Romantic comedies to get you through the winter blues
We are now deep into January and it feels like this winter has been especially bleak—I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt the sun. This, combined with cuffing season and Valentine’s Day makes right now the perfect time to pop on or pick up a romantic comedy. Yes, rom-coms are corny and yes, they are often rife with clichés, but there’s nothing wrong with some indulgent escapism every once in a while. Grab a blanket, make yourself some tea, and enjoy our fave picks below.
Harry’s Picks:
Palm Springs (2020)
Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J. K. Simmons, Palm Springs (2020) does the time loop narrative right. Samberg and Milioti are seemingly mismatched romantic leads who find themselves re-living the same wedding over and over again. Throw in J. K. Simmons as a fellow time looper, and you have a wacky-but-charming romantic comedy-science fiction blend (it even features an actual physicist to explain the science of time loops!).
Someone Great (2019)
Someone Great (2019) begins with the breakup of Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) and Nate (LaKeith Stanfield). What ensues is Jenny’s “final adventure” with her best friends to both recover from the heartbreak and enjoy one last night before she moves to San Francisco. Someone Great includes the cheesy, love-drenched scenes of any romantic comedy, but likewise considers the unfortunate reality that loving someone is not always enough to make a relationship last. The soundtrack features countless indie classics by Vampire Weekend, Blood Orange, and Mitski to carry you through the emotional roller coaster.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
Yes, a cliché pick, but Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Rob Reiner, and Nora Ephron collided in 1989 to produce one of the wittiest romantic comedies ever. While the film dances around the (outdated) trope that men and women can never be “just” friends, the script is razor-sharp and contains some of the most memorable scenes in comedy (Meg Ryan in a deli—need I say more). If anyone knows Sally, tell her to give me a call.
Honourable Mentions:
- Sleepless in Seattle (1993): Tom Hanks + Meg Ryan + Nora Ephron = the sappiest (yet most lovable) rom-com there is.
- Top Five (2014): worth the watch just to find out Jerry Seinfeld’s top five rappers.
- Moonstruck (1987): a young Nicolas Cage and a young Cher fall in love at the opera.
- His Girl Friday (1940): Cary Grant plays the fastest-talking newspaperman in cinema history.
- But I’m a Cheerleader (1999): Natasha Lyonne is sent to a conversion therapy camp run by RuPaul.
- Watermelon Woman (1996): screened at TIFF and a milestone of New Queer cinema as the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian.
Claire’s Picks
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
I truly believe that Emily Henry is the queen of the friends-to-lovers romance trope—no one does it as well as she does. This book follows Poppy and Alex, complete opposites, but best friends since college. For most of the year, they live far apart, but every summer, for a decade, they’ve taken a weeklong vacation together. That is, until two years ago when they ruined everything. The reader follows Poppy and Alex’s will they/won’t they relationship through flashbacks to previous summers’ vacations, contrasted with the present-day state of their relationship. I think this book is so funny, I hope you do too!
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
This pick is a little less on the com, but is the ultimate wholesome rom. It was initially written as a graphic novel series by Alice Oseman and was recently adapted into a television series by Netlfix. This is the classic story of boy meets boy. Charlie, a kind, openly gay overthinker meets Nick, a cheerful, laid-back rugby player. They quickly become friends, but could there be something more? This book is like a big, beautiful, cozy, gay hug. My recommendation? Read volumes one and two of the graphic novel series and then follow it up with season one from Netflix. This will allow you to avoid any spoilers and appreciate how perfect the casting for Nick and Charlie is in the show.
Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
This book is chaos. I give it 40 percent rom, 40 percent com, 20 percent accidental murder, and 100 percent fun. Meddi Chan and her family run a full-service wedding business and have recently booked the biggest job of their careers. Things are running smoothly—that is, until Meddi accidentally kills her blind date the night before the event. Meddi calls her meddlesome mother for help, who calls her even more meddlesome aunties. However, as they try to remedy the situation, they realize that disposing of a body may be more complicated than they anticipated. This pick is for anyone in the mood for second-chance romance and hilarious family antics.
Honourable Mentions:
- How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003): a true classic, starring Cameron Diaz and Matthew McConaughey.
- Love, Rosie (2014): you had me at Lily Collins and Sam Claflin.
- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: curious about what happens when the Prince of England falls in love with the First Son of the United States?
- I Want You Back (2022): a new release about newly dumped thirty-somethings trying to sabotage their exes’ new relationships.
- The Proposal (2009): the scene with Sandra Bullock and the dog lives rent-free in my mind.
