Critics Consensus: A funny and clever reshaping of Emma, Clueless offers a soft satire that pokes as much fun at teen films as it does at the Beverly Hills glitterati.
Synopsis: Jane Austen might never have imagined that her 1816 novel Emma could be turned into a fresh and satirical look... [More]
Critics Consensus: With engaging performances from its two leads, Valley Girl is a goofy yet amiable film that both subverts and celebrates the cheerful superficiality of teen comedies.
Synopsis: An amusing elaboration upon the popular record by Moon Unit Zappa, Valley Girl stars Deborah Foreman in the title role.... [More]
Critics Consensus: It never lives up to the first part of its title, but Crazy, Stupid, Love's unabashed sweetness -- and its terrifically talented cast -- more than make up for its flaws.
Synopsis: At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream-good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his... [More]
Critics Consensus: Cold Comfort Farm sends up high-minded classics with a wit and impressive restraint that rivals its inspirations.
Synopsis: In 1930s England, Flora, a sophisticated young woman suddenly left penniless, seeks refuge with her eccentric relatives at the extremely... [More]
Critics Consensus: Bridget Jones's Baby might be late on arrival, but fans of the series should still find its third installment a bouncing bundle of joy.
Synopsis: Oscar (R) winners Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by Patrick Dempsey for the next chapter of the world's... [More]
Critics Consensus: A trite but refreshing and comical spin on nature of love.
Synopsis: A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt)... [More]
Critics Consensus: Don Jon proves to be an amiable directing debut for Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and a vivacious showcase for his co-star, Scarlett Johansson.
Synopsis: Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to... [More]
Critics Consensus: Though there was controversy over the choice of casting, Zellweger's Bridget Jones is a sympathetic, likable, funny character, giving this romantic comedy a lot of charm.
Synopsis: Based on Helen Fielding's hugely popular novel, this romantic comedy follows Bridget (Renee Zellweger), a post-feminist, thirty-something British woman who... [More]
Critics Consensus: Emma marks an auspicious debut for writer-director Douglas McGrath, making the most of its Jane Austen source material -- and a charming performance from Gwyneth Paltrow.
Synopsis: Based on a comic novel by 19th century author Jane Austen's , this medium-budget romance features charming, sprightly humor chronicles... [More]
Critics Consensus: Though its final outcome is predictable, The Sure Thing is a charming, smartly written, and mature teen comedy featuring a breakout role for John Cusack.
Synopsis: Director Rob Reiner's The Sure Thing is essentially It Happened One Night for the 1980s, but its lack of surprise... [More]
Critics Consensus: A rom-com with the right ingredients, Notting Hill proves there's nothing like a love story well told -- especially when Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts are your leads.
Synopsis: Can a beautiful and internationally famous American actress find happiness with a frumpy British bookstore clerk? She can -- at... [More]
Critics Consensus: Brevity is the soul of wit, eh? This adaptation gets to the nitty gritty of Wilde's stage piece and plays on eternal human foibles.
Synopsis: In a moment of youthful indiscretion, Sir Robert Chiltern provided an Austrian baron with secret Foreign Office information. As payment... [More]
Critics Consensus: There's Something About Mary proves that unrelentingly, unabashedly peurile humor doesn't necessarily come at the expense of a film's heart.
Synopsis: The Farrelly Brothers set this romantic comedy in their home state of Rhode Island. In 1985, when teen-nerd Ted Stroehmann... [More]
Critics Consensus: A buoyant corporate Cinderella story, Working Girl has the right cast, right story, and right director to make it all come together.
Synopsis: Unhappy with her job and her loser boyfriend, Melanie Griffith takes a secretarial post at a major Wall Street firm.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Anchored by dazzling performances from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, as well as Cameron Crowe's tender direction, Jerry Maguire meshes romance and sports with panache.
Synopsis: Jerry Maguire is a man who knows the score. As a top agent at Sports Management International, Jerry is unquestionably... [More]
Critics Consensus: Superbly acted and satisfyingly engaging, Your Sister's Sister subverts rom-com conventions with sensitive direction, an unconventional screenplay, and a big heart.
Synopsis: A year after his brother Tom's death, Jack (Mark Duplass) is still struggling emotionally. When he makes a scene at... [More]
Critics Consensus: Significantly more mature than the teen raunch comedies that defined the era, Sixteen Candles is shot with compassion and clear respect for his characters and their hang-ups.
Synopsis: On the eve of her sister's wedding, suburban teenager Samantha (Molly Ringwald) suffers silently as her family forgets her birthday.... [More]
Critics Consensus: Hal Ashby's comedy is too dark and twisted for some, and occasionally oversteps its bounds, but there's no denying the film's warm humor and big heart.
Synopsis: Harold, the 20-year-old son of a wealthy, neglectful woman, tries to gain attention for himself with various hilariously staged "suicides."... [More]
Critics Consensus: James L. Brooks and Jack Nicholson, doing what they do best, combine smart dialogue and flawless acting to squeeze fresh entertainment value out of the romantic-comedy genre.
Synopsis: Jack Nicholson is hilariously funny as a compulsive-obsessive, homophobic romance novelist who is compelled by circumstances to get to know... [More]
Critics Consensus: Dudley Moore brings a boozy charm to Arthur, a coming of age tale for a wayward millionaire that deploys energetic cast chemistry and spiffy humor to jovial effect.
Synopsis: The ads for Arthur suggested that this was an obnoxious film about an obnoxious man, an eternally drunken millionaire indulging... [More]
Synopsis: Like thousands of other Manhattanites, Tom Ewell annually packs his wife (Evelyn Keyes) and children off to summer vacation, staying... [More]
Critics Consensus: An artfully assembled cast, lovely set design, and direction solidly in service of the source material make The Importance of Being Earnest an adaptation that works.
Synopsis: Anthony Asquith's adaptation of Oscar Wilde's witty play of mistaken identities stars Michael Redgrave as rich bachelor Jack Worthing. Jack's... [More]
Critics Consensus: Steve Carell's first star turn scores big with a tender treatment of its titular underdog, using raunchy but realistically funny comedy to connect with adult audiences.
Synopsis: One man nervously ventures forth into the final frontier in this comedy starring comic actor Steve Carell. Andy Stitzer (Carell)... [More]
Critics Consensus: Lighthearted to a fault, Much Ado About Nothing's giddy energy and intimate charm make for an entertaining romantic comedy -- and a Shakespearean adaptation that's hard to resist.
Synopsis: Shakespeare's classic comedy is given a contemporary spin in Joss Whedon's film, "Much Ado About Nothing". Shot in just 12... [More]
Synopsis: Can an independent, contemporary woman find happiness with a guy who sells pickles? Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) is an attractive,... [More]
Critics Consensus: Chasing Amy explores gender roles, sexual mores, and the limits of friendship with a mixture of sensitivity, raw honesty, and director/screenwriter Kevin Smith's signature raunchy humor.
Synopsis: After a pair of films about hipster slackers, the work of writer-director Kevin Smith matured and gained critical respect with... [More]
Critics Consensus: Kenneth Branagh's love for the material is contagious in this exuberant adaptation.
Synopsis: Actor Kenneth Branagh made his directorial debut with a rousing screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Henry V. Four years later,... [More]
Critics Consensus: With a typically absorbing performance from Greta Gerwig leading the way, Maggie's Plan gives rom-com sensibilities a smart, subversive twist.
Synopsis: A young woman longing to start a family (Greta Gerwig) becomes involved in a complicated love triangle with a professor... [More]
Critics Consensus: A perfectly light, warmly funny romantic comedy that's kept afloat by Ron Howard's unobtrusive direction and charming performances from Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.
Synopsis: This story begins in 1959, when a young boy is rescued from a watery grave by an adolescent mermaid. Twenty-five... [More]
Critics Consensus: Lighthearted and sweet, The Purple Rose of Cairo stands as one of Woody Allen's more inventive -- and enchantingly whimsical -- pictures.
Synopsis: Woody Allen blurs the the boundaries between the real and unreal in this unique comic fantasy. The scene is a... [More]
Critics Consensus: It contains some ugly anachronisms, but Blake Edwards is at his funniest in this iconic classic, and Audrey Hepburn absolutely lights up the screen.
Synopsis: A lonely, struggling writer becomes enchanted with his neighbor: an independent young woman who strives to be a high-climbing socialite... [More]
Critics Consensus: Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy take competition to a romantic-comic highpoint in this elegantly directed sports comedy by George Cukor.
Synopsis: Pat (Katharine Hepburn), a college phys-ed instructor, enters into professional competition as a golf and tennis player. Mike (Spencer Tracy),... [More]
Critics Consensus: A charming romantic comedy with political bite, Rob Reiner's American President features strong lead performances and some poignant observations of politics and media in the 1990s.
Synopsis: How does the widowed leader of the free world balance his many obligations to his country with the ordinary demands... [More]
Critics Consensus: Barbra Streisand was never more likable than in this energetic, often hilarious screwball farce from director Peter Bogdanovich.
Synopsis: With Howard Hawks's Bringing Up Baby (1938) as his blueprint, Peter Bogdanovich resurrected and payed homage to 1930s screwball comedy... [More]
Critics Consensus: Trainwreck drags commitment out of all but the most rom-com-phobic filmgoers with sharp humor, relatable characters, and hilarious work from Amy Schumer.
Synopsis: Since she was a little girl, it's been drilled into Amy's (Schumer) head by her rascal of a dad (Colin... [More]
Critics Consensus: In the first romantic comedy pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, the stars' chemistry is off to a working start and the film's sparkling comedy smooths out any rough patches.
Synopsis: In this romantic comedy, New York sportswriter Sam Craig becomes incensed at comments about the uselessness of sports made by... [More]
Critics Consensus: Sweet, smart, and quirky, Waitress hits the right, bittersweet notes through this romantic comedy through its witty script and a superb performance by Keri Russell.
Synopsis: A woman trapped in a life from which she dreams of escape, Jenna's secretly hopes to save enough money from... [More]
I’m glad to see some of my favorites in this list, including “Roman Holiday.”
Jason Blackman
say anything… how is this not on the list?
Otto T
I swear that if It Happened One Night is not on the list shit is going to get real.
Strider
WTH??? Where is Say Anything? it had a 100% on the tomatometer up until about 2 years ago when a couple “new” critics ruined the perfect score.
Rooby Doo
So glad to see What’s Up, Doc on this list. IMHO, it’s the greatest screwball comedy since Hollywood’s golden age ended (Grand Budapest Hotel is close though).
Guest
Enough Said at #12 ?? seriously??. -_-
Silver Linings Playbook and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY are my faves.
I disagree with the order, and films are missing (people have already mentioned Say Anything). I have seen all of these and a few would not be on my list at all. But as lists go, and one dominated by popularity rather than quality, it is a good list.
Sirena Loveridge
Gotta Have Say Anything or it’s not a real list!!! I just saw a movie that should make this list in the future. THE DOG WEDDING, it’s really sweet
Dezzie
Where the heck was Sleepless in Seattle?!? Did I miss it??
thiago
Where’s As Good as it Gets? It’s a fantastic romantic comedy, and won two Academy Awards for acting in recent years (something really rare to happens with comedy movies), and has a good tomatometer – 86 per cent -, and i am upset, they forgot THIS film, but put Enough Said and Treinwreck, which is not that great.
