Mindy Kaling (from The Office) wrote a really funny New Yorker article about the seven types of women in romantic comedies. (The "woman who works in an art gallery" made me laugh out loud.) She nailed it!What are your favorite romantic comedies? Mine might be When Harry Met Sally and So I Married an Axe Murderer.
(Illustration by Ellen van Engelen)



ps. i also secretly thought that Forgetting Sarah Marshall was really funny :)
ReplyDeleteFor me, nothing surpasses "Love Actually"... (And I really enjoyded the recently released - in Portugal - Crazy Stupid Love).
ReplyDeleteBest line of the article "There are, like, nine people in the entire world who are architects, and one of them is my dad. None of them look like Patrick Dempsey."
ReplyDeleteFunny because it's true (and I've probably tried to date 7 of them).
Becca
I went to school for architecture and actually find the most handsome men and women are at least studying to become architects.
DeleteAnyway, as fr as patrick Dempsey types, what about Scott hunter from hks arch? I'd post a link but it wouldn't stick.
cute! love the expression ahaha xx
ReplyDeleteThe Philadelphia Story (1940) I know its an oldie, but no
ReplyDeleteromantic comedy has every been written as well, has been acted as well or has as great a story. I just want to eat up Jimmy Stewart.... and someday I am going to have a skirt made that looks like the gingham one that Katherine Hepburn wears in the first part of the movie.
Gosh I am going to have to dig up that DVD and watch it again this weekend!
i just love "so I married an axe murderer"-- highly underrated, if you ask me.
ReplyDeletemy all time favorite has to be valley girl. totally awesome!
I can always watch Something's Gotta Give. And I'm almost ashamed to admit how much I enjoy Wimbledon.
ReplyDeletewww.vergeof40.com
"Notting Hill," hands down, no question, always and forever. Although "Love Actually" and "The American President" (to the extent that it's a romcom) would be extremely close seconds.
ReplyDelete"Friends with Benefits" was pretty damn cute this summer, but nothing beats Julia Roberts' line about being just a girl, standing in front of a boy.
haha i ADORE forgetting sarah marshall too. and it makes me crush on jason segel (who also wrote it!) too.
ReplyDeleteI love My Best Friend's Wedding! I just wrote about it on my blog a few weeks ago...brought back some awesome memories from my teen years!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Love Actually and Notting Hill, but my all-time-favourite is Sleepless in Seattle. Perfect snuggle on the sofa (and force your boyfriend to watch) film.
ReplyDeletehttp://buenodia.com
I love Annie Hall and Love Actually the most, but I indulge in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and I Love You, Man as guilty pleasures.
ReplyDeleteDoes the bromance in I Love You, Man count as romantic comedy? :)
As I was reading this I could totally hear Kelly from The Office in my head! So funny and seriously so true.
ReplyDeletegreat article! I also have a secret love for the romantic comedy. I love the movies "Fools Rush In" and "The Wedding Planner". I really love those dark romantic comedies. One of my all time favorite movies is "Pumpkin" with Christina Ricci. So good.
ReplyDeleteSo I Married an Axe Murderer is one of my all time favorite movies! I've watched it about 1000 times.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Parker Posey in Broken English and the movie Only You is also one I return to over and over again. Ha!
- Stephanie
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI just blogged about how the movies, "When Harry met Sally" and "You've got Mail" give me such a yearning to live in New York in the fall! I also love, "It's Complicated" (which I've seen a million times), and the french rom-com, "How to Get Married and Stay Single," with the lovely and incredible Charlotte Gainsbourg.
ReplyDeletewhen harry met sally is my all time favorite and i also love dan in real life
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry Met Sally is also one of my favorites of all times. But I also ADORE Moonstruck. And Roman Holiday. And Shall We Dance (the Japanese version) is perfection.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favorite romantic comedy (and maybe movie ever) is Annie Hall. I lurve it, I loaf it, I luff it with two T's!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMaid in Manhattan :)
ReplyDeleteLove actually, Nothing hill, My best friend's marriage, How to loose a guy in 10 days, Ten things I hate about you (in a more teenager spirit)...
ReplyDeleteAHAHA the "horny best friend" character...so funny, and so TRUE. Mindy is hilarious, love that lady. My fave romantic movies will always be "Love Actually" and "The Princess Bride." :)
ReplyDeletehaha! when i watched so i married an ax murderer i wasn't very familiar with all kinds of American cultural humor. it was funny but it was hard to understand!
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry Met Sally is classic! But as soon the holidays hit, my couch, Love Actually and a box of Kleenex is where it's at! =)
ReplyDeletemy boyfriend thinks i'm crazy because I watch both It's Complicated and Something's Gotta Give EVERY time they are on tv. Which is a lot. But come on, the scenery and the homes in the two are just tooooo good.
ReplyDeletelove the chemistry between Kate hudson and Matheww MacCoghney
ReplyDeleteMindy Kaling rocks. What a great article. I love The Sweetest Thing, (500) Days of Summer and OF COURSE When Harry Met Sally. It IS one of THE best!
ReplyDeleteI, too, love When Harry Met Sally and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I love the old screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby. Another that I haven't seen on this list is Working Girl. And while I know all the reasons why I should hate Pretty Woman, and even agree with them--well, I really do like that movie.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which, I think a successful romantic comedy requires good writing and chemistry between the leads. The movie that made me hate romantic comedies was What Women Want. The movie that made me realize that I simply had become more selective was Runaway Bride. I do not by any means think that movie is perfect, but the chemistry between Richard Gere and Julia Roberts made it work. I started that movie hating him and thinking, "He's awful! I'm not going to want them to wind up together!" And 45 minutes later, I did.
mike myers is hilarious in that.
ReplyDeleteAnother great article from Mindy Kaling!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love "So I Married an Axe Murderer"! No matter how many times I've seen it, no matter that I can recite the whole thing from memory, I never pass up a chance to watch it. "The Princess Bride" is another awesome romantic comedy. And, again, one I know by heart ;)
i love those movies! sarah marshal is great, especially after a break up. i'm a sucker for you've got mail, something's gotta give, annie hall, and it's complicated.
ReplyDeletealso my best friends wedding, love the relationship with her and the gay best friend.
Oh, this is great. The Ethereal Weirdo and the 42 year old mother had me laughing out loud.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree - So I Married an Axe Murderer is so underrated! Mike Myers as the Scottish dad slays me. "HEED! Pants! Nuuuew!" "Look at the size of that noggin - its like an orange on a TUUUETHpick." "He's gonna cry himself to sleep on that HUUUGE pillah of his tonight." :)
I read this article last week. It's amazingly hilarious. My favorite romantic comedy which is more of a drama is The Holiday.
ReplyDeleteI loved Kaling's article - hilarious and dead-on. We need a few more female archetypes in the movies! That said, my favorite romantic comedies are:
ReplyDeleteStranger than Fiction; Bringing Up Baby (as well as the 1970's remake, What's Up Doc) - both are incredible; and Because I Said So.
Haha, read that story too, it was well done! She's so funny. I can't lie, I love "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "The Break Up." (probably inspired the art gallery reference)
ReplyDeleteHaha, they are all good in moderation!
I just love her, she's so so funny. Thanks for sharing, I hadn't seen this yet!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this was so funny.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE You've Got Mail and Return To Me!
ReplyDeleteoh i love that mindy kailing article SO much! i actually just blogged about "when harry met sally" and i totally forgot about "so i married an axe murderer"- hilarious!
ReplyDeleteFever Pitch, Dan in Real Life, You've Got Mail, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Baby Mama, Failure to Launch, Definitely Maybe, Sleepless in Seattle, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Family Stone, Love, Actually... Oh the list goes on and on..
ReplyDeletei'm such a sucker for romantic comedies...it's hard to pick just 1! the sweetest thing is a fave of my girlfriends and i. but i can't lie, i have a few that are chrfistmas related, sleepless in seattle, while you were sleeping and love actually. but if you ever need a list of more, i'm your gal!
ReplyDeleteooh Notting Hill for sure! And Bridgette Jones Diary (first one)
ReplyDeleteLove Mindy Kaling- so funny!
ReplyDeleteThis seems so random to me now, but I really like Addicted to Love, with Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan. I have it on VHS (ha), and watch it once in a blue moon. I need to see So I Married an Axe Murderer, apparently!
I am all about The Princess Bride and So I Married an Axe Murderer. Not traditional romantic comedies, but so, so great. We had an outdoor movie party a few summers ago and showed The Princess Bride. It was the best party we ever had. :)
ReplyDeleteKatie
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSo. Funny.
ReplyDeleteThe Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a favorite of mine. Someday, I'm going to be that person pointing at a random spot on the globe. :)
I loved what she said about the architects, because for me, it is so untrue. The college in my town has a good architecture program. I swear, every fifth person I meet is an architect.
I am a sucker for the classics. I love Jane Austen films and other period romances, like A Room With A View. They are my guilty pleasure. But my favorite is The Philadelphia Story. Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, Holiday, and Arsenic and Old Lace are great as well. I love Cary Grant. You can't go wrong with Roman Holiday or Breakfast At Tiffany's either.
ReplyDeleteSome modern romantic comedies that I enjoy are Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually and Notting Hill. Four Weddings And A Funeral is one of the best modern romantic comedies, as 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the best for teens.
And yes, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is another good one.
this is hilarious. she really got them right! the klutz was my fave.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry met Sally is definitely a favorite!
ReplyDeleteHave you seen TiMER? It was (might still be) an instant watch on Netflix and it is soooo good!
Loved this!
ReplyDeletePeople have already said this, but "Love Actually" will always be my favourite...
ReplyDeletewindeater.blogspot.com
What a fab article. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteharry and sally is def my absolute favorite. 'baby fishmouth!"
ReplyDelete"Something's Gotta Give". The part where she's hysterically crying and writing her play, and everything she sees makes her cry harder...that is my favorite part. I can totally relate to her!
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of which When Harry Met Sally is one but Love Actually I think is at the top.
ReplyDeleteSleepless in Seattle for sure! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis article made me laugh so hard just now!! Funny because so true.
ReplyDeleteI think my all time favorite is Sleepless in Seattle, oh and You've Got Mail. I guess I love Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks =)
And I just realized in Sleepless the cute guy, Tom, is totally an architect! Cracking up again, she really nailed it!
I love that she explained her love of romantic comedies with a willing suspension of disbelief. I always try (and fail) to explain my own love the genre without sounding unintelligent. Awesome article.
ReplyDeleteI loved that article! I especially liked her comment about working women always being portrayed with their hair in tight buns. Kind of reminded me of Lillith from the old series Cheers.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry met Sally is a classic. And I really liked The Proposal. Loved Betty White and Sandra Bullock and well.. Ryan Reynolds: need I say more?
ReplyDeleteGreat article - I love romantic comedies and am not afraid to say it! They are predictable and completely ridiculous sometimes but at the same time, the romance always gets me and I will find myself in a pool of my tears clutching a pint of ben and jerrys. My fav's are When Harry Met Sally (All-time fav) and the Holiday
ReplyDeleteMy faves are Bridget Jones and The Holiday...
ReplyDeleteLove Actually. I could watch that movie all day and still cry every time.
ReplyDeletelove
ReplyDeleteCurrently, still Notting Hill. It rotates out with You've Got Mail and 50 First Dates. Would you say The Princess Bride is a romcom? Sure it's for kids, but for some reason I know several guys (including linebacker types) who *love* this movie.
ReplyDeletegreat article! so true about the architect. why else did george costanza always want to say he was an architect?
ReplyDeleteem, haha, you're so right -- tom hanks is an architect in sleepless in seattle. hilarious.
ReplyDeleteHoly god... right on, Mindy Kaling. Right the hell on.
ReplyDeletep.s. I really liked Dan in Real Life...New England, big family (the dynamic was awesome) and the relationship between Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche's characters was unexpected and so sweet. Bonus was the Sondre Lerche soundtrack.
I love ALL romantic comedies but always love Because I Said So. It's sweet and funny! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! And I love the office :)
ReplyDelete'How to steal a million' 1966 - classic, and by far the best romantic movie I've ever seen. Audrey Hepburn plus Peter O'Toole...................................
ReplyDeleteI was soo amuzed by this article. And the funny thing is, being an architect myself, I am struggling to meet a guy who WOULD NOT BE AN ARCHITECT, but the sad thing is, I'm surrounded by them..and it's true - they DO NOT LOOK LIKE PATRICK DEMPSEY. at all.
And:
- Keanu Reeves in 'The Lake House'
- Steve Martin in 'the House sitter'
- Woody Harrelson in 'Indecent Proposal'
- Hendy Fonda in '12 angry men' <3
- Michael Keaton in 'White noise'
- Gary Cooper in 'Fountainhead'
- Tom Hanks in 'Sleepless in Seattle'
- Jud Law in 'Breaking ans Enetering' (landscape arch.)
- Adam Sandler in 'Click'
- Liam Neeson in 'Love Actually'
- Wesley Snipes in 'Jungle Fever'
- Tom Selleck in 'Three men and a baby'
- Zack Braff in 'The last kiss'
- Richard Gere in 'Intersection'
- Matthew Perry in 'Three to tango'
- Joseph Gordon Lewitt in '500 days of Summer'
- Jeff Bridges "fearless'
- Kevin Kline "life as a house'
- Mark Ruffalo 'just like heaven' (landscape arch.)
- Guillaume Canet in Jeux
- Steve Martin in 'It's complicated'
- Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia
- Kirk Douglas in Strangers When We Meet
but why there's no female-architect characters???
I absolutely loove Mindy Kaling! (And the Office!)
ReplyDeleteAnd mine would be Forgetting Sarah Marshall & Love actually (Also Away We Go, is one of my favorite movie but i don't think he fit in the romantic comedy section)
http://cansouplover.blogspot.com/
My favorites are Amelie, When Harry Met Sally, Strictly Ballroom, Love Actually, and Gosford Park (which I guess is a romantic comedy/murder mystery). I really want to see Crazy, Stupid, Love too.
ReplyDeleteSixteen Candles, people.
ReplyDeleteJake Ryan, I'm right here!!!!
withaplum.blogspot.com
Hilarious article. Love the parts about architects and klutzes. So true! My fave romantic comedies are Love Actually and Serendipity. I've seen both at least 80 times.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite rom-com's are "Love and Other Disasters" and anything by Woody Allen!!!!
ReplyDeletexo
Ginger
Hilarious article - I was making a list in my head of actresses who fit the bill (like Sandra Bullock for category #!!)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I recently got our first puppy- a mini dachshund and we named her Harriet. We think it is quite amusing to address her as "Harriet, sweet Harriet" a la So I Married An Axe Murderer. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so funny! I love anything with Julia Roberts! My best friends wedding , Pretty Woman are my favorite!
ReplyDeleteFrench Kiss is my all-time fave. That Meg Ryan...queen of RC. And Roman Holiday for classic RC.
ReplyDeleteFavorite romcom would have to be "One night at McCools" and "The Proposal". Although I'd probably watch just about any romcom with Sandra Bullock :)
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry Met Sally is my absolute favorite romantic comedy! And I also love Sleepless in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteAnd nothing to be ashamed of...Forgetting Sarah Marshall is hilarious!
Believe it or not, When Harry Met Sally and So I Married an Axe Murderer are two of my favorites as well. I'll add You've Got Mail, The Wedding Singer, That Thing You Do!, That Touch of Mink, and Pillow Talk to make my list complete. :)
ReplyDeleteJamie B.
I love So I Married An Axe Murderer! Have you seen Crazy Stupid Love?! It's so good!
ReplyDeletehahaha. i love this. in a movie i would be the ethereal weirdo! only i live in real life, so i'm not.
ReplyDeletewell I can watch when harry met sally, any day, any time, and i will feel better about life. also i have to throw in sleepless in seattle & you've got mail. meg ryan was killing it!
ReplyDeleteFor me it is hands down "Dan in Real Like" and " Fever Pitch"
ReplyDeleteI love her. Her and Tina...and Amy.
ReplyDeletei LOVE mindy kaling! her tweets are hilarious and i can't wait to get her book.
ReplyDeletebenrho98, i haven't seen it yet -- going to add to netflix queue right now :)
ReplyDeleteHannah and Her sisters is my favorite, but I also love Love Actually. It's my favorite holiday movie.
ReplyDeleteHahaaha, I had to laugh at the end sentences.. "There are, like, nine people in the entire world who are architects, and one of them is my dad. None of them look like Patrick Dempsey."
ReplyDeleteI laugh because, I married that one individual, who happens to be a stud, and be an architect (actually I guess its only half true, he is in the process of getting his certification). Sorry I just re-read that and that sounds boastful.. sorry. But it does seem true, a lot of chick flicks have the male lead having the profession of architect.
But I think the classic chic flicks that I love are While You Were Sleeping, My Fair Lady, and Some Like It Hot.
My all time fav = Runaway Bride
ReplyDeleteLove The Holiday, Bridget Jones, Love Actually, Axe Murderer and, kind of odd ball, but Run Fat Boy, Run.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there is always some super rich architect in these movies, though, which is funny, if you actually know any architects (because they really don't make very much money). Anyway, my hubby is an architect, and he's way cuter than Patrick Demsey:)
Hands down my favorite movie, not just romantic comedy is When Harry Met Sally!
ReplyDeleteshe's hilarious! Just read an article she wrote in glamour...sooo funny!
ReplyDeleteme dearly adored (since high school) - dharma and greg!
ReplyDeletemine would be: you've got mail (just adore meg & tom), the holiday (oh jude... those eyes and kate is always the best), family stone (gets me in a christmas mood), sleepless in seattle, love actually... only to name a few ;-) i'm a romcom L O V E R!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Bridget Jones' Diary, the book and movie!
ReplyDeleteOooh and if you have time for one more film, add Shall We Dance to your netflix queue too. The 1996 one starring Koji Yakusho. So sweet, unexpected, good writing, funny in an understated way.
ReplyDeleteI simply adore "When Happy Met Sally!" I also love "You've Got Mail" and "Sleepless in Seattle" - apparently I have a thing for Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan :)
ReplyDeleteomg...I LOVE When Harry Met Sally and So I Married and Axe Murderer...Mike Meyers is so hilarious. I wouldn't say that romcoms are my favorite but sometimes they just really hit the spot! other favorites include...You've Got Mail, Pretty Woman, Sleepless, he's just not that into you (saw this recently and liked it), anything with hugh grant love actually or about a boy anyone??), never been kissed, high fidelity (is this technically a romantic comedy? i love it)...
ReplyDeleteha! this article is SPOT-ON! the sassy best-friend, oh my word, i'm so tired of that one. thanks for sharing jo! xo.
ReplyDeleteooo two very good ones! I also love WHMS. I really liked Whats your Number? lol not sure how romantic it was lol but I thought it was pretty funny
ReplyDeleteOMG- I just read this article and am dying laughing. So so so so so true and I'm also guilty of loving a good (and bad) rom-com.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant Share. Great article. Siting it on my own blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hilary Anne
HA! My life is a romantic comedy, apparently! Cross that klutz (duh, 5'11" here - I swear, NONE of my other tall girlfriends are graceful, either) with the ethereal weirdo (we have to turn off the TV when that ad comes on with the abused animals and Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel" or I will just plain lose my shit and weep. Really, though, my childhood pet was taken and sacrificed by a wacko cult when I was a teen. Can you blame me? Can't make this stuff up), substituting the career woman's focus for the ethereal weirdo's spontaneity (dude, I'm getting a phd, I don't get out much; we're trying to plan my december birthday NOW because I haven't had time to celebrate it in years) and you've got my life.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, did I mention I'm married to an architect? No joke. I only wish they got paid as much as everyone seems to think...and that their field wasn't so vulnerable to twists of the economy. It's a dark time for architecture families, it's very bad right now.
I'm with Lucy! Or You've Got Mail. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are like the adorable couple you always eat dinner with -- me and my husband are like that...if it's not tooting our own stinking adorable horns.
ReplyDeleteI dated an architect, and no, he didn't look like Patrick Dempsey. But he DID look like Matthew Machoney. No problems with that :)
ReplyDeletei really enjoy when you write additional notes in your comments at the top of your posts, Jo. I haven't seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall at all, yet. Maybe one day.
ReplyDeletemy favourites are lost in translation and love actually. also loving the holiday xxx
I just watched Bridget Jones' Diary today, and I literally have a stack of about 20 dvds in my nightstand drawer that are all romantic comedies. Some of my favorites are 27 Dresses (which I've seen almost fifty times)or anything with Katherine Heigl for that matter, He's Just Not That Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Mean Girls, Jane Austen Book Club(though it's more of a drama), and of course those Christmas movies (Love Actually, the Holiday).
ReplyDeletei'm a sucker for you've obtained mail, something's gotta give, annie hall, and it's complicated.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone about to get andWOW Gold Eu, does anyone have some good suggestions to get the fast and safeRS Gold, please tell me and thanks a lot who can help me.
My go to list of rom com's reads like this You've Got Mail, the Wedding Date, Nottinghill, and last but never least, Just Friends, absolutely hilarious!!! Give me a comfy blanket, , dark chocolate and a glass of great red wine (The Prisoner by-Orrin Swift is yummy) and I'm in Heaven.....
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the Holiday- love it, it`s really good for not teenagers:)))
ReplyDelete