo’s famous line, “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die,” without hesitation. The Princess Bride isn’t just comedy, though; it has romance at its very core. When Westley tells Buttercup every so often, “As you wish,” he really means ,“I love you.”
This movie succeeds because of its ability to turn the audience into dreamers, to understand the trappings that come with love and how true love is to be fought for.
- Bridget Jones’ Diary
The top of the Rom-Com list is of course the 2001 British goldmine, Bridget Jones’ Diary. Bridget Jones’ Diary shows the life of singleton Bridget Jones (Renee Zellweger) and her hilarious struggle in improving herself and her love life while keeping a diary for the entire year. Bridget Jones is probably the most relatable character ever made, with her awful public speeches, her struggle with losing weight and her attempts to be a functional adult.
Bridget addresses almost every problem girls, or even people in general, face every day that they’re forced to get out of bed and try to make something of themselves. The entire comedy of the movie comes from her bumbling actions, her foul-mouthed, feminist friends and her ridiculous mother. The romance enters into the story soon with Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) who is Bridget’s arrogant boss at the publishing company that they work at. Daniel notices Bridget and they enter into an energetic relationship, even if he thinks she’s a bit on the heavier side.
While Hugh Grant makes giggles bubble up our throats with his devilish smirk, Colin Firth soon enters into the equation and reminds women that sometimes what we need is right in front of us. Firth plays Mark Darcy, a top human rights lawyer who used to play with Bridget in the paddling pool when they were young kids.
This is where Bridget Jones’ Diary begins to take on a Pride & Prejudice quality when Mark insults Bridget behind her back (literally, she was behind him) just based on her awkward social interaction with him and Bridget labels him off as a snooty jerk. Soon, however, Mark Darcy vocalizes his feelings for her and she realizes her mistake (after a lot of alcohol and vulgar rants with her friends). Bridget Jones’ Diary is the quintessential Rom-Com, with its never ending wit and swoon-worthy love story.
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INTERESTS/HOBBIES: Writing stories, reading books, and cooking
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