If You Loved The Idea of You, Here are 10 Rom-Coms You’ll Watch Again and Again

Before The Idea of You aired, it was everywhere on the internet, and I had quietly anticipated the movie. I mean, who wouldn’t? Anne Hathway plays a ‘sexy’ 40-year-old art curator/ store owner who falls for a 24-year-old boy band member played by Nicholas Galitzine. Most people would be intrigued.

I was also excited because, with Anne Hathway’s presence, I dared hope for a romantic comedy that felt like one from the early 2000s or mid-2010s or, at least, one with good acting.

Though my favourite genres are fantasy, historical fiction, sci-fi and the like, since I fell in love with the art that is storytelling, I have been a hopeless romantic to my core. The realities of adulthood have laced my rose-coloured glasses with some cynicism and doubt, but there are times when all I need is a good romcom- book or film.

I started The Idea of You with bathed breaths and deep hope within my soul (lol). Without giving away any spoilers, I can honestly say this: though it wasn’t perfect, and if I want to, I can truly describe all the minuscule ways I think it could have been better; it made me feel. This movie took me on a journey that I wanted to be on. I thought Hathway and Galitzine delivered their roles beautifully. They told a story I could get behind. This film made me smile and remember those romcoms that had the unique ability to turn us into a sobbing mess while grinning from ear to ear.

So, with help from our WhatsApp community, I compiled this list of rom-coms. Whenever you’re in the mood for a feel-good movie, a good cry, laugh, or a bit of both, feeling sentimental or nostalgic, or just need a movie that feels like a warm hug, you can refer to this list.

1. Me Before You

Young and quirky Louisa “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke) moves from one job to the next to help her family make ends meet. Her cheerful attitude is put to the test when she becomes a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), a wealthy young banker left paralyzed from an accident two years earlier. Will’s cynical outlook starts to change when Louisa shows him that life is worth living. As their bond deepens, their lives and hearts change in ways neither one could have imagined.

Best Scene: This film is an absolute gem. Big ups to the writer of the book and the people behind this visual adaptation. As a poet, I have this penchant to find the hidden or deeper meaning to most things. The first time the title clicked, I fell more in love with this movie. Will Traynor truly fell in love with all of who Louisa Clark was. He fell in love enough to want to linger, but he was so deeply unhappy with his quality of life that she wasn’t enough, and it was okay. He had to put himself first. He had to come before her. Me before you.

My favourite scene was when Will saw Lou in the red opera dress for the first time. My guy didn’t even hide that he was checking her out. He did it with his chest and asked her to take that bloody scarf off. Lou laughed. We all sighed.

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2. Crush

When a young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as a chance to pursue the girl for whom she’s been harbouring a crush. But she finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovering what real love feels like.

Best Scene: Though I don’t have a ‘best scene’ in this movie, watching Paige and AJ connect and bond throughout the movie was a delight. Watching their feelings develop and grow was very adorable. It was their moments in between the story that I kept looking forward to.

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3. Crazy Rich Asians

Rachel Chu is happy to accompany her longtime boyfriend, Nick, to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore. She’s also surprised to learn that Nick’s family is extremely wealthy, and he’s considered one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far worse — Nick’s disapproving mother.

Best Scene: I saw this maybe 6-ish years ago, so I don’t remember a lot, but as I write this, three scenes come to mind. The first was the wedding scene: Absolutely breathtaking. The second is towards the end when Rachel won Nick’s mother in a game while essentially giving her a tongue lashing. The third and final has my favourite line in the entire movie. It literally replays in my head sometimes.

Nick’s sister was married to a man whose net worth wasn’t quite where hers was, and he was embarrassed about it. He wasn’t broke, far from it, but the fact that his wife earned more really messed with him, and he cheated. His wife, the sweetheart, would hide expensive things she’d buy herself, turn down jobs and much more. She babied him and nursed his feelings. She worried because she loved him and didn’t want to lose him. Ultimately, she stood her ground and delivered this iconic line, “It’s not my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not.”

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4. Pretty Woman

A prostitute and a wealthy businessman fall for one another, forming an unlikely pair. While on a business trip in Los Angeles, Edward, who makes a living buying and breaking up companies, picks up a prostitute, Vivian, on a lark. After Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for the weekend, the two get closer, only to discover there are significant hurdles to overcome as they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds.

Best Scene: I think it might be when Vivian walks into the expensive boutiques for the first time. Watching her stump and surprise the attendants was hilarious. Tied with this will be when she charged Edward for directions to Beverly Hills. She ended up behind his wheel and her hand on his penis. I knew I was in for a ride then.

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5. Mama Mia 2

Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile, Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in the hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.

Best Scene: For some reason, I really loved this sequel. I keep going back to it. There’s a good chance it’s because I had a mini obsession with Lily James, the woman who plays young Donna. Coupled with my love for romantic stories, this movie will live forever in my memories. I do not have a favourite scene. I’m sorry, but I loved it all. Tbh what I looked forward to the most was young Donna’s outfits.

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6. Love, Simon

Everyone deserves a great love story, but for 17-year-old Simon Spier, it’s a little more complicated. He hasn’t told his family or friends that he’s gay, and he doesn’t know the identity of the anonymous classmate that he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying and life-changing.

Best Scene: When Simon waited on that Ferris Wheel for Blue, my heart couldn’t deal. When Bram showed up, I almost aww’d myself to death.

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7. Think Like a Man

For one reason or another, friends Dominic (Michael Ealy), Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara), Michael (Terrence J) and Zeke (Romany Malco) can’t seem to seal the deal with the women in their lives. When their lovely ladies buy a book by comic Steve Harvey and apply its advice to their relationships, this band of brothers gets all shaken up. Learning that they have been betrayed by one of their own, Dominic and his friends conspire to use the book’s teachings to turn the tables.

Best Scene: The entire film was a true comedy! As I’m not that big of a fan of comedies (sue me), I don’t have a favourite scene. I enjoyed the movie. It was an absolute laugh.

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8. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

An advice columnist, Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson), tries pushing the boundaries of what she can write about in her new piece about how to get a man to leave you in 10 days. Her editor, Lana (Bebe Neuwirth), loves it, and Andie goes off to find a man she can use for the experiment. Enter executive Ben Berry (Matthew McConaughey), who is so confident in his romantic prowess that he thinks he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. When Andie and Ben meet, their plans backfire.

Best Scene: The second Andie decides to use Ben for her ‘how to lose a guy in 10 days’ article, the same time Ben’s colleagues/rivals egg him towards betting that he could make her fall in love with him, I screamed.

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9. The Notebook

In 1940s South Carolina, mill worker Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling) and rich girl Allie (Rachel McAdams) are desperately in love. But her parents don’t approve. When Noah goes off to serve in World War II, it seems to mark the end of their love affair. In the interim, Allie becomes involved with another man (James Marsden). But when Noah returns to their small town years later, on the cusp of Allie’s marriage, it soon becomes clear that their romance is anything but over.

Best Scene: I will always love this movie. I don’t entirely consider it a rom-com, but it kind of…falls into that category a little bit. Too many scenes are flitting through my mind, but my absolute favourite is after the boat ride when Ally comes to see Noah after all those years. When she screamed at him…

Ally: Why didn’t you write me? Why? It wasn’t over for me. I waited for you for 7 years and now it’s too late.

Noah: I wrote you 365 letters. I wrote to you every day for a year.

Ally: You wrote me?

Noah: Yes!

Ally: You-

Noah: It wasn’t over. It still isn’t over.

*commence ripping of clothes*

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10. Look Both Ways

On the eve of her college graduation, Natalie’s life diverges into two parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and must navigate motherhood in her Texas hometown, the other in which she moves to Los Angeles to pursue her career.

Best Scene: What I loved the most about this movie was, for lack of a better word, the lesson it taught. Things don’t always go as planned, but if you have a dream or goal and continuously work at it, you’ll get there one way or another. It showed that there is more than one way to be happy and more than one person you can be happy with. It said to the entire world, relax. Take a deep breath. There are multiple trajectories for your future. No one said any of them had to be bad.

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