#71 Waitress

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cQ0WwcKCLk

Year: 2007

Director: Adrienne Shelly

Starring: Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion

My Take: Waitress, an unusual romantic comedy for sure but one nonetheless, tells the quirky story of a waitress hoping to win a pie baking contest so she can leave her husband with the money. Along the way, she has an affair with the town’s new Doctor.

#72 It Could Happen To You

Year: 1994

Director: Andrew Bergman

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Rosie Perez and Bridget Fonda

My Take: An enjoyable romantic comedy that embraces the genre’s fairy tale roots as two characters share a lottery ticket and fall in love.

#73 Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day

Year: 2008

Director: Bharat Nalluri 

Starring: Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciaran Hinds and Lee Pace

My Take: Part romantic comedy, part period drama, this depression era comedy of errors tells the entertaining story of a broke governess who suddenly finds herself working for a singer for a day as her social secretary, only to fall in love with a wealthy gentleman.

#74 The Abduction Club

Year: 2002

Director: Stefan Schwartz

Starring: Sophia Myles, Matthew Rhys, Alice Evans and Daniel Lapaine

My Take: Based on true events from history, this very funny (and very romantic) period drama tells the story of Irish noblemen (younger sons from wealthy families that will not inherit money, titles or an estate) who abduct wealthy women so they can marry into money. You can imagine what happens when two young men abduct two women with a mind of their own.

#75 Shakespeare in Love

Year: 1998

Director: John Madden

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes

My Take: This Oscar winning romantic comedy tells the story of Shakespeare who falls in love with a woman who longs to become an actress (even though it’s forbidden for women to perform). This is a wonderful film from start to finish.

#76 Lars and the Real Girl

Year: 2007

Director: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Ryan Gosling and Kelli Garner

My Take: A love triangle between a young, eccentric man, a lifelike doll and a real girl. Bizarre, yet beautiful, this romantic comedy tries something new and pulls it off.

#77 The Proposal

Year: 2009

Director: Anne Fletcher

Starring: Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds

My Take: Proving once again that no one does romantic comedies better than Sandra Bullock, this film is funny and unafraid to be faithful to the genre.

#78 It’s Complicated

Year: 2009

Director: Nancy Meyers

Starring: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin

My Take: A “complicated” romantic comedy about two exes who carry on an affair is incredibly funny and ends in just the right way!

#79 Bringing up Baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-EkAb1h2OM

Year: 1938

Director: Howard Hawks

Starring: Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn

My Take: A very entertaining romantic comedy about a paleontologist who crosses paths with an heiress and her pet leopard who makes his life difficult.

#80 Knight and Day

Year: 2010

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise

My Take: Better than people give this film credit for, this action/romantic comedy parody tells the story of June who finds herself falling in love with a mysterious secret agent as dead bodies keep piling up and they go on the run to escape the “bad guys” trying to kill them. The scene on the plane is one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in a movie and I can watch it on repeat! If you haven’t seen the film, I recommend giving it a chance.