45 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time, Ranked

Who doesn't love a good romantic comedy? Rom-coms are everything; they can be a thoughtful exploration of romance and its many intricacies, challenges, and rewards; they can also be fluffy, silly stories about boy-meeting-girl that bring butterflies to millions of stomachs; finally, they can be guilty pleasures best enjoyed with a drink and a few snacks on a casual Tuesday afternoon.

The romantic comedy remains one of Hollywood's best genres. Hollywood has produced many amazing romantic comedies throughout the years. Although it suffered a slump throughout the 2010s, the genre bounced back and is now back to its place of honor as an audience and industry favorite. The greatest of these game-changing, grin-generating romances rank among the best and most memorable pictures in cinema, whether because of their heartwarming storylines, unforgettable quotes, electrifying chemistry between their leads, or a combination of all these factors. Acclaimed by fans and critics, these movies (Hollywood and international) are the best the genre has to offer, among them outright legends in pop culture and milestones in the entertainment industry.

45 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' (2003)

Directed by Donald Petri

Modern rom-com queen Kate Hudson joins Matthew McConaughey in 2003's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The plot centers on Andy Anderson and Benjamin Barry, a couple who go into a whirlwind romance. Unbeknownst to one another, they each have their own agendas: he bet he could make her fall in love in one week while she is on a work assignment to drive him away in 10 days.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days features the most rom-com premise ever in that it's wholly unbelievable and not particularly ethical, but weirdly irresistible. Hudson and McConaughey are outstanding together, bringing equal amounts of humor and romance to a film as funny as it's charming. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is a modern rom-com classic, proving that the genre can sell the most ludicrous plots as long as the central couple is engaging, beautiful, and endearing.

44 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012)

Directed by David O. Russell

Silver Linings Playbook stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in their first collaboration. The film tells the story of Patrick "Pat" Solatano, a man with bipolar who forms an unexpected connection with the young Tiffany Maxwell, a young and emotionally unstable widow while training for an upcoming dance competition.

The romantic comedy seldom attracts wild amounts of acclaim from critics. However, Silver Linings Playbook is the rare rom-com that ruled the Oscars, thanks to its unique approach to love, loss, and romance. Cooper and an Oscar-winning Lawrence are electrifying together, crafting a unique cinematic relationship with emotional heft. However, they never sacrifice the feels, finding gentleness in the most unexpected sides of romance.

43 'Trouble in Paradise' (1932)

Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

The pre-Code romantic comedy Trouble in Paradise is among the genre's most underappreciated efforts. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch, the film stars Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, and Herbert Marshall and follows a con artist and a pickpocket who team up to scam a wealthy woman. The early days of Hollywood were filled with trailblazing rom-coms, and this is one of the best.

An essential entry for Lubitsch aficionados, Trouble in Paradise is one of the earliest romantic comedies to feel like one. A passionate and surprisingly frank love triangle with effervescent performances from its three well-matched leads, Trouble in Paradise juggles ideas of its era with a distinctively progressive approach. The result is a singular classic romantic comedy that deserves far more attention from modern audiences.

42 'Notting Hill' (1998)

Directed by Roger Mitchel

The undisputed rom-com queen of the 90s, Julia Roberts, joins the undisputed rom-com king of the 90s, Hugh Grant, in a once-in-a-lifetime pairing for fans of the beloved genre. Notting Hill sees Grant as a meek bookshop owner, William Thacker, who falls in love with world-famous actress Anna Scott, leading to a complicated romance.

Notting Hill lives and dies with its two powerful and never-better stars. Roberts and Grant are utterly winning with their clumsy, awkward, enchanting chemistry; they might possibly be the ultimate rom-com couple of the decade. Few times have two actors been more well-suited, playing off each other's strengths in a delicate balancing act. Notting Hill is among Roberts' and Grant's all-time best movies, solidifying their legacies as titans of the rom-com.

41 'Pillow Talk' (1959)

Directed by Michael Gordon

Rock Hudson and Doris Day are one of the all-time great cinematic pairings. Their three films together have become synonymous with romance and passion, turning them into icons of the romantic comedy genre and legends of American film. All three movies are classics of 50s cinema, but their first collaboration, 1959's Pillow Talk, reigns supreme atop the mountain of their success.

Pillow Talk is very much a film from 1959, meaning it has some themes, scenes, and dialogues that might seem outdated to modern audiences. However, Hudson and Day are explosive together, crafting a unique dynamic many have tried to imitate, but none have succeeded in replicating. Pillow Talk is fun, funny, witty, seductive, and absurdly romantic; everything one of the best rom-com movies should be.

40 'Bridget Jones's Diary' (2001)

Directed by Sharon Maguire

Renée Zellweger received her first Oscar nomination for her star-making performance in the 2001 adaptation of Helen Fielding's 1996 novel. Bridget Jones's Diary follows the romantic misadventures of the titular character, a thirty-something living in London who finds herself deciding between two romantic interests. The film, a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, co-stars Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

Bridget Jones's Diary is a modern triumph and further proof of the universality of the author's stories, with one of Jane Austen's greatest heroines at its helm. Powered by a spectacular, vulnerable, and self-deprecating performance from Zellweger, Bridget Jones's Diary is an ode to the modern woman – or at least, the idea of the modern woman from the late 90s. Further elevated by Grant and Firth, two of the defining leading men in modern rom-coms, Bridget Jones's Diary is a classic story of romantic deceit and confusion, with a memorable ending that will leave audiences cheering at Zellweger's clumsy heroine's happy ending.

39 'While You Were Sleeping' (1995)

Directed by John Turtletaub

Sandra Bullock is one of modern cinema's ultimate rom-com queens, thanks to her generous contributions to the genre. 1995's holiday rom-com While You Were Sleeping, one of the most underappreciated Christmas films, sees her starring opposite Bill Pullman and Peter Gallagher in the story about Lucy, a woman who saves Peter, her longtime crush, from an oncoming train. Mistaking her for his finacée, his family takes her in, but things get complicated when she develops feelings for Peter's brother.

Although the plot is admittedly silly and perhaps a tad questionable under the modern gaze, While You Were Sleeping soars thanks to Bullock's endearing portrayal of loneliness and longing. The film finds Bullock at her warmest and most sympathetic, almost single-handedly elevating the formulaic premise and turning it into a feel-good classic.

38 'Fire Island' (2022)

Directed by Andrew Ahn

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice stands as one of the books that cinema most often adapts. However, few adaptations feel as fresh or topical as 2022's Fire Island, a gender-bent, LGBTQ+ take on Austen's most famous romance. The plot centers on a group of gay friends on holiday at Fire Island, finding love but facing challenges that might risk their bond.

Fire Island, one of the top romantic comedies of the 2020s so far, feels like a genuinely interesting take on Austen's novel. The film keeps the story's main themes but reframes them under the queer perspective, delivering a satisfying tale of romance, identity, social expectations, and class. Thanks to a ravishing cast, a clever screenplay, and an earnest, empathetic portrayal of LGBTQ+ sexuality and romance, Fire Island is among the best modern rom-coms.

37 '(500) Days of Summer' (2009)

Directed by Marc Webb

The antidote to the classic romantic comedy, Marc Webb's often misinterpreted but always delightful classic (500) Days of Summer stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. The plot centers on the complicated relationship between Tom, a hopeless romantic, and Summer, a cynical woman unwilling to commit to him.

(500) Days of Summer features one of the most intriguing plots in any modern rom-com. Challenging audiences' notions about love and romance, the film presents a narrative that subverts familiar tropes, offering a more nuanced and realistic approach to the boy-meets-girl tale. It's bittersweet almost to the point of being tragic, but it's an undeniably satisfying alternative to the saccharine offerings that dominate the rom-com genre.

36 'Harold and Maude' (1971)

Directed by Hal Ashby

Romantic comedies don't typically make for enduring cult classics, but being one of the most beloved cult movies of the '70s, Harold and Maude doesn't really fit that mold (or any other, really). It's about a rich young boy obsessed with death named Harold, who finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral. One of the most offbeat romances in cinema's history ensues.

Harold and Maude subverts all rules and twists all rom-com tropes on their head, entirely unafraid of stepping over certain bounds — like all good cult classics do. The movie's dark humor may be a bit too dark for some, but rom-com veterans looking for something different that's pretty much guaranteed to surprise them will very likely fall in love with Harold and Maude.