The Sport of Courtship
The Top 25 Romantic Comedies
of All Time By
Laura
Dawn Lewis
Comedies are always hard to
rate because what one thinks of as comedy is really a
personal choice. Romantic Comedies seem even harder to pull
off and we had to dig deep to find really good movies. Most
Romantic Comedies are average and fade into oblivion once
released. These have stood the test of time.
Couples
Company has assembled a list of
our top picks of Romantic
Comedies that actually work. These are funny movies with
strong storylines, minimal bathroom humor, great characters
and witty dialogue that are sure to leave you rolling off
the couch and into each other’s arms. You will be surprised
at some of them because they were not marketed as “Romantic
Comedies”. In actuality, they are. A romantic comedy is
about the relationship between a man and a woman and
generally follows the boy gets girl; boy loses girl, boy
gets girl back plotline. It can also be created around the
trials, tribulations, arguments, misunderstandings,
frustrations and general blunders we all encounter in the
game of love. Here are Couples Company’s picks for the
Top
Romantic Comedies of All Time.
Starring:
Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben
Stiller, Lee Evans, Chris Elliott Director:
Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly 118 minutes
There's Something About Mary
Boy
did we duke it out at Couples Company about this one. Half the
staff said, "Something About Mary isn't a romantic comedy!" The other
half insisted it is. Once we dissected the script we confirmed this
movie is in fact a classic romantic comedy storyline and our top pick.
So what if it wasn't marketed as such. This is the one and only movie we
know of that can make you cry because you are laughing so hard! It’s
the best cure for a tough day and if it doesn’t make you laugh, check
your pulse. Are you sure you are alive?
Set
in 1985 and 1998, (Ted) Matt Damon is delightfully slimy as the
voyeuristic private detective sent by the hopelessly bumbling (Ted) Ben
Stiller to track down his high school sweetheart played by (Mary)
Cameron Diaz. Lin Shaye (Magda) and Jenson W. Earl Brown (Warren) turn
in great supporting performances. This movie is full of surprises and
leaves you guessing to the very end, what will happen next?!?
Starring:
Cary Elwes, Robin Wright Penn,
Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Christopher
Guest Director:
Rob Reiner 98
minutes
The Princess
Bride
Often ranked as
the top Romantic Comedies in polls by GenXers, for some reason the
Boomer crowd
doesn't get it, preferring instead Eating
Raul (which Xer's think is rather
strange!).
The Princess
Bride is so ridiculously satirical, it’s witty
and intelligent. The movie begins with Grandpa
(Peter Falk) entertaining his sick grandson
(Fred Savage) by reading him a story, the Story
of The Princess Bride. Robin Wright-Penn plays
Buttercup, a landowner’s daughter who catches
the eye of Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon).
Wesley (Cary Elwes) starts out the movie as her
stable boy, and once he leaves, she realizes
he’s her one true love. He returns to find her
betrothed to Prince Humperdink. Following the
classic boy gets girl, boy loses girl scenario.
Wesley must brave giants, con artists, duels,
fire swamps, sea monsters and a host of other
hilarious obstacles to win back his love. Mandy
Patinkin, Christopher Guest and Andre the Giant
also turn in memorable performances.
1993: PG
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman,
Ross Malinger, Rosie O'Donnell Director:
Nora Ephron 105 Minutes
Sleepless in Seattle
Rated as one of the top picks by 40
something’s, Sleepless in Seattle combines romance, comedy and the
undeniable attraction of soul mates and long distance love. Annie (Meg
Ryan) is a journalist who after hearing a late night talk show where
Sam’s (Tom Hanks) son laments that his father needs a wife, decides this
man is for her.
Two problems, she’s engaged and he lives on the other
side of the country. For anyone who has fallen in love long distance or
wondered what it would be like, Sleepless in Seattle will have
you cheering the potential and praying for a happy ending. TOP
1990:
R
Starring:
Richard Gere, Julia Roberts,
Ralph Bellamy, Jason Alexander, Laura San
Giacomo Director: Garry
Marshall
117 minutes
Pretty Woman
If you’ve ever
believed in Fairy Tales, Pretty Woman is your kind of movie.
Vivian (Julia Roberts) is a Hollywood hooker, normally the last stop on
society's track who happens to run into Edward Lewis (Richard Gere), an
industrial tycoon/corporate raider.
At first, he tries to keep it all
business. Stating all he needs is a date for the week and no romantic
entanglements. But within days he falls for the vivacious and slightly
unconventional Vivian. Both characters go through dramatic personal
changes and the fairy tale ending is one of the reasons, Pretty
makes the top 5 list of the Best Romantic Comedies.
1940:
G Starring:
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart Director: George Cukor 176 Minutes
The
Philadelphia Story
This is a movie for
anyone who has fallen in love and lost him or her and would really like
a second chance. Katherine Hepburn plays Tracy, a member of
Philadelphia society about to marry another man. On the eve of her
wedding, ex-husband Dexter (Cary Grant) shows up and completely messes
with her resolve.
Two photographers are present to record the next
day’s events, only one, played by James Stewart falls in love with the
beautiful Tracy. Twelve hours before her wedding, Tracy now has 3 men
vying for her attention. She does marry one in the end, but not whom
you think. Considered one of the top screwball comedies, Philadelphia
story captures the pre WWII innocence and imparts several ominous lines,
one specifically relating to holocaust, six years before this fact comes
to light.
1956: PG
Starring: Bing Crosby,
Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, John Lund Director: Charles Walters 107 minutes
High Society
With Grace Kelly
and Bing Crosby, how can you miss? This classic, based upon the
original 1940’s Philadelphia Story (above) and covers the
intriguing involved when winning the heart of someone who’s taken with a
1950's update.
Socialite Tracy (Grace Kelly) is preparing to marry her
very predictable and boring fiancé, George (John Lund) when her ex from
the past (Bing Crosby) shows up intent on winning her back. Antic’s,
saucy dialogue, beautiful costuming and Louis Armstrong make
High Society an engaging and silly romantic comedy that regardless
of age, all will enjoy.
High Society was Princess Grace’s
last film before her marriage. TOP
2008:
R
Starring:
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis,
Cynthia Nixon Director: Michael Patrick King
Approximately 136
minutes
Sex and the City
I haven't had this much fun at a movie
in years and guys will brand this a 'chick flick' but it
really has enough sexual innuendo and eye-candy to keep
even the most reluctant man entertained. This
comedy follows the classic boy meets girl, boy loses
girl, boy gets girl back in several story lines.
The characters from the hit television show are fabulous
and the entire film gives you the feeling that life
after forty is fabulous. Women will really love
the close friendships and the way each of the characters
supports the other. Men will adore the comedy and
the inside jokes women have about men. In the
theaters at this writing but without a doubt, a fabulous
rental once available. Plan on sushi for dinner:
Winner of
the Academy Award® for Best Picture 1977, Annie Hall is
one of Woody Allen’s masterpieces covering the romantic ups and downs of
a Jewish writer (Woody Allen) and a Protestant singer (Diane Keaton),
circa 1970’s.
Playing upon the opposites attract and then make good
comedy trying to figure out how to make the relationship work, Annie
Hall delivers in both entertainment and laughs. And winning the
Best Picture award was no small feat...Star Wars was its main
competition.
1955: PG Starring:
Marilyn Monroe, Tom Ewell,
Evelyn Keyes, Sonny Tufts, Carolyn Jones, Robert
Strauss Director:
Billy Wilder 105 minutes
The Seven
Year
Itch
What does
a married man do when his wife leaves for the summer and Marilyn
Monroe moves in above him? This is the movie with the white dress
flying up that left an indelible memory on the minds of men for decades
to come.
From “Undies in the ice box” to a number of coquettish lines
of innuendo, The Seven-Year Itch is the epitome of why Marilyn
Monroe became the sex symbol of a dozen generations. TOP
1936: G Starring:
William Powell, Carole Lombard,
Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, and Eugene Pallette Director: Gregory La Cava
93 Minutes
My Man Godfrey
If
you love classic screwball comedies mixed with a little romance and a
lot of dreaming, don’t miss this original version of My Man Godfrey.
It’s the story of an heiress (Carol Lombard) who finds a bum at a dump
(William Powell) and transforms him into a butler and a respectable
person.
Unbeknownst to her, he’s actually a millionaire who is soured
on love and decided to drop out of society. She has designs on marrying
him, much to her parent’s dismay. He has ulterior motives, wanting to
teach the filthy rich a few much-needed lessons in humility. Released
in the waning days of the great depression, this film takes you back to
a simpler time when issues, like the film were generally black and
white
2001:
PG
Starring:
Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy,
Cameron Diaz Director:
Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson 93 Minutes
Shrek
This is our only
animated film and we are extremely delighted to include Shrek in our
list of Top Romantic Comedies for two reasons. First, we really like the main
message of the movie: “It’s not what is on the outside that counts but
the heart that makes a person beautiful”.
We also are really happy to
see DreamWorks SKG hitting its stride; call it payback for all of the
naysayers in the late nineties. During this time Hollywood elite were
brutal toward this new studio. This hilarious romantic comedy mixes
together all of the genius that define DreamWorks dream team and
founders Spielberg, Katzenberg and Geffen.
You’ll love it and your
older kids will love it! The humor is witty and the story is inspiring.
1967, PG Starring:
Richard Burton, Vernon Dobtcheff,
Alfred Lynch, Elizabeth Taylor, Michael York Director:
Franco Zeffirelli 122 minutes
The
Taming
of the Shrew
William
Shakespeare had a gift. Not only could he write some of
the best tragedies of all time, he was one heck of a
comedic writer. Not necessarily the original film
version, this is the best.
First, the definition of a shrew: It’s either a small
rodent with pointed nose or a scold, defined as one who
berates and chastises others. The shrew (Elizabeth
Taylor) is the eldest daughter who is sour on love and
basically major high maintenance. Her younger sister
wishes to marry, but can’t until her older sister does.
She and her fiancé cook up a plan and convince someone
(Richard Burton) to marry her sister so she may marry.
Staying true to Shakespeare’s original script and lavish
costuming from the period, this film introduces you to
the satirical, yet amusing aspirations of love. A more
modern version can be seen in Ten Things I Hate About
You.
1991: PG
Starring: Richard E. Grant, Steve Martin, Victoria
Tennant, Cal-Trans Freeway signs
Director: Mick Jackson 98 Minutes
LA
Story
We choose
LA Story because it is so unusual. Steve Martin wrote this
lighthearted look at love, middle age and freeways that endures as one
of the best comedies, romantic or not written in the past 50 years.
The good news is you don't have to be from LA to get it! It's the story
of a local weatherman searching for love. He tries the younger 20
something woman (Sara Jessica Parker) only to discover he really
wants a woman of more substance. Unlike the typical LA person, rather
than going to a psychotherapist, his romantic advice comes from a
freeway sign, one that speaks only to him.
Ultimately, he realizes the
true love of his life is a woman closer to his age (Victoria Tennant),
a journalist with a passion for tuba playing.
This is one of Martin's best works both on screen and written. He has
an uncanny ability to meld human emotion, trial, tribulation and comedy
as in Roxanne (1987). He proves this again in 1994 with
A
Simple Twist of Fate
1962: G
Starring:
Doris Day, Cary Grant, Gig
Young Director:
Delbert Mann 99 Minutes
That Touch
of
Mink
We couldn’t do a top romantic comedy
selection without having Doris Day in at least one of the choices. That
Touch of Mink is not Academy Award material, but does deliver the
hijinks and hilarity so often missing from most romantic comedies.
Produced before the pill, the Beatles, animal rights activists and the
sexual revolution,
That Touch of Mink harkens back to the simpler days
when everything appeared perfect. Of course now, we know it wasn’t.
Either way, it’s a silly and romantic way to spend and evening.
