23 Underrated Rom-Coms That Prove The Genre Isn’t “Dead” After All
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1.Plus One
Ben (Jack Quaid) and Alice (Maya Erskine) are college friends who agree to be the other's plus-one at every wedding they're invited to, in hopes of finding their own significant other.
Starring: Maya Erskine, Jack Quaid, Beck Bennett, Rosalind Chao, Perrey Reeves, Ed Begley Jr., and more
You'll love it if: You are single as hell, love to laugh, and have a heart of gold.
2.Set It Up
Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) are both majorly overworked and underpaid assistants. In hopes of getting some of their free time back, they decide to set up their bosses.
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Taye Diggs, Lucy Liu, Pete Davidson, and more
You'll love it if: You love Zoey Deutch, electric chemistry, and workplace shenanigans.
3.The Incredible Jessica James
Jessica (Jessica Williams) is an aspiring playwright in New York City who's trying to get over a recent breakup when she meets Boone (Chris O'Dowd), who's also recovering from a recent split. Together, they figure out a way to make it in a "post-relationship" world.
Starring: Jessica Williams, Chris O'Dowd, Noël Wells, LaKeith Stanfield, Megan Ketch, Zabryna Guevara, and more
You'll love it if: You love LaKeith Stanfield, dancing like no one's watching, and strong female characters.
4.Fire Island
Loosely based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Fire Island follows a group of friends on their annual trip to Fire Island Pines. But when a sudden turn of events jeopardizes the whole trip, everyone's relationships are put to the test.
Starring: Joel Kim Booster, Bowen Yang, Conrad Ricamora, James Scully, Margaret Cho, and more
You'll love it if: Your friends mean literally everything to you, you're a hopeless romantic at heart, and you're a sucker for karaoke.
5.The Broken Hearts Gallery
Fresh off a breakup, Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a twentysomething art gallery assistant, finds herself drowning in her boyfriend's old stuff that she just can't seem to get rid of. Unable to get rid of these prized mementos, she meets a hotel owner named Nick (Dacre Montgomery) and creates an art gallery where people can display keepsakes from their past relationships.
Starring: Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Molly Gordon, Phillipa Soo, Bernadette Peters, and more
You'll love it if: You love laughing so hard you're crying, you love undeniable chemistry, and you've ever had your heart broken.
6.Somebody I Used to Know
During a trip back to her hometown, TV producer Ally (Alison Brie) reconnects with her ex Sean (Jay Ellis) and starts to question everything about her life. Things only become more confusing when she learns Sean is getting married to Cassidy (Kiersey Clemons), who just reminds her of the person she used to be.
Starring: Alison Brie, Jay Ellis, Kiersey Clemons, Danny Pudi, Haley Joel Osment, and more
You'll love it if: You adore the series Community, unconventional romances, and movies about "finding yourself."
7.Look Both Ways
Told in two alternating timelines, Look Both Ways follows a college graduate named Natalie (Lili Reinhart) down two extremely different paths: one where she gets pregnant two weeks before graduation and one where she doesn't.
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez, David Corenswet, Aisha Dee, Andrea Savage, Luke Wilson, Nia Long, and more
You'll love it if: You love Lili Reinhart and happy endings, and you firmly believe that everything happens for a reason.
8.Trainwreck
Ever since her father drilled into her head that monogamy isn't real, magazine writer Amy (Amy Schumer) has only ever been in casual relationships. But as much as she enjoys an uninhibited life free of commitment, Amy finds herself stuck in a rut. While writing a profile about charming and successful sports doctor Aaron Conners (Bill Hader), she finds herself actually falling in love for the first time — and what's even wilder, Aaron actually seems to like her too.
Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Tilda Swinton, LeBron James, and more
You'll love it if: You love Judd Apatow movies and Tilda Swinton being a chameleon, and you think Bill Hader is a sex symbol.
9.The Lost City
Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is a well-known romance author who's become a bit reclusive after her husband's death. While promoting her new book with her cover model Alan (Channing Tatum), Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city's lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brad Pitt, and more
You'll love it if: You love a whole lotta adventure, Daniel Radcliffe being a villain, and romance novels.
10.Always Be My Maybe
After not speaking for 15 years, childhood sweethearts Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) reconnect in their hometown of San Francisco. With the sparks clearly still there, the two try to fit each other into their very different worlds.
Starring: Ali Wong, Randall Park, James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Daniel Dae Kim, Keanu Reeves, and more
You'll love it if: You love a good laugh, awkward teen love, and Keanu Reeves.
11.What If
When medical school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) decides to give up on love altogether, he meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan), the girl of his dreams who just happens to have a boyfriend. Over the next few months, Wallace learns to suppress his feelings for Chantry, not wanting to ruin their relationship but growing more and more in love with her every single day.
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Megan Park, Mackenzie Davis, Rafe Spall, and more
You'll love it if: You live for Adam Driver screaming about nachos, early 2010s fashion, and the friends-to-lovers trope.
12.Isn't It Romantic
Natalie (Rebel Wilson) has always been cynical about love. One day, after she gets knocked unconscious, she wakes up and finds herself in an alternate universe where everything is a romantic comedy.
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine, Priyanka Chopra, and more
You'll love it if: You love musicals and romantic comedies and want to see Liam Hemsworth dance.
13.Crush
When Paige (Rowan Blanchard) is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as a chance to pursue Gabriella (Isabella Ferreira), the girl she's had a crush on for years. But after bonding with Gabriella's sister AJ (Auli'i Cravalho), Paige realizes she's actually falling in love with her.
Starring: Rowan Blanchard, Auliʻi Cravalho, Isabella Ferreira, Megan Mullally, Tyler Alvarez, Teala Dunn, and more
You'll love it if: You love killer outfits, vibey music moments, and sapphic romances.
14.Yesterday
Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) is a struggling singer-songwriter who's on the verge of giving up, until one day there's a worldwide power outage and everyone, except Jack, forgets the Beatles ever existed. Once he starts playing their songs, he becomes a music sensation.
Starring: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Joel Fry, Ed Sheeran, Kate McKinnon, and more
You'll love it if: You love the Beatles, beautiful cinematography, and an adorable romance.
15.Someone Great
After Jenny (Gina Rodriguez) gets a new job in San Francisco and is dumped by her longtime boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield), she and her two best friends (DeWanda Wise and Brittany Snow) get together for one last epic New York City adventure.
Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, DeWanda Wise, LaKeith Stanfield, Peter Vack, and more
You'll love it if: You love Lizzo, female friendships, and the magic of NYC.
16.Love, Rosie
Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) are best friends who are prepared to follow their big dreams after graduating from high school. But when life gets in the way, Rosie is forced to stay behind while Alex moves to America. Over the years, their friendship will be put through ups and downs, until finally they both realize that maybe, just maybe, they're actually soulmates.
Starring: Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, Christian Cooke, Tamsin Egerton, Suki Waterhouse, Jamie Beamish, Jaime Winstone, and more
You'll love it if: You loooooove Sam Claflin book-to-screen adaptations, Lily Collins's British accent, and the "right person, wrong time" trope.
17.Your Place or Mine
Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in Los Angeles, but he thrives on change in New York. When they swap houses and lives for a week, they discover that what they think they want might not be what they really need.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Ashton Kutcher, Jesse Williams, Zoë Chao, Wesley Kimmel, Tig Notaro, Steve Zahn, and more
You'll love it if: You love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and iconic side characters, and you're just a sucker for a Reese Witherspoon movie.
18.Bros
Bobby (Billy Eichner) is a neurotic podcast host who's content with having only casual relationships. But everything changes when he meets Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), an equally detached lawyer who doesn't like commitment. Repeatedly drawn to each other, both men begin to show their vulnerable sides as their undeniable attraction turns into something resembling a monogamous relationship.
Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence, Ts Madison, Dot Marie Jones, and more
You'll love it if: You adore Debra Messing, gay rights, and a charming NYC romance.
19.Home Again
Alice (Reese Witherspoon) decides to start over after separating from her husband, so she and her daughters move back to her home in LA. While Alice is out celebrating her 40th birthday, she meets three twentysomething filmmakers who are in need of a place to live. Alice agrees to let them live in her guesthouse, but drama strikes when her husband suddenly visits.
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Nat Wolff, Jon Rudnitsky, Pico Alexander, Lake Bell, Reid Scott, Dolly Wells, Michael Sheen, Candice Bergen, and more
You'll love it if: You love Reese Witherspoon, unorthodox romance, and movies with a lot of heart.
20.The Big Sick
The Big Sick follows the real-life love story of Kumail Nanjiani and his wife, Emily Gordon. When Emily (Zoe Kazan) suddenly gets sick, Kumail is forced to face his true feelings and how his newfound love agrees with his culture.
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, and more
You'll love it if: You love real-life love stories, great comedy, and emotional tugs-of-war.
21.Long Shot
Fred (Seth Rogen) is a free-spirited journalist, and Charlotte (Charlize Theron) is one of the most powerful women in the world. When the two run into each other, they realize they've known each other for years — Charlotte was Fred's babysitter and first real crush. Charlotte decides to run for president and hires Fred as her speechwriter, and hilarity ensues.
Starring: Seth Rogen, Charlize Theron, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård, and more
You'll love it if: You love Seth Rogen, unorthodox romances, and a good laugh.
22.The New Romantic
Blake (Jessica Barden) is an aspiring journalist, hopeless romantic, and college student afraid of graduating. After nearly losing her school newspaper column, and to escape her postgrad fate, she becomes a sugar baby and documents the entire experience in pursuit of a journalism award.
Starring: Jessica Barden, Hayley Law, Brett Dier, Avan Jogia, Timm Sharp, Camila Mendes, and more
You'll love it if: You were ever afraid of becoming a full-fledged adult and know exactly what it's like to be a young, single woman in the 2010s.
23.Palm Springs
Sarah (Cristin Millioti) and Niles (Andy Samberg) meet at her sister's wedding, and after a chaotically weird night, she finds herself trapped in an infinite time loop with him. Now stuck living the same day over and over again, the two are determined to live life to the fullest and figure out how to make it to tomorrow.
Starring: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons, Camila Mendes, Peter Gallagher, Tyler Hoechlin, and more
You'll love it if: You love Groundhog Day, absolute chaos, and everything Andy Samberg does.
