The unexpected meet-cute, expected happy ending, first heart-skipping-a-beat kiss and moment where they realize they loved each other all along: Romantic comedies are the most superior genre to ever exist.
As a total sucker for rom-coms, I’ve watched so many I have lost count, but I have loved every single one of them — even the most cliche and artificial ones. However, there are two rom-coms that will forever hold a special place in my heart: “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” and “10 Things I Hate About You.”
“How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days”
In the 2003 film, advertising executive Benjamin Barry, played by Matthew McConaughey, confidently bets he can make any woman fall in love with him in 10 days. Getting set up with magazine columnist Andie Anderson, played by Kate Hudson, he has no idea that the woman he’s looking to date is working on a new column called “How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days” and does everything she can to drive him crazy.
Andie literally tries anything to push Benjamin away, from talking to his mother behind his back, making him get a soda in the most crucial moment of a Knicks basketball game, to even getting him a dog who pees all over his apartment.
Hudson perfectly portrays her character: a perky, endearing journalist, who doesn’t back down from a challenge. All of her embarrassing and cringe-worthy actions, the ones that would make any sane person insane, never fail to make me laugh and make her an unforgettable actress, especially when she sings “You’re So Vain” off-pitch and crazily in front of her colleagues.
Along with her impeccable acting skills, the obvious chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson really sells the movie, as she puts him in his place as an attractive, but self-absorbed male who learns all of what love brings to the table. When Benjamin comforts Kate at his parent’s house, it marks the moment they really fell in love with each other and it is hands down one of the best heartfelt and genuine scenes in the movie.
“10 Things I Hate About You”
“10 Things I Hate About You” perfectly captures the iconic enemies to lover’s arc as abrasive and social disaster Kat Stratford, Julia Stiles’s iconic character, crosses paths with the rule breaker and overconfident Patrick Verona, played by Heath Ledger.
A family rule forbids pretty and popular younger sister Bianca from dating until her older sister Kat does. So in an attempt to win over Bianca, Cameron, a potential boyfriend played by Joseph Gorden-Levitt, desperately attempts to set Kat up with Patrick.
Even though the film came out over 20 years ago, it’s yet to lose its touch, even with a recycled plot idea regarding the exaggerated, fan-favorite, cliche high school experience — boy takes a bribe to ask a girl to prom, discovers he loves her and she loves him, and then it all blows up in their faces when girl finds out about the bribe.
The authentic interactions between Kat and Patrick always cause butterflies in my stomach as each of their roles are played to perfection. In the paintball scene, it’s so refreshing when the two headstrong characters finally let their guard down in front of each other, sharing their true feelings and first kiss. The hidden vulnerability that slowly unravels from both of the leads as the movie progresses helps make their characters dynamic and relatable.
Stiles especially is such a powerful character through her interactions with her English teacher in the classroom, showcasing her rebellious, feminist side. And the supporting cast is absolutely fabulous at creating a feel-good movie I could rewatch any day.
Other romantic comedies that will forever be on the top of my list include “The Proposal,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Pretty Woman,” “She’s All That,” “Little Italy” and “13 Going On Thirty.”
And after watching an insane number of romantic Cinderella spinoffs, I highly recommend watching “A Cinderella Story,” mostly because its “Prince Charming” is played by Chad Micheal Murry.
Rom-coms, especially “How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days” and “10 Things I Hate About You,” never fail to leave me emotionally invested in the actors and their relationships.
The puddle of feel-good feelings that consume me every time I rewatch the two movies have helped turn me to a world of predictable and heartwarming experiences to escape an exhausting reality.
