One of my longtime favorite movie genres has been the romantic comedy. It’s sad to me that slowly over time the category has gone from popular, to overexposed, to gradually irrelevant. Traditionally spring would give us a couple new decent-to-mediocre romcom releases in theaters, while the really good romcoms would be saved for late autumn/early winter.
For TV in February through April, typical hits like Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle (1993), Nancy Meyers’ Something’s Gotta Give (2003), Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up (2007) or Nicholas Stoller’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) are in syndication. These days you’ll be hard pressed to find a studio, major or independent, spending much time on light-hearted love stories. And in a period where new movies are still on a small hiatus, they’re even less likely. So rather than recommending the same old classics everyone loves, I’m going to suggest some underrated titles that are still great date night picks.
Old Hollywood fans have probably heard of Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night (1934) and George Cukor’s The Philadelphia Story (1940). While I still enjoy both films, sometime I want something different from the same era. Then I turn to Archie Mayo’s It’s Love I’m After (1937) with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Or maybe Mitchell Leisen’s Hands Across the Table (1935) starring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray. Both flicks are a nice blend of romance and screwball humor.
Ben Stiller’s Reality Bites (1994) was almost instantly considered the movie staple of Gen X on release. And with Ethan Hawke, Winona Ryder and Stiller himself as the stars, it makes sense. As I’ve aged, though, I find the tone and themes of the piece a bit naïve. In contrast, I think Cameron Crowe’s ode to the 1990s — Singles (1992) featuring Matt Dillon and Bridget Fonda — still holds up. Of course, it helps that the original soundtrack features grunge legends like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains.
UK based filmmaker Richard Curtis made a name for himself with a handful of successful romcoms in the ‘90s and early 2000s. These include Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999) and Love Actually (2003). But I have a soft spot for About Time (2013), one of his later features starring Domhnal Gleeson and Rachel McAdams. Curtis puts his spin on the old time travel trope. It’s up there with Harold Ramis’ Groundhog Day (1993), but doesn’t feel too redundant or predictable. One of the few, more recent romcoms I liked a lot was Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Brittany Runs a Marathon (2019) with funny lady Jillian Bell. The relatable, down-to-earth tale reminded me a bit of Sharon Maguire’s Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001), which was co-written by Curtis.
We’re probably going to continue with more low-key dates and movie nights through the spring. But at least there are always some good movies to see with our loved ones at home!
Do you have a favorite underrated romance movie? Are you a fan of rom coms on date night? Tell us in the comments!
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