Best Rom-Coms to Stream This Week

The second feature directed by Ang Lee, who would later direct “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) and “Life of Pi” (2012), is a comedy about a gay man arranging a “marriage of convenience” in order to please his traditional Taiwanese family. Matters spiral out of control when the family actually visits. Critics gave the flick a Freshness rating of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Something New” is a rom-com starring Sanaa Lathan as a rising executive in an accounting firm looking for love who unexpectedly starts a relationship with a free-spirited landscape architect. The movie, directed by Sanaa Hamri, explores the complexities of race and interracial relationships. “Something New” received positive reviews from 72% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Among IMDb users, the film has a 6.7 rating out of 10.

John Cusack and Ione Skye star in this teenage rom-com from filmmaker Cameron Crowe in which a high school slacker falls for the beautiful valedictorian. Described by Hollywood Reporter’s Kirk Honeycutt as “an easy film to like,” the genre staple has received positive ratings from 98% of critics and 85% of users on Rotten Tomatoes.

This charming Cinderella-like tale was directed by Billy Wilder. The film is about a working-class woman named Sabrina (Audrey Hepburn) caught in a love triangle with two brothers from a wealthy family. Clyde Gilmour of Maclean’s Magazine said, “In the department of civilized light entertainment, this long but unlagging romantic comedy is a highly enjoyable entry.” The movie, not to be confused with the remake in 1995, holds a Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics of 92%, and 89% of audiences liked the movie. The film has a rating of 7.7 out of 10 among IMDb users.

“Born Yesterday” was director George Cukor’s take on the Pygmalion tale that was adapted from Garson Kanin’s Broadway hit. The screwball comedy won Judy Holliday a Best Actress Oscar as a rough-around-the-edges chorus girl who is tutored by William Holden on the finer things in life. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a Freshness rating of 97% with 86% of audiences also liking it.

Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston lead the cast in this twist on the classic Cinderella folk tale. While maybe more dramatic than the average rom-com, the movie was a critical hit and currently has a 91% Freshness rating.

Blake Edwards directed this zany rom-com that stars Julie Andrews as a cross-dressing performer who becomes the toast of Paris in the 1930s. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says, “Blake Edwards’ musical gender-bender is sharp, funny and all-round entertaining.” The film holds a 97% Freshness Rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 86% of audiences like the movie.

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” stars Audrey Heburn in probably her most famous role as the flighty and fashionable New York socialite Holly Golightly. Directed by Blake Edwards, written by George Axelrod, and based on Truman Capote’s novel, the film won two Oscars for Henry Mancini for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Music, Original Song (which he shared with Johnny Mercer). The movie holds an 88% Freshness Rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 91% of audiences liked the Hepburn classic.

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence star in this film about a man who returns to his parents’ home to attempt to rebuild his life after losing it all. The David O. Russell-directed picture won the Oscar for Best Actress for Lawrence and was nominated for another seven at the awards. On Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of critics and 86% of viewers reported liking it.

A strong ensemble cast led by Taye Diggs, Nia Long, and Morris Chestnut boosted Malcolm Lee’s directorial debut. The film is about four friends reunited for a wedding of one of their group — a writer whose first novel contains some bombshells about their relationships. The film has a 72% Freshness rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences liked it better, with an 86% approval score.

“Sideways” was an overwhelming hit with critics, earning a 97% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Oscar-winning comedy about two middle-aged men seeking wine and women is described by the site’s Critics Consensus as “charming, thoughtful, and often funny.”

A writer reminisces about his youth while tracking down his missing friend prior to that friend’s wedding ceremony in this rom-com from filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa. While the movie was not an overwhelming hit among critics, audiences loved it, with 92% giving it a positive review on Rotten Tomatoes.

This exuberant musical successfully transitioned to the big screen from the Broadway stage stars Jane Powell as a frontier bride in Oregon who endeavors to turn her husband’s layabout brothers into respectable gentlemen. Directed by Stanley Donen, “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” was one of MGM’s most successful musicals in the 1950s. It holds a Freshness rating of 88% among Rotten Tomatoes critics and was almost just as popular among audiences with 87% liking the film.

The cynical vision of Billy Wilder was never more apparent than in his rom-com “The Apartment,” a film with moments of charm and gentle humor. Jack Lemmon plays an ambitious office worker who loans his apartment to his philandering boss (Fred MacMurray) and other superiors, but things get out of hand when the arrangement involves Lemmon’s girlfriend (Shirley MacLaine). Wilder won the last two of his six Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. “The Apartment” holds a Freshness rating of 93% among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 94% among audiences. IMDb users gave the film an 8.3 rating of 10.

“Brown Sugar” stars rom-com veterans Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan as a record executive and a magazine editor, respectively, who’ve known each other since childhood and whose friendship becomes romantic. Carla Meyer of the San Francisco Chronicle said the movie “takes every convention of the romantic comedy genre and turns it on its ear.” The film holds a 90% rating among Rotten Tomatoes audiences.

Rob Reiner directed and Nora Ephron wrote one of the ’80s’ more quotable films that star Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as friends who become lovers. Kate Muir of The Times (U.K.) said of the film, “Quite possibly the greatest romantic comedy since ‘Some Like It Hot.'” “When Harry Met Sally…” has a Freshness rating of 90% among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and an 89% rating among audiences. IMDb users gave the film a 7.6 rating of 10.

This rousing Broadway musical brought to the big screen won an Oscar (Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment, Ray Heindorf). It stars Robert Preston as the amiable con man out to steal money from an Iowa town while romancing the town librarian (Shirley Jones). The film is best remembered for its finale “76 Trombones” featuring a marching band. The movie holds a 94% Freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 85% of audiences liked the musical.

Director John Ford’s valentine to his ancestral Irish home won him his fourth and final Academy Award. The movie, about a retired American boxer who finds love with a high-spirited redhead in the village where he was born, stars John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara. “The Quiet Man” holds a Freshness rating of 90% among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 91% among adoring audiences.

“Groundhog Day” was the perfect comedy vehicle for Bill Murray. The “Saturday Night Live” alum played a cynical weatherman covering Groundhog Day for a local television station. He finds himself reliving the same day over and over, and in the process rediscovers his humanity. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls “Groundhog Day” “Smart, sweet, and inventive.” Critics gave the film a Freshness score of 96%, and 88% of audiences liked the movie. More than 564,000 IMDb users gave the film a ranking of 8.0 out of 10.

Michel Hazanavicius directed and wrote this homage to silent movies about the tumbling fortunes of a silent screen actor and the rising to stardom of a young actress at the dawn of talking movies who develop a relationship. “The Artist” was only the second silent film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. (“Wings” was the first silent film to win Best Picture.) Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes says the movie is “a clever, joyous film with delightful performances and visual style to spare.” Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a Freshness score of 95%, and 87% of audiences liked the movie. More than 225,000 IMDb users gave the film a ranking of 7.9 out of 10.

The recipient of six Oscars — it was nominated for a total of 14 — 2016’s “La La Land” was a huge critical success. The modern musical about the romance between a pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an actor (Emma Stone) currently has a Freshness rating of 91% and a rating of 8.0 out of 10 on IMDb.

Audrey Hepburn shimmered in her American screen debut as a bored and sheltered heiress who falls in love with an American newsman (Gregory Peck) in Rome. Hepburn took the Best Actress Academy Award, one of three Oscars won by the Willam Wyler-helmed film. “Roman Holiday” has a 98% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 93% of audiences liked the movie, and it has a rating of 8.0 out of 10 among IMDb users.

“Annie Hall” was a breakthrough triumph for director Woody Allen. The somewhat autobiographical film about a neurotic television writer’s relationship with an aspiring actor/singer won four Oscars. Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News said in 1977 that the film was “by far, his most sophisticated, most emotionally complex film.” The film holds a 98% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 92% of audiences liked “Annie Hall.”

“Some Like It Hot” topped a BBC Culture poll in 2017 as the funniest movie of all time. Maybe it’s because stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon spend much of the movie in drag, as members of an all-female band trying to elude mobsters. Or maybe it’s because of Curtis’ over-the-top imitation of Cary Grant as a lonely millionaire seeking love. Critics appreciated the genius of Billy Wilder by giving the film a 95% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 94% of audiences liking the movie. It has an 8.2 rating out of 10 among nearly 235,000 IMDb users.

Produced by MGM during Hollywood’s big studio golden age, “Singin’ in the Rain,” considered to be one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, featured a romance between Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds. The film was nominated for two Oscars in 1953, including Best Musical Score, which ultimately was awarded to Alfred Newman’s scoring of the movie “With a Song in My Heart.” Critics Consensus called the movie, “Clever, incisive, and funny” and “a masterpiece of the classical Hollywood musical.” The movie holds an exceptional 100% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 95% of audiences liking the movie. It has a similarly high 8.3 rating out of 10 among about 210,000 IMDb users.