My Top 5 Rom-coms of All Time

In my opinion, Rom-coms are the greatest movies to ever exist. The same trope is used again and again, and yet, it never gets old. There are arguments all over the internet discussing what Rom-Coms are the best, so here is a list of MY top 5 Rom-coms of all time.

5. She’s All That (1999)

I LOVE this movie, and I never hear anyone talking about it. It’s five on this list only because it has the most traditional Rom-com plot ever; the popular jock (Zack, played by Freddie Prinze Jr.)  makes a bet with his friends that he can turn the ugliest girl in school (Laney, played by Rachel Leigh Cook) into the prom queen, but when she takes off her glasses, he realizes she’s pretty. Very cliche. This same trope has been used dozens of times, but I would consider this movie the best Rom-com with this trope. As corny as it is, I could watch this movie hundreds of times and enjoy it every single time. 

4. Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

This movie is definitely more “Com” than “Rom,” but still one of my favorites. With a cast featuring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and more, you know that it’s going to be a great movie. The movie centers around Cal (played by Steve Carell), who is blindsided when his wife (played by Julianne Moore) tells him that she wants a divorce. Cal then meets Jacob (played by Ryan Gosling), who tries to help Cal meet different women and adopt his playboy lifestyle. The two divulge off into different plot lines that eventually connect to one another in the most hilarious way possible, really adding to the comedy aspect of this film. This movie is an absolute must-watch if you are looking for a Rom-com that prioritizes comedy, even within the more romantic parts of the film. 

3. Set It Up (2018)

I am not the biggest fan of newer Rom-coms, but this movie is one of the best rom-coms I’ve ever seen. It follows Charlie and Harper (played by Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch), two over-worked assistants who are trying to set up their bosses so that their lives are less miserable. Unlike most Rom-coms, the timeline in this one actually makes sense. In a lot of Rom-coms, the characters will realize they have feelings for each other and then immediately declare their love for one another. In this movie though, the characters slowly fall for each other over the course of the film, and then take a more realistic approach at the end of the movie by having the characters enter a relationship at a NORMAL PACE. While I love the corniness of traditional rom-coms, I really enjoyed this more modern, realistic take on it. 

2. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

This movie was very hard to rank at number two, considering how good it is. The first time I saw this movie, I fell in love with it. I watched it every day for the next two weeks because it was that good. I will forever wish that Matthew McConaughey was the star of more Rom-coms because his performance in this one is truly incredible. The movie follows Andie (played by Kate Hudson), who is an advice columnist, and Ben (played by Matthew McConaughey), who is an advertising executive. Andie is writing a column about how to get a guy to leave you in 10 days, and Ben makes a bet that he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. Despite its main trope being identical to every rom-com ever, this movie finds a way to make the plot line different from other films and, in my opinion, much more interesting.

1.  10 Things I hate about you (1999)

Following the "10" theme, my number one Rom-com of all time is 10 Things I Hate About You, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. This movie is absolute perfection and I will never stop talking about it. Kat (played by Julia Stiles) is known to be quite abrasive, meaning the boys at school tend to stay away from her. Kat’s dad tells her little sister Bianca (played by Larisa Oleynik) that once Kat starts dating, she can start dating too. This leads to the guy who has a crush on Bianca (Cameron, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to hire Patrick (played by Heath Ledger) to ask Kat out. From there, the two go through an unusual amount of drama before finally ending up together in the end after Kat delivers a gut-wrenching monologue (a bit of an exaggeration, but I cry every time). This movie will forever be a favorite of mine and will go down in history as the best Rom-com ever made. I do not care what anyone else says.