Twelve decent rom-coms to watch this Valentine's Day
Roman Holiday
Is there such a thing as the perfect romantic comedy? Maybe. Whatever the case, it’s always nice to rewind the clocks and take a look back at some of the greats. The ones that made us feel better about our own love lives. The ones we can recite with our eyes closed. The ones that make us feel all warm and cuddly inside — and let’s be honest, we could certainly do with a bit of that right now.
Plus, there are some terrific newbies out there waiting to be discovered. If, like the rest of us, you and yours are looking for something special to do this Valentine’s Day, might we suggest an epic rom-com marathon from the comfort of your couch? You can’t go wrong with this lot…
An instant modern classic, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V Gordon’s The Big Sick — a delightful reconstruction of their real-life romance — picked up an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The set-up is simple. A struggling stand-up comedian (Nanjiani, portraying a fictionalised version of himself) meets the love of his life (Zoe Kazan, playing the part of Emily) at a gig. Six months down the line, she gets sick and falls into a coma, and suddenly Kumail has no choice but to get to know her family. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano provide solid support in a film that takes one of cinema’s greatest sub-genres and turns it upside down and inside out. A culture-clash comedy with a heart. (Available on Amazon Prime).
What would you do if you woke up one morning and you were the only person in the world who could remember The Beatles? That’s the dilemma at the heart of Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis’s imaginative and fabulously assembled offering, which stars Himesh Patel as a small-town singer-songwriter named Jack who decides to pass off the greatest songbook ever as his own. The incomparable Lily James plays his long-suffering manager, Ellie. Oh, and Ellie is in love with Jack — guess what happens there. Lovely stuff, altogether. (Now TV)
An underappreciated gem, Rob and Ronan Burke’s low-key domestic comedy deserves a second chance. Brian Gleeson is Alan, a Dublin Airport tourist advisor who reconnects with his first love, Alice (Mad Men’s Jessica Pare), after her flight home to New York is delayed. Made for export, the Burkes’ handsome and undeniably charming picture certainly looks the part and, despite its narrative shortcomings, Gleeson and Pare make it work. (Google Play).
Believe the hype. Jon M Chu’s glorious crowd-pleaser — in which a Chinese American woman, Rachel (Constance Wu), meets her billionaire boyfriend’s family for the first time in Singapore — is an absolute hoot. Leading man Henry Golding lights up the screen as Rachel’s dreamboat fella, Nick.
But the inimitable Awkwafina steals the show and gets all the best lines as Rachel’s old college buddy, Peik Lin Goh. A triumph. (Google Play).
What can we say that hasn’t already been said? Cher runs away with her Oscar. Nicolas Cage goes to town as the outrageous baker with a bad temper. Together, they swap hearts — and fireworks — as one of cinema’s unlikeliest couples in Norman Jewison and John Patrick Shanley’s victorious, gold- plated classic. (Google Play).
Combining an ingenious set-up with a leading man at the peak of his powers, Groundhog Day is, indeed, a picture for the times we live in. You know why. It’s also a cracking romance, with Bill Murray’s Phil Connors literally reinventing himself every day in order to impress his producer, Rita (the always reliable Andie MacDowell). You could watch it forever. (Now TV).
Is this the greatest Austen adaptation of all? Emma Thompson won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay here, and there isn’t a single flaw in director Ang Lee’s playful and beautifully choreographed display that, aside from being one of the most romantic entries on our list, is probably one of the funniest, too. Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and the late, great Alan Rickman star alongside Thompson. You can keep your Bridgerton (pound shop Austen, if you ask us). This is the real deal. (Amazon Prime).
Writer and director, John Carney (Once, Sing Street), keeps it musical with a gorgeous, New-York based dramedy about a down-on-his-luck record producer (Mark Ruffalo) who takes a broken- hearted singer-songwriter (Keira Knightley) under his wing. A dashing, urban fairy tale with a twist, Begin Again also comes equipped with a killer soundtrack. (Netflix).
Ali Wong and Randall Park take centre-stage in Nahnatchka Khan’s endearing smash hit about a couple of old childhood pals who run into each after more than a decade apart, eventually realising that they may, in fact, be soulmates. Khan and her wonderful cast members mine gold from a familiar premise, and Keanu Reeves makes a memorable appearance as himself. Funny, smart and moving. (Netflix)
Spike Lee’s scorching debut not only launched the career of one of Hollywood’s greatest storytellers — it also broke new ground. Tracy Camilla Johns is Nola Darling, a young Brooklynite who juggles three very different lovers, and she refuses to commit to any of them. Eventually, the lads meet up to compare notes and have their say. Lee rebooted the story for a Netflix series in 2017, but the original will always be the best. (Netflix).
The first major Hollywood studio offering about a gay teenage romance, Love, Simon stars Nick Robinson as Simon Spier, a gay high school student who hasn’t yet shared his sexuality with his family and friends. To make matters complicated, a kid at school is trying to blackmail him, and poor Simon is also in love with someone he’s never met. Things get tricky, but make no mistake, this warm, witty and tender feature will melt your heart. (Google Play).
Is there such a thing as the perfect romantic comedy? Yes, and it’s called Roman Holiday, William Wyler’s timeless masterpiece, in which a runaway princess (Audrey Hepburn) shares a secret romantic vacation with a newspaper reporter (Gregory Peck) in the Italian capital. Unmissable. (Now TV).
