Hi, I’m Chloe, and I’m a romantic comedy fanatic. Name almost any rom com (I haven’t gotten around to all of them yet), and I can offer an extensive list of my thoughts. I personally feel that rom coms are paired perfectly with any mood. Feeling happy? Rom coms offer happy endings to amplify your mood. Feeling sad? Immerse yourself into a world where everything works itself out and forget your problems. Bored? There are many rom coms to keep you hanging on with suspense until the last word (“Bridget Jones’s Baby”, anyone?). While I always made time to watch rom coms before the pandemic, I have much more time to devote to them now, and I’m sure you do as well. So, I’m here to recommend to you my favorite rom coms for different situations. Think of me as your guide to all things rom com.
If you feel like nothing in life is going right: “Love Actually.”
There are many reasons I find myself watching “Love Actually” time and time again (young Hugh Grant, for example), but I truly love the movie because it shows you that life will work out, even if it takes a while to piece itself back together. “Love Actually” follows ten intertwined love stories that range from school children to the prime minister. This realistic rom com doesn’t sugar coat life; it shows the hard moments: a mentally ill brother, infidelity and family deaths. Overall, “ Love Actually” shows us how to find love in the smallest moments. Love can be found in a hug between friends after one is back from overseas, in a man learning a new language so he can be with the woman he loves, in the relationship between a stepson and step father after a family tragedy. “Love Actually” shows that love isn’t just found in the big romantic gestures, but in everyday life, including your own.
When you wish you could fly away, but alas, we are in a pandemic: “The Holiday”.
Cottage core meets romance meets travel. Yes, yes and yes. “The Holiday” is centered around two women, Iris and Amanda, who wish to ditch their problems surrounding men for the holidays and end up swapping houses. Iris moves to Amanda’s mansion in Los Angeles and Amanda ventures to Iris’s cottage just outside of Surrey, England. Iris’s vacation in Los Angeles reminds you about everything you love about our city: the great weather even during the winter, the beach and the history that comes with old Hollywood. Amanda’s time in the cottage, however, is where Angeleno girls can fantasize: a getaway for two weeks in a fairy tale English cottage while meeting the English guy of our dreams. The small town of Surrey where Amanda and Graham spend their dates offers the enchanting white holiday I’ve always longed for. A place where one can have a romantic night with their English boyfriend while a white blanket of snow covers the ground. Escapism rom coms are top tier, and “The Holiday” truly takes the cake.
A rom com where the ending isn’t predictable: “Definitely, Maybe.”
Even a rom-com fanatic like me can admit that some rom coms are too predictable, and yes, they can get boring. That’s where “Definitely, Maybe.” comes into play. In the movie, Will Hayes recounts the stories of the three major loves in his life to his daughter, with the aim of telling his daughter how he married her mother. Here is the twist: Will changes the names and some small facts about the women, keeping his daughter (and the watcher too) guessing as to which one is really her mother. I honestly had no idea until they revealed who the mother was. “Definitely, Maybe.” is nostalgic, as it portrays the childhood optimism and wonder displayed by Will’s questioning daughter, which is a nice relief from everyday life. “Definitely, Maybe.” will make you laugh, cry and will be sure to keep you on your toes. In the end, you will be left with the message that everything will be okay in the end, even if it takes ten years.
