Only A True Romantic Can Name All These Rom-Coms
- by Rose Moore
- – on
- in Movies and TV
Who is the kind of soppy romantic who just can't resist a good romantic comedy? Some people might find this kind of movie silly and predictable, but rom com fans know that there is nothing wrong with a little lighthearted enjoyment - even if it is pretty obvious from the start what is going to happen in the end (and hint, everyone is probably going to live happily ever after). Romantic comedies are the kind of movie that just makes people feel good - that give anyone that warm fuzzy feeling, and that don't take a whole lot of concentration to figure out a complicated plot, either. These movies are all about the meet cute, the soft focus, the couples that work it out in the end - and we love every minute of it!
Of course, while everyone has enjoyed a rom com at least once in their life, there are those people who just enjoy them on occasion, and then there are the true romantics that know every major romantic movie backwards and forwards. These are the people who have seen every rom com, who have their favorites and their absolute favorites, and these will be the only people who can name all these recent romantic movies from just an image and a brief description - are you one of them?
Name this pregnancy rom com.
A one night stand goes wrong in this hilarious rom com about two extremely different people who end up becoming parents after a chance encounter at a club one night. She's a high strung career type, he's a layabout who still acts like he's in college - but when she gets pregnant, they decide to try and actually have a relationship and raise the baby... and that comes with some serious ups and downs along the way! What's the name of this film?
Which rom com is about a wedding party?
This rom com isn't just about a boy meeting a girl - it's also about female friendships, and the feeling of being left behind by other women who might be (or appear to be) a lot more successful. Annie is maid of honor for her best friend's wedding, but her life is falling apart - her business failed, she's kicked out of her apartment, and she has a serious rivalry with another bridesmaid... but will the cute cop she meets make things better?
Name this bittersweet love story
This romantic movie is as much drama as it is a traditional rom com, and it's definitely not one with the typical happy ending. It's also a film that isn't told in chronological order, but that jumps around throughout the span of the main characters' relationship - from the early days when they first meet, to the fun beginnings, and all the way through to the days that things fall apart - and even to the point when it has all blown over again.
Which rom com has three love stories in one?
This rom com tells the story of a man's past relationships - as told to his daughter, when they are talking about his upcoming divorce. The stories are narrated, but seen by the audience as they happened - and because there are three important women in Will's life, the film ends up telling three different love stories. In addition, although the film starts at 'the end', with Will looking back over the loves of his life, his connection to these women might not be over just yet.
Which movie involves a green card marriage?
This rom com follows the classic formula of putting two people together who do not get along... but knowing that they will undoubtedly fall in love in the end. The film starts when a high powered career woman discovers that she is going to be deported back to Canada, unless she can find a way to stay... and decides to fake a relationship with her assistant (who loathes her for being so demanding) to get a green card... but of course, these two might end up getting married for real!
Name this zombie rom com
This rom com blends the genre with a little bit of horror, pairing a zombie and a human for some heart-warming romance. In many ways, this has all the elements of a classic zombie movie; the post apocalyptic landscape, the survivors trying to stay away from the undead, and the human who gets left behind... but in this world, the human meets a zombie who doesn't just want to eat her brains... and instead the two start to build a relationship.
Name this musical romance
Romantic comedies and musicals go hand in hand, as young lovers serenade each other with romantic ballads - and this recent rom com is a perfect example of why it works. An homage to the golden age of Hollywood, this film centers on an aspiring actress and jazz musician, who find that they have a lot in common... but that the pursuit of their dreams may end up being more important that their new relationship - even with all the song and dance numbers in the world.
Which movie centers on a constant bridesmaid?
Plenty of women have been a bridesmaid several times in their lives, but Jane, the main character in this rom com, has been a bridesmaid dozens of times - and is even sometimes performing her bridesmaid duties at two weddings in the same night! She's a bit cynical about marriage, though... until the man that she loves gets engaged to her sister, and she meets a reporter who wants to write about her state as the perpetual bridesmaid... and things get complicated.
Name this Netflix Original Christmas movie
This movie is the epitome of rom com cheesiness - and that's why people absolutely love it! A Netflix Original, this film became a Christmas smash hit, telling the story of a magazine reporter who flies to Aldovia to cover the coronation of the Prince, who has a reputation as a bit of a bad boy. She sneaks into the castle, posing as a tutor, and starts to dig deeper into this prince - and finds more than she bargained for.
Which movie is about ballroom dancing?
This rom com tackles some difficult subjects, as it tells the story of two people who connect through their difficult lives - and their struggles to stay on an even keel, despite battling mental illness. Although they dislike each other at first, they end up working together to try and win a ballroom dance competition, but ex spouses, children, and their own issues might be the thing to get in the way - or could it be the thing to bring them together?
Which movie is about interconnected love stories?
Although most rom coms like to tell only one romantic story at a time, this film popularized a new style of storytelling - combining multiple, shorter storylines to create a complete film. Each of these stories is different, but connected to the others through some thread - friends, relatives and colleagues draw all the stories together into one. And while some are happy and others are silly, there are definitely a few stories in this film to pull on the heartstrings.
Which movie is set on Feb 14th?
Another film that likes to take multiple separate stories and combine them into a single film with lots of little connections is this one - set on February 14th. Obviously, that's a big day for the romantics of the world, and so we see how Valentine's Day plays out for a range of different couples and singles - from the still in love to the recently dumped, cheating husbands to single women who openly hate this Hallmark holiday with all its flower bouquets.
Which movie sees high schoool friends reunited?
This rom com starring Ryan Reynolds is all about trying to get past your high school persona when those years are far behind you. Chris was far from a popular kid in his teens - and he struggled to get together with his crush as a result. However, now that he's grown up, he's a wildly successful and handsome man, and he ends up back in his home town - where he reunites with his crush, and starts to wonder if there could still be something there.
Which movie is about teenage pregnancy?
Teen pregnancy might seem like a heavy subject for a comedy, but this indie movie deals with it perfectly. The film centers on a small Minnesota town, and a sixteen year old girl who finds out that she is pregnant - and will have to figure out how to deal with this massive change. At the same time, she is struggling with her feelings for the baby's father, who is clearly in love with her - it's not a traditional rom com, but it's a sweet and touching one, nonetheless.
Which movie is about exes on a tropical island?
If you ran away to a tropical island to get away from a bad breakup, who is the last person that you would want to meet there? Well, in this rom com, Peter is trying to get past things on vacation, when who should show up... but the girl he is trying to get over, who is also on vacation with her new boyfriend. Throw in a gorgeous and kindhearted hotel worker, and things are going to get very complicated!
Name this high school rom com
This sweet rom com starring Emma Stone is all about navigating the waters of high school and reputations as a teen. Stone is Olive, a high schooler who agrees to pretend to have slept with a friend in order to stop him getting bullied - and soon discovers that she can embrace her reputation and find plenty of other boys who are happy to pay for her to say they'd been together... but of course, it's Todd, an old flame, that she really wants to be with.
Which movie is a rom com satire?
This David Wain film is a hilarious parody of the rom com genre, and includes all the biggest tropes of rom coms that have come before. Joel and Molly meet when he, as the big evil corporate candy store, is trying to ruin her independent candy shop, and of course, they hate each other on sight. But we all know what happens - when two people start as enemies in this world, they are just destined to be together in the end.
Which movie is about people trying to break up?
Most rom coms are about people who want to be in love, and are trying to stay together... but not this one! Instead, this film starts with the (extremely unlikely) scenario where two people start to date to win separate bets - she must write an article for a magazine about how to ruin a new relationship, and he has to prove that he can make a woman love him in only a few days to win an ad campaign.
Which movie is about a beauty pageant?
Another great element of the classic rom com formula is the makeover - and this movie has a whole lot of fun with it. Starring Sandra Bullock as Gracie, the film starts with an FBI agent who has to go undercover as a beauty queen to find out who is threatening a pageant... and the beauty world is about as far from this tomboy's style as it could be. While she discovers a feminine side to herself, her partner starts to discover an interest in her, too...
Which rom com is based on a graphic novel?
People may think of superheroes when they hear the phrase 'based on a graphic novel', but this quirky movie is definitely a caped-crusader-free zone. Instead, it sees Scott attempt to win the heart of the girl he likes by battling it out with her 'seven evil exes' in a series of video game inspired set pieces. As he fights, he's also trying to make it as a musician, and to gain a little self-awareness about the women in his life...
Which movie sees a teen skip forward in time?
When you were a teenager, there were probably times where you just wanted to skip over all the awkward parts and wake up as a successful grown-up... which is exactly what happens to Jenna in this cute rom com. After a disastrous birthday party, Jenna wishes that she could be thirty - and gets her wish! At first, it seems perfect. She has the dream job, apartment, wardrobe and boyfriend... but soon learns that she's not too happy, and wonders what happened to the boy next door.
Name this rom com starring Alison Brie.
This rom com is all about people who won't let themselves fall in love (which of course, means that we all know they will in the end!). Lainey and Jake have known each other since college, but now as adults, they are both commitmentphobic and meet again at a sex addiction meeting. They decide that they can't be together, but they slowly become best friends instead... and of course, when they try and date other people, they realize that they have already fallen in love.
Name this time-travelling romance
There's something inherently romantic about time travel, and this movie loves to play on that romance and the nostalgia of the roaring 20s. Starring Owen Wilson as Gil, an unfulfilled screenwriter who is visiting Paris, the film takes us back and forth between modern day Paris, where Gil is vacationing with his fiance, and the Paris of the 20s, where Gil meets his heroes and starts to learn a little more about himself, writing, creativity... and of course, about love.
Which movie involves a time travelling photobooth?
Another time travelling rom com is this Netflix Original movie about a man who discovers a photobooth that lets him journey back in time... to the night that he met the girl he is in love with. The problem is, she's not in love with him, and sees him as just a friend. He decides to use the photobooth to 'fix' this, returning time and time again to do things differently and attempt to win her over - but may discover that love doesn't work that way.
Which movie takes place over a single day?
While most rom coms take place over weeks or months (or even years), this offering starts in the morning, and ends at the end of that same day - but these twenty four hours are an emotional rollercoaster. The film follows Sam and Mollie at a crossroads in their relationship - is is going where they both want, or is it time to call things quits? As they both deal with work, friends and family as well as each other, they will figure it out in the end.
Which rom com stars Daniel Radcliffe?
Daniel Radcliffe stars in this film as Wallace, a med school drop out who has given up on love after a series of bad relationships and break ups. However, as soon as he stops looking, he meets Chantry. She's in a relationship and he doesn't want one, so they soon become friends instead... but as things progress, they start to wonder if friendship is going to be enough, or if their perfect chemistry and connection means that they should be something more.
Which rom com is about a commitment-phobe?
Usually in a romantic comedy, the commitmentphobe character is a man, but this movie flips that trope on its head, as Amy is the one who can't handle a real relationship (although she can definitely handle her booze). A party girl and a writer, she meets Aaron when she is assigned to interview him, but she struggles to accept that she might want to actually date him - and then to try and make a relationship work, when she's never done it before.
Which rom com sees a man fall in love with a machine?
This film is set in the near future, at a time when artificial intelligence has taken huge leaps forward, and become significantly more common - so when a man struggling with his divorce buys an operating system with artificial intelligence, he starts to develop a whole relationship with the machine. As the AI, Sam, grows and evolves, their relationship deepens, and while it appalls some people, others reveal that they too are becoming close to these people who aren't quite people...
Which movie is set to Abba songs?
This fun summer rom com is a musical, with every song and dance number a classic hit from Abba. The story takes place on a Greek island, at the wedding of a young girl who was raised by her mother, and never knew her father - but who is determined to find out. She invites three possible candidates to the wedding to try and discover who her father really is, but doesn't tell her mother, who isn't quite prepared for this blast from her past.
Name this movie about a holiday house swap.
Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone to find true love... at least, that's the premise of this fun Christmas movie. It starts when two women, Iris and Amanda, both get their hearts broken, and decide that they want to get away - by using a house swap website. Amanda heads to Iris's country cottage, while Iris heads to her LA mansion, and while neither wants anything to do with love, they both might end up finding it in their new places...
Name this Christmas rom com
Another Christmas comedy with a quirky love story is this Will Ferrell hit. Ferrell plays Buddy, a boy who was raised at the North Pole as an actual elf, but who is now finding his way to the big city (and the real world) to find his father and discover his place in the world. While he is there, he meets Jovie, a department store employee who definitely doesn't share his enthusiasm for the holiday... but who does find Buddy fascinating, and sparks start to fly.
Which rom com is also about an acapella group?
Acapella has become a huge deal, with the TV show Glee leading the way in popularising the voice-only musical groups... and this movie definitely gets in on the trend. The film centers on Beca, a young woman who is being forced to go to college when all she really wants is to quit and become a DJ. While there, she ends up involved with an acapella group, and becoming friends with a guy who sings in another group... which might turn into more.
Name this movie set in Italy
This beautiful film looks back on the original love story - Romeo and Juliet. In Verona, there is a wall where women write letters to the heroine of Shakespeare's tale, begging her for help and advice on their love lives, and these letters are replied to by a group of women - who meet Sophie when she is on a pre-wedding trip, and who finds an unanswered letter. Answering it herself, she soon finds herself discovering more about love - and about her feelings for her fiancé and a new man in her life.
Name this movie starring Reese Witherspoon.
In this rom com, Melanie is a successful fashion designer in New York City, who spends her time hiding her less than glittering Southern roots, and refusing to even go home to visit the place where she grew up. However, she's now engaged to the mayor's son, and in order to get married she has to come back and get a divorce from her childhood sweetheart. Once home, Melanie starts to remember why she loved him in the first place.
Which rom com begins with a divorce?
Most rom coms end in a wedding, but this one begins with a divorce... just to keep things interesting! This film starts when Cal learns that his wife has been cheating on him, and that he is going to have to get out in the world and start dating again, which he has no idea how to do. He meets up with a womanizer to learn how to pick up women, but he starts to figure out that this isn't who he wants to be.