Who doesn’t love that heartwarming and feeling-good sensation after watching a good romance movie? If it involves humor, even better! Here’s a list of romantic comedies that are a must-watch!
Pretty Woman
The movie that revealed Julia Roberts to Hollywood and was one of the biggest hits in the 90s, couldn’t stay out of this list. I remember watching this for the first time and thinking “How could I have spent so much time of my life without seeing it?”.
It tells the story of Vivian, a sex worker who’s hired by businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to be his escort for one week, but their relationship ends up evolving into something deeper and more meaningful. With an iconic sound theme and an undeniable chemistry between Roberts and Gere, if you haven’t watched this film yet you definitely should.
NOTTING HILL
I think it’s pretty clear now that I’m a Julia Roberts fan, so I need to talk about my favorite rom-com and one of my favorite movies of all time.
In this, Roberts plays Anna Scott, a very famous American actress who’s in England to promote her new film, until her path crosses with William Thacker (Hugh Grant), a divorced man who owns a traveling book store in Notting Hill and lives with his quirky roommate, Spike (Rhys Ifans).
With songs such as “She” by Elvis Costello and “When You Say Nothing At All” by Ronan Keating as a part of the soundtrack, this movie will leave your heart warm and with your hopes in love restored – and perhaps even make you want to visit Notting Hill.
the holiday
This is the perfect movie for you to watch during the holidays, especially Christmas. Starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law, it tells the story of two women, both unsuccessful in love, who decide to switch houses for two weeks during the holidays. After the switch, Amanda (Diaz) and Iris (Winslet) see their lives change as they meet a book editor and a neighbor, respectively, whom they weren’t really expecting.
For me, the highlight of this movie is the cast. They work perfectly together and it’s almost as if we could feel how much fun they probably had filming this. The secondary characters are also very well written and improve the scenes they’re a part of.
THE PROPOSAL
A mix of the classic “enemies to lovers” and “fake dating” tropes turned into a movie but with – a lot of – humor added to it. Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) sees herself in trouble when finding out she’s getting deported back to Canada, so she arranges to marry her assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), to keep her visa, but she certainly didn’t count on the INS agent and Andrew’s family.
This film has so many iconic and hilarious scenes that it’s impossible to quote just one, so I’ll say two: the proposal in itself and Bullock’s scene dancing in the forest. If you’re having a bad day, this movie will definitely cheer you up.
JUST GO WITH IT
As a huge Friends fan, I couldn’t leave Jennifer Aniston out of this, especially when Adam Sandler plays the other main character. Danny Maccabee (Sandler) is a plastic surgeon who, after a failed love life, meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker) and is willing to marry her. However, he lies to her and says he’s married to Katherine (Aniston), his assistant. To try and keep Palmer, Danny needs to convince his long-time best friend and her children to go with it.
With special appearances of Nicole Kidman and Nick Swardson, as well as a soundtrack containing Rihanna, Sting, and Bruno Mars, this movie is a gem and perfectly shows how well the dynamic between Aniston and Sandler works.
BLENDED
My favorite Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore collaboration. Jim, a widower with three daughters, and Lauren, divorced with two sons, go on a blind date that doesn’t go well and agree to never see each other again, but destiny had other plans. In an attempt to give their families a cool holiday, they accidentally end up at the same African resort.
This movie is hilarious and not just because of Sandler and Barrymore. The children here do an amazing job and we also get to see Bella Thorne out of the “Disney Channel atmosphere”.
my big fat Greek wedding
A classic from the early 2000s, produced by Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, it tells the story of thirty-year-old Toula Portokalo (Nia Vardalos), the daughter of a Greek family living in Chicago, whose main wish for her is to marry and have children, whereas Toula has other desires. However, she falls for Ian Miller (John Corbett), a non-Greek school teacher, who will have a lot of work ahead of him to gain his way, not only to Toula’s heart but to her family.
The movie is based on Vardalos’s own experiences and it made me really curious to know a bit more about Greek culture and ways of living. In 2016, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” was released, a continuation of the first one, with the same cast and some new faces, also worth watching! To make things even more Greek, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” was announced and will hit the cinemas later this year, in September.
RICOS DE AMOR (RICH IN LOVE)
To end this list with a Brazilian twist, I need to recommend the movie that put a smile on my face during quarantine. Teto (Danilo Mesquita) is the son of rich farm owner Teodoro (Ernani Moraes) and he doesn’t want to do anything with his life, but things change when he meets the medical student Paula (Giovanna Lancellotti) and, to try and keep her, eventually starts lying to her.
This film brings in amazing Brazilian sets and references, as well as some serious discussions about privilege and social differences. “Ricos de Amor 2” has just been released and, like the first one, is available on Netflix.
———————————————————————————————————————————–
The article above was edited by Beatriz Oliveira.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus Cásper Líbero home page for more!