17 romantic comedies that you won't hate yourself for watching
Heart-warming, charming and witty — classics and modern takes
I have a love-hate relationship with romantic comedies. Mostly hate them, but I also grew up on a steady diet of Shah Rukh Khan films, so who am I really to judge someone’s taste in films. SRK wore orange cargo pants in Kal Ho Na Ho so I begged my mom to also buy me orange cargo pants.
As much as I shunned this genre, it always found a way back into my life. I’m as lively and cheery as aloo gobi ki sabzi. I’ve spent way too many nights reading up about serial killer psychology after watching true-crime series and documentaries. Sometimes I like to think very highly of myself, as someone who has an analytical eye and a rational approach to life. But in most situations, you’ll find me as a puddle on the floor overcome with anxiety and crying tears of frustration.
So it comes as a shock to many people that my partner is the human embodiment of sunshine who proudly professes Music and Lyrics to be among his favourite films. I didn’t believe it at first but quickly changed my mind after watching a school friend’s video project where they all danced to Pop Goes My Heart with all the synchronised dance steps of a boy band.
He managed an amazing feat. Open my dark soul up to the prospect of not all romantic comedies being silly fluff. In the mix of cheesy and unrealistic storylines there lie some heart-warming, charming and believable tales I had shut myself off from far too long.
A good amount of romantic comedies are actually witty and intelligent in their story-telling. Not brimming with clichés but likeable characters that I’ve even found myself being inspired by. So if you’ve been misguided like I was and set aside the entire genre of romantic comedies then let me introduce you to some classics and films of modern love that you’ll actually enjoy.
15 Romantic comedies that won’t make you hate yourself
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50 First Dates, 2004 This list is in no order of preference, starting after this one. You can’t talk about rom-coms without the best one ever made. This is the only film that melts my cold heart like ghee on a hot pan. And that one shower-crying scene from Taare Zameen Par. I am still human. A feel-good tale of a goofy vet, Henry (Adam Sandler) falls in love with Lucy (Drew Barrymore) who he later finds out suffers from short-term memory loss after a car accident. She relives the same day over and over, and her roid-rage brother and father do everything they can to make sure everything, from the newspaper’s date to the house remains the same. Henry has to woo her all over again, every day. Sandler and Barrymore’s chemistry, beachy setting, witty side characters and light-hearted comedy make this a perfect watch at pretty much any time. Watch it on Prime Video 2/17  Photo credit: NetflixYeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 2013 Language: Hindi Studious Naina (Deepika Padukone) takes a break from her sad life with a trekking trip. She meets and slowly falls for Kabir (Ranbir Kapoor) also known as Bunny. It’s a typical ‘finding yourself on a trip’ saga where she learns to let loose. Cut to a few years later, and they meet again. Kabir starts falling for Naina, yet he’s torn between his love for travel and work and staying behind with her. Other relationship politics come into play – Kabir’s relationship with his father and step-mother, his abandoning of his friends to pursue his own life abroad, and more. The formula is pretty cut-and-dry for a romantic comedy that’s bordering on drama but it’s still an entertaining watch. Kapoor is his classic boyish self, but our favourite character is Kalki Koechlin’s character’s to-be husband. Watch it on Netflix Music and Lyrics, 2007 Hugh Grant practically made the genre. Sure, Notting Hill is great. But there’s something about him gyrating and singing Pop Goes My Heart that makes you want to dance along. Or maybe it’s just my aforementioned personal connection that keeps bringing me back to it. After being forced into a lockdown-induced long-distance relationship for a year, I’ll take what I can get. He plays Alex Fletcher, a former 80s pop star bordering on being a has-been. He enlists the help of Sophie (Drew Barrymore), a lady he hired to water his plants, to help him write the lyrics for the comeback he’s trying to make. Creating music together, they start to fall for each other. Then, of course, come the complications. Watch it for Grant’s quintessential theatricality, dialogue delivery and of course, accent. Barrymore is her lovely self in this charming rom-com. Some people say that Barrymore is the same in all the films she does. I’m a frequent traveller of the complain-train but in her case, it’s not a bad thing. Can you say no to that smile? Watch it on YouTube Movies My Best Friend’s Wedding, 1997 Julia Roberts plays Julianne, ‘Jules’, whose best friend Michael (Dermot Mulroney) is going to get married. She’s shocked that the man she once felt complete ownership over, even if just platonically, is going to now be with another woman. I get the territorial feeling when someone tries to claim my best friend as their best friend, future husband in this case. But Jules goes about things the wrong way. She becomes more of a villain than a heroine in this film. Sure, it’s comedic that she arrives at her best friend’s wedding and realises she’s in love with him. But she’s also there to do everything she can to stop the wedding. I can’t be the only one who sees this, right? The best thing about the film is George (Rupert Everett), her best friend, who is probably the only sane person here, telling her to just speak to him and own up about her feelings. If nothing else, watch it for his rendition of I Say a Little Prayer (For You). Sigh if only all family gatherings were like this. Watch it on Netflix A Good Year, 2006 I only recently found out that this film is directed and produced by Ridley Scott, the same man who directed Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. I wish I were this dynamic, I’ve had the same planned outfits for the last 4 years. It’s loosely based on a novel by the same name by Peter Mayle. Max (Russel Crowe) is a successful workaholic who inherits his uncle’s vineyard in the south of France. After his own parents died, Max would spend the summer’s at his uncle’s estate, learning from him about the finer things in life. He travels to Provence to sell the property. There he meets and gets enamoured with a local cafe owner, Fanny (Marion Cotillard), gets embroiled in drama when his claim to the vineyard is challenged by the arrival of his uncle’s illegitimate daughter Christie (Abbie Cornish). Post-Gladiator every time I see Crowe I expect him to scream “Are you not entertained?!” at me, but this pick is purely for vicariously living in the French countryside. Watch it on YouTube Movies Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, 2020 Language: Hindi With leads played by Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar, we watch the story of two gay men struggle to get acceptance from one’s orthodox family. Aman (Kumar) returns home to his family in Allahbad who is unaware of his relationship with Kartik (Khurrana). They try to ‘convince’ him otherwise, get him married, get his sins washed away, but to their dismay, it doesn’t work. The film ends on an uplifting note against the setting of Section 377 in India being struck down and homosexuality getting decriminalised. There’s plenty wrong that I find in this film, from the writing to the character portrayals, but it’s the first time in Indian films that we get to see an LGBTQIA+ couple on-screen as romantic leads. I’m not saying the community should or needs to settle either, but it is a major step forward for mainstream cinema. Other than Khurrana’s vertical hairstyle that every gym boy sports. You know what I’m talking about. Watch it on Prime Video (500) Days Of Summer, 2009 Who’s the real villain in this film? That’s a question you’ll find strewn across forums on the internet. A lot of the film is told in flashbacks as Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a complete romantic and greeting card writer, falls in love with Summer (Zooey Deschanel) who then breaks his heart. We go back and forth of their 500 days together as he tries to figure out when their relationship started to go sideways. The first time I watched this film I hated Summer, and subsequently Deschanel, for having played her character too well. Revisiting it years later, I realised that, as does Gordon-Levitt’s character, that not all was perfect in this relationship. The film shows us a more realistic take on relationships, once we, as the protagonist, take off our idealistic glasses. For that, I owe an apology to Deschanel. Watch it on YouTube Movies Qarib Qarib Singlle, 2017 Language: Hindi In terms of romantic comedies, Qarib Qarib Singlle is an incredibly underrated flick. Jaya (Parvathy Thiruvothu) is a widowed insurance agent who gives love a second chance after enrolling on a dating website. After some trial and error, and awkward messages, she encounters Yogi (Irrfan). At their first meeting, the reserved Jaya is taken aback by happy-go-lucky and talkative poet Yogi. They set off on a trip together to revisit three of his former girlfriends. Their escapades are hilarious, Irrfan is absolutely endearing as Yogi and we watch Jaya slowly come out of her shell. You can keep Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and every other Chris. I’ll take Yogi any day. Watch it on Netflix Something’s Gotta Give, 2003 We love a good Nancy Meyers film. Here we watch an older casanova (Jack Nicholson) dating a much younger woman (Amanda Peet). He meets her mother Erica (Diane Keaton), a highly-acclaimed dramatist. Initially, there’s a lot of friction between the two, but after being forced to live under the same roof, we witness the attraction of these two opposites in this quintessential rom-com, once described as a “sex romp for seniors”. The scene where a drugged-up Nicholson flashes everyone his behind through the hospital gown is forever imprinted in my brain, for better or worse. There’s also Keanu Reeves, my forever love. He could stand in front of a camera and sneeze for 20 minutes straight and I’d happily watch it. Watch it on Netflix. Loco Por Ella (Crazy About Her), 2021 Language: Spanish There are moments where you will laugh out loud in this film and even say awww, but there are many that make you think. Adri (Álvaro Cervantes) and Carla (Susana Abaitua) meet by chance and spend a fun night out together where they promise not to see each other again. Adri can’t stop thinking about her and decides to hunt her down, which leads him to a mental health institute. Here, she is a resident. As a misguided romantic gesture, he admits himself to the hospital to try and get her number. Instead of being swept off her feet, Carla is more unhappy with his arrival, but now, he’s not able to leave either. There are plenty of depictions and conversations about living with different mental illnesses. Sure, there are some cringe moments too, but there is still a kindness with which they are portrayed. Which is rare for films. I can’t quite put my finger on it but Cervantes gives me some serious Seth Rogen vibes. I think I keep watching this film to figure out why. Watch it on Netflix Crazy Rich Asians, 2018 A peek into the lives of the rich, told via a romantic comedy. Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding) travel to Singapore for the marriage of Nick’s best friend. It’s Rachel’s first meeting with his family, which she doesn’t realise is a powerful one in high society Singapore. Questions arise about their relationship, of her being a gold digger and whether she’s really good enough for Nick, despite her being an Economics professor at New York University. Crazy Rich Asians, based on the book by Kevin Kwan, gained acclaim not just for being a feel-good rom-com, but as being a first of many. Its portrayal of Asian culture, representation on-screen and off with a largely Asian cast and crew in a major Hollywood film. Free from tokenism, orientalism and appropriation. Just a good, entertaining romantic comedy film. There’s a “hard relate” for any desi watching this film having been introduced to their partner’s big fat Indian family. And tell me you didn’t swoon and reach out for your partner (or pet’s) hand in the wedding scene when Can’t Help Falling in Love starts playing. Watch it on Prime Video The Other Woman, 2014 The Other Woman is a romantic comedy that focuses less on romantic relationships than on the friendships that an extramarital affair leads to. Carly (Cameron Diaz) ends up meeting Kate (Leslie Mann) by chance, after trying to surprise her boyfriend Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau). Kate is his wife. Despite being very different, they end up becoming friends and realise there’s another woman Amber (Kate Upton) as well. They band together and plot their revenge. I’m a major grudge holder. This means I love a good revenge flick. Whether it’s in the form of violent Kill Bill, Mean Girls or the softer touch of The Other Woman. I begrudgingly aw at their sweet friendship at the end of the movie but what I wouldn’t give to see them collectively thrash Coster-Waldau for what he did. And not just to them but to Bran in Game of Thrones. That fall from the tower is what started it all with him ending up becoming king and all weird with the creepy stares and long silences. Watch it on Disney+ Hotstar The Broken Hearts Gallery, 2020 Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan) is a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York City, who gets dumped by her boyfriend. Trying to get over her former relationship she meets Nick (Dacre Montgomery), who is building a hotel. She starts The Broken Heart Gallery, a pop-up space for people to leave behind items and souvenirs from their past relationships and loves, encouraging people to let things go and start afresh. While they say the film isn’t based on a true story, it is definitely inspired by the very real Museum of Broken Relationships. A very unique museum led by Croatia-based artists Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić. They collected personal items left behind from friends and peers and the collection was formed, showcased for the first time in 2006. Now it’s both a physical installation in Zagreb, Croatia, as well as a virtual project people can contribute to and share their stories of painful heartbreaks. As a hoarder of random things – for a brief period two years ago there was a brick in my room – after watching this film I had a mental list of every item I would add to the gallery. Watch it on Prime Video Forgetting Sarah Marshall, 2008 He may always be Marshal from How I Met Your Mother for some, but for me, this is Jason Segel’s best work (so far). The film was written by him as well. He plays Peter, who is a music composer for a TV show that happens to feature his actress girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell). She breaks his heart after a 5-year-long relationship after which he goes into a funk and ends up vacationing in Hawaii to try to move on. Problem is, Sarah is there with her new partner. At first, he tries to win her back but ends up falling for the hotel’s receptionist Rachel (Mila Kunis). You’ll see a lot of famous faces in this film from Judd Apatow’s usual crew (he co-produced the film) playing hilarious side characters like Bill Hader, Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig. With a very special appearance by Paul Rudd. I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. There’s a running joke in my friend’s circle that me after just one beer (I say one but it’s more like 3/4) is an embodiment of Peter pretending he’s in Sex in the City.
Watch it on Netflix Crazy Stupid Love, 2011 Shirtless Ryan Gosling. That is all. That’s your reason to watch this film. That’s the reason I can bring myself to repeatedly watch this film despite the several cheesy moments. The way Steve Carell says cuckold is also why I will always hate every person named David Lindhagen. Alright, if you need some more information then the plot goes something like this. Cal’s (Carell) life turns upside down after his wife Emily (Julianna Moore) asks for a divorce. He tries to re-enter the dating world but gets off to a very rocky start. Things take a turn after he befriends Jacob (Ryan Gosling), the ultimate smooth-talker and ladies man. Little does Jacob know that his life is about to take a turn too. The dynamic between Carell and Gosling is incredibly fun to watch as soon, the student becomes the master, while the rest of the ensemble cast featuring Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon is stellar as well. Watch it on Netflix The Half of It, 2020 The Half of It is a queer coming-of-age film sprinkled with elements of romantic comedies. Ellie (Leah Lewis) is an introverted student whose life revolves around taking care of her widowed father, his station master duties and school work. She makes some extra cash by writing school papers for her classmates. She’s approached by jock Paul (Daniel Diemer) to write a love letter to Aster (Alexxis Lemire) who he has a crush on. Paul and Ellie start to become friends but they also start to fall for the same girl. Ellie quietly struggles with sexuality and attraction to Aster, who also happens to be the daughter of the local deacon. As their flirty exchanges continue, they bond, but Aster doesn’t know that’s she’s actually talking to Ellie and not Paul. Watch it on Netflix Obvious Child, 2014 Obvious Child was originally a short film by Gillian Robespierre which she then turned into this feature-length film. Donna (Jenny Slate) is a stand-up comedian struggling with her career and adulthood. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, she goes on a bender and ends up hooking up with Max (Jake Lacy) whom she meets at a bar after completing a disaster of a comedy set. The one-night stand turns into something much more when she finds out she’s pregnant and sets up a date to get the pregnancy terminated while continuing to encounter Max at different places. It was described by The New York Times as an ” abortion romantic comedy “, not a sentence I ever thought would be used to describe… pretty much anything. But I get it. The story is as much a rom-com as it is about women’s ownership of their bodies, unplanned pregnancies and an attempt and normalising and de-stigmatising abortions and their representation in pop culture. Watch it on Prime Video |
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