My top ten Romantic Comedies

I think the hardest thing about a list like this is defining what exactly a romantic comedy is, because most movies, including comedies are driven by a sense of love. Therefore most comedic movies have a sense of romantic comedy in them. Wedding Crashers is driven by the potential love of Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams but is it really a romantic comedy? I wouldn't say it is. Also, so many of the teen comedies starring Freddie Prinze Jr. have elements of romantic comedy, but is She's all that a romantic comedy? Again, I don't think. So I have accumulated a list of movies I truly believe to be romantic comedies at their core.

10. 10 things I hate about you- I think this list needs to include the idea of teenage love and this is my favorite of the teen comedies. The plot is familiar- a guy is paid to date a girl' she finds out gets mad, but they end up happy. Heath Ledger made his American debut here and scored high marks for a pretty earnest portrayal of guy falling in love and Julia Stiles is her usual solid self in this re-envisioning of The Taming of the Shrew. The sappy poem Stiles reads at the end is a bit cringe worthy, but she sells it well enough so we feel that maybe true teenage love is possible. Plus, who doesn't want to watch Heath Ledger butchering "can't take my eyes off of you" while dodging security guards?

9. Say Anything- John Cusak was an emo hero long before emo was cool. He was a charming slacker long before the grunge of the nineties made it cool to be so. And no movie better encapsulates those ideals quite like this movie. This is a movie for any guy who goes for the girl everyone tells him he cannot have. This is a movie for any guy willing to make that insane grand gesture of love (Stand holding a boombox outside of a window). Cameron Crowe's rapid fire dialog seems perfect for Cusak to be speaking and there is never a time when we are not rooting for success from our slacker hero.

8. The 40 yr. Old Virgin- I was hesitant to put this on the list because I am not sure it really can be called a romantic comedy, but in the end, because the Steve Carrell character really wants no one but the Catherine Keener, I decided to include it. It is the crudest movie of the bunch but there is a sense of realism to the complications of love and sex and that deserves merit. The comedy is fast and furious and at times a little more disgusting than I needed, but Carrell makes such an unlikely romantic hero it was fun to watch and root for him to overcome the stupid advice of his friends and his own insecurities.

7. While you were Sleeping- You cannot make a list like this without including at least one Sandra Bullock movie and this is my favorite. The entire movie is based on a lie which sets up all kinds of awkwardly funny moments and Bill Pullman proves to be a pretty good romantic lead. Granted I have not seen this movie since it was in theaters, but I remember being drawn into Bullock's 1990's persona of the kind of cute, a bit dorky and ultimately charming girl next door.

6. the Holiday- I am not sure if this movie is truly a romantic comedy because it is probably a lot more dramatic than anything else on this list, but it is also too funny to be a high romantic drama like the Notebook. Kate Winlsett is my favorite actress and the romance that blossoms between her and Jack Black is fun and feels natural. It actually felt like it would be the way I would fall in love. The side story of Cameron Diaz and Jude Law is more slap-stickish, but it has some real laughs as well. I really enjoyed every aspect of this movie and it proved to me that Jack Black doesn't always have to be annoying.

5. The Wedding Singer- This is probably the most quotable movie of the bunch and like The 40 yr old Virgin, an unlikely romantic comedy. Sandler and Barrymore have a very nice cutesy chemistry and the 80's references are all kinds of funny and random. The soundtrack is a classic and it is a movie that really believes in the ideals of love and marriage, even if it takes a while for the leads to realize it. The song at the end of the movie is perfectly romantic but corny enough to not be taken overly serious, just what we would want from a romantic comedy from Adam Sandler.

4. Hitch- I know a lot of people who hate this movie, but I absolutely love it. I love the lines like "Always remember, life is not how many breaths you take, it's how many moments take your breath away" and the idea of a Date Doctor kind of makes me giggle. Of course, it is not far from possible because of how desperate people are to fall in love in this day and age. Will Smith is perfectly charming and Eva Mendes appears up the challenge and I can relate because of how Hitch gets very clumsy around the girl he likes. There are all kinds of other great hyperbolic statements of love that make a romantic comedy great featured int his movie but none of them beat the climatic declaration of love from Will to Eva. It is romantic comedy gold.

3. Sleepless in Seattle- Really how could I do this list without a Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie, and they do not get better than this one. It is funny, a bit sad, but it always believes in the power of love. It is amazing to think of how good the chemistry is between the two leads considering they are almost never on screen together. There are a ton of great references to other movies and Hanks is doing what he does best- playing the everyman. We all know him and we all have this person in our life. Ryan- in pre-cosmetic surgery form- is classically adorable and seems a perfect fit to join the family of Hanks and son. This is a classic romantic comedy in every sense of the word. It is safe sure, but when you want to watch people fall in love, safe is okay.

2. My Best Friend's Wedding- This is an unconventional romantic comedy because e aren't always rooting for the female lead. Julia Roberts' character is actually kind of nasty and the Cameron Diaz character is so perfect, we are never quite sure what is going on. This movie also ushered in a new staple of romantic comedies- The Gay best friend- and Rupert Evert is so perfect he practically steals the movie. I liked that this was sort of a mini musicals before making musicals became cool again. I cannot say enough good things about this movie because I really enjoyed it and still do whenever it is on t.v.

1. When Harry Met Sally- I know this is not a shocking number 1 by any stretch of the imagination but this is the ultimate romantic comedy. It is often times hilarious, often times sweet and always interesting. It takes the age old question of whether men and women can be friends and toys with us for nearly 2 hrs. We all think we know for sure what will happen in the end, but everyone involved does a great job of making us think maybe it won't happen and when it does, the confession of love monologue is by far the best written in the genre. It was "you complete me" before "you complete me" ever thought of existing. Billy Crystal gives the best performance of his acting career and Meg Ryan is the perfect foil for his random hilarity. This movie takes its time to allow us to really get to know the two characters and so when the romance finally happens we are overwhelmingly happy!

So there you have it, my list of the top 10 romantic comedies. Feel free to add any of your own as I am not well versed in this genre and could be missing some good ones. Also, I didn't include any older ones because I can't say I have seen too many, if any.

Oh and I want to give a special mention to the movie least deserving of the title of romantic comedy:

The Break up- This is not a romantic comedy in any way shape or form. It is a mean cruel intentioned movie and I love it for that fact, but I have never seen a romantic comedy so ill intentioned. It is not romantic and it is barely a comedy. It is just a mean bitter movie about breaking up. It is mean and bitter the way real break ups are mean and bitter.