The 150 Best Romantic Comedies of All Time
Hooking up? No problem. “Meet cute” at the book shop? Happens all the time. Finding the right one, falling in love, and getting married? What else are you gonna do? But compiling the ultimate list of the Freshest romantic comedies? It’s complicated.
For our list of the 150 best romantic comedies of all time, we searched high and low throughout movie history for every permutation of (hilarious) courtship and love captured on camera. We have the dazzling wit of the early studio system (His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby), the realistic cynicism of the ’70s (Annie Hall, The Goodbye Girl), and the sweeping romance in-between (The Apartment, Roman Holiday). There was plenty to find in the John Hughes, teen-driven era (Say Anything…, Pretty in Pink), and the bubbly ’90s decade that followed (Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral, While You Were Sleeping). Then we dabbled in 21st century raunch (Knocked Up) and twee ((500) Days of Summer), leading into our current era of new voices declaring that they too are entitled to their own messy relationship stories (The Big Sick, Crazy Rich Asians).
The only stipulation for a rom-com to get a shot at love on this list was achieving a minimum of 20 reviews, before we sorted it all by Adjusted Tomatometer. And because we want you feeling red, and not seeing red, we want to prepare you for some of the relatively low placements for beloved classics like Pretty Woman, Love Actually, and Sleepless in Seattle. The Tomatometer, just like the heart, does not deceive.
Ready to dive into the sea of love? Then continue on with open arms into Rotten Tomatoes’ 150 best romantic comedies of all time!
150-101 | 100-51 | 50-1
#150
Adjusted Score: 67.636%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A mistake in heaven causes a lawyer to retain a partial memory of his previous life before being reincarnated. As...
[More]
#149
Adjusted Score: 65.865%
Critics Consensus: Chocolat is a charmingly light-hearted fable with a lovely performance by Binoche.
Synopsis: The most tempting of all sweets becomes the key weapon in a battle of sensual pleasure versus disciplined self-denial in...
[More]
#148
Adjusted Score: 65.084%
Critics Consensus: Though formulaic and superficial, Under the Tuscan Sun is redeemed by Lane's vibrant performance.
Synopsis: Frances Mayes is a 35-year-old San Francisco writer whose perfect life has just taken an unexpected detour. Her recent divorce...
[More]
#147
Adjusted Score: 66.537%
Critics Consensus: Pretty Woman may be a yuppie fantasy, but the film's slick comedy, soundtrack, and casting can overcome misgivings.
Synopsis: Edward is a rich and sophisticated businessman who specializes in corporate raiding - buying up businesses to break them up...
[More]
#146
Adjusted Score: 67.754%
Critics Consensus: Sydney Pollack's Sabrina doesn't do anything the original didn't do better, but assured direction and a cast of seasoned stars make this a pleasant enough diversion.
Synopsis: In this reworking of Billy Wilder's classic 1954 comedy of manners, chauffeur's daughter Sabrina catches the eye of the wealthy...
[More]
#145
Adjusted Score: 67.269%
Critics Consensus: Music & Lyrics is a light and pleasant romantic comedy that succeeds because of the considerable charm of its co-stars. The music segments featuring Hugh Grant are worth the price of admission.
Synopsis: A professional collaboration between a popular lyricist and a washed-up musician takes a decidedly personal turn as the pair gradually...
[More]
#144
Adjusted Score: 68.404%
Critics Consensus: Sleeping with Other People has likable leads and flashes of inspiration, but seems unwilling or unable to surround them with the truly subversive rom-com they deserve.
Synopsis: Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie star as two romantic failures whose years of serial infidelity and self-sabotage have led them...
[More]
#143
Adjusted Score: 67.576%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Based on a popular off-Broadway play by Terrence McNally, this drama chronicles the bittersweet romance between an ex-con who gets...
[More]
#142
Adjusted Score: 67.81%
Critics Consensus: Though predictable and possibly too sweet, Brown Sugar is charming, well-acted, and smarter than typical rom-com fare.
Synopsis: A woman wonders if it's just friendship or real love she feels when a close male friend announces he's tying...
[More]
#141
Adjusted Score: 68.045%
Critics Consensus: A colorful and energetic adaptation of Austen's classic.
Synopsis: The very British sensibilities of Jane Austen are introduced to the exotic flavors of the Bollywood musical in this romantic...
[More]
#140
Adjusted Score: 69.385%
Critics Consensus: The plot's nothing new, but Garner shows a lovable flair for romantic comedies.
Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Jenna (Shana Dowdeswell) has had enough with the trials of adolescence. In addition to being saddled with a devoted-but-nerdy...
[More]
#139
Adjusted Score: 68.513%
Critics Consensus: A sugary tale overstuffed with too many stories. Still, the cast charms.
Synopsis: All of London is in love -- or longing to be -- in Four Weddings and a Funeral writer Richard...
[More]
#138
Adjusted Score: 70.86%
Critics Consensus: Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger add strong performances to an unexpectedly clever script, elevating 10 Things (slightly) above typical teen fare.
Synopsis: Popular, pretty Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) is in dilemma. A family rule forbids her from dating until her unpopular, rebellious,...
[More]
#137
Adjusted Score: 68.9%
Critics Consensus: While certainly overlong, The Five-Year Engagement benefits from the easy chemistry of its leads and a funny, romantic script with surprising depth and intelligence.
Synopsis: The director and writer/star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall reteam for the irreverent comedy The Five-Year Engagement. Beginning where most romantic...
[More]
#136
Adjusted Score: 67.923%
Critics Consensus: Laggies may not do as much with its ideas as it could, but it's buoyed by a winsome performance from Kiera Knightley, as well as Lynn Shelton's empathetic direction.
Synopsis: Overeducated and underemployed, 28 year old Megan (Keira Knightley) is in the throes of a quarterlife crisis. Squarely into adulthood...
[More]
#135
Adjusted Score: 69.74%
Critics Consensus: Eddie Murphy was in full control at this point, starkly evident in Coming to America's John Landis' coasting direction.
Synopsis: Coming to America casts comedian Eddie Murphy as pampered African prince Akeem, who rebels against an arranged marriage and heads...
[More]
#134
Adjusted Score: 69.941%
Critics Consensus: Reality Bites may be too slick to fulfill its promise as a profound statement on Generation X, but an appealing ensemble and romantic sizzle make for an entertaining dive into the ennui of youth.
Synopsis: Four recent graduates discover how difficult it is to find a decent job and true love after college....
[More]
#133
Adjusted Score: 70.066%
Critics Consensus: Faultless production and shining performances display the Bard's talent propitiously.
Synopsis: It all begins when Hermia and Lysander flee deep into the forest to escape Hermia's father, Egeus, who wishes Hermia...
[More]
#132
Adjusted Score: 70.62%
Critics Consensus: While definitely on the fluffier side of French comedy, Heartbreaker benefits from never taking itself too seriously -- and from the performance of the ever-charming Romain Duris.
Synopsis: HEARTBREAKER is an action-packed romantic comedy pairing two of France's biggest young stars: Romain Duris (THE BEAT THAT MY HEART...
[More]
#131
Adjusted Score: 70.843%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A big city doctor is stranded in a small rural town, where he finds love, professional challenges, and a pet...
[More]
#130
Adjusted Score: 71.084%
Critics Consensus: It's decidedly uneven -- and surprisingly sappy for an early Adam Sandler comedy -- but The Wedding Singer is also sweet, funny, and beguiling.
Synopsis: Mousse up your hair and pull your Missing Persons records out of mothballs for this romantic comedy set in that...
[More]
#129
Adjusted Score: 71.341%
Critics Consensus: While not a home run, Fever Pitch has enough charm and on-screen chemistry between the two leads to make it a solid hit.
Synopsis: Nick Hornby's acclaimed memoir about one man's struggle to balance his love of a woman and his love for soccer...
[More]
#128
Adjusted Score: 71.309%
Critics Consensus: Breezy and predictable, Tin Cup is a likeable sports comedy that benefits greatly from Kevin Costner's amiable lead performance.
Synopsis: Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) is a talented golf pro, who owns his own driving range. That sounds impressive, but the...
[More]
#127
Adjusted Score: 73.054%
Critics Consensus: Sharp, shrewd, and funny, Friends with Kids features excellent performances that help smooth over some of the story's more conventional elements.
Synopsis: Friends with Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in...
[More]
#126
Adjusted Score: 72.208%
Critics Consensus: Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a modest success for Kevin Smith, due in large part to the charm of Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.
Synopsis: Lifelong friends and roommates Zack and Miri are facing hard times and a mountain of debt. When the electricity and...
[More]
#125
Adjusted Score: 72.509%
Critics Consensus: Great chemistry between the leads made this a warm and charming delight.
Synopsis: The film tells of Kathleen Kelly, who owns a children's bookstore in New York. It is a small but profitable...
[More]
#124
Adjusted Score: 72.782%
Critics Consensus: A dramedy featuring an unusual love triangle, Keeping the Faith is a perceptive look at how religion affects us in everyday life.
Synopsis: Actor Edward Norton debuts as a director with this comedy-drama about love, friendship, and faith. Priest Brian Finn (Norton) and...
[More]
#123
Adjusted Score: 73.17%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Johnny Depp was nominated for a Golden Globe for his astonishing performance in Benny & Joon, though the entire cast...
[More]
#122
Adjusted Score: 74.444%
Critics Consensus: Beautifully filmed and unabashedly sincere, About Time finds director Richard Curtis at his most sentimental.
Synopsis: At the age of 21, Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time... The night after another unsatisfactory...
[More]
#121
Adjusted Score: 73.89%
Critics Consensus: Despite Hitch's predictability, Will Smith and Kevin James win praise for their solid, warmhearted performances.
Synopsis: A dating doctor claims that with his services he can match anyone with their soulmate in just three dates. When...
[More]
#120
Adjusted Score: 74.633%
Critics Consensus: It doesn't always find comfortable ground between broad comedy and social commentary, but lively performances -- especially from Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack -- enrich In & Out's mixture of laughs and sexual tolerance.
Synopsis: Life is sweet for high-school English teacher and sports coach Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline); he's still living where he grew...
[More]
#119
Adjusted Score: 74.918%
Critics Consensus: Baby Boom struggles to impart its feminist ideals, but Diane Keaton's winsome leading work helps keep things breezily entertaining.
Synopsis: When a professional woman with a high-profile job "inherits" a 14-month-old baby girl from recently deceased relatives, she intends to...
[More]
#118
Adjusted Score: 75.576%
Critics Consensus: While it doesn't subvert the genre as incisively as it thinks it does, Celeste and Jesse Forever is a shrewd rom-com that benefits from its likable cast and trumpets the arrival of Rashida Jones as a bona fide big screen talent.
Synopsis: Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) met in high school, married young and are growing apart. Now thirty, Celeste...
[More]
#117
Adjusted Score: 74.594%
Critics Consensus: The cheerfully frothy Populaire may lack substance, but its visual appeal -- and director Roinsard's confident evocation of 1950s filmmaking tropes -- help carry the day.
Synopsis: Spring, 1958: 21-year-old Rose Pamphyle lives with her grouchy widower father who runs the village store. Engaged to the son...
[More]
#116
Adjusted Score: 76.083%
Critics Consensus: With a clever script and charismatic leads, Definitely, Maybe is a refreshing entry into the romantic comedy genre.
Synopsis: Will Hayes is a 30-something Manhattan dad in the midst of a divorce when his 10-year-old daughter, Maya, starts to...
[More]
#115
Adjusted Score: 77.27%
Critics Consensus: Better Off Dead is an anarchic mix of black humor and surreal comedy, anchored by John Cusack's winsome, charming performance.
Synopsis: After being rejected by the object of his affection and suffering a series of other humiliations, a depressed teenager decides...
[More]
#114
Adjusted Score: 76.287%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to a charming performance from Julia Roberts and a subversive spin on the genre, My Best Friend's Wedding is a refreshingly entertaining romantic comedy.
Synopsis: Essentially an old-fashioned romantic comedy with a few dark twists, My Best Friend's Wedding marks the return of Julia Roberts...
[More]
#113
Adjusted Score: 76.649%
Critics Consensus: Though it occasionally stumbles into sitcom territory, Something's Gotta Give is mostly a smart, funny romantic comedy, with sharp performances from Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, and Keanu Reeves.
Synopsis: Harry Sanborn is a perennial bachelor who only dates women under the age of thirty. On what was to have...
[More]
#112
Adjusted Score: 77.204%
Critics Consensus: Director Trevor Nunn makes some questionable choices, but his stellar cast -- which includes Helena Bonham-Carter, Ben Kingsley, and Nigel Hawthorne -- more than rises to the material.
Synopsis: This loose adaptation of Shakespeare's enduring but seldom-filmed comedy of merry and ribald romantic mix-ups comes from Trevor Nunn, distinguished...
[More]
#111
Adjusted Score: 77.221%
Critics Consensus: Sleepless in Seattle is a cute classic with a very light touch and real chemistry between the two leads -- even when spending an entire movie apart.
Synopsis: It's Christmas Eve and radio talk show psychologist Marcia Fieldstone has asked her listening audience what they are wishing and...
[More]
#110
Adjusted Score: 77.608%
Critics Consensus: Its narrative framework may be familiar, but What If transcends its derivative elements with sharp dialogue and the effervescent chemistry of stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.
Synopsis: WHAT IF is the story of medical school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), who's been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So...
[More]
#109
Adjusted Score: 78.737%
Critics Consensus: Mighty Aphrodite may not stand with Woody Allen's finest work, but it's brought to vivid life by a thoroughly winsome performance from Mira Sorvino.
Synopsis: A dissatisfied Manhattan sportswriter finds more than he expected when he searches for the biological mother of his adopted child...
[More]
#108
Adjusted Score: 79.264%
Critics Consensus: Though it sometimes feels like a television sitcom, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is good-hearted, lovable, and delightfully eccentric, with a sharp script and lead performance from Nia Vardalos.
Synopsis: One woman's rocky road to the altar gets played for laughs in this comedy, adapted from the one-woman off-Broadway show...
[More]
#107
Adjusted Score: 80.128%
Critics Consensus: Heartfelt and quirky, though at times broad, Muriel's Wedding mixes awkward comedy, oddball Australian characters, and a nostalgia-heavy soundtrack.
Synopsis: A socially inept young woman slowly learns to overcome her insecurities in this sleeper hit from Australia. The unconventional Muriel...
[More]
#106
Adjusted Score: 80.625%
Critics Consensus: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist combines a pair of charming leads, the classic New York backdrop, and a sweet soundtrack.
Synopsis: Michael Cera and Kat Dennings star as two lonesome teens who make a love connection as they prowl the streets...
[More]
#105
Adjusted Score: 81.04%
Critics Consensus: Wedding Crashers is both raunchy and sweet, and features top-notch comic performances from Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.
Synopsis: Two guys find out the hard way that sneaking into the wrong party can cause serious problems in this comedy....
[More]
#104
Adjusted Score: 83.14%
Critics Consensus: Molly Ringwald gives an outstanding performance in this sweet, intelligent teen comedy that takes an ancient premise and injects it with insight and wit.
Synopsis: John Hughes crafts an exemplary '80s Brat Pack romance out of the standard Cinderella story in Pretty in Pink. Andie...
[More]
#103
Adjusted Score: 82.58%
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and engagingly scruffy, Singles is a clear-eyed look at modern romance that doubles as a credible grunge-era time capsule.
Synopsis: Set amidst the burgeoning Seattle alternative music scene of the early '90s, Singles follows a group of twentysomethings as they...
[More]
#102
Adjusted Score: 82.284%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to fine performances from Lake Bell and Simon Pegg, Man Up largely strikes the deceptively difficult balance between romance and comedy.
Synopsis: Nancy, is done with dating. 10 times bitten, 100 times shy, she's exhausted by the circus. So when Jack blindly...
[More]
#101
Adjusted Score: 84.458%
Critics Consensus: While You Were Sleeping is built wholly from familiar ingredients, but assembled with such skill -- and with such a charming performance from Sandra Bullock -- that it gives formula a good name.
Synopsis: This offbeat romantic comedy has some rather dark underpinnings that add, rather than detract from the fun. It is the...
[More]
