Romantic comedies are some of the best movies that every come out of Hollywood. There is a little bit of something for everyone in the good ones. This is a list of my top ten romantic comedies of all time. I hope you enjoy!
10. Annie Hall
Released: 1977
Directed by: Woody Allen
Written by: Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman
Starring: Woody Allen & Diane Keaton
It’s hard to have any “best of” list without having something by this legendary American filmmaker. Even though I’m not a huge fan (especially of his more recent work including Melinda & Melinda and Vickie Christina Barcelona), you still have to appreciate this classic tale of two lovers who don’t end up together.
9. While You Were Sleeping
Released: 1995
Directed by: Jon Turteltaub
Written by: Daniel G. Sullivan & Fredric LeBow
Starring: Sandra Bullock & Bill Pullman
One of my favorite holiday-time movies, this stars the lovable Sandra Bullock. The director, Jon Turteltaub is also known for his work on the National Treasure movies. It is hilarious and sweet from beginning (saving a man’s life on train tracks) to end (a fairytale proposal).
8. Some Like It Hot
Released: 1959
Directed by: Billy Wilder
Written by: Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
Starring: Marilyn Monroe & Tony Curtis
Starring the lovely Marilyn Monroe, this is a crazy tale filled with disguises, lies, and laugh out loud sequences that is sure to please any film lover!
7. Pretty Woman
Released: 1990
Directed by: Garry Marshall
Written by: J.F. Lawton
Starring: Julia Roberts & Richard Gere
You can’t have a romantic comedy list without America’s sweetheart, Julia Roberts. This movie was an instant classic about a prostitute turned fairy tale princess that continues to melt the hearts of every woman who turns it on!
6. City Lights
Released: 1931
Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Written by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Charles Chaplin & Virginia Cherrill
In my opinion, this is Chaplin’s best work. He pulled triple duty on this film: acting, writing, and directing. It is the tale of a homeless person who tricks a blind woman into thinking he’s a millionaire, but you can’t help but love him for it!
5. Princess Bride
Released: 1987
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: William Goldman
Starring: Cary Elwes & Robin Wright Penn
One of the most often quoted pieces of film in the last quarter of a century, I just love this movie! It is a story within a story of a grandfather reading his sick grandson a book about a couple separated by destiny and brought back together by true love (with a lot of action packed and comedic scenes in between).
4. You’ve Got Mail
Released: 1998
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Written by: Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron
Starring: Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan
It was hard to decide between two different Nora Ephron movies for this list (Sleepless in Seattle, also starring Hanks and Ryan). I arrived at this one because I think it has a tad bit more comedy in it. It’s an updated, online version of the 1940s The Shop Around The Corner. Two fellow e-mailers fall in love through their words while they are both in serious relationships with other people. They eventually discover that they have competing businesses, but that doesn’t matter to them in the end.
3. An Affair To Remember
Released: 1957
Directed by: Leo McCarey
Written by: Delmer Daves, Donald Ogden Stewart, & Leo McCarey
Starring: Carey Grant & Deborah Kerr
Carey Grant is at his best in this classic movie about a couple that meet and fall in love. They make plans to meet atop the Empire State Building six months later, but something tragic keeps them from it. This movie probably has the least amount of comedy in it, but the highest level of romance!
2. As Good As It Gets
Released: 1997
Directed by: James L. Brooks
Written by: Mark Andrus & James L. Brooks
Starring: Jack Nicholson & Helen Hunt
One of my favorite movies in any genre, this is an unlikely love story that includes two Academy Award winning performances by it’s lead actor and actress. Nicholson plays an Obsessive Compulsive writer who is obsessed with the waitress (Helen Hunt) at his most frequented restaurant. What begins as selfishness, ends up as true, sacrificial love.
1. Notting Hill
Released: 1999
Directed by: Roger Michell
Written by: Richard Curtis
Starring: Julia Roberts & Hugh Grant
This movie is top five on my all-time list of all films. Pitch perfect performances by Grant and Roberts as well as a stellar (mostly British) supporting cast make the film great. The story is of a the whirlwind romance between a famous American actress who bumps into (literally) a travel book shop owner in Notting Hill, England.
Sources:
imdb.com
