**This article contains minor spoilers.**
There’s nothing better than a movie reaffirming the fact that hope and humor are just as important for survival as toughness and grit. More often than not, the movies that do this best are romantic comedies. In the modern epidemic of big-budget blockbusters, it’s reassuring to see a film that lets itself be a little ridiculous.
I used to be convinced that rom-coms were simply fluffy plotlines and half-developed characters. Now, I’m fully converted. Here are 10 underrated movies worth watching from a reformed rom-com skeptic.
- Two Weeks Notice
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Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant star in what is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time. She’s a lawyer fighting to save humanity from the rich and powerful. He’s rich and powerful.
Grant’s self-deprecating humor and Bullock’s disheveled wit clash to create the most enjoyable enemies-to-friends-to-lovers dynamic I’ve seen in years. Their chemistry is as sweet as their banter is sharp, and the witty writing is to die for.
Watching them gently goad each other into becoming better people is a dynamic rarely seen in classic romantic comedies, and it makes Two Weeks Notice stand out from the rom-com crowd.
- 27 Dresses
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We all want someone who sees right through us and still chooses to be with us. That’s exactly what happens between perpetual bridesmaid Jane (Katherine Heigl) and romance cynic Kevin (James Marsden). It’s one of the most criminally underrated movies of the early 2000s.
Although it’s undeniably funny, there’s real tension in the pressure Jane puts on herself. She’s balancing being the perfect older sister, sticking it out in a job that treats her badly, and trying to be sweet and put together even though she wants to explode.
Also, it’s highly cathartic to see Jane release her pent-up belligerence in a passive-aggressive slideshow. Brutal, hilarious, and totally worth the watch.
- Made of Honor
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A friends-to-lovers plotline, a New York City setting, and a side quest to Scotland… Made of Honor has it all. In it, Thomas (Patrick Dempsey) serves as the male maid of honor to his best friend Hailey’s (Michelle Monogan) wedding, only to realize that he’s been in love with her for years.
His misadventure culminates in getting punched in the face by a jolly Scottish duke, and our leading lady realizes that she doesn’t actually want to name her kid after an explicative.
With an entirely uncalled-for detour through a traditional Highlands competition, this rom-com is the perfect blend of ridiculous and swoon-worthy. Who wouldn’t want the inventor of the coffee collar to chase after you atop a stolen Scottish horse?
- My Best Friend’s Wedding
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In my opinion, this is one of the most well-done, well-written movies on this list. Julia Roberts is a phenomenal actor, and the audience feels every high and low her character, Julianne Potter, experiences during her mission to sabotage her best friend George’s wedding. Despite the fact that you’re essentially rooting for the villain, you can’t help but fall in love with Julianne and her funny, messy journey toward self-actualization.
The best part about it is that Julianne actually fails in her quest for love. At the end of the movie, she’s alone. It’s a spectacularly tender punch to the gut, but also provides the reassurance we all need that it’s okay if it doesn’t work out.
Maybe we’ll find someone, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll end up singing “Say a Little Prayer” with our best friend’s fiancé’s family in a seafood restaurant. Either way, life goes on.
- Leap Year
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This is the first rom-com I stayed up until 3 a.m. watching. It follows city-dweller Anna (Amy Adams) as she journeys to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend. Along the way, she meets Declan (Matthew Goode), who guides her through the rolling hills of the Emerald Isle and eventually to finding true love with him instead.
It has all of the rom-com’s favorite tropes: only one bed at the hotel, cooking together, and a final dramatic revelation, but all of them feel honest instead of forced. Plus, the proposal scene set against the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher is worth watching in and of itself.
- The Proposal
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When publishing executive editor-in-chief Margaret is threatened with deportation to Canada, she forces her assistant Andrew into a shotgun marriage to avoid it. He strongarms her into doing it in Alaska with his family, then spends most of the movie actively hating her guts. Until he realizes he loves her, that is.
Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds bounce off each other’s comedic mastery throughout this zany movie. It’s perfect for people who want a rom-com that thinks outside the box and works hard to depart from the classic tropes.
- Can’t Buy Me Love
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She’s a cheerleader, he’s a total dork, and at the end of the movie, they ride off into the sunset on a lawn mower. Can’t Buy Me Love truly is the original ’80s rom-com.
It’s also proof that big high school party scenes haven’t gotten better with time. However, the chemistry between Amanda Peterson and Patrick Dempsey is so believable that I can’t help but rewatch it often.
Also thrown in there is one of the original slow clap scenes: “Nerds. Jocks. My side, your side. It’s all bullshit. It’s hard enough just trying to be yourself.” You have to love ’80s writing.
- Pride and Prejudice
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Everyone should watch Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice at least once in their life. The cinematography is lush and light. The humor is subtle. The plotline follows one of the most famous love stories of all time. What more could you ask for?
Kiera Knightley’s acting is captivating, and her relationship with Mathew MacFayden’s Darcy is one for the books. Their yearning is at a level the rest of us can only hope to reach — or avoid. The tension between Elizabeth and Darcy forms a taut thread that their actors tease throughout the film, culminating in one of the most iconic confessionals of all time.
- Champagne Problems
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Modern Netflix rom-coms can sometimes be lacking, but Champagne Problems isn’t. The leads meet in a tiny bookstore in France, then end up in the countryside as Sydney (Minka Kelly) attempts to win a competition on behalf of her company to become the owner of a vineyard.
The colorful cast of side characters totally makes the movie, and I laughed out loud more than once. Kelly has a sweetness to her that I couldn’t help but fall in love with, and her relationship with Henri (Tom Wozniczka) has a lovely mix of tenderness and heart.
- Serendipity
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New York magic and a healthy dose of fate bring Johnathan (John Cusack) and Sarah (Kate Beckinsale) together seven years after a perfect, coincidental date. Sarah is effortlessly cool, and Johnathan is the type of guy you wish you were friends with.
As an added bonus, the relationships that Johnathan and Sarah share with their respective best friends are just as funny and heartfelt as the one they have together. This movie is a comforting reminder that everything truly does happen for a reason.
Whether you’re a rom-com skeptic or a long-standing fan, these movies will convince you it’s a genre worth watching.
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