Rom-coms we love

With Valentine's Day upon us, many of us will be popping in romantic comedies as a way to escape our pathetic love lives or dragging ourselves to new ones in the theater as some makeshift celebration of the love we do have. Either way, the romantic comedy is one of the biggest and sometimes most pathetic genre in film. And yet we keep going back to them.

If you're sitting down with a stack of DVDs this weekend, here are the ones you should choose.

"It Happened One Night" (1934) – Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in Frank Capra’s classic invented the romantic comedy as we know it with initially hostile characters forced upon one another for hilarious results. Gable’s failed attempt to hitchhike still remains comedic gold. --Brian Welk

"Bringing Up Baby" (1938) – Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn shared the stage with a tamed leopard in this one, but despite that ridiculous casting choice, the two leads bounce from one zany situation to another, continuing the trend that started with "Happened One Night." --Cory Barker
 
"Roman Holiday" (1953) – William Wyler introduced Audrey Hepburn to the world with this charming dramedy starring Gregory Peck. It was one of the first travelogues, being filmed entirely in Rome. --BW
 
"The Apartment" (1960) – Oh, poor Jack Lemmon. All he wants to do in Billy Wilder’s Best Picture winning gem is to find love and make it in the business world, and he’s forced into a hilarious scenario in which he rents out his bachelor pad to his bosses and their mistresses. --BW

"Annie Hall" (1977) – Just because it’s a romantic comedy doesn’t mean the guy gets the girl. By avoiding the traditional happy ending, using a not-quite chronological time frame, and throwing in copious references to Bergman and Fellini, Woody Allen made a romantic comedy that smart people could enjoy, not just people desperate for a happy ending. Allen also invented a kind of romantic comedy that men could enjoy just as much as women. --Brian Marks
 
"Moonstruck" (1987) – After seeing “Moonstruck,” I’ve never been happier to be Italian. With surprisingly brilliant performances by Cher, Nicolas Cage and Olympia Dukakis, Norman Jewison’s film is touchingly relatable. --BW
 
"When Harry Met Sally" (1989) – Not only did this movie feature the funniest fake orgasm scene in the history of cinema, it presented us with one of life's most vexing questions: Can a man and a woman just be friends? Although they couldn't in the end, up until then "When Harry Met Sally" entertainingly presented the gradual evolution of a realistic relationship without resorting to cliches or stereotypes -- unless it was poking fun at them. --Megan Clayton

"My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997) – Both the protagonist and her love interest have actual personalities, there's (shockingly) character development, and the ending isn't boring, saccharine fluff; and finally, there's the joy of seeing Rupert Everett sing "I Say A Little Prayer For You." --Kate Colvin

"Bridget Jones' Diary" (2001) –  Although most modern romantic comedies are pretty lame, anything based on a Jane Austen novel is likely to stand out from the pack due to superior source material. "Bridget Jones' Diary" -- whose heroine has a tendency to chain smoke, drink like a fish and unwittingly humiliate herself in public -- takes the basic story of "Pride and Prejudice" and updates it for a 21st century audience. But it doesn't leave out Mr. Darcy, who's played by the always-classy Colin Firth. --MC

"Love Actually" (2003) – Because I am a sucker for books or movies where an ensemble of  characters come together and/or movies where Hugh Grant plays an impossibly charming Prime Minister. And yes, this means I will probably end up seeing "Valentine's Day." --Austin Morris

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) – Although it’s not technically a comedy, this is Jim Carrey’s best go as a serious actor. This movie works on every level: the fantastic visuals, the screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, the excellent soundtrack, and the chemistry between Carrey and Kate Winslet. There is such an attention to detail that you will find something new every time you watch it. --BM

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005) – "Knocked Up" might have been funnier and more quotable, but Judd Apatow's first foray into film directing works better as a romantic story, partially because the characters here feel just a tad bit more real and relatable, assisted by Steve Carell's and Catherine Keener's splendid performances. --CB

"Definitely, Maybe" (2007) – Aside from the awesomeness of Ryan Reynolds, "Definitely, Maybe" has what few other romantic comedies bring to the table: creativity. I'm not just talking "Oh hey, let's just put them in a really absurd setting and then let everything else play out exactly out exactly like you might expect." There is some variance to the plot structure and the storylines they throw at you. Not to mention that it gets admirable performances from all four of its female leads, Abigail Breslin included. The film tries to be a real love story, not just a rom-com. --Adam Lukach

"Waitress" (2007) – Keri Russell's most relevant project since "Felicity" allows her to be much more charming than she was in that WB TV series, and her chemistry with the always-great Nathan Fillion helps what could've been a cheese-fest become a bright, uplifting story that anyone who has ever felt stuck can relate to. --CB  

“(500) Days of Summer” (2009) – Some people don’t consider this a romantic comedy because the two leads don’t end up together; it’s a ridiculous claim considering how much this film cares about that romance, even if it doesn’t work out. The film approaches the trials of a relationship with realism that will ring true to many. It also perfectly captures the bliss that comes before the fall. Plus, Zooey Deschanel is disarmingly charming. --BM

Other notable rom-coms: "About a Boy" (2002), "High Fidelity" (2000), "Knocked Up" (2007), "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008), "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002), anything with Hugh Grant before 2004.