As soon as December hits, the season of romantic comedies begins. Festive rom-coms are my light at the end of the tunnel after finals and the fall semester.
Personally, my holiday rom-com binge lasts from Dec. 1 to New Year’s Day, and this year, I’ve compiled a list of movies to watch all through winter break, whether you’re celebrating the end of the year with friends or cozying up on the couch with your mom in your hometown.
- The Holiday (2006)
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The Holiday follows the parallel journeys of Iris (Kate Winslet) in glamorous LA and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) in the wintry English countryside, after they swap houses for the holidays. Iris, heartbroken and depressed, meets Miles, played by Jack Black. Workaholic Amanda meets Graham, an Englishman-in-glasses and single father played by Jude Law. Need I say more?
- Something from Tiffany’s (2022)
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This adorable romantic comedy, led by Zoey Deutch, starts with a Tiffany & Co. shopping bag mix-up. Rachel and Ethan, played by Kendrick Sampson, are thrown together by accident, but baked goods and the holiday spirit might just set their lives on a different path.
- Serendipity (2001)
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While holiday shopping in New York City, Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale). He wants her number, and she wants to see if destiny will bring them together again. Over 10 years, their journey is shaped by love, luck, and New York City Christmas magic. This film is definitely best watched in the last days of December.
- Love Actually (2003)
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If you’ve never seen Love Actually, now is your chance to fill the giant void in your holiday programming. This delightfully witty rom-com stars all the British treasures: Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, and a young Thomas Brodie-Sangster.
Admittedly, some story lines haven’t aged well since the early 2000s — namely, casting a barely 18-year-old Knightley as a young bride to older love interests, and making women’s bodies the butt of many jokes.
If you can set that aside for two hours and 10 minutes, Love Actually is still (mostly) hilarious and so romantic. The intertwined story lines of different couples and families are heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. Love really is all around.
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
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This Nora Ephron romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is mandatory viewing in the days between Christmas and New Year’s. Widowed Sam (Hanks) and his young son, Jonah, live in Seattle. Hoping to cure his father’s heartbreak, Jonah calls on a radio show to find his father a new wife. Annie, a Baltimore journalist played by Ryan, hears Sam on the radio and instantly feels a connection to him.
- When Harry Met Sally (1989)
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When Harry Met Sally — another Meg Ryan classic — is the perfect movie for fall, Christmastime, and New Year’s Eve. Is there any better declaration of love than Harry’s speech at the end of the movie?
“It’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve,” Harry says after he crashes a party just before midnight. “I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
- Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
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The ultimate frazzled Englishwoman can’t keep her New Year’s Resolutions, and nor should you. Luckily, Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) has Colin Firth as Mark Darcy and Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver to keep her entertained over the year ahead.
Whether you’re watching on your laptop at 3 a.m. or with friends at a holiday movie watch party, these festive romantic comedies will be sure to complete your winter break.
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