Sometimes in life it’s nice to watch a good old romcom. Curling up into bed with a hot chocolate getting lost in a dreamy word of laughter and love can provide the perfect past time…and there’s nothing wrong with succumbing to the guilty delight of a good old chick flick (yes, lads, I’m talking to you too!).
1) Just Friends
Take a Hollywood hotty, plonk him in an unflattering fat suit, hideously geeky outfits and braces and turn him into the ultimate nerd…this is what Just Friends did with super-hot Ryan Reynolds, and with hilarious results.
The story is based on the mostly embarrassing experiences of awkward and goofy teenager Chris (Ryan Reynolds), who despite transforming into a toned, smooth-talking womaniser, still can’t win over the girl of his dreams, his best friend Jamie (Amy Smart). To make matters worse, he has to compete with the handsome musician Dusty Lee (Chris Klein), as well as fending off the obsessive affections of glamour model-turned pop singer Samantha (Anna Faris) along the way.
What makes this film so brilliant is its perfect casting. Faris is hilarious as the ditzy and dramatic Samantha, with her overt sexual mannerisms and fiery attitude, whilst Klein makes a marvellously smug love rival as the seemingly unstoppable charmer Dusty. Needless to say, Reynolds provides a strong performance and acts as very tasty eye candy (post-fat suit and gawky adolescent stage, of course).
Just Friends is a real must-see because it holds significant attention to a topic many people can relate to – the inconvenience of fancying your friends and them not reciprocating these romantic feelings (awkward…)
2) Bridget Jones’s Diary
Do I even need to justify this choice? Bridget Jones’ s Diary is a romantic comedy at its best, taking the simplistic storyline of a tricky love triangle and making it into an absolutely classic movie with its incredible characters, comedy and cast.
This 2001 classic is about an everyday woman who is extremely clumsy and unlucky in love, who keeps a personal diary documenting her emotions and experiences.
Loveably goofy Bridget (Renée Zellweger) has to choose between her irresistible cheeky chappy boss Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) and posh bachelor Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). But it isn’t an easy decision – many complications along the way ensure poor Bridget can’t make her choice hurriedly.
Bridget Jones’s Diary is top notch movie gold – a ditzy thirty-something year old woman with a penchant for wearing large pants and getting into difficult situations – what more could you possibly want from a romcom?!
3) Forgetting Sarah Marshall
With excellent characters, hilarious moments, a stunning location and bucket-loads of drama, this film makes for a massively enjoyable watch.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall follows heartbroken Peter (Jason Segel) who was dumped by his famous girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell). He flees to Hawaii to run away from it all, but drama arises when Sarah also crops up at the same resort with her new boyfriend, rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Luckily, he has pretty receptionist Rachel (Mila Kunis) to distract him a little.
The cast makes this film such a stand out hit. The charismatic Russell Brand is as comedic as ever, proving himself to be a multi-talented performer.
4) The Vow
Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum make a gorgeous coupling in this remarkable film inspired by true events.
The Vow is a traumatic tale focusing on the damaging and heartbreaking consequences of memory loss. Paige (McAdams) was happily married to the love of her life Leo (Tatum) when a car accident left her with serious brain injuries. Tragically, the past five years of her life were erased from her memory, leaving her stuck in a meaningless marriage with a complete stranger.
Devastated Leo has to try his hardest to make his wife fall in love with him again, but it’s proving difficult as Paige’s ex and family make an impacting reappearance in her life.
With a deep and harrowing subject matter and powerful acting, this emotional movie perfectly executes a truly compelling storyline and a magical movie relationship.
5) Never Been Kissed
If all you want from a romantic comedy is a few embarrassing moments, a couple of flashbacks, an adorably awkward main character and a forbidden romance, look no further than the light-hearted Never Been Kissed.
Drew Barrymore stars as Josie, a hard-working journalist eager to get a decent scoop for the newspaper she writes for. So desperate, in fact, that she will go to any lengths to get her story – and this includes going back to her high school posing as a new student – despite hating her time in education as she was tormented by class bullies.
Not only does she get a cracking article, she also learns a lot about herself by embarking on an eventful journey of self-discovery.
It’s a cute tale with a pretty cool cast, including David Arquette, Michael Vartan and Jessica Alba, and it’s one to watch if you want a bit of gooey romance and teen drama.
6) Amélie
Cute. Creative. Charming. There is no other way to possibly describe the beauty of French film Amélie. Award-winning and original, it is one to add to your collection, not only for the incredibly sweet story and unique style, but also for the lovely main character, played by Audrey Tautou.
Set in beautiful Paris, this adorable subtitled flick follows the life of coy waitress Amélie (Tautou) who aims to help change the lives of those around her by becoming a secret matchmaker. In the process, she falls for an intriguing stranger, despite suffering from isolation and crippling shyness in her past.
This is an international treat which is sure to melt your heart and make you smile.
7) She’s Out Of My League
This film was noted by critics as “the funniest comedy since ‘The Hangover'”, which alone is reason enough to pick up this highly entertaining comedy.
It’s about a scrawny, average guy called Kirk (Jay Baruchel) who manages to snare a super hot girlfriend in the form of Molly (Alice Eve). Their relationship quickly becomes strained because of Kirk’s lack of self-esteem, and catty comments from dubious friends and family also takes its toll on their progression as a couple.
What I love about this film is the bond between Kirk and his mates. They have brilliant banter and a wonderfully strong friendship which makes for several heart-warming moments and enhances the hilarity in many of the scenes. My favourite character has to be Stainer (T.J. Miller), Kirk’s deluded and cocky friend who has some hilarious one-liners.
Overall, it’s a laugh-out-loud movie which has some cracking cringey moments and a unique and amusing plot.
8) What Happens in Vegas
The pairing of Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher is obviously going to be an electric combination, but add a clever storyline and a well written script and you have the ingredients for a brilliant film.
When Joy (Diaz) gets dumped and Jack (Kutcher) gets fired, they both take a spontaneous decision to visit Las Vegas to escape their problems. After a drunken night out the strangers end up married, and the next morning they decide to divorce, but before they do so Jack hits the jackpot on a slot machine using Joy’s coin. In a bid to keep half of the winnings each, the couple have to live harmoniously together for six months, but this is proving difficult for the polar opposites, who are constantly trying to undermine one another.
What Happens in Vegas is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone as it is an incredibly enjoyable movie.
9) 500 Days of Summer
This film could easily be just another “boy meets girl” story and upon watching it for the first time, I honestly expected it to be.
However, it isn’t in any way cheesy or predictable, and the unusual structure of the narrative makes it refreshingly different and adds layers of complexity to what could easily have been a very simplistic storyline focusing on a blossoming relationship between co-workers Summer (Zooey Deschanel) and Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).
This movie flits from different stages in Summer and Tom’s romance, swapping and changing between the couple’s ups and downs over the course of their relationship, which unsurprisingly enough, is illustrated over 500 days.
I would recommend this flick to those who aren’t keen on lovey-dovey, grab-the-sick-bucket sort of romcoms because although it still falls under the genre of romance, it injects vibrancy and quirkiness into the category, giving it a much needed revamp. It’s almost impossible not to be intrigued by the nonlinear narrative structure and succumb to its immensely charming tone and content.
10) She’s The Man
Alright, I know it’s pretty cliché to leave the best till last, but hey, it just has to be done! She’s The Man is my favourite ever romcom because it never fails to amuse me even though I’ve watched it a gazillion billion times (slight exaggeration there but you catch my drift).
Viola (Amanda Bynes) disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk) in her desperation to play high school football after the girls’ team gets cut. However, pretending to be a guy when you are really a girl is no easy feat, particularly when you end up fancying the hot team forward (Channing Tatum).
It is a refreshingly original story with great characters and consistent comedy. Bynes is simply hilarious as both the girl and the guy, and overseeing her struggle to pull it off and make the team is incredibly entertaining. It really is a must-see!