Romantic comedies have been some of the most popular and enduring movies in the history of cinema. Most people freely admit to enjoying a good rom-com, and the rest try to hide it. There’s just something about falling in love that affects humans deeply, and the insane and foolish things that otherwise mature adults do when in the clutches of irresistible attraction only make it better.
The modern blueprint of weaving comedy and irony into stories of romance goes all the way back to the English Renaissance, in the Elizabethan age of theater, when William Shakespeare wrote timeless romantic comedies for the stage, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merchant of Venice, and Much Ado About Nothing. And while Shakespeare may have been the architect of the romantic comedy, it was legendary writer/director Frank Capra whose vision and talent first brought romantic comedy to the big screen in the best possible way.
One of Frank Capra’s earliest highly-acclaimed rom-coms was his 1934 film, It Happened One Night, one of only three films in the history of the Academy Awards that has won “the Big Five” — the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Actor. (The other films that were able to achieve this rare distinction were One Flew Over the Cuckoos' Nest in 1975, and The Silence of the Lambs in 1991.) And scenes like the moonlit walk home from the dance in Capra’s 1946 classic, It’s A Wonderful Life, set the bar for rom-com charm.
Since Capra’s time, there have been hundreds of romantic comedies that have been produced in Hollywood (not to mention rom-coms from many other parts of the world). Despite the romantic comedy’s universal appeal and simple formula, creating a rom-com classic has remained an elusive thing. Perhaps the hardest part of the equation is being genuinely funny. Sitting through a rom-com whose humor falls flat can be like a visit to the dentist. But there are a few classic rom-coms that can be counted on to make first-time audiences smile and laugh, and make repeated viewings an absolute joy.
As Good as It Gets
When it comes to seriously funny and seriously transparent romantic comedies, As Good as It Gets is about as good as it gets. Set around what happens when the extremely controlled world of a very wealthy but very troubled writer collides with the chaotic world of a working mom who is barely getting by, the performances of Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt won them Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress in 1998. The chemistry of the stars is incredible, but just as much of the top-notch comedy comes from the non-romantic kinds of frustrations people deal with as individuals.
In the Script:
Melvin Udall (played by Jack Nicholson): Judging from your eyes, I’d say you were fifty.
Carol Connelly (played by Helen Hunt): Judging from your eyes, I’s say you were kind, so — so much for eyes.
Broadcast News
Broadcast News, written and directed by James L. Brooks, builds a love triangle that follows three media professionals in the prime of their careers whose lives intersect at work. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, Broadcast News is the rare romantic comedy that doesn’t conclude with the “they-lived-happily-ever-after” endings of most rom-coms, giving it a bittersweet conclusion that is honest and real. But the level of comedy is off the charts, especially from Holly Hunter, playing a stressed-out, rising-star producer, and Albert Brooks, playing a brilliant journalist who can’t get a break.
In the Script:
Paul Moore: It must be nice to always believe you know better, to always think you’re the smartest person in the room.
Jane Craig (played by Holly Hunter): No. It’s awful.
Bull Durham
Another classic love triangle takes place in Bull Durham, during a single season of a minor league baseball team whose new star pitcher and mentor catcher vie for the affections of a beautiful fan. The cast is phenomenal, featuring Kevin Costner as aging catcher Crash Davis, Tim Robbins as a young pitcher, and Susan Sarandon as an extremely dedicated fan. On the surface, Bull Durham has the appearance of a baseball movie, but it’s so much more than that; the funny moments are so strong, and come at such a rapid-fire pace, the laughs will hit home with everyone.
In the Script:
Annie Savoy: Listen, sweetheart, you shouldn’t listen to what a woman says when she’s in the throes of passion. They say the darndest things.
Ebby Calvin LaLoosh: Yeah, you said, “Crash”!
Annie Savoy: Honey, would you rather I were making love to him using your name, or making love to you using his name?
Groundhog Day
The premise of Groundhog Day is one of the most brilliant in movie history, but its themes of the heart are what make this film such an enduring classic. Ultimately, Groundhog Day is about what makes life meaningful, but those answers turn out to be the same for what makes loving someone meaningful, which becomes the focus of the film. In one of his best performances, Bill Murray’s perfect delivery of cynical one-liners on the long path to enlightenment create non-stop laughter, yet somehow in a heartwarming and endearing way.
In the Script:
Phil Conners (played by Bill Murray): This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off, waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You’re hypocrites, all of you!
Moonstruck
The complications that arise in both old and new romances show up in full force throughout the course of Moonstruck. The cast is brilliant — especially Olympia Dukakis, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress playing the mother of Cher, who herself won the Oscar for Best Actress that year — the sets are phenomenal, the story is charming, and telling this tale without its comedic genius would be like listening to someone complain all day. But the comedy is genius, and this rom-com delivers on every level.
In the Script:
Rose (played by Olympia Dukakis): Do you love him, Loretta?
Loretta Castorini (played by Cher): Ma, I love him awful.
Rose: Oh, God, that’s too bad.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
It’s rare for an extremely sweet romantic comedy to also be a deeply funny romantic comedy, but the culture shock of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the perfect illustration of the hilarious chaos that can ensue when people with diverse backgrounds fall in love. The miracle of My Big Fat Greek Wedding is that it avoids getting cheesy for the most part, instead staying in a straightforward realm of a heartwarming tale of love finding an unlikely couple and overcoming opposition to an unlikely union.
In the Script:
Toula Portokalos: Ma, Dad is so stubborn! What he says goes. “Ah, the man is the head of the house!”
Maria Portokalos: Let me tell you something, Toula. The man is the head, but the woman is the neck. And she can turn the head any way she wants.
Notting Hill
A world of intense scrutiny colliding with a world of intense obscurity sets the stage for turbulent romance in Notting Hill. Hugh Grant plays his best bumbling-nobody role, who has just enough charm to win over Julia Roberts in the role of a cool and confident international superstar. The brilliant chemistry of Grant and Roberts is what anchors the movie, but it’s the supporting roles that bring out the film’s best and funniest moments.
In the Script:
Max: Let’s face facts — this was always a no-win situation. Anna’s a goddess. You know what happens to mortals who get involved with gods….
William (played by Hugh Grant): Buggered, is it?
Max: Every time.
When Harry Met Sally
In When Harry Met Sally, director Rob Reiner’s flair for comedic realism grounds an incredibly witty script that follows the decades-long romance of two people with virtually nothing in common, who eventually form a strong friendship, only to realize that the only thing that overcomes having nothing in common is love.
This was a rom-com breakout role for Meg Ryan, who went on to become a blockbuster leading lady in numerous rom-coms, including joining Tom Hanks in Joe Verses the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail. But nothing matched the sophisticated humor she and Billy Crystal created in When Harry Met Sally.
In the Script:
Jess: You tell her about other women?
Harry Burns (played by Billy Crystal): Yeah, like the other night, I made love to this woman. It was so incredible, I took her to a place that wasn’t human. She actually meowed.
Jess: You made a woman meow?
Harry Burns: Yeah, that’s the point. I can say these things to her. And the great thing is, I don’t have to lie, because I’m not always thinking about how to get her into bed. I can just be myself.
Jess: You made a woman meow?
Not only are these classic romantic comedies genuinely funny movies on a number of levels, they are stories of the human heart that are genuinely inspiring. In this culture that has grown more and more bitter and cynical to the idea of meaningful, committed, romantic relationships, these are films that will rekindle your belief in the laughter of love.