Romantic comedies are good to watch anytime of the year, but they somehow always seem better on Valentine’s Day. The largest predicament is getting away from classics like “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless in Seattle” or “You’ve Got Mail.” Can we not escape the clutches of Meg Ryan’s washed-up attempts to find love? Thankfully, with these hit rom-coms, we can.
Emily Vaartstra
About a Boy (2002)
Hugh Grant stars in this heart-melting film as a middle-aged slacker named Will who is taught how to grow up and truly care for someone by a 12-year-old boy caring for his depressed mother.
John Tucker Must Die (2006)
The best way to get back at a cheating man is to give him a taste of his own medicine — or at least this is what four girls do to John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe). If you’re looking for a similar plotline, but with characters who are significantly older and have established careers, check out the 2014 film “The Other Woman” instead.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
What better acting duo could exist other than Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper? Their performance in this film does not disappoint and leaves audiences breathless on the dancefloor as two psychologically spent individuals learn responsibility and commitment through dance.
Crazy Stupid Love (2011)
When Cal’s (Steve Carell) wife asks for a divorce, hot-shot womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling) offers to transform Cal into a desirable bachelor. In the meantime, he tries to be a good father and mentor his son through his own love problems.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Peter (Jason Segal) takes a vacation to Hawaii after his TV star girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristin Bell) breaks up with him. Unfortunately, Sarah brings her new boyfriend to the same resort while Peter tries to find a way to get over her.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
If you are supposed to be reading “The Taming of the Shrew” for English class, but find yourself falling asleep in the middle of the first act, you are in luck, because this movie is an adaptation of the Shakespeare play featuring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.
Love Actually (2003)
In this British film, we get the love stories of eight different couples in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The cast is loaded with A-list actors like Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Collin Firth, Hugh Grant, Keira Knightly, Martin Freeman and Alan Rickman.
Emily Vaartstra can be reached at [email protected]