Let’s face it, we all love romantic comedies. Laughing along as the charismatic – or endearingly dorky, as the case may be – leads get up to all manner of wacky hijinks while slowly but surely falling in love with each other is always a delight. These five films streaming now on Max meet all the criteria for the perfect rom-com.
When Harry Met Sally
In When Harry Met Sally, Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) meet and hit it off, but as they’re not looking for a relationship and neither believes men and women can be friends without any romantic strings attached, they decide to part ways. But it seems fate has other plans.
Over the next decade, Harry and Sally keep running into each other, and the attraction between them grows to be undeniable. But will they be able to transform their budding attraction into love without ruining their friendship?
Crazy Rich Asians
College professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) will be the first to tell you she’s perfectly normal. So when she accompanies her longtime boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Goulding) to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding, she’s shocked to learn that Nick is anything but. His family isn’t just wealthy – they’re the Singaporean equivalent of the Kennedys or Rockefellers (hence the title Crazy Rich Asians).
Considered a not-Chinese-enough gold-digger by the entirety of Nick’s family, Rachel must survive all the throes of high society – with zero training. Meanwhile, Nick has a choice to make: his family’s approval, or the love of his life. But maybe, somehow, there’s a way he can choose both.
The Lobster
You’ve heard of romantic comedy, now get ready for an absurdist dark romantic comedy. The Lobster will stretch the genre boundaries to their limits.
In a dystopian future, David’s (Colin Farrell) wife leaves him. This goes a bit beyond regular heartbreak, though, because in this dystopian future, single people must find a partner within 45 days, or be turned into animals. Yes, really.
Despite a premise sounding more like your weird nightmare than a critically acclaimed film, this dark rom-com-drama delivers a brilliant satire on society’s need to couple people, as well as providing enough out-there entertainment – and yes, an actual romance – to keep you smiling.
Singin’ in the Rain
We had to include a classic. Singin’ in the Rain, the iconic 1952 movie musical, has delighted the hearts of not just rom-com lovers, but moviegoers of all types. Set in the 1920s, at the very beginning of the age of sound films, this charming tale stars Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, a famous Hollywood star in the era of silent movies. He and his co-star, the haughty Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) are everyone’s favorite romantic leads – but that’s because no one knows Lina can’t sing.
Down on their luck, Don and his friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) get chorus girl Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds) to dub over Lina’s lines – but Don might be falling for her instead.
Obvious Child
To soothe her heartbreak after her boyfriend dumps her like last week’s Chinese takeout, struggling stand-up comedian Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) has a one-night stand with graduate student Max (Jake Lacy) – and becomes pregnant. Donna decides to have an abortion, but the only day available is Valentine’s Day, and her feelings for Max are growing stronger by the minute.
Despite being derided as an “abortion comedy” by the press, Obvious Child deals with its sensitive subject matter with honesty, respect, and a great deal of heart. Donna is never shamed for her choice to end her pregnancy; simultaneously, her choice never overshadows the narrative. Obvious Child is undoubtedly pro-choice, a firebrand of a film for women’s reproductive rights, but it’s never preachy. At the end of the day, it’s a romantic comedy, and a damn good one at that.
