By: Shaina Semaña
You know that feeling when you sit in your, browsing on your phone or laptop for hours and yet, you face one of the hardest questions in the history of today’s entertainment—what should I watch next? Because it feels like you have finished watching all the series you’ve been wanting to watch, re-watched your favorites; downloaded and watched all the new films you missed in the theater, there are more and more releases waiting for you to stream, but you find yourself yearning for something a little bit more heartwarming. Or comforting. Something that goes straight to your hopeless romantic heart. Well, then, let us help you with your dilemma. Here are some of our All Time Favorite Romcoms that will sure make you feel the kilig you need on a Friday night.
Heads up, though! There will be no Julia Roberts flick in this list because we have a High Five Special just for America’s Sweetheart!
She’s All That
Popular guy makes moves to the resident quirky girl because of a mean bet—She’s All That tells the story of popular guy Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) falling for dorky art student, Laney (Rachel Leigh Cook) while trying to win a bet he made with his other popular friends. Sounds like a cliché plot? Well, as cliché as it sounds, this 90’s films is the original bet-turned-to-love trope.
The Romcom Charm: High school love stories between two opposite people is a guilty pleasure for a lot of us. She’s All That is a full package of a teenage romantic comedy—heartwarming plot, spot-on comedy and 90’s classic tracks led by Kiss Me —which makes not only a guilty pleasure but more so an all-time kilig favorite!
Fave Romcom Scene: The mother of all makeover scene; Laney walks down the staircase in a little red dress, after a 360-makeover, that enhances her beauty, as Zack watches her with eyes wide open in surprise. The cute little scene ends with Laney cutely tripping off at the end of the staircase and Zack catching her in his arms. Seriously, wasn’t that such a cute romcom classic?
Just Go With It
What do you get when you pair two comedy royalties in one film? A hilarious and feel-good romcom in the guise of Just Go With It. Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler shows off their chemistry in this film about best friends Danny and Katherine, a scared-of-commitment man and single-mom-of-two, who fakes a marriage in order to impress a woman that Danny wants to date but ends up realizing their love for each other instead.. It’s a rather complicated storyline but it’s the exact formula to a blockbuster romantic comedy.
The Romcom Charm: Sure, the critics didn’t like it as much as moviegoers did but it’s exactly why it’s a guilty pleasure! Aniston and Sandler’s chemisty—both comedic and romantic—is just perfect to tell a story of love that is built with longtime friendship and connection. Not to mention that the film also about building a family, even outside of home.
Fave Romcom Scene: To prove Katherine’s long-time frenemy, Devlin (Nicole Kidman), that she and Danny are a real happy couple, they stare into each other’s eyes and tells the things they love about each other. They were both caught off guard but ended up saying things that they sincerely love about each other. And that was it—the moment they realize they’re in love with each other all along.
Witness Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler’s chemistry on Netflix.
Music and Lyrics
Like music and lyrics making a good song, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore teams up for this 2007 musical classic, which tells a story of an almost forgotten pop star and a creative writing student who writes a song for a rising pop star. As they create a beautiful melody, they build a harmonious connection as well, ultimately, budding into a heartwarming romance.
The Romcom Charm: Everybody loves a romantic plot with a dash of music, right? The real charm of this film how two seemingly lost soul were brought together by music and, through music, they also fell in love. Not only making you feel the love, but make you sing along too.
Fave Romcom Scene: Alex (Grant) and Sophie (Barrymore) record the song for the first time, followed by montage of their other recording sessions to show the growth of the relationship. It was simple but also memorable as it is first we’re hearing the iconic Way Back Into Love.
Sing along to Alex and Sophie’s love story on YouTube.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
The Queen and Princess of Genovia are back, five years later since Mia’s (Anne Hathaway) coronation as the royal princess, with brand new adventures. This time, Mia and her grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews), are in the search of Mia’s groom before the parliament picks another family to inherit the crown.
The Romcom Charm: It’s a modern fairytale—there’s a ball filled of handsome princes, dukes and lords lining up for Mia’s hand—with a good mix of hilarious shenanigans making it the perfect feel-good fairytale. Just like the first Princess Diaries, Hathaway’s Mia proves to us that not all are perfect royalties but these imperfections are what makes their life even more worthwhile.
Fave Romcom Scene: Genovia is celebrating its Independence Day with a parade. Mia invites a bullied little girl to join her in the parade, smile and wave her hand like a princess does. Soon enough, more little girls join them and turns the parade in a heartwarming moment; especially for the little girls living in their fairytale moment.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
What’s more iconic that Audrey Hepburn, wearing her little black dress, eating her bagel in the streets of Manhattan? The movie itself. Set in 1960s New York, this Golden Age Hollywood classic tells the story of the life of Holly Golighlty (Hepburn) and her new neighbor Paul (George Peppard), fitting in the socialites of the city. They quickly form a bond and as they realize they’re more similar than they thought, ultimately falls in love with each other.
The Romcom Charm: This 1961 romcom paints the beauty of Golden Age Hollywood and life in Manhattan. It’s beautiful, simple, elegant—it will make you want to time travel back to the 60s just to be part of one of Holly’s Manhattan parties.
Fave Romcom Scene: After a rather heated argument inside a cab, Paul follows Holly as she runs in the rain. He captures her in arms and tells her that people do belong to each other, swaying Holly of her feet. Then, seals the movie with a passionate kiss. It’s the kissing in the rain scene.
Relive this classic on YouTube.
You’ve Got Mail
Online dating before Tinder—or even Facebook—was a thing. Starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, this 1998 they play online pen pals who easily build connection through email without knowing that they are rival book shop owners in real life. It involves a lot of chat exchanges, unexpected meeting and a few white lies here and there that, of course, leads to the two falling crazy in love with each other.
The Romcom Charm: The contrast between Kathleen (Ryan) and Joe’s (Hanks) endless bickering face-to-face and their literal connection online, proving the two’s undeniable connection. Their love story proves that you can’t deny a budding romance between two people, even if they seem to be more or rivals than friends at first. The classic haters-to-lovers trope that we all secretly love.
Fave Romcom Scene: Of course, it’s that scene when Shopgirl-slash-Kathleen finally realizes that Joe is NY152—with the backdrop of beautiful Manhattan and Joe’s adorable dog, Brinkley, making the reveal even more romantic. I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly—Kathleen utters making the reveal even more heartwarming and leaving the audience craving for an online love story of their own.
Catch You’ve Got Mail on Netflix.
10 Things I Hate About You
So, there’s a new kid in school who instantly falls for one of the school’s sweetest girl but she and her ‘shrew’ sister are not allowed to date so new kid pulls up a plan, which happens to include the school’s biggest jerk and craziest bad boy—all for a date. Sounds confusing? Well, that’s what you get when you adapt a Shakespeare classic into a 90s teenage cult favorite starring a very young Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Romcom Charm: It’s the quintessential teenage romcom, complete with teenage romance, friendship, and some big feminist angst. It’s real charm, though, is its ensemble who, even though didn’t have much scenes as a whole, has an undeniable chemistry to make you feel like you’re living your own high school romance.
Fave Romcom Scene: Heath Ledger’s Patrick Verona singing a marching band version of Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You in the school’s football field to sweep Kat (Julia Stiles) off her feet, which ultimately earns him a seat on detention. Oops, talk about some high school grand gesture, huh?
You can rent or buy 10 Things I Hate About You on YouTube.
Love Actually
Now this one’s not just a romcom classic but a holiday favorite as well. It’s about the interweaving stories of British holidays. From the country’s Prime Minister, to a blooming romance between film doubles and a little boy’s grand declaration of love, this 2003 film is a wholesome treat sure to make your Christmas morning (or evening!) warm. (Cite the all-star cast)
The Romcom Charm: At first, you would think that the interconnected storylines could be a little bit confusing but that’s exactly what makes it perfect. The storylines are perfectly woven and the ensemble of A-list British actors shows off an incredible chemistry making it a heartwarming and wholesome favorite.
Fave Romcom Scene: Andrew Lincoln’s Mark stands outside the house of his newlywed best friend Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Juliet (Keira Knightley)’s house disguised as Christmas carolers to declare his unrequited love for Juliet—his best friend’s new wife. Yes, there is a lot to unpack in the scene but it’s a genuine declaration of love that will surely make you go aww.
50 First Dates
How many first dates can you have to fall in love? In this 2004 film, starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, about Henry (Sandler) who tries over and over again to prove his love and connection to Lucy (Barrymore) who’s suffering from anterograde amnesia. It follows Henry’s adventures and bright ideas to woo Lucy, which more often than not, ends up with some comedic pleasure.
The Romcom Charm: This heartwarming romcom doesn’t only talk about falling in love and connection but shows off the importance of building a relationship slowly. Equipped with Adam Sandler’s timeless punchlines and a charming supporting cast, it leaves you a good lesson on patience.
Fave Romcom Scene: As Lucy and Henry falls deeper in love, the go in a series of first dates in a montage, each date ending with a sweet kiss and Lucy uttering the words Nothing beats the first kiss—though, of course, it’s not their first kiss at all.
Watch 50 First Dates in Netflix.
When Harry Met Sally
This is the romcom. Almost every list of the best romcom has this Rob Reiner classic on the top. A story about a man and a woman’s friendship over time, accumulating to over twelve years of—from the moment they met, meeting again, sharing each other’s cloud nines and heartbreaks—all to prove the hypothesis; can a man and woman remain just friends? While the movie wasn’t able to provide a concrete answer to that, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) ultimately falls in love, ending up together after an almost twelve-year-long of push and pull.
The Romcom Charm: It has a flawless script, where every punchline works, not making the film a cheap comedy. The dialogue between the characters are on-point, tackling dating and relationship in a manner that doesn’t make you cringe. It’s raw and, yet, still romantic.
Fave Romcom Scene: At a local diner, Sally proves a point in his argument with Harry with her high-quality acting, getting the attention of everyone in diner and one old lady famously tell the waiter “I’ll have what she’s having.” Truly one of the most iconic scenes in the history of film.
Catch When Harry Met Sally on YouTube.