The 55 Best Rom-Coms of All Time (That’s Right, ALL TIME, People)
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You know you love nothing more than snuggling up on a Friday night with a bottle of red, a friend (or significant other), and a good-ass rom-com. But maybe you’ve seen the same ones a million times and you’re looking to try something new. We’ve all been there. Here are the best of the classics and a few new ones you should definitely add to your must-watch list.
13 Going on 30
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Jennifer Garner plays a 13-year-old girl inside of a 30-year-old’s body (who actually wants to be 30? Jenna Rink, apparently) who has to figure out how to navigate life as an adult for the first time...and realize that she didn’t actually end up with her male BFF (played by Mark Ruffalo) in the future.
Bring It On
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There are few things better than a good cheerleading movie, and this one—starring Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, and Jesse Bradford—might just be the best one of all time with the most memorable cheers.
Always Be My Maybe
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Ali Wong wrote and stars in this Netflix original movie where she and her childhood best friend (Randall Park) meet up as adults and find out that they may actually have chemistry, but of course, it can never be that easy.
No Strings Attached
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This movie starring Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher is a solid addition to the “friends with benefits turned more” genre, especially since Mindy Kaling plays one of Natalie’s roommates.
27 Dresses
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In a world where someone actually has 27 friends as an adult, Katherine Heigl has always been the bridesmaid but never the bride. Things only get worse when she finds out her sister is engaged to her long-time crush, but a new love might be right around the corner.
Girls’ Trip
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Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Tiffany Haddish all get together to road trip to the Essence Music Festival, and both hilarity and romance ensue. If you’re looking for more “com” than “rom,” let this be your choice.
Sweet Home Alabama
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Imagine a world where someone would choose their high school boyfriend over a rich dude played by Patrick Dempsey, and there, you have the plot of Sweet Home Alabama, which is perfect in the same way all Reese Witherspoon movies are perfect.
Miss Congeniality
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We’ve all likely seen this one, but it’s definitely worth another watch. Come on—Sandra Bullock playing an FBI agent who is forced to enter a beauty pageant as part of her investigation? Doesn’t get better than that.
Think Like a Man
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Okay, this one is so star-studded, it’s crazy. It follows four guys as they realize the women in their lives have been using Steve Harvey’s book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, to get the upper hand in their relationships. They’re not happy about that, and hilarity ensues.
Mamma Mia!
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There are few movies out there (and even fewer movie musicals) that inspire a sequel that’s just as good, if not better, than the original, but Mamma Mia (and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again) definitely makes the cut. There’s Meryl Streep, there’s Pierce Brosnan, there’s a whole soundtrack of catchy tunes—what’s not to love?
500 Days of Summer
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Zooey Deschanel is the antithesis of the manic pixie dream girl in this rom-com. When Tom meets the quirky Summer at work, he quickly falls in love, but he imagines their love story (and his girlfriend) to be totally different than what they are in reality.
Sixteen Candles
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Looking for a classic? This is it, because there’s truly nothing like watching Molly Ringwald freak out when everyone forgets her birthday, only to end up celebrating it in a way she never expected.
Legally Blonde
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Add another Reese Witherspoon movie to the list—and this one might just be her most iconic yet. Watching Elle Woods crush it in law school and make Warner realize what he missed out on truly never gets old.
When Harry Met Sally
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Nora Ephron wrote a perfect screenplay—this is not up for debate—that at its heart asks, “Can men and women ever really be friends?” In the case of Harry and Sally, the answer is yes, they can be. Friends and soul mates.
Enough Said
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Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) starts dating Albert (James Gandolfini), and when she realizes one of her massage clients (Catherine Keener) is Albert’s ex-wife, she doesn’t tell either of them about the connection. Instead, she fishes around for information and hilarity (and heartbreak) ensues.
Jerry Maguire
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“Show me the money.” “You had me at hello.” “Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?” It’s no coincidence everyone you know can quote at least one (and probably all three) of these Jerry Maguire lines. The Tom Cruise/Renée Zellweger/Cuba Gooding, Jr. vehicle—about a sports agent who gets a conscience—is the kind of movie that worms its way into your brain and stay there for years to come.
Love & Basketball
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This is more of a sports-rom than a rom-com, but it’s a love story for the ages regardless. The movie follows Monica and Quincy as they go from ball-playing kids to ball-playing teens to ball-playing lovers to ball-playing exes to “Play me.” “For what?” “Your heart.” Epic.
Never Been Kissed
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There are so many Drew Barrymore movies to choose from! In this one, she plays a copy editor who goes back to high-school undercover for a big-break story—and falls in love with a teacher in the process. The movie makes the list for many reasons: the wardrobe, the Shakespeare references, the existence of Molly Shannon. Above all, it makes the list for bringing a character called Josie Grossy into our lives.
Pretty Woman
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If you think about the plot for too long—sex worker falls in love with arrogant rich man—it can start to feel icky. So don’t do that! Just enjoy it for what it is: an iconic movie that showcases the uncanny charm of one Julia Roberts.
Someone Great
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Admittedly, this is another one that’s a little bit light on the “com,” but when music journalist Jenny gets the perfect job that requires her to move across the country, she and her boyfriend break up on the eve of her move. Her friends decide she needs one last crazy night out in New York City, and their shenanigans do not disappoint.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
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Julia Roberts and Dermot Mulroney play best friends who made a pact to marry each other if they didn’t find the love by 28 (lol, yes, 28). With her birthday fast approaching, he announces an unexpected engagement—and she realizes she is in love with him and must sabotage the wedding. Spoiler-ish alert: It doesn’t end they way you think it would.
There’s Something About Mary
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Cameron Diaz plays the title character, a woman who has an incredible effect on the men in her life—all of whom are (pretty inappropriately) competing with each other for her attention. It’s brought to you by the Farrelly Brothers, the guys who did Dumb & Dumber, which is why you’ll recall some truly batshit scenes, like the one where Mary puts ~ejaculate~ in her hair thinking it’s gel.
Sleepless in Seattle
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Another Nora Ephron classic (cowritten and directed by her). The story follows a widower named Sam (Tom Hanks) who calls into a radio show to discuss his heartbreak and attracts the attention of countless female listeners. Among them is a woman named Annie (Meg Ryan), who is engaged to be married but feels like something is missing in her relationship. With a little scheming by Sam’s son, Sam and Annie eventually meet at the top of the Empire State Building.
Bridget Jones's Diary
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We’ve all been Bridget Jones at one point in our life: single, fretting over men, and utterly disgusted by the thought of working out. Renée Zellweger brings the character to life perfectly, and Hugh Grant and Colin Firth as her love interest are not too shabby themselves.
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