Entertainment
I don't know about you, but when I want to laugh, cry, and wish I wasn't forever single and never ready to mingle, I fancy sitting down with a nice rom-com. Sometimes you need a gentle reminder that happy endings do exist. But with so much to choose from, actually finding a film can take up more of your time than watching one. Annoying, right? Well, there is a solution. Check out the reviews. There are rom-coms Rotten Tomatoes rated near-perfect, and trust me, the list is awesome.
So, if you're as indecisive as I am and don't want your ice cream to melt while deciding what to watch, you're in luck. I've scoured Rotten Tomatoes and compiled a list of seven must-see rom-coms, all with over 90 percent ratings. Obviously, the Tomatometer isn't the be all and end all when it comes to rating films, but it does help when you really can't choose.
In an age where there are way too many options that will most probably end up with you feeling overwhelmed, this list will at least make your decision a little bit easier. So, sit back, grab that tub of ice cream, and prepare to have your eyes streaming and your heart warmed with these fantastic rom-coms.
1
'The Big Sick' (98 percent)
What's more romantic than a rom-com adapted from a true love story? Directed by Michael Showalter and written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani, The Big Sick is loosely based on how Gordon and Nanjiani first met, dealing with Gordon's sudden illness, and the cultural differences between the couple.
The Big Sick delightfully traverses familiar rom-com tropes while combining aspects unique to Nanjiani and Gordon's story IRL. It's hilarious, devastatingly heartwarming, and just an all-round perfect film that feels real.
No wonder it's got a near-perfect scoreon Rotten Tomatoes.
Available on Amazon Prime
2
'Annie Hall' (97 percent)
A role specifically written for the legendary Diane Keaton, Annie Hall follows Alvy Singer (Woody Allen), a man who wants to figure out why his relationship with the eponymous Annie Hall ended, and what he needs to do to change the outcome.
Regarded by the BFI as the film that "changed the face of romantic comedy," the movie broke a lot of rules within the genre, like focusing purely on the emotions of love and loss, and bringing forth a unique personal attribution via the director (Allen) playing the lead character.
Watch any rom-com released after 1977, and you'll be sure to find at least some small nods to Annie Hall.
Available on Netflix
3
'Groundhog Day' (96 percent)
I don't know about you, but Groundhog Day is one of those films that I could literally watch on repeat and never get bored of — which is ironic really, as that's what Phil Connors (Bill Murray) had to endure for 33 years and 350 days, according to WhatCulture.
How does Connors end this curse of listening to Sonny and Cher's I Got You Babe for that long? By falling in love with Andie MacDowell of course, who portrays news reporter Rita Hanson.
Groundhog Day is more than just a rom-com — it demonstrates how love can ultimately change a person... and stop a monotonous time loop in the process.
4
'Four Weddings And A Funeral' (95 percent)
If you enjoy watching relationships blossom in Love Island, then you'll absolutely love Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Directed by Mike Newell and written by Richard Curtis (Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually), the film follows the dashing Charles (Hugh Grant) and his close group of friends as they traverse, well, four weddings and a funeral, where Charles continuously meets the American Carrie (Andie MacDowell), and eventually falls in love with the gal.
Obviously, their romance does not run as smoothly as you'd hope it would, but the witty dialogue and '90s fashion sense makes for a truly British rom-com.
5
'Enough Said' (95 percent)
Sadly one of the last films of James Gandolfini's career, Enough Said is a charming romantic comedy between two divorcees, Albert (Gandolfini) and Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).
Eva, a massage therapist, meets Albert at a party and begins a relationship, only to realize that he is the ex-husband of her friend and client Marianne (Catherine Keener). Awkward.
Similar to The Big Sick, writer and director Nicole Holofcener based the script partly on her own life, adding a similar note of realism to a story of love.
6
'About A Boy' (93 percent)
An adaption of Nick Hornby's 1998 novel of the same name, About a Boy tells the story of Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) — a single man in his late 30s that still acts like a teenager. After a complicated set of circumstances set in motion by Freeman, he attends a single parents' support group to pick up women, which is how he meets Marcus (Nicholas Hoult), a 12-year-old who finally teaches him how to act his age.
About a Boy is a truly beautiful coming-of-age story in more ways than one, coupled with a gradual romantic narrative between Freeman and Marcus's family friend Rachel (Rachel Weisz).
7
'Silver Linings Playbook' (92 percent)
Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, the Academy Award nominated Silver Linings Playbook depicts not only the relationship between Pat (Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) but also explores mental illness and love.
Adapted from the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, director David O. Russell translates Quick's personal insight into mental illness with a combination of tragedy and beauty, highlighting the struggles one can have when mental illness plays a part in the conquest of love — a conversation that needs to be highlighted more often in film.
Available on Amazon Video
8
Make sure you have a bounty full of tissues, because you'll either be laughing or bawling — or both — with these picks.
