12 Black Rom-Coms to Watch, From ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ to ‘Hitch’ (Photos)
“How Stella Got Her Groove Back”:
“How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” adapted from Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel, introduced the film community to Taye Diggs, then a broadway actor known for “Rent.” The film also gave Angela Bassett one of the defining roles of her career. Her Stella character is an overworked single mom in need of a vacation and some romance, so best friend Whoopi Goldberg takes her to Jamaica, where she meets and falls in love with Winston Shakespeare (Diggs), a man 20-years her junior. RollingStone critic Peter Travers said of the film: “Whether you regard Stella’s getting her groove back as a feminist battle cry or as a silly wish-fulfillment fantasy, the movie delivers guilt-free escapism about pretty people having wicked-hot fun in pretty places.”
“She’s Gotta Have It”:
Spike Lee’s feature film debut, “She’s Gotta Have It,” has to be considered the quintessential black rom-com. The film, which Lee updated as a Netflix series, tells the story of Nola Darling and her three unique boyfriends. It’s been heralded as helping to usher in the indie film movement of the ’80s and changing the representation of black people in American cinema.
“Coming to America”:
It’s probably more comedy than romance, but Eddie Murphy’s 1988 rom-com “Coming to America” is a classic in either genre. This fish out of water tale follows Prince Akeem (Murphy) of Zamunda on his journey to America, fleeing an arranged marriage. Landing in New York City he and his sidekick Semmi (Arsenio Hall) try to acclimate to American life, as he tries to find a wife of his own. The film also marked the first time Murphy dressed up to play more than one character.
“Boomerang”:
Another Eddie Murphy film makes the list. This time there’s no need for him to play any other characters because he’s joined by Halle Berry, Martin Lawrence, David Allen Grier, Grace Jones, Ertha Kitt and Chris Rock — need we say more? “Boomerang” is your prototypical rom-com, with a little signature Eddie Murphy. He plays a New York marketing exec and womanizer, Marcus. But what goes around comes around in this romantic comedy, leading Murphy’s character to find and realize true love.
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