(I've been having some issues with spam on this post so I'm re-posting. Originally published July 2013.)
I am the target demographic for romantic comedies – I’m young, single, and a hopeless romantic. I’m truly a sucker for nearly anything that boasts and brags that it is a “rom-com.” I’ll laugh and coo and (if the story is compelling enough) shed a tear. And I’m not exactly sure what it is about romantic comedies that draw a majority of the female population. Is it the inevitably handsome leading man? Is it the love story? Is it the banter and the comedy? If I’m being honest with myself, I think it’s a combination of all of those elements as well as this little added kick: believability. We, as women, have to WANT to become the leading woman in the rom-com. We have to feel like we could be her, or – at the very least – feel like we know someone like her in our lives. Relatability is a key element in any and every story, and it’s never more integral than in a romantic comedy.
There are a LOT of rom-coms out there. I mean… a LOT.
And what’s interesting is that there are a lot of movies that I would typify as a romantic comedy that, say, my friends Kim and Sage and Jaime might not. Every person has their own particular formula for what makes a romantic comedy “great.” My favorite movies will (I guarantee) not all be included in your list of favorite movies. But that’s what makes rom-coms so wonderful: there are a plethora to choose from and each have particular elements that make them stand out from the rest of the pack.
Kim, Sage, Jaime, and I will be discussing our lists in depth this coming week when we kick off our first ever podcast together. So be sure to keep an eye out for that link (and this week for everyone’s respective lists). We’ll probably be debating our selections quite a bit so you don’t want to miss THAT spectacle!
What landed on MY top 15? Click below to find out and be thinking of your own lists as you do! ;)
