Aside from the best Christmas movies, there is nothing more inherently uplifting than a great rom-com. Through the lens of the three unequivocally perfect classics presented below, the magic of the romantic comedy genre reveals its stunning hold on audiences, making countless hours of work look relaxed and natural. There is no better time for streaming this comforting genre than when the winter months start to take hold and hours of downtime can be alleviated by pure cinematic warmth.
Rom-Coms Show Actors at their Most Enchanting and Mesmerizing
Since the origins of cinema, romantic comedies have relied on formula and fun over the more self-serious drama genre. However, top-tier filmmakers know that viewers look beyond the lack of a unique story. Roman Holiday, one of the essential rom-coms of the 1950s, only needed the chemistry of Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck to make it a popular and enjoyable success. Like many rom-coms, the story of Roman Holiday has pretexts of an overarching drama as a frame for its most pleasurable aspect: seeing Hepburn and Peck’s characters fall in love as director William Wyler shows American audiences the beauty of Rome.
The Best Ones are Both Human and Fantastical
Human stories are the cornerstone of the art of the fable, but every rom-com requires suspending your disbelief as much or more than any other genre. Audiences love it; is the fact that these two random onscreen characters found each other amid numerous trials and turmoil coincidence or destiny? Rob Reiner’s beloved 1987 film, The Princess Bride, digs into that fantasy of predestined love beautifully. Even though every romantic comedy drifts at least a bit into the illogical, the mystical power of the story, whirlwind humor, and attachment to the characters in The Princess Bride makes it an enduring piece of pop art.
Their Intricacies and Entanglements Make Timeless Entertainment
Following periodic bouts of floundering from the major studios, a resurgence of critically acclaimed rom-coms joined the surge of filmmaking platforms in the streaming era. Even so, setting aside the bias of recent favorites, the most fondly remembered by critics and audiences alike will always be The Philadelphia Story, MGM’s star vehicle for Katharine Hepburn. Backed by two A-list stars (Cary Grant and James Stewart), Hepburn flaunts her amusingly strident character with witty dialogue and a thrillingly hilarious situation between her ex-husband and a head-over-heels reporter just before her elaborate upcoming wedding.
Every facet of The Philadelphia Story is pure Hollywood gold, giving us people with agitating and absorbing qualities to drive the humor and the onscreen chemistry. Illuminating the quality that defines every essential romantic comedy, this film uses detailed filmmaking to make an effortless, easy-to-watch experience with actors, circumstances, and romances you can return to again and again.
The Princess Bride is streaming now on Disney+.