My Top 5 Romantic Comedies

1. Never Been Kissed- Released in 1999. Drew Barrymore reliving her high school nightmares for a story in the paper.
2. The Wedding Singer- Released in 1998. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are both engaged to marry the wrong people and discover that they are meant to be together.
3. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- Released in 2003. Matthew McConaughey makes a bet that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days and Kate Hudson is writing an article about how to make a guy fall in love with you and then dump him.
4. Sweet Home Alabama- Released in 2002. Reese Witherspoon returns to her former life to find that she still hasn't forgotten her past.
5. 27 Dresses- Released in 2008. Katherine Heigl is always the bridesmaid and never the bride and now she has to watch her sister marry the man she loves.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days vs Fool's Gold

"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" is one of my top-ten favorite movies and stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConnaughey. Recently, a movie came out staring both the same actors called Fool's Gold. Has anyone seen these movies, and preferred one over the other? I personnally still favor How to Lose a Guy more than Fool's Gold but enjoyed both films.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days:
"Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConnaughey) is an advertising executive competing with two female co-workers for a major campaign for a diamond merchant. He cuts a deal with his competitors that the account is his if he can make a woman of their choice fall in love with him in 10 days. In comes Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) who, in turn, is writing a story on how to lose a guy in 10 days as a bet with her boss to be allowed to write more substantial stories. With a hidden agenda in each camp, will either party be able to complete their mission?"
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251127/plotsummary

Fool's Gold:
" A new clue to the whereabouts of a lost treasure rekindles a married couple's sense of adventure -- and their estranged romance."
-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770752/

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

So a new romantic comedy has just come out called Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I have yet to see this movie but I intend to post what I thought about it when I have. I have included a short bio about it if anyone else is interested in seeing it from the official website: http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com/

"From the producers of Knocked-up and the Forty Year Old Virgin, comes a comic look at one guys arduous quest to grow up and get over the heartbrake of being dumped - if he can only make himself start forgetting Sarah Marshall... For anyone who has had their heart ripped out and cut into a billion pieces comes a hilarious, heart-felt look at at relationships."

The cast includes Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand.

Check out the official website for any other additional info on the movie including bios about the actors, gallery, and the movie tralier.

The Definition of Romantic Comedies

Romantic comedy films are movies with light-hearted, humorous dramatic stories, centered around romantic ideals such as a true love able to surmount most obstacles. Romantic comedy films are a sub-genre of comedy films as well as of romance films. Because of their proven appeal to women, movies of that type are generally regarded as being "chick flicks".
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two people, usually a man and a woman, meet and then part ways due to an argument or other contrived obstacles. Initially, these two people do not become romantically involved, because they believe that they do not like each other, because one of them already has a partner, or social pressures. However, the screenwriters leave obvious clues that suggest that the characters are in fact attracted to each other, or that they would be a good love match.
While the two people are separated, one or both individuals then realize that they are "perfect" for each other, or that they are in love with the other person. Then, after one of the two makes some spectacular effort to find the other person and declare their love, (this is sometimes called the grand gesture), or due to an astonishing coincidental encounter, the two meet again. Then, perhaps with some comic friction or awkwardness, they declare their love for each other and the film ends happily. The couple does not, however, have to marry, or live together "happily ever after." The ending of a romantic comedy is meant to affirm the primary importance of the love relationship in its protagonists' lives, even if they physically separate in the end.

Taken From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romantic_comedy_film

Top Grossing Romantic Comedies

Between 1978-Present

1. My Big Fat Greek Wedding- $241,438,208
2. What Women Want- $182,811,707
3. Hitch- $179,495,555
4. Pretty Women- $178,406,268
5. There's Something About Mary- $176,484,651
6. Runaway Bride- $152,257,509
7. As Good as It Gets- $148,478,011
8. Bringing Down the House- $132,716,677
9. Coming to America- $128,152,301
10. Sweet Home Alabama- $127,233,418
11. My Best Friend's Wedding- $127,120,029
12. Sleepless in Seattle- $126,680,884
13. Mr. Deeds- $126,293,452
14. Something's Gotta Give- $124,728,738
15. 50 First Dates- $120,908,074
16. The Break-Up- $118,703,275
17. Notting Hill- $116,089,678
18. You've Got Mail- $115,821,495
19. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days- $105,813,373
20. Shakespeare in Love- $100,317,794

Taken From http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=romanticcomedy.htm

Smart People

An indie comedy about a quirky family of self-hating misfits. We've seen this before, am I right? Well, so what, I say. When it's done well, I don't care too much whether the concept has been done before. And Smart People is done quite well. Dennis Quaid stars as a college professor and widower who hasn't been out with a woman since his wife died an unspecified (but long) amount of time ago. He lives alone with his daughter (Ellen Page). He has a son who goes to the same college at which he teaches and an adopted brother (Thomas Haden Church) who likes to mooch off of him. After an accident, Church moves in with Quaid and Page. Quaid also meets a former student (Sarah Jessica Parker), now a doctor, who had a crush on him. They start to date. The plot isn't anything special, but the dialogue is witty and the relationships are well observed. And this is also a case of fine actors who make something merely serviceable into something special. Quaid has never been better. My feeling about his work as an actor is that he is very uneven. He can be excellent, such as in The Right Stuff, but usually he's adequate, and often, perhaps too often, he's awful. But this is definitely one of the excellent performances. Church has kind of a sitcommy role, but that's fitting for an actor who was really good in sitcoms. He's hilarious here, too. A lot of the time, I was thinking of the movie as somewhat akin to a sitcom, but a good sitcom. There have been such things, you know. Page, fresh off her star-making turn as Juno (though Smart People was filmed earlier), is an actress I've liked in a couple of movies I disliked (Juno and Hard Candy). Finally, a movie with her that I actually like! Feels good. And she's great in it. The character is similar to Juno, but not quite so despicably precious. I like how the writer and director invite the audience to dislike all four of the major characters, at least a bit. They are recognizable people, which is, unfortunately, a rarity in movies. I liked the movie, and recommend it.

Taken From: http://imdb.com/title/tt0858479/

The Dos and Dont's of Romantic Comedies

The Lessons You Can Learn From Certain Movies

Four Wedding and a Funeral- Lesson: Don't be afraid to mingle at weddings. While making the scene at a string of weddings with his best pals, lovably bumbling Brit Hugh Grant meets a sweet (but kind of dull) American girl and then proceeds to lose her and get her back repeatedly. Next time you dread buying a gift and suiting up for a wedding, look at the bright side, your bland and beautiful soul mate might be seated at your table!

Say Anything- Lesson: Do make a grand romantic gesture. Sure the trench coat looks a little stalker-ish now but, who can forget John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler the ultimate slacker cutie holding a boom-box (yes, it was the '80s) over his head blasting Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" outside his beloved Diane Court's (Ione Skye) house. That dude was willing to do whatever it took to get his woman back. It was bold, a little bit goofy, and it worked.

When Harry Met Sally- Lesson: Don't rule out an old friend. In this classic romantic comedy Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal look everywhere for love but with each other. Their friendship is contentious, sometimes sulky, but it's consistent. They are always there for each other (even during her bad perm and shoulder-pads phase). As is always true in this genre, they have to lose each other before they realize what's right under their noses: true love!

Bridget Jones' Diary- Lesson: Don't date your boss (even if he's cute). No one can blame the hapless Bridget Jones (Renee Zelwegger) for being seduced by Hugh Grant at his most charming. But getting involved with her boss puts Bridget into a series of humiliating incidents. It's only when she takes a second look at sweet, Christmas-sweater wearing Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) that she realizes that short skirts in the office is a recipe for disaster, not love.

Hairspray- Lesson: Do go after what you really want. In this singing-dancing retro flick Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonksy) dreams of dancing on TV, racial integration and of course dreamboat Link Larkin (Zac Efron). All sorts of haters tell her she's too chubby for TV or to catch the interest of the high school hunk. Tracy never gets discouraged, she just dances her way into everyone's heart and ends up with the keenest guy in Baltimore.

Hitch- Lesson: Don't try and outsmart the game. You'd think it'd be easy for Hitch (Will Smith) to find a lady; he is a dating coach after all. But, he's too busy working angles, being smooth, and believing his own hype. Meanwhile his goof-ball protégé Kevin James pretty easily connects with a super-model type. After plenty of mishaps and mis- understandings, Hitch learns that the best way to find love is to drop the attitude and just be real.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding- Lesson: Do try to get along with their family. Is there anything more stressful than meeting and getting along with your significant other's family? Total fish out of water Ian (John Corbett) suffers major culture shock when he and Toula (Nia Vardalos) get engaged and start planning their Greek wedding (which happens to be both big and fat). In this situation it's all about going with the flow, and if your in-laws offer you their favorite food or drink, start with small servings. Because if they serve Ouzo, you'll need to pace yourself.

The 40 Year Old Virgin- Lesson: Don't listen to your moronic friends. This raunchy comedy is unexpectedly romantic. Steve Carrell spends much of it under the clueless dating guidance of his work buddies. Between their macho posturing and stoner video game marathons they're hardly good role models. However, when he does his own thing he ends up finally connecting with Catherine Keener the awesomely kooky woman of his dreams.

The Wedding Singer- Lesson: Do look beyond the mullet. Poor Robbie (Adam Sandler) is a wedding singer with a gnarly mullet who gets stood up by his bride on their wedding day. But the adorable Julia (Drew Barrymore) is there to console him. Too bad she's engaged to a total '80s-style yuppie jerk. With patience and a little help from Billy Idol, Robbie wins Julia over and she sees that this good guy with a bad hairdo is the man for her.

You've Got Mail- Lesson: Don't spend so much time on the internet. This 1998 hit was one of the first movies to feature online dating. In it Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks strike up a lively and congenial online relationship. He even counsels her on her real world problems. Of course what neither of them realize in that he is the guy who's shutting down her book shop when they're offline. So if you really want to find love try logging off and venturing into the real world.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/dosanddontsofromanticcomedies.html