It's not secret that romantic comedies have often been the bane of many “serious” moviegoers, but ask yourself: have you ever really given them a chance? Yeah, there are some that are absolute garbage—I'm looking at you, Gigli. But, there are others out there that deserve a fair shot.
Whether it's because they break the traditional rom-com mold or because they embrace the ridiculousness of it, these ten films deserve a fair viewing, despite their dubious genre. Watch them with pride.
The Proposal
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The Proposal follows a typical romantic comedy format—two characters come together, don’t want to love each other, but ultimately can't resist the powerful force of cupid’s arrow. Thankfully, this movie has so much more than these tired tropes.
The protagonist, Margaret, is a Canadian facing deportation from the United States. Since she has a cushy job in New York City, she's got to find a solution to avoid losing it. Ultimately, she's forced to feign an engagement with her assistant, Andrew. An INS agent doubts the legitimacy of their relationship, so the couple must learn everything they can about one another in order to survive his interrogations.
This leads Margaret on an adventure to Sitka, Alaska to spend time with Andrew and his family. With a crazy grandma (played by Betty White), vulturous wildlife, and tensions between pretty much every character onscreen, this movie is easily one of the best romantic comedies in recent memory.
50/50
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50/50 is about a young man, Adam, diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that only has a 50% survival rate. After enduring the shocking diagnosis and a messy breakup with his current girlfriend, Adam begins sessions with a therapist at the hospital where he receives treatment. However, along the way—and surely you saw this coming a mile away—she ends up being much more than just his therapist.
Does Adam survive? Do they live happily ever after? There's only one way to find out, isn't there?
Adventureland
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Working at a theme park sounds absolutely amazing, right? Well, not so much for James, the protagonist in Adventureland. As a recent college grad, he needs a job ASAP, but no one will hire him—that is until he applies at the local amusement park.
This rom-com shows that mundane life can be pretty great, especially when there’s the perfect girl working with you. The one-liners are enough to make your stomach hurt with laughter. See: “Are you drinking drugs?”
Don't let Kristen Stewart's role as the love interest scare you off—it’s really hard not love Adventureland.
Choke
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You can argue all day that Choke isn’t a romantic comedy, but Chuck Palahniuk says that he's a sucker for this genre, which means it might indeed be a (very, very dark) rom-com.
The movie is about Victor, a sex addict that pulls cons to make ends meet because his job as a colonial reenactor just doesn’t seem to pay the bills. It doesn’t help that his mother is ill and in an expensive nursing home. When he begins to fall for a woman who claims she can help his mother, Victor is forced to confront the dysfunction in his life and hers.
About Time
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Have you ever wanted to change the past? About Time explores this idea with Tim, a man with the ability to travel back in time. The only trouble is that he quickly learns not everything can be fixed. This movie is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and it might even give you warm fuzzies. It gives a unique twist to the classic rom-com format, but it still captures the panic of new relationships and the comfort of long-lasting ones.
Silver Linings Playbook
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You don't always fall in love with someone who's got their life together, and sometimes love stories involve characters with serious anger and depression issues. What happens when two people like this collide? Silver Linings Playbook happens.
Not only is this romantic comedy funny and enjoyable, but it’s also moving, as the two main characters attempt to help each other. There are no fairy tale love stories in real life, and Silver Linings Playbook is a rom-com that understands this.
The Princess Bride
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“My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
At first glance, The Princess Bride may not look like your classic, late-'80s Cary Elwes movie, but it has all of the good-heartedness and satire you’d expect from a Rob Reiner film. The movie is about a princess who falls deeply in love with a mere farm boy. Unfortunately, she is whisked away to marry the evil Humperdink. Yes, that's actually his name. Who will save her? Pfft, I bet you can guess who.
Warm Bodies
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Warm Bodies is your typical rom-com. In fact, it follows the prototypical love story: Romeo and Juliet.
There are also zombies. Did I mention that?
Despite being a zombie movie, director and writer Jonathan Levine somehow managed to have less death than the Shakespeare version. The film follows the zombie dubbed “R” as he realizes he’s not your typical living dead. He thinks, he loves, and he’s learning to be human again. Warm Bodies teaches us that it’s okay to be more than friends with the living dead. (Editor's note: Do not be more than just friends with the living dead.)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is exactly the kind of movie you'd expect Michael Cera to star in—his eponymous character is awkward, bumbling, and oh-so endearing.
But it's more than just that—this movie is about what happens when comics and video games collide with real life. Trust me when I say that this movie is nerd heaven. It’s complete with onomatopoeia sound effects (POW! CRASH!) and health bars. Plus tagline fits flawlessly: Love is a battle, so fight for it!
They Came Together
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They Came Together is one of the strangest romantic comedies you’ll ever see, I promise. It features two huge comedy headliners (Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd) and makes fun of every romantic comedy trope known to man.
Each scene is conceived, intentional brilliance. There’s even a part in the film where the Paul Rudd's “dude friends” give him advice, and they literally call him “Mister combines traits that each of us represents and all you need to do is put it together, and you’ll be just fine guy.” They Came Together is perfection.