The 6 best rom-coms of all time
Rom-coms: they tug at our heartstrings, make us laugh and make us cry. Some of us may not admit it, but we’ve all seen our fair share of romantic comedies – good ones, bad ones and just plain cheesy ones. The genre was popular in early cinema, with Audrey Hepburn the undisputed rom-com queen of the time, but faded in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 1989, where our list starts, when romantic comedies came sprinting back onto the scene with our first film:
1. When Harry Met Sally (1989)
Can men and women ever just be friends? That’s what this iconic rom-com asked in 1989, with stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal playing the titular characters, who meet at university and continue to encounter one another throughout the next ten or so years. And who could forget that legendary line: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
2. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
This is the film which catapulted Hugh Grant to fame. The film follows bumbling Englishman Charles and Carrie (Andie MacDowell), an American, who meet at – you guessed it – four weddings and a funeral. Charles is quickly smitten with Carrie, who is due to be married back in the US. This film is filled with tear-jerking moments but also some hilarious one-liners.
3. Roman Holiday (1953)
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) is probably Audrey Hepburn’s most well-known film, but her first starring role as a princess determined to see the sights of Rome on her own is one her best. Acting alongside the incredible Gregory Peck, Hepburn’s character falls for an American reporter and finds herself caught between her duties and her heart.
4. Pretty Woman (1990)
In the film that made her a star, Julia Roberts stars as Vivian Ward, a call girl who agrees to the escort of businessman Edward Lewis (Richard Gere). As they attend Edward’s business events and functions together, the two begin to develop feelings for one another.
5. Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)
Before the latest instalment comes out in September, go back to the original (and the best yet) film in the Bridget Jones series. Follow the life and loves of hapless Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) in this hilarious, quintessentially British romantic comedy.
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
We couldn’t get through a rom-com list without some Marilyn Monroe. The bombshell stars alongside Jane Russell as Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw, two American showgirls who travel to Paris but are followed by a private detective hired by Lorelei’s future father-in-law to watch her and her many admirers.
Related links:
The first trailer for “Bridget Jones’s Baby” is here
The original ending of Pretty Woman was shockingly different