The age of the rom-com is in a resurgence. With feature films such as “Your Place or Mine” starring Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon, and “Marry Me” featuring the talents of Jennifer Lawrence and Owen Wilson hitting theatres, this long-neglected genre is in its comeback era. But nothing can truly top the golden age of the rom-com like the 90s/early 2000s. “Clueless”, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, “Legally Blonde”, and the list of rom-coms to come out during these years is never-ending.
With an oversaturation of these movies, it takes time to pick a favorite. That’s why I decided to sit down with a self-proclaimed rom-com aficionado to discuss her top 5 rom-coms of all time to make your choice a little bit easier.
Jules, also known as @julesnewgroove on IG and @jules.eliz on TikTok makes a wide variety of content spanning from all things Disney and Marvel to Spotify playlists and acting. Some of her most popular content, however, revolves around rom-coms. Whether it’s her favorite scenes from them, her recommendations on different streaming services, or making collages for them, Julianna has the rom-com content covered!
I had Julianna tell me her top five favorite rom-coms of all time to get the point of view of an expert, making your next Netflix binge-watch all that much easier.
Q: What makes a good rom-com to you?
A: “I am a sucker for a good singing moment from the main character-its probably my love of musicals rubbing off on my movie taste. Another thing that makes a good rom-com to me is the chemistry. I love when the dialogue feels natural and flows well between the love interest, it makes the movie feel more realistic!”
Q: If you had to make your dream rom-com, who would be your ideal pairing?
A: “My dream rom-com love interest pairing would be Andrew Garfield and Dianna Argon. This may seem like a random pairing but if you keep up with the media […] I am sure you saw the photo […] of them sitting together at a Chanel event in 2022. Ever since I saw that photo, I have been dying for them to be cast in a movie together. I also feel like their dynamic on screen would be so good because they have similar energies!”
Q: Tell me your top 5 rom coms and a little bit about why they are.
A: “Narrowing down my love for this genre into just 5 movies is so hard! But ultimately after watching basically every rom-com under the sun, I always find myself coming back to these 5 movies”.
So without further ado, arguably the top 5 best rom-coms of all time:
27 Dresses
Starting off strong with Jules’s number 1 favorite rom-com: 27 dresses. Katherine Heigle plays the part of Jane-a young woman whose been a bridesmaid 27 times. Questioning her perpetual role as the bridesmaid and never the bride, Jane meets a handsome reporter played by James Marsden who is intrigued by her story and sees it as his ticket off the bridal beat. And I’m sure you can guess where things go from there.
Jules attributes her love for this movie to the amazing cast and their talent/chemistry together. “I also love the plot! Watching a girl who is always a bridesmaid finally become a bride to a guy who swore off marriage until he met her”.
10 Things I Hate About You
Up next we have the rom-com that started Julianna’s love for this movie genre, “10 Things I Hate About You”. A massive hit that came out in 1999 with stars such as Heath Ledger and Joseph Gorden Levitt that retells a modern version of Shakespear’s Taming of the Shrew.
“No joke I once had to write a paper on “The Taming of the Shrew” for one of my theatre classes my freshman year of college… but instead of reading the play, I just rewatched this movie and looked at spark notes for the real names of the characters…and I ended up getting a 92 on my paper”. So there you have it! Who said rom-coms can’t be educational?
Jules says she always recommends this as a starter movie for those looking to get into the rom-com genre for 3 reasons a) the 90s fashion, b) Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, and c) the incredible one-liners that could only be said from the sarcastic and moody Kat Stratford.
SET IT UP
The next rom-com to grace our list is a bit more modern, having its debut on Netflix in 2018. “Set it Up” stars Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell as they team up to “set up” their bosses together in an effort to make them happy and therefore reap the benefits at work. And of course, fall in love in the process.
Jules fell in love with this movie partly due to the incredible chemistry between its stars and for being able to replicate that rom-com feeling without being overly cheesy and social media based as most modern ones are.
“This movie has a killer soundtrack and such a loveable cast that it is hard not to fall in love with this cute movie”.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Starring rom-com veterans Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” follows McConaughey as a self-proclaimed ladies’ man who, to win a big campaign, bets that he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. Meanwhile, the lady he’s chosen is Hudson, a journalist who is writing an article on how to lose a guy in 10 days. Jules says that it’s obvious that these actors are familiar with the genre, their chemistry, and their performance is filled with energy.
“This movie is one of the funniest rom-coms on my top 5 list because of how well the dialogue flows, no matter how many times I watch it…I still find new reasons to laugh!”
Easy A
“Easy A” is a witty and charming parody retelling of the Scarlet Letter starring Emma Stone and Penn Badgley. It follows the main character’s life in high school as one lie changed everything in it. One of the most well-known moments of this movie is the “Pocket Full of Sunshine” scene, a core memory of Julianna’s childhood and the start of her obsession with that song.
Jules recommends this selection to those who want to watch a movie in this genre that is heavy on the com and light on the rom. Though the girl gets the guy in the end, that is definitely not the main focus of the plot.
____________
So there you go! Five of the best rom-coms of all time as recommended by an expert. Next time you are endlessly scrolling on your streaming service, look to this list to make your movie night choice all that much easier.