The 96 Best Rom-Coms, According to the Students Of My Rom-Com Class
A list that is very subjective, constantly growing, and...does not include exclusively romantic comedies, per se.
I have had the pleasure, recently, to be teaching a screenwriting class about the art of the romantic comedy. This class discusses the genre through the lens of the filmographies of Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron, two women I consider masters of the form. But we do no exclusively discuss these women — there’s a lot out there to love when it comes to romance.
During the first session for each run of the class, I ask each student to tell me some of their favorite of the genre. Below are their responses — varied in tone, subject, sub-genre, and even, at times, in whether they’re romantic comedies at all. All parentheses next to the listings are the students’ own comments on their choices.
I love this list. It’s also a great viewing rec resource for the next time you’re looking for something to discover or revisit.
Have at it :) I would love to hear your comments on the below. And if you’d like to sign up for the class, we have two sessions coming up you can learn about here.
10 Things I Hate About You
13 Going On 30
About Time
Addicted to Love
Almost Famous
Always Be My Baby
Amelie
Austenland
Because I Said So
Before Sunrise
Before Sunset
Bend It Like Beckham
Better Off Dead
Bridesmaids
Bridget Jones
Broadcast News
Brown Sugar
But I'm a Cheerleader
Center Stage
Clueless
Coming To America
Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Stupid Love
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ)
Down With Love
Eat Pray Love
Emma (2020)
Enough Said
Fire Island
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Friends With Benefits
Harold and Maude
Heartburn
Hitch
How To Be Single
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
I Love You, Man
Insecure
It's Complicated
Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na
Jerry Maguire
Just Wright
Legally Blonde
Long Shot
Love & Basketball
Love Life Season 2
Lovesick
Made Of Honor
Maid In Manhattan
Miss Congeniality
Moonstruck
My Best Friend's Wedding
Never Have I Ever
New Girl
Notting Hill
Obvious Child
Ocean's Eleven ("if we are really stretching that definition")
Palm Springs
Paris Blues
Playing House
Plus One
Pretty Woman
Princess Bride
Princess Diaries
Princess Diaries 2
Roman Holiday
Room With A View ("debatable but also: debatable!")
SATC
Say Anything
Set It Up
She's All That
She's the Man
Silver Linings Playbook
Sleeping With Other People
Sleepless in Seattle
Sliding Doors
Someone Great
Something's Gotta Give
Starstruck
The 5 Year Engagement
The Best Man
The Big Sick
The Birdcage
The Half Of It
The Holiday
The Hook-Up Plan
The Parent Trap
The Philadelphia Story
The Shop Around the Corner
The Worst Person In the World
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
When Harry Met Sally
While You Were Sleeping
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
You're the Worst
You've Got Mail
So many delights, but your students are probably too young to have seen my personal favorite: “What’s Up, Doc?”
Alanna, Sonia Thomas here! I would love to someday introduce you to the magic of Shah Rukh Khan (the male lead in DDLJ). If and when you do watch DDLJ, please allow me to sit and talk to you about the myth, the magic, and the man he is. Because there is SO MUCH going on around the context of Shah Rukh outside of his films as well that I feel I should do that for you (because I love you, your work, and I know only you would understand)