Rom Coms Recommendations For Rom Com Skeptics

As all romantic comedy lovers know - rom coms often (unfairly) get a bad rap - in the early 2010s in particular. They can be maligned as cheesy and predictable - or some kind of lark just for women.

However, we rom com lovers know this isn’t true. That rom coms, at their best, tell stories of all kinds. They can hold a mirror up to our lives - or be enjoyed for pure escapism. (However, if they were cheesy, predictable, or a lark just for women, would that be so bad? The world is filled with men’s larks).

But let’s say you have a rom com skeptic in your life - or maybe you are the rom com skeptic. You’ve tried all the staples, all the classics (your When Harry Met Sallies, your Sweet Home Alabamas, your 10 Things I Hate About Yous) - and nothing. Here are some other rom coms to try next, that are likely to sway any skeptic. (And for full clarity, I will say much of this list was written with a rom com skeptic boyfriend in mind, but that these movies can - and should - be enjoyed by anybody.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Far too often, when romantic comedies are about a cishet man, they are about men who are - to use an outdated term - players. That is, until they meet the right woman who forces them to grow up, to change their ways. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the rare romantic comedies that centers around a straight guy who is earnestly looking for love. Seeing things from Peter’s point of view (as played by Jason Segel, who also wrote the film based on his experiences) provides a fresh perspective and flips the rom com script somewhat. Plus, even if you’re not swayed by the love story, the film is full of fun characters who really help to fill out the Turtle Bay resort world.

Hitch

Similar to Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Hitch takes us inside a guy’s mind, and we watch as Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, the date doctor, helps men to woo women. In some ways, Hitch almost seems like the anti-rom com, proving to us that all of those meet cutes and perfect moments are really manufactured. That is, until Hitch finds himself falling for gossip columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) and his cool guy facade is totally fractured. With plenty of physical comedy and set pieces, Hitch is the rom com that proves, unequivocally, that when it comes to love, no one knows what they’re doing - and who can’t get on board with that?

Love and Basketball

This one is for all you sports fans out there. Yes, Love and Basketball is a rom com (one of our finest, in my opinion), but it’s also a movie about two people at the absolute top of their game, and the sacrifices Quincy (Omar Epps) and Monica (Sanaa Lathan) have to make to get there. Anyone who loves sports can also appreciate this behind-the-scenes look that the emotional and physical toll playing basketball can have. Plus, writer and director Gina Prince-Blythewood tells their stories with so much empathy and care, you’ll be rooting both for the main characters’ to fall in love and to see them achieve their dreams - even if having both doesn’t always seem possible. (And if this movie works for you, see also: Bull Durham).

Broadcast News

Like Love and Basketball, Broadcast News takes us deep inside a world with which not many of us are intimately familiar. The world, of well, broadcast news. The way Love and Basketball is just as much a sports movie as it a rom com, Broadcast News is about the ideological fight of news producer Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) to ensure her program keeps its integrity in a world where integrity is on its way out. The film still feels extremely prescient today (alarmingly so, perhaps), and it features star comedic performances from Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks.

Jerry Maguire

I feel like this one is self-explanatory. Men love Jerry Maguire.

***Love, Actually* and *He’s Just Not That Into You***

You might be thinking - Love Actually? He’s Just Not That Into You? For a rom com skeptic, really? But hear me out here: One of the best things about these big ensemble romantic comedies is that even if someone doesn’t latch on to every single storyline, there’s got to be one that resonates with even the biggest skeptic - and there’s your way in.

Always Be My Maybe

If your boyfriend loves Keanu Reeves, just tell him Keanu Reeves is in this. Do not tell him in what capacity, or for how long. Just say it’s a Keanu Reeves movie. Yes, this is pulling a bit of a trick, but it will pay off as Ali Wong and Randall Park hilariously reconnect as once-childhood friends who have since drifted apart and pay a beautiful tribute to Wong’s home city of San Francisco.