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With so many new romantic comedies premiering each year, it’s getting harder and harder to find truly original ones. But even the seemingly generic romantic comedies that follow the genre’s tropes to a large degree have a lot to offer in some cases, be it an interesting plot twist or an excellent cast.
5 Miss Conception (2008)
Miss Conception is one of the romantic comedies that mostly flew under the radar. Unlike a lot of heroines of rom-coms, Georgina (Heather Graham) actually has a loving partner Zak, albeit one who doesn’t seem to share her attitude toward having children. This doesn’t last long, though, as they have a serious argument and Zak then leaves on a business trip. Normally, he and Georgina would make up but after visiting a doctor, Georgina learns she has a last surviving egg and therefore the last chance to get pregnant. Unfortunately, Zak’s away and the clock is ticking.
The movie drags Georgina through more than one embarrassing situation, but it will still be relatable for the audience, especially all women who ever feared they missed out on their chance of having children. That’s what separates the seemingly generic rom-com from a lot of movies of the same genre, as it deals with a topic that doesn’t often get addressed in movies. On the bright side, Heather Graham is sympathetic as Georgina and everybody who liked seeing Tom Ellis in Luciferor the British sitcom Miranda has a chance to see him in one of his biggest movie acting roles.
4 What’s Your Number? (2011)
A lot of rom-com characters struggle with their lives and have to figure out what they want from a partner before they can find the one. Anna Faris’s heroine Ally has the same problem. When she reads a statistic that women who had over nineteen lovers will never marry, Ally panics and decides to get back together with one of her former lovers. But to do that, she first has to find them. Luckily, her handsome neighbor Colin (Chris Evans) will help her.
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Just like with many romantic comedies, it’s easy to guess how the story will evolve and whom Ally ends up dating in the end. Despite that, What’s Your Number? is one of the better representatives of its genre since it’s fun, and it works with many amusing characters, most notably Ally’s exes.
3 Last Christmas (2019)
The Emilia Clarke-led Christmas romantic comedy is more complex than it seems. Initially, it looks like a standard story about a lonely young woman, Kate, who learns how to enjoy life when she meets a nice guy named Tom (Henry Golding). But it isn’t until the very end that Last Christmas comes up with a final twist that completely changes everything the viewers knew about the story.
So in the end, the movie is still about finding love, but love for yourself, as Kate learns. Clarke and Golding are cute together as a duo and everyone who loves the nostalgic Christmas atmosphere and the song Last Christmas shouldn’t miss out on watching the movie.
2 Love Hard (2021)
Love Hard doesn’t hide the fact that it draws inspiration from well-known Christmas romantic comedies, most notably Love Actually (2003). Nina Dobrev stars as Natalie, a journalist who meets a perfect guy named Josh on Tinder and decides to pay him a surprise visit during Christmas - only to realize that she’s been catfished. From there on, a story of improbable coincidences and complex lies evolves until everything ends well and Natalie and the real Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) get together.
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Despite the generic required happy ending, the movie still scores points for its strong Christmas atmosphere, sympathetic performances, and the fact that its characters aren’t black-and-white. So even though Josh catfishes Natalie, she’s not a saint either as she lies to him about her job and what she plans to write about their relationship.
1 Marry Me (2022)
One of the latest romantic comedies progresses in a way that’s familiar to everyone who’s ever seen more than one movie belonging to this genre. Jennifer Lopez plays Kat, a hyper-famous singer, who marries a random guy - the teacher Charlie (Owen Wilson) onstage, once she learns that her fiancé cheated on her with her assistant. From there on, it’s easy to guess that Kat and Charlie will find their way to each other and overcome all problems despite the differences in their lifestyles.
That’s exactly what happens as well. Despite being easy to predict, the story still works because both Kat and Charlie are sympathetic, and the movie does something differently from a lot of romantic comedies - it doesn’t focus on very young people. So in the end, it comes across as a feel-good piece with solid acting performances and great music for all who like Jennifer Lopez’s voice.
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