Top 10 Favorite Romantic Comedies.

I swear I was going to do this before she suggested it, but today I'm continuing my honors by moving on to Jess from Insight into Entertainment. Jess likes her RomComs, so today's list is going to feature my favorite Romantic Comedies.

Romantic Comedies almost always follow the same formula; however, that's why they need to come up with some kind of hook. The movie needs a high concept if it's going to work these days... usually. That being said, let's get into it (Thanks again to a Wikipedia List).

Top 10 Favorite Romantic Comedies.

10. Hitch

Concept: A man who prides himself in setting up others on dates can't woo the ladies himself.
Thoughts: I like Kevin James as a comedian, but his movies often suck. Really bad. I think this is one exception, however, and it's probably mostly thanks to Will Smith. It has some sweet moments, usually with James' character. And it has a feel-good ending (as most RomComs do).


9. A Guy Thing

Concept: On the brink of marriage, a man falls for his fiance's cousin after a (supposedly) one-night stand after his bachelor party.
Thoughts: I've only seen the film a couple times, but I really enjoy it. And it has a really good cast: Jason Lee, Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, James Brolin, Shawn Hatosy, and--the funniest of them all--Larry Miller as the minister. It was really the interactions between Jason Lee and Larry Miller that won this movie over for me. I'd recommend for those moments alone. But the rest does hold up, as well.


8. Definitely, Maybe

Concept: A man tells his daughter the story of how he met her mother, and she tries to guess which of the three women from his story turns out to be the right one.
Thoughts: Again, a really good cast is involved, headed up by Ryan Reynolds. I've only seen it once--in theater, at that--but I really remember liking it a lot and I'd love to see it again.


7. How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

Concept: A guy makes a bet that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days; unfortunately, the woman he chooses is writing an article on how to make a guy dump you in 10 days.
Thoughts: This plot is ridiculously contrived, but I just like it so much. Like some of the others mentioned, it's been a while since I've seen it, but I used to always catch it when it was on TV. And it's one of those rare RomComs where it's not solely the guy's fault near the end when they have the inevitable fight.


6. The Proposal

Concept: A mean boss forces her employee to marry her so she doesn't have to be deported back to Canada; however, they must spend the weekend in Alaska with his family and get to know each other, or else they both go to prison.
Thoughts: Another Ryan Reynolds film. The only reason I saw it to begin with was because of him. And I ended up liking it so much. Reynolds and Bullock have some good chemistry, and Betty White is always a delight. It can get strange at times (particularly with White's character), but for the most part is a pretty solid film... and funny!


5. She's Out Of My League

Concept: A "hard 10" woman falls for a "5" guy, and neither he nor his friends have any idea why.
Thoughts: I just recently bought this on impulse, as I hadn't seen it in theater, but I had heard good things about it. I find the true testament to a comedy is if I laugh while I'm watching it home alone. I did, here. This was a great film with Jay Baruchel at the forefront. And his friends were a hoot, as well. You might actually expect a full review sometime soon.


4. 10 Things I Hate About You

Concept: Taming of the Shrew in modern day.
Thoughts: If you're gonna do it, you might as well do it right, right? Go back to a classic... Shakespeare style. Heath Ledger, Julia Styles, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Jo-Go, and--funniest of them all--Larry Miller as the father. Larry Miller can apparently make movies that much better. But the rest of the film is just up there as a modern classic (of the genre, anyway).


3. I'm A Cyborg But That's OK

Concept: A young woman who thinks she's a cyborg ends up in a mental institution where she gains the attention of a young man who steals souls and has to brush his teeth or else shrink into nothingness.
Thoughts: It's a Romantic Comedy brought to you by the man who gave us Oldboy. How can you not want to watch it based on that alone? OK, so it's not a RomCom in the classic sense of the word. Yes, there's romance and comedy, but I can assure you that the movie is like no other RomCom you've ever seen.


2. Shaun of the Dead

Concept: It's a Romantic Comedy. With Zombies.
Thoughts: It's right in the tag line. It coined the term RomComZom. It's one of my all-time favorite movies. So how could it possibly be at number 2? Because you have yet to see my number 1...


1. The Princess Bride

Concept: Pirates. Swordfighting. Murder. Conspiracy. Revenge. Giants. Miracles. True Love.
Thoughts: Do I really have to elaborate?