There are lots of rom-coms out there, but it can be hard to find ones where it’s not a pretty 20-year-old woman with some mediocre 40-year-old man. The ones on my list have two likable leads, and no upsetting tropes to get them together.
Four Weddings and A Funeral
A man chases after a mysterious woman he meets at a series of weddings.
Reasons to watch:
Witty, dry British humor. Likeable friend cast. This movie is more about friendship than anything. Watch if you liked Love Actually, Notting Hill, and need a good cry.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Any infidelity, (non-main) character death, crying
10 Things I Hate About You
Based on a Shakespeare story, a boy pays another boy to romance an unwilling strongheaded girl so that he can get with his sister.
Reasons to watch:
Cast of adorable talented actors at the start of their careers, set in an idyllic colorful California high school with likable characters, and amazing clothes. Heath Ledger!
Don’t watch if you hate:
The bet-to-lovers trope, second-hand embarrassment
About Time
A man discovers that he inherited the ability to travel back in time of his memories and redo certain days. After his perfect meet-cute is ruined, he uses his ability to find his love.
Reasons to watch:
It’s not convoluted, the leading man isn’t creepy, and the family dynamics are natural and funny. It’s a great film about enjoying life in the present.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Any time travel, death of a non-main character, romance with kids
Bridget Jones’s Diary
A year in the life of the lovable and self-deprecating Bridget as she navigates her struggles with love and self-improvement.
Reasons to watch:
Watch if you like Pride and Prejudice. Also, Bridget Jones is the most relatable rom-com character and isn’t perfect like the rest of the leading ladies. Great film that says you don’t have to change to be loved.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Second-hand embarrassment, love triangles
A Cinderella Story
A retelling of the Cinderella story with Jennifer Coolidge as the stepmother and Hilary Duff as Cinderella.
Reasons to watch:
The cast is great, there’s a beautiful mascarade costume party, and it’s all so quintessential early 2000s.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Supportive sassy black friend trope, cringy lines
Clueless
Based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma, this movie is about how one high school girl’s meddling in others’ affairs can get messy.
Reasons to watch:
The clothing and set is so full and vibrant, and all the characters are so funny. The main character especially, really draws you in with fourth-wall breaks.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Romance between ex-step siblings, attempted sexual assault, a mugging, reckless driving, flawed protagonist, character says r-word
Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
It’s a musical of Cinderella featuring Whitney Houston and Brandy!
Reasons to watch:
It was a race-blind casting, which means they hired the best actors and actresses without worrying if they looked like the cartoon. It is also one of the few movies where a black girl and an Asian boy are the main romance.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Musicals, when a movie feels like a set
Easy A
After a misunderstanding, a rumor spreads about the main character that she lost her virginity. She realizes that there are benefits to playing up the lie.
Reasons to watch:
Emma Stone plays a funny, likable lead, and the main romantic leading man is cute, kind, and patient. Her family is supportive and funny too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Language around slut-shaming, sexual harassment, off screen teen and teacher relationship
Ella Enchanted
Another kind of Cinderella, highly stylized in a magic medieval-ish time. Ella is cursed with obedience, which means she does everything she’s told without a choice.
Reasons to watch:
Both romantic leads are beautiful and charming, the world is colorful and a great blend of medical and early 2000s clothes. Amazing cast
Don’t watch if you hate:
Fairytale logic
Howl’s Moving Castle
An evil witch curses a young hatmaker to look like a grandmother. She follows Howl, a wizard with a magic ship that allows him to travel between realms, to fix the curse.
Reasons to watch:
It’s a gorgeous imaginative world filled with likable side characters and a heartwarming romance. This movie is for girls who never relate to the perfect pretty rom-com girls.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Mild body horror
Legally Blonde
To get back with her boyfriend, Elle Woods decides to follow him to law school to show him she’s smart.
Reasons to watch:
Funny classic with real insight into how everyone feeds into the idea that femininity equals stupidity. It’s goofy but grounded enough for you to care. Good romance too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Cheesiness
The Princess Bride
Told as a story to a sick child in the modern day, the Princess Bride is about true love. The leading lady thinks her love is dead after he disappears at sea, so she accepts being forced to marry the wicked king. Little does she know her love is coming back for her!
Reasons to watch:
Watch if you love Ella Enchanted or When Harry Met Sally. This classic movie is filled with sincerity and lots of laughs.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Giant rats
The Princess and the Frog
Tiana just wants to keep working so she can fulfill her dead dad’s wish of running a restaurant. Prince Naveen just wants to have fun, but has to marry rich or he’ll become broke. After some voodoo, they both get turned into frogs and must find their way back.
Reasons to watch:
Disney’s first black princess, set in lively 1920s New Orleans with fantastic jazzy soundtrack.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Black characters being animals
Saved!
Saved is a story of a super Christian high school. The main character never questions a thing, until she becomes pregnant after sleeping with her boyfriend to fulfill Jesus’ messages of “curing” his homosexuality.
Reasons to watch:
Saved deals with topics that could be heavy, but are treated with nuance and humor. It also has a dynamic, nuanced representation of a teen in a wheelchair.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Mentions of conversion, homophobia, and any infidelity
The Sound of Music
Julie Andrews plays a nun who is sent to nanny seven children after being too boisterous for the convent. Her playful personality and love of music begin to change the children and the strict father.
Reasons to watch:
Incredibly beautiful cinematography of Austria, great music, pretty dresses, and dreamy romance.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Musicals, the rise of Nazis and WW2
Watching the Detectives
Lucy Lu plays a modern-day femme-fatal who is obsessed with never being bored. Video store owner Neil starts dating her, but finds that he’s in over his head.
Reasons to watch:
This untypical romcom is witty and continues to shock you. It also breaks down the ‘manic pixie dream’ trope.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Lying or mean pranks
Aladdin
Aladdin’s poor, Jasmine’s rich. After a fateful encounter, Aladdin falls in love and uses the help of a magic genie to woo Jasmine.
Reasons to watch:
Aladdin is cute, Jasmine is charming, and Robin Williams is right at home in this bigger-than-life character.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Inaccurate generalizations of middle-eastern culture, man lying to woo woman
Anastasia
The Duchess of Russia is offering an award to find her long-lost granddaughter after her family is torn apart. Dimitri is a conman who finds an opportunity in Anya, who looks just like the long-lost royal.
Reasons to watch:
Great songs and fantastic protagonists to root for. Romance is nice too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Inaccurate history, hate-to-love trope
Ratatouille
Linguini is a terrible cook trying to survive in a competitive french restaurant, and Remy is a rat who loves fine food but has no opportunities to eat it. They both have what each other needs.
Reasons to watch:
With a delightful soundtrack, Ratatouille is playful and inspiring. There’s romance too, with an interesting dynamic.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Tons of rats, rats being around food