💗 Rom-Com Ranking 💗
I love love just as much as the next bitch, and I was raised by a technically single mom, so you know I grew up watching Rom-Coms. Sleepless in Seattle, Along Came Polly and all the other greats. I remember my mom getting 50 First Dates on DVD after I kept begging her to rent it at our local DVD/movie shop (there were no BlockBustes in East New York). Ah, good times, better times in some ways.
I don’t really know why I was so invested in Rom-Coms back then. My parents didn’t hug and shit like that, so maybe it was some form of escapism for my mom and I. Either that, or I was just nosey as hell. Probably both, to be fair — a combination.
Anyway, now, years later, I’m finally grown, and the Rom-Coms are relatable. But I’ve realized I have forgotten so many of my favorites. I don’t remember the plot of Along Came Polly or what movie has that scene where they run to each other in the airport and embrace in an impressively dramatic ass display of affection. I’m losing recipes, lol. That, and then there are some that I just was flat out not allowed to watch at my young age — nothing with sex scenes or excessive innuendos — I was sent to bed.
So, I’m back to square one - watching and, in some cases, re-watching some of the best rom-coms out there with the goal of creating my own personal list of the 50 best Romatinctic Comedies by the end of the year.
I’ve spent the past few days scouring the net for lists of the best rom-coms. I looked at lists from Rotten Tomatoes and Vanity Fair to even Good Housekeeping and more. I also did a special search for black & queer rom-coms, which was slightly disappointing, but only because we need more. In doing the research to compile this list, I was genuinely surprised Coming to America appeared on so many lists. Mainly because I never watched it and always thought it was just a funny movie about a prince in NYC lost and fumbling. The second thing that surprised me was the fact that Hugh Grant is in damn near ALL these movies.
Anywho, the list is over 150 titles long, 153 to be precise, and can be found ➡️ here ⬅️ Not going to lie, y’all idk how I’ll watch all those movies, but I’m going do it! Feel free to come over and watch with me sometime!
The plan is simple: every week, I’m going put the titles in that list in a random picker and watch whatever gets picked. I’m going for 2 to 3 films a week. From there, I will write a quick 1 paragraph review here on this Substack and on my letterboxd (cough, follow me) and a quick review for my TikTok (cough, follow me). In that review, I’ll add an 👎🏾 emoji if it didn’t make the list and a 👍🏾 emoji if it does. The ones that do will be added to the list at whatever number feels right, lol, and at the end of the year, I’ll reassess.
For now, the list is as follows:
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
If Beale Street Could Talk
Love & Basketball
Something's Gotta Give
Jumping the Broom
Sixteen Candles
Guava Island
J