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Complex magazine's Top 25 romantic comedies

post #1 of 51
2/14/10 at 10:54am
Thread Starter 
http://www.complex.com/blogs/2010/02...hat-dont-suck/

Thought this was a pretty decent list. The top three are all favourites of mine.
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post #2 of 51
2/14/10 at 11:05am
Are these guys aware that they made romantic comedies before 1977? And Boomerang in the top 3? Yikes.
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post #3 of 51
2/14/10 at 11:20am
Boomerang and the Wedding Singer rank above Annie Hall.

No.
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post #4 of 51
2/14/10 at 12:58pm
Thread Starter 
Boomerang's great, a black 90s version of His Girl Friday - which, er, admittedly should be on this list. And The Wedding Singer is better than just about every mainstream rom-com that's followed it. That's damning it with faint praise, I know, but it's a pretty masterful blend of the early, oddball Sandler style with the sentimentality that would subsequently swamp his movies.
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post #5 of 51
2/14/10 at 1:48pm
This list was written by a 21 year-old who happens to have cable.
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post #6 of 51
2/14/10 at 1:58pm
I still don't buy Rogan and Heigl's relationship in KNOCKED UP for one second of that film. And not because Heigl should be out of Rogan's league. But rather because the film completely fails to sell me on why either of those people would want to be with the other. (Other than the fact that they produced a kid together. Those relationships always work out well.)
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post #7 of 51
2/14/10 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak chase View Post
I still don't buy Rogan and Heigl's relationship in KNOCKED UP for one second of that film. And not because Heigl should be out of Rogan's league. But rather because the film completely fails to sell me on why either of those people would want to be with the other. (Other than the fact that they produced a kid together. Those relationships always work out well.)
Kid is a massive reason to try though, isn't it?
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post #8 of 51
2/14/10 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AdrianDyka View Post
Kid is a massive reason to try though, isn't it?
I suppose. Kid's likely gonna end up just as miserable as his parents, though.
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post #9 of 51
2/14/10 at 2:28pm
Kissing Jessica Stein, Keeping the Faith and Forgetting Sarah Marshall getting some much deserved love is nice to see, but the rest of the list is bobbins.

Where's The Apartment for one thing?
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post #10 of 51
2/14/10 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak chase View Post
I suppose. Kid's likely gonna end up just as miserable as his parents, though.
Cynic!
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post #11 of 51
2/14/10 at 2:38pm
Overboard? Really?

Ratty sums it up best, I think.
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post #12 of 51
2/14/10 at 4:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Thomas View Post
Kissing Jessica Stein, Keeping the Faith and Forgetting Sarah Marshall getting some much deserved love is nice to see, but the rest of the list is bobbins.

Where's The Apartment for one thing?
Yeah, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the best romcom in years.
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post #13 of 51
2/14/10 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak chase View Post
I still don't buy Rogan and Heigl's relationship in KNOCKED UP for one second of that film. And not because Heigl should be out of Rogan's league. But rather because the film completely fails to sell me on why either of those people would want to be with the other. (Other than the fact that they produced a kid together. Those relationships always work out well.)
Why is it in the entirety of the history of romantic comedies Seth Rogen is suddenly the deal breaker? I feel sorry for anyone who has such a response to the film. In the end, the whole point is that they're tying. It's beautiful.
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post #14 of 51
2/14/10 at 4:59pm
I'm not the target audience at all for this list, but how could they not put down the film that was the blueprint for hundreds of films It Happend One Night?
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post #15 of 51
2/14/10 at 5:01pm
I'm surprise that with all the love they give Steve Martin on this list, that they left out LA Story (especially since it's better than most other choices they made).
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post #16 of 51
2/14/10 at 5:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fat Elvis View Post
Why is it in the entirety of the history of romantic comedies Seth Rogen is suddenly the deal breaker? I feel sorry for anyone who has such a response to the film. In the end, the whole point is that they're tying. It's beautiful.
It has less to do with Rogan and more to do with the shitty, unfocused script.
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post #17 of 51
2/14/10 at 5:10pm

My Top 25

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, 2005)
Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
Annie Hall (Woody Allen, 1977)
The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)
The Awful Truth (Leo McCarey, 1937)
Chasing Amy (Kevin Smith, 1997)
Flirting (John Duigan, 1991)
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller, 2008)
Grease (Randal Kleiser, 1978)
Groundhog Day (Harold Ramis, 1993)
His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)
Holiday (George Cukor, 1938)
It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934)
Jerry Maguire (Cameron Crowe, 1996)
The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941)
The Lady Vanishes (Alfred Hitchcock, 1938)
My Sassy Girl (Jae-young Kwak, 2001)
Out Of Sight (Steven Soderbergh, 1998)
The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson, 1998)
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Edgar Wright, 2010)
Shaun Of The Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
The Shop Around The Corner (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
Singin' In The Rain (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952)
When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989)
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post #18 of 51
2/14/10 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zak chase View Post
It has less to do with Rogan and more to do with the shitty, unfocused script.
The script that focuses Seth Rogen going from loveable but immature slacker to
being potentially capable of being a grown up with a child, a script
that holds up as both hilarious and touching? That script?
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post #19 of 51
2/14/10 at 6:21pm
Do women like High Fidelity? Easily my favorite.
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post #20 of 51
2/14/10 at 6:29pm
That list is terrible, as no "greatest" should be from the last five years, and where is Modern Romance. It's a list written by someone who's not that cinema literate.
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post #21 of 51
2/14/10 at 8:52pm
To be fair, this is a "romcoms that don't suck list" which is essential the author's favorites and not a best of. That said, the author clearly needs to broaden their horizons. As has been mentioned, the fact that there are no movies older than the 1970 is a huge limitation. There's Something About Mary and [b]Boomerang[/b[ in the Top 5? No, just, no.

I do love the inclusion of Overboard, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and The Best Man. I wholehearted love those films. Despite them not being on the same level of Annie Hall, they each succeed in doing what they set out to do and I always have a good time.

I'm not sure if people would consider it a RomCom, but as I see the ending as beautiful and hopeful, Eternal Sunshine would top my list.

Nexus, High Fidelity is great. I may watch it tonight. It's been awhile.
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post #22 of 51
2/14/10 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 
For those unfamiliar with it, Complex magazine, though representative of all strands of popular culture, has a strong post-hip-hop emphasis. Which puts Boomerang's high ranking into some sort of context.

While I agree that Boomerang wouldn't figure in a definitive rom-coms best-of, it has a lot going for it. It's an urbane, grown-up black rom-com and Murphy's first crack at playing romantic lead, on top of which the cast is absolutely stacked. If it has a central failing, it's that, even after he's been shown the error of his ways, Murphy's charming-but-smug character is hard to sympathise with.
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post #23 of 51
2/14/10 at 9:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardo Brady View Post
For those unfamiliar with it, Complex magazine, though representative of all strands of popular culture, has a strong post-hip-hop emphasis. Which puts Boomerang's high ranking into some sort of context.

While I agree that Boomerang wouldn't figure in a definitive rom-coms best-of, it has a lot going for it. It's an urbane, grown-up black rom-com and Murphy's first crack at playing romantic lead, on top of which the cast is absolutely stacked. If it has a central failing, it's that, even after he's been shown the error of his ways, Murphy's charming-but-smug character is hard to sympathise with.
BOOMERANG is actually an interesting pick. It's much of the rest of the list that's suspect.

(And they're oh so wrong about Diaz in SOMETHING ABOUT MARY)
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post #24 of 51
2/14/10 at 10:19pm
Chasing Amy is better than both Boomerang, The Wedding Singer, and Knocked Up.

That said, Annie Hall and When Harry Met Sally are far too low.
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post #25 of 51
2/14/10 at 10:47pm
Wow, this list is terrible. And the commentary is bad to boot. I have to agree with Ratty.

I don't know how other girls feel about High Fidelity, but this girl hated it. I hate 99% of those films labeled "romantic comedy" (though the label is another discussion for another thread, one we've already had).

The Lady Eve (1941) seems to be more popular, but a year later Fonda made The Male Animal, which is to me livelier and sweeter (and features a very funny Jack Carson as a former football hero).

The Philadelphia Story (1941) should be teamed with High Society (1956) - again, I'm in the minority that prefers the latter.

And of course, one day I hope Down With Love with be recognized as the stellar film it is.
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post #26 of 51
2/15/10 at 12:10pm
The list seems tailored for those born after 1980. Love the FSM inclusion, hate that Hitch made the list.

This may be akin to branding myself with a scarlet letter, but I absolutely love Serendipity. Cusack and Beckinsale seem to have fairly good chemistry in their scenes, and its a fun little film.
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post #27 of 51
2/15/10 at 3:35pm
Thread Starter 
Out of interest, is Say Anything as revered around these boards as it seems to be in general? I like it well enough, but I often wonder if it would have achieved the same resonance without the iconic image of Cusack blasting out Peter Gabriel from his boombox. I mean, it's sweet and likeable and all that and the young Cusack's obviously got charisma to burn, I just don't buy it as a rom-com classic...
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post #28 of 51
2/15/10 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardo Brady View Post
I often wonder if it would have achieved the same resonance without the iconic image of Cusack blasting out Peter Gabriel from his boombox.
Actually I tend to think that image works against the movie because it can be really reductive. It's definitely the movie's most sweeping gesture, but people may remember that at the expense of the exquisitely observed moments throughout, like the first time Lloyd calls Diane's dad, or when he laments to his sister how fun she used to be, or the exchange between Lloyd and Diane when they finally get back together. And despite the unevenness of the Diane's dad being a criminal subplot (even though I love Mahoney in the role), because of Cusack's performance it's easy to overlook the fact that Crowe makes the movie as much about Diane as about Lloyd. It's all those things that make it a classic, not iconography.
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post #29 of 51
2/16/10 at 8:30am
Outside of Geek circles Hitch is surprisingly popular with the ladies and in all honestly I quite like it myself (although that may have something to do with watching it on a date with my wife.)

Boomerang and there's something about Mary however belong nowhere near this list.
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post #30 of 51
2/16/10 at 9:16am
Hitch is good. Until it gets to the "wacky!" dance off at the end. So unnecessary and unamusing.
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post #31 of 51
2/16/10 at 9:18am
Exactly,

But the beauty of that scene is it's the end credits and can be turned off.
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post #32 of 51
2/16/10 at 12:34pm
The Wedding Singer, while a lot of fun, shouldn't be anywhere near that spot. Knocked Up, too. Sixteen Candles could probably stand to have been subbed for Pretty In Pink as well.

I agree with Ben. It's great to see ...Sarah Marshall on there. It really holds up on repeated viewing, but the omission of High Fidelity is inexcusable.
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post #33 of 51
2/16/10 at 12:38pm
High Fidelity never really clicked with me the first time, prehaps it's time to revisit it.
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post #34 of 51
2/16/10 at 12:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Savage View Post

Boomerang and there's something about Mary however belong nowhere near this list.
Both are better and more interesting picks than Hitch.
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post #35 of 51
2/16/10 at 1:01pm
Boomerang is an interesting film but in no way as good as others on the list. I've never liked "Mary" and think its very over rated.
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post #36 of 51
2/16/10 at 1:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Savage View Post
I've never liked "Mary" and think its very over rated.
Yeah, me too. This is one of my "Nope, still not good" picks.

I keep giving it a chance and I still just don't find it very funny and actually find it a bit... ugly.
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post #37 of 51
2/16/10 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Banks is my hero View Post
Actually I tend to think that image works against the movie because it can be really reductive. It's definitely the movie's most sweeping gesture, but people may remember that at the expense of the exquisitely observed moments throughout, like the first time Lloyd calls Diane's dad, or when he laments to his sister how fun she used to be, or the exchange between Lloyd and Diane when they finally get back together. And despite the unevenness of the Diane's dad being a criminal subplot (even though I love Mahoney in the role), because of Cusack's performance it's easy to overlook the fact that Crowe makes the movie as much about Diane as about Lloyd. It's all those things that make it a classic, not iconography.
Well put. The boombox scene is the one that people not particularly familiar with the movie remember. It's the stuff you mention that really sticks once you get past Lloyd's one big gesture (and I'd add Lloyd's close relationship with his female friends and his affectionate, but slightly superficial, relationship with his guy friends; the way that Diane initially begins to understand Lloyd's appeal by seeing how his friends react to him at the party; and, yes, the pen line).
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post #38 of 51
2/16/10 at 2:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Thomas View Post
Yeah, me too. This is one of my "Nope, still not good" picks.

I keep giving it a chance and I still just don't find it very funny and actually find it a bit... ugly.
I have simmilar thoughts about Very Bad Things, everyone i know thinks it's genius - personally I think it goes to far. Ironically they both star Miss Diaz.
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post #39 of 51
2/16/10 at 4:12pm
I don't mind Very Bad Things - I liked that it was twisted that badly when I first saw it - but I don't feel the need to revisit it ever.
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post #40 of 51
6/23/10 at 6:28pm
I liked this little exchange in Boomerang.

Quote:
"Why are we playing pool? Pool is a racist game!"
"Now how is pool a racist game?"
"It plays out like this, see. The green felt on the table represents the earth and the balls represent all the people on the earth. Now the OBJECT of the game is for the white ball to knock all the other balls off the table. And what is the last ball to get knocked off, the black ball!"
"Ya know, usually you're full of shit, but I think you're on to something here."
I also don't think Haley Berry has ever been hotter than in this movie.
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post #41 of 51
6/23/10 at 6:34pm
I was all about Lela Rochon.
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post #42 of 51
6/23/10 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoahtheStud View Post
I also don't think Haley Berry has ever been hotter than in this movie.
Agreed. These days she's bland as can be, but in Boomerang she's absolutely luminous and nails 'cute / sexy' as opposed to Givens' 'sexy /sexy'.
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post #43 of 51
6/23/10 at 9:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
Do women like High Fidelity? Easily my favorite.
I've always thought women DIS-like High Fidelity for a few reasons:

1) Lloyd Dobler (well, OK, John Cusack, but we all know he's like Lloyd in real life) would never be such a cad.

2) Their male significant other resembles the Rob of the first half of the movie far more than they are willing to admit
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post #44 of 51
6/23/10 at 10:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardo Brady View Post
Out of interest, is Say Anything as revered around these boards as it seems to be in general? I like it well enough, but I often wonder if it would have achieved the same resonance without the iconic image of Cusack blasting out Peter Gabriel from his boombox. I mean, it's sweet and likeable and all that and the young Cusack's obviously got charisma to burn, I just don't buy it as a rom-com classic...
If nothing else, that scene led to one of my favorite South Park gags EVER.
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post #45 of 51
6/23/10 at 10:04pm
this list is worthless since it doesn't include Alien Resurrection.
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post #46 of 51
6/23/10 at 10:19pm
I saw Hitch come in at #24 and stopped reading. What kind of fuckery is this? Not only is it a bad, unfunny, and uninspired romantic comedy, but it's one of Smith's worse movies, he had absolutely no chemistry with Eva Mendes.
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post #47 of 51
6/24/10 at 12:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricardo Brady View Post
Agreed. These days she's bland as can be, but in Boomerang she's absolutely luminous and nails 'cute / sexy' as opposed to Givens' 'sexy /sexy'.
I would say Givens was more scary / sexy.
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post #48 of 51
6/24/10 at 11:15am
Its a stretch, but where's Shaun of the Dead?
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post #49 of 51
6/24/10 at 5:16pm
The only thing I remember about BOOMERANG is...



God Bless John Witherspoon's delivery and fashion.
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post #50 of 51
6/24/10 at 8:05pm
Thread Starter 
"You got to coooordinate."
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