IN LOVE AT THE MOVIES
When it comes to the big screen, it's not easy uncovering what makes the perfect rom-com
The two queens of 1990s romcoms — Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan — are back in business.
Roberts stars in Ticket to Paradise as a divorcee who has to travel to Bali with her ex, played by George Clooney. And Ryan has announced plans to direct and star alongside David Duchovny in What Happens Later, an “evolved and nostalgic” take on the romantic comedy that sees the pair reunited decades after their split when they find themselves snowed-in at an airport.
The '90s rom-com boom was huge. And then it petered out. The boy-meets-girl formula — or rather, man meets woman on the lookout for the perfect husband — began to feel impossibly quaint.
But did that decade really produce the best rom-coms? And what exactly is a rom-com anyway? Simply put: A rom-com is a film with a romantic relationship at its heart, told in a consistently funny way.
25 My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) Nia Vardalos wrote and starred in this film about a Greek-american woman who falls in love with a non-greek man played by John Corbett. 24 Enchanted (2007)
Amy Adams is fairy tale princess Giselle who is transported to modern-day Manhattan. It's fish-out-of-water fun as Giselle navigates New York City and falls for a cynical divorce lawyer and single dad played by Patrick Dempsey. 23 Annie Hall (1977)
One of the few Woody Allen films in which he doesn't cast himself opposite a woman several decades his junior, this is a showcase for the wonderful Diane Keaton. Packed with good lines (“That was the most fun I've ever had without laughing”) while giving nerdy neurotics everywhere the hope that they too could bag an intelligent and attractive woman. 22 The Holiday (2006)
Begrudgingly, I'll admit that the setup — Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap houses, and fall for the respective, limited charms of Jack Black and Jude Law — is neat. 21 The Break-up (2006)
Admittedly, this one's cheating. The Break-up is technically an anti-rom-com but it's a comedy about a couple who still love each other, except they don't realize that because they also hate each other. Jennifer Aniston spent years trying to establish herself as a rom-com queen with a string of sub-par films (Picture Perfect, The Object of My Affection, Along Came Polly), but this is her finest hour. 20 Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Dumped musician Peter (Jason Segel) goes to Hawaii in order to get over his split from girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell), only for her to show up there with her new rock-star boyfriend. Luckily, Mila Kunis is working behind the reception desk and willing to be an alternative love interest.
19 Splash (1984)
Daryl Hannah became a major film star in 1984 thanks to her endearing performance as Madison, a mermaid who begins a relationship with Tom Hanks. 18 Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Credited with reviving the rom-com, this box office smash captured the genre's effervescent mood and launched a new heartthrob in Henry Golding.
17
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
What could be more romantic than Ryan Gosling kissing you in an elevator then bashing a man's head in until his brains are covering the floor? Oh, hang on, wrong film — that's Drive. For romance and comedy, there is Crazy, Stupid, Love., in which Gosling's slick pickup merchant coaches awkward divorcee Steve Carell in the art of dating, while falling hard for Emma Stone.
16 Gregory's Girl (1981)
Most of the films in this list feature twinkly backdrops (Manhattan. The Cotswolds. Notting Hill without the carnival). So a big hurrah for Gregory's Girl, which is set in Cumbernauld, Dunbartonshire, and stars John Gordon Sinclair as a gangly, awkward schoolboy who falls for a classmate (Dee Hepburn) who joins the school football team.
15
The Philadelphia Story (1940) The combined star power of Hollywood A-listers Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart propels this sparkling comedy, as a socialite's plans to marry her wealthy beau are disrupted by the arrival of her wily ex-hubby (Grant) and a tabloid reporter (Stewart).
14 Arthur (1981)
Slightly shambolic rom-com featuring Dudley Moore as a drunken playboy who falls in love with a working-class waitress played by Liza Minnelli. 13 Notting Hill (1999)
I can trace my phobia of dinner parties back to Richard Curtis's smugathon, but there's no denying the appeal of the central romance between a Hollywood megastar (Julia Roberts) and the shy bookshop owner (Hugh Grant). 12 Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
It takes a skilful writer to produce a great rom-com in which the protagonists don't meet until the end, and that writer is Nora Ephron. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are adorable in the lead roles. 11 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
A pitch-perfect high school rom-com with a plot loosely based on The Taming of the
Shrew. Julia Stiles is a heroine for the ages as the smart and spiky Kat Stratford, while Heath Ledger launched his Hollywood career as the too-cool-for-school Patrick, who is bribed to take her out on a date but ends up falling for her.
10 Pillow Talk (1959)
Every Doris Day film will brighten your day, but Pillow Talk is a Technicolor delight. Day is an interior designer who shares a party line with womanizing neighbour Rock Hudson. 9 Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
The big pants. The Christmas jumper. The tearful rendition of All By Myself. The fight between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Every element of this film is a joy, with Renée Zellweger nailing the role — and the British accent — to bring Helen Fielding's creation to life.
8 The Proposal (2009)
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are an absolute hoot as the awful boss and her put-upon assistant, who hate each other but must pretend to be engaged while staying with his eccentric family in Alaska.
7 Pretty Woman (1990)
If you thought too hard about the ethics of a film in which an asset-stripping millionaire installs a prostitute in his hotel suite, you'd go full Gloria Steinem. Instead, just enjoy this fairy-tale for its fabulous star turn from Julia Roberts. Originally, the producers wanted Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer for the lead roles instead of Roberts and Richard Gere.
6
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Sandra Bullock is Lucy, a lonely ticket collector who nurses a secret crush on handsome commuter Peter (Peter Gallagher) and — through the kind of misunderstanding that only happens in rom-coms — is mistaken for his fiancée when he falls into a coma. The real romance unfolds, slowly, between Lucy and Peter's brother, Jack, played with his usual quiet and handsome decency by Bill Pullman.
5 Jerry Maguire (1996)
Just edging out Cocktail on the list of great Tom Cruise movies, Jerry Maguire made a star of Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. Yes, most of the comedy comes from the bromance between the sports agent and his star (OK, only) client, but “You had me at hello” remains one of the great romantic movie lines.
4 Groundhog Day (1993)
You could argue that Groundhog Day is more of a comedy than a romance, but love does eventually win, as misanthropic weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) hones his attempts to woo earnest producer Rita (Andie Macdowell) while endlessly reliving the same day.
3 Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
When Hugh Grant saw an early cut of Four Weddings, he was convinced that it would be a flop. “There wasn't a laugh in it ... We thought we were going to have to emigrate because it was so embarrassing,” he said. So credit must go to the film's editor, the late Jon Gregory, for producing one of the funniest ensemble comedies ever.
2 When Harry Met Sally (1989)
“Men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.” Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan do their best to prove/disprove the theory in Nora Ephron's superlative comedy. The script is a master class, Crystal is infuriatingly charming, and Ryan is surely the only actress who could loudly fake an orgasm in public while maintaining an air of innocence.
1 His Girl Friday (1940)
The classic screwball romantic comedy to which all others aspire. Newspaper editor Walter Burns (Cary Grant) plots to win back his ex-wife and ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) after she announces she's to marry the hopelessly naive Bruce (Ralph Bellamy). The leads are perfectly matched, the chemistry crackles, and every line of dialogue zings. Hildy: “He treats me like a woman.” Walter: “He does, does he? How did I treat you, like a water buffalo?” It fulfils the ultimate rom-com remit: all you want is for these two to get together.