For couples, the best way to spend an ideal holiday is by watching good romantic comedies. These films portray entertainment in a new form; there is love, jealousy, weird characters and lots of humor.
Watching a good romantic comedy together is a great way to make up with your partner after a fight. The main reason the above statement stands true, because these flicks are filled with instances which can make anyone smile and create a loving atmosphere. Their plots focus on a love story with lots of humor in it.
Most romantic comedies carry similar plots. As the movie progresses, romance blossoms between the protagonists, and the couple faces hilarious instances which show that the journey of love has always been difficult, but sometimes it is surely funny.
The best part about these films is that they are awesome entertainers that can be viewed with the entire family, and they never fail to leave the audience in splits.
The views expressed in this article are solely of the author’s and are not intended to be disrespectful to anyone’s work or opinions.
Hope Springs
- Release: 2012
- Cast: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell
- Director: David Frankel
- Memorable Lines: He is everything. But I’m really lonely. And to be with someone, when you’re not really with him can. I think I might be less lonely alone.
Kay and Arnold have been happily married for decades but somewhere in time, their relationship has lost its spark and connection. To spice things up and reclaim the lost passion, Kay books them for a week of marriage counseling sessions with Dr. Bernie Feld. At first, Arnold is reluctant to take any help but seeing his wife’s disappointment, he tags along. Now the real challenge for Dr. Feld is to help Kay and Arnold re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall in love with each other in the first place.
This Means War
- Release: 2012
- Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy
- Director: McG
- Memorable Lines: I know he’s fat and ridiculous. But he’s my fat, my ridiculous. I like the way I am with him. Don’t choose the better guy. Choose the guy that will make you a better woman.
FDR Foster and Tuck Hansen are the world’s best CIA agents and best friends. However, they become sworn enemies when both start dating the same woman, Lauren Scott. They decide not to create problems for each other and let Lauren decide whom she wants to be with. However, things get more nasty when they both start using CIA technology to spy on Lauren and destroy each others chances with her. With their incomparable skills and charm, they decide to fight for the woman they love by using all the advanced artillery of the CIA.
The Five-Year Engagement
- Release: 2012
- Cast: Jason Segel, Emily Blunt and Rhys Ifans
- Director: Nicholas Stoller
- Memorable Lines: I don’t think we can figure out all of our problems before we get married, but I promise you that I will just love you every step of the way.
After dating for a year, Tom and Violet get engaged but a series of bizarre incidents keep interrupting their wedding. First, Tom’s best friend gets Violet’s sister pregnant, then Violet gets accepted in the post-doctorate program in Michigan which delays the wedding for another two years. Tom relocates to Michigan for Violet but is unable to find a suitable job. Frustration gradually builds up and after a few ugly spats, they call off their engagement. Both try to move on and even start dating other people but slowly realize that they were perfect for each other rekindle their romance.
Friends with Benefits
- Release: 2011
- Cast: Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis
- Director: Will Gluck
- Memorable Lines: God, I wish my life was a movie sometimes. You know, I’d never have to worry about my hair, or having to go to the bathroom. And then when I’m at my lowest point, some guy would chase me down the street, pour his heart out and we’d kiss. Happily ever after.
As the title suggests, the movie is about two individuals who are tired of looking for love. Jamie and Dylan cross each others paths become friends and enter the friends with benefits agreement. Complications arise when Jamie realizes this isn’t what she wanted and begins some serious dating. When that doesn’t turn out well, she heads to California with Dylan for the weekend and end up falling for him. The plot is not new but it does have some amazing moments of friendship and love which makes it one of the best rom-coms of 2011.
Love and Other Drugs
- Release: 2010
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway
- Director: Edward Zwick
- Memorable Lines: I don’t know – you meet thousands of people and none of them really touch you. And then you meet one person and your life is changed forever.
Jake and Maggie are two poles apart. While Maggie is a beautiful free spirit who believes in defying rules and living life to the fullest, Jamie is a pharmaceutical salesperson with big dreams and a charming personality that makes him a hit among ladies and the big bosses of the medicine world. When they both start a casual affair, their intense chemistry takes them by surprise and they fall prey to the one drug that everyone needs and wants: love.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
- Release: 2009
- Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Michael Douglas
- Director: Mark Waters
- Memorable Lines: Someone once told me that the power in all relationships lies with whoever cares less, and he was right. But power isn’t happiness, and I think that maybe happiness comes from caring more about people rather than less…
Connor Mead is a famous photographer and a confirmed philanderer. He enjoys what he does and advocates his principles to everyone around him. He takes a break from his playboy lifestyle to attend his brother’s wedding and there is surprised to see Jenny, his only true love. After making a drunken and embarrassing speech at the rehearsal dinner, he is visited by the ghost of his mentor Uncle Wayne who tells him that he’ll be visited by three ghosts who will take him through his romantic past, present and future. What follows next is an amazing journey of Connor’s past, present and future through which he realizes the importance of love in one’s life.
Sex and the City
- Release: 2008
- Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis and Kim Cattrall
- Director: Michael Patrick King
- Memorable Lines: After years of living in the city I assumed that if my friends and I ever got our fairytale endings, that would be the end of the story. But real life always has a twist.
Carrie finally plans her dream wedding with Mr. Big and her gal pals, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte couldn’t be happier. After six seasons and thousands of dates all four seem to settle down perfectly in life. However, the non-committal Mr. Big gets cold-feet at the last moment and abandons the wedding. Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha wouldn’t let Carrie sulk over a man and take her to Mexico to cool off. This movie is an shining example on the importance of friends in life.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
- Release: 2008
- Cast: Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis and Russell Brand
- Director: Nicholas Stoller
- Memorable Lines: She got me this, okay, because I would always leave my cereal boxes open, and the cereal would get stale. And so one day I came home and she had this waiting for me, because it keeps my cereal fresh, and now I have the FRESHEST cereal.
Struggling musician Peter Brandt is crazy about his girlfriend, TV star Sarah Marshall. Although Sarah treats him like a butler, Peter loves and respects her unconditionally. So when she decides to dump him for another guy, Peter is devastated. To overcome the heartbreak, Peter goes to Hawaii but is shocked to see Sarah and her new lover, Aldous residing in the same hotel. As he accepts his unlucky fate, happiness knocks in the form of Rachel, a flirtatious and beautiful resort employee. For the first time in years, Peter has met someone who genuinely cares about him and they start falling in love.
No Reservations
- Release: 2007
- Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart
- Director: Scott Hicks
- Memorable Lines: I wish there was a cookbook for life, you know? Recipes telling us exactly what to do. I know, I know, you’re gonna say “How else will you learn, Kate”.
Kate’s world is flipped over when her sister dies in a car accident and leaves her young daughter in her care. If this wasn’t enough, her boss forces her to see a therapist because of her cold and control freak nature. As she tries to regain control of her life, her boss introduces Nick, a fun loving, Italian-trained chef who wants to train under Kate. However, Kate views him as a threat and her likely successor. As Nick becomes a favorite among the restaurant staff and Zoe, Kate starts developing feelings for Nick. The film is a perfect example of how opposites attract and how perfection can be quite boring sometimes.
Juno
- Release: 2007
- Cast: Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Michael Cera
- Director: Jason Reitman
- Memorable Lines: I was thinking I could, like, have this baby, and give it to someone that like totally needs it, like a woman with a bum ovary or a couple of nice lesbos.
After an event on a chair with her best friend Paulie Bleeker, 16-year-old Juno gets pregnant. Initially she decides to abort the baby, but changes her mind and plans to give it up for adoption. Although her parents are shocked and disappointed about Juno’s pregnancy, they support her decision. After a lot of searching, she finds a rich, good-natured couple; Mark and Vanessa Loring. She likes the couple, especially the father with whom she shares a passion for grunge music and horror films. At first Juno is fine with giving up the baby but during the second and third trimesters, she realizes it is not going to be as easy as it looks.
The Heartbreak Kid
- Release: 2007
- Cast: Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman and Michelle Monaghan
- Director: Farrelly Brothers
- Memorable Lines: Look, you want to know the secret to a happy marriage? Do what I do. Plaster on a fake smile, plow through the next half century, sit back, relax, and wait for the sweet embrace of death!
Eddie Cantrow is single and 40. After attending an ex-fiancĂ©e’s wedding, he realizes that he has been too picky when it comes to love and plans to settle down. Soon he meets Lila an attractive and funny environmental researcher and they start dating. Lila’s company plans to relocate her to Europe and to stop her from going Eddie proposes marriage and she accepts. It is only after they are married, Eddie sees the real monster. Lila is a stupid and annoying female who had a cocaine addiction and owes money to various sources. He discovers some more irritating and annoying aspects of her personality at their honeymoon in Mexico. Things get worse when Eddie meets Miranda, a down-to-earth lacrosse coach who is visiting with her family and instantly falls in love with her.
Little Manhattan
- Release: 2005
- Cast: Josh Hutcherson and Charlie Ray
- Director: Mark Levin
- Memorable Lines: There are very few things more painful than watching the woman you love grapple with another man. Actually, I take that back. There are no things more painful.
11 year old Gabe’s life is turned upside down when he falls in love with his former kindergarten pal cum karate partner, Rosemary Telesco. While most of his friends still associate girls with problems, Gabe has already fallen hard for Rosemary. Confused with his new feelings towards a girl and the divorce of his parents, Gabe tries to understand the complexities of love and women as he starts spending more time with Rosemary. Little Manhattan is a sweet take on first love through the eyes of a fifth grader.
The Wedding Date
- Release: 2005
- Cast: Debra Messing, Amy Adams and Dermot Mulroney
- Director: Clare Kilner
- Memorable Lines: The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back. But if you know her shit and she knows yours, and at the end of the day if you still would rather give up than try, nothings ever going to be worth it.
Kat Ellis is a single New Yorker who plans to attend her sister’s wedding. To ensure that she doesn’t look miserable and alone, her parents plan to set her up on the wedding. She also comes to know that the best man is going to be her ex-boyfriend. To turn things around and make her ex jealous, she hires Nick Mercer, the best escort money can buy to be her date at her sister’s wedding. Kat ensures that this relationship is pure business but soon she falls for Nick’s charming personality and falls in love with him.
Hitch
- Release: 2005
- Cast: Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kevin James and Amber Valletta
- Director: Andy Tennant
- Memorable Lines: Basic principles: no matter what, no matter when, no matter who… any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. He just needs the right broom.
For all the underachievers out there, Alex Hitchens is your man. He is the “Date Doctor” who helps guys land their dream dates. While training Albert to impress his dream girl and boss Allegra Cole, Hitchens meets the stunning tabloid reporter Sara Melas and instantly falls for her. However, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding Sara breaks off with Hitch and Allegra with Albert. Now to prove his and Albert’s innocence and love, Hitch does everything in his power to set things right.
Something’s Gotta Give
- Release: 2003
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Amanda Peet and Keanu Reeves
- Director: Nancy Meyers
- Memorable Lines: I feel something with you I never really knew existed. Do you know what that’s like, after a 20-year marriage to feel something for another person that is so…? That… Oh, Right. Right. Not your problem. God. Do you know that I’ve written this, but I never really got it? Do you know what this is?
Harry Sanborn is a music mogul who dates younger women. His latest catch, a young sophisticated Marin who has invited him to her mother’s beach house in The Hamptons. Their romantic weekend is cut-short when Marin’s successful playwright mother Erica Berry arrives with her sister. Harry and Marin end up staying anyway but Harry suffers a heart attack and is not permitted to travel anywhere. While Marin leaves for the city, Erica is the only one left to take care of Harry. Although, she is repulsed by Harry’s way of living life, Erica is drawn to his charming personality and both of them end up falling for each other through the recovery process.
Just Married
- Release: 2003
- Cast: Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy
- Director: Shawn Levy
- Memorable Lines: Sarah doesn’t need a guy with a fat wallet to make her happy. I saw how you love this girl. How you two lit each other up. She doesn’t need anymore security than that.
Sarah belongs to a wealthy family and wants to be a writer. Tom works as a radio traffic reporter and is barely able to make ends meet. They are completely opposite to each other but still fall in love and get married in spite of her parents and friends opposing the union. Her family also sends her ex boyfriend Peter to ruin their honeymoon. Peter’s job become easy when the couple encounters some unfortunate incidents and post-marriage jitters. The movie is based on Levy’s own experiences of his ill-fated honeymoon.
Sweet Home Alabama
- Release: 2002
- Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas and Patrick Dempsey
- Director: Andy Tennant
- Memorable Lines: The only reason I ain’t signing is cause you’ve turned into some hoity toity Yankee bitch and I’d like nothing better right now than to piss you off.
Melanie Carmichael is a successful New York fashion designer who is dating the Mayor’s son, Andrew Hennings. When Andrew proposes to Melanie she is overjoyed but Melanie first decides to go home to run some errands. The sudden trip to Alabama is to get a divorce from her first husband Jake Perry, whom she married when she was young. Melanie and Jake were a happy couple but they encountered some problems and she miscarried which resulted in their separation. However, the more time she spends with Jake, sparks fly and a surprise visit from Andrew adds to the confusion.
Other Honorable Mentions
- 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
- Valentine’s Day (2010)
- Music and Lyrics (2007)
- Knocked Up (2007)
- The Proposal (2009)
- Just Go with It (2011)
- Pretty Woman (1990)
- No Strings Attached (2011)
- Waitress (2007)
- When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
- He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)
- Serendipity (2001)
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
- The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
- Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
- High Fidelity (2000)
- About a Boy (2002)
- Rumor Has It (2005)
- Annie Hall (1977)
- Easy A (2010)
- My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
- She’s Out of My League (2010)
- Made of Honor (2008)
- Just My Luck (2006)
- The Holiday (2006)
- Along Came Polly (2004)
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
- Runaway Bride (1999)
- It’s Complicated (2009)
- You’ve Got Mail (1998)
- Our Family Wedding (2010)
- Legally Blonde (2001)
- Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)
- Never Been Kissed (1999)
- Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009)
- The Break-Up (2006)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- 27 Dresses (2008)
- New Year’s Eve (2011)
Romantic comedies are a popular genre of films and they try to define love in their own humorous way. They have been in existence since the era of movie making started and will continue to make viewers laugh in the future.
