12 Movies that Prove 2018 Is the Year of the (Not Cheesy, Actually Funny, Swoon-worthy) Rom-Com
1. 'Permission'
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This is more rom-dram than it is rom-com, but you'll occasionally laugh, and that counts for something. Rebecca Hall and Dan Stevens star as a longtime couple on the brink of getting engaged when they decide to sleep with other people before taking that next step.
2. 'Love, Simon'
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This high-school romance follows Simon, a closeted gay teenager in Atlanta, Georgia (played by Nick Robinson) who falls for an anonymous classmate online. As Simon tries to uncover the identity of his crush - who goes by the name "Blue" - a blackmailer threatens to leak the boys' emails to the entire school.
3. 'Overboard'
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This gender-swapped version of the 1987 original stars Anna Faris as a working-class mom who convinces a wealthy man with amnesia that they're in fact married. The original starred Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, so it's a tough act to follow - but give the remake a try!
4. 'Book Club'
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Four older women - played by legends Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen, and Diane Keaton - read Fifty Shades of Grey for their book club and it gives them the jump start they need to start dating again.
5. 'Set It Up'
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If you're an assistant who hasn't had a break in, well, forever, you might want to take a hint from this delightful Netflix gem and make your boss fall in love. Or not. Regardless of what you do IRL, Set It Up is familiar, exciting, and stars Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs as those bosses who fall in love. But the real stars are their onscreen assistants, played by Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell.
6. 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again'
Sophie, now pregnant and doubting her ability to be a mom, hears the story of her own mother's pregnancy. Much of the movie is told in flashbacks, and you can expect romance, heartbreak, humor, and swelling musical numbers.
7. 'Crazy Rich Asians'
This adaptation of Kevin Kwan's best-seller follows young couple Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) and Henry Golding (Nick Young) on a trip to Singapore for his best friend's wedding. What she learns along the way is that he's extremely wealthy - like, "richer than you could ever imagine" wealthy - and his family isn't exactly welcoming.
8. 'To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before'
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There are many reasons to love Netflix’s adaptation of Jenny Han’s bestselling YA novel of the same name: Lana Condor, who was born to play teen Lara Jean Covey; Noah Centineo, who swoons as love interest Peter Kavinsky; pretty much every frame of the movie was made for Instagram. The premise is as follows: Lara Jean writes love letters to her crushes in secret. Said letters get sent out. Lara Jean’s worst nightmare comes true, but the teen rom-com genre is good again.
9. 'Destination Wedding'
Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are Lindsay and Frank, two strangers who meet after being invited to a mutual friend's wedding. If that premise isn't enough for you, perhaps you'd be interested to know that the co-stars might have gotten married for real while filming a scene for Dracula in 1990. That, or this press tour deserves an award.
10. 'Juliet, Naked'
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Rose Byrne stars as Anne, whose relationship with her intolerable boyfriend Duncan (Chris O'Dowd) ends, in no small part, because of his obsession with a washed-up singer/songwriter Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). After writing a hit piece on Crowe's latest album, Anne somehow finds herself in a romantic relationship with Crowe...much to Duncan's chagrin.
11. 'Like Father'
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While probably the worst possible end to a relationship, there are few better ways to start a rom-com than with someone left at the alter (for example: the am-ah-zing series Happy Endings).
Like Father starts when Kristen Bell's character, Rachel, is stranded on her wedding day, leaving her to bring her estranged father (Kelsey Grammer) along for her honeymoon.
12. 'Blockers'
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Okay, so this movie about three young women who make a pact to lose their virginity on prom night is definitely more about the bonds between best friends (and their over-bearing parents), but there is at least one love story with massive payout by the end of the film. Watch this if you enjoy John Cena as a serious mother hen, Leslie Mann in pretty much anything, and just good things in general.
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