Romantic comedies are like snuggling up in a warm cardigan on a crisp autumn day. Or like that first bite of your mom's cooking when you come home from the holidays. They also have corny analogies involving cardigans and mom's cooking, but that's what I love about them. Movies, at their purest form, are not meant to emulate human emotions but amplify them. We all, at some point, yearn for and feel love. Romantic comedies simply take that feeling and create the idealized version of it, which is why they're so comforting to watch.
Here are just a few of our favorites.
Moonstruck is one of those movies you watch and say, “they don't make them like that anymore.” From the opening credits set to “That's Amore” to the perfectly executed conclusion there's a feeling of warmth and romance that is underscored by the hilarious tongue-in-cheek tone. It's one of the greatest romantic comedies and movies of all time.
However, it's more than just a few laughs and iconic line readings. The screenplay's tight structure is hard to not get swept up in and Cher's magnetic performance tinged with her glowing movie star power makes it clear why she won an Oscar for the role — not to mention Nicolas Cage's perfectly chaotic energy. Despite the joy it exudes, there's also a melancholic but uplifting undercurrent about romance that might just make you believe in love again.
Moonstruck is streaming on Prime Video via Showtime
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I almost hate myself for saying this but Beginners isn't a love story it's a story about love. It's about the love we give away and take—and it's about the love we didn't give away and didn't take. Like many of Mike Mills' films, Beginners plays like a memory and meditation more than a narrative. In it, we learn that love can come at any time and that optimism ultimately is the way to live your life.
Beginners is streaming on HBO Max
Love always comes with baggage. However, it's the way we deal with that baggage that often determines the fate of relationships. But what if you couldn't confront that baggage head-on and instead had to deal with it through your romantic interest's parents? That's how The Big Sick — and its clever script filled with witty one-liners — subverts the expectations of a romantic comedy.
When the movie's story takes its turn, Showalter masterfully guides the tone towards dramedy that is sentimental, but never overwrought. As Kumail and Emily's parents circle each other like cowboys preparing for a shootout, there are moments of understanding and education and growth just like a traditional rom-com. It's filled with so much empathy and character moments that have so much meaning, but always find a way to end on a joke. For that, it's a true delight.
The Big Sick is streaming on Prime Video
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The rom-com works best when it's character-driven and has a fresh perspective, both of which Plus One has. However, it also helps that the movie is so incredibly funny and filled with sharp one-liners delivered with precision by Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. But it's Erskine who really steals the show with one great sarcastic quip after another.
“I cried… but I cry every day, so it doesn't mean anything”
— Me (but also Erskine in the movie)
It's not perfect. The story drags in the third act and it falls into some genre cliches. But, for the most part, Plus One is a hilarious and, dare I say, relatable take on the classic romantic comedy formula with enough gags to keep you hooked.
Plus One is streaming on Hulu
I think anyone that lived through the 80s, 90s and early aughts has a soft spot for that perfect romantic comedy. The kind that has perfect one-liners that you can work into everyday life and characters who live lives that you could only aspire to in unrealistically large apartments and scenes that make your heart flutter at the thought of them happening in real life.
Set it Up mines those tropes and makes me feel nostalgic for those breezy rom-coms. And while it hits a lot of those familiar plot beats, the movie surpasses other contemporary rom-coms because director Claire Scanlon and the charming leads have a great sense of comedic timing and the propensity for subtle, but effective physical comedy. It's one of those movies that you'll want to come back to over and over again.
Set it Up is streaming on Netflix
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I think anyone that lived through the 80s, 90s and early aughts has a soft spot for that perfect romantic comedy. The kind that has perfect one-liners that you can work into everyday life and characters who live lives that you could only aspire to in unrealistically large apartments and scenes that make your heart flutter at the thought of them happening in real life.
Set it Up mines those tropes and makes me feel nostalgic for those breezy rom-coms. And while it hits a lot of those familiar plot beats, the movie surpasses other contemporary rom-coms because director Claire Scanlon and the charming leads have a great sense of comedic timing and the propensity for subtle, but effective physical comedy. It's one of those movies that you'll want to come back to over and over again.
Set it Up is streaming on Netflix
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Hey! I'm Karl. You can find me on Twitter here. I'm also a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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