Top Ten Romantic Comedies

As my last entry was undoubtedly testosterone fueled, I thought I'd pander to those of the estrogen persuasion today. Here's my first, complete top ten list, and as romantic comedy is just about my favorite genre, at least the genre in which I like even the majority of the bad entries, I thought I'd start with that. Let it be known that these are my own personal favorites and not intended to make judgments on all the other excellent romantic comedies out there.

• 10 - Bridget Jones' Diary (2001): How can you not love Renee' Zellweger's adorable loser? She makes a continuous fool out of her self, often with drink and ciggy in hand, curses like a sailor and always says the most inappropriate things. Hopelessly flawed, but completely lovable. The story is loosely based on "Pride & Prejudice" (love!) and it didn't hurt having the BBC Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth, step into the role. Also gets big kudos for the most pathetically hilarious fight and for casting Hugh Grant in the first of his "charming cad" personas, a role he was born to play.
• 9 - Love, Actually (2003): As saccharinely sweet as films come, I love all these tales of people finding love at Christmastime. My favorites are Hugh Grant (again, and not for the last time) as the Prime Minister with a crush on his catering manager and a young boy who finds the "love of his life" just after his mother has died. He is seriously the cutest child I've ever seen and says things like, "Come on! Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love!" Most of the tales end happily, with lots of charm and a lack of real problems, and only Emma Thompson's grievous discovery of her husband's infidelity saves the film from a total sugar-overdose.
  
• 8 - French Kiss (1995): One of my favorites for its dialogue - I was quoting this one for months afterward, still am! Kate (Meg Ryan) follows her erstwhile fiance' across the ocean after being dumped and takes up with Frenchman Luc (Kevin Kline, nails the accent and comedy). I love watching her uptight control-freak gradually relax under the influence of his sloppy, manipulative charmer. And it contains the sublimely amusing song that ends, "I hate Paris, because my love is there.....with his slut girlfriend."
  
• 7 - The Truth About Cats and Dogs (1996): This female-take on the Cyrano de Bergerac tale works because Uma Thurman and Janeane Garaffalo nail their respective roles. Garaffalo is the funny, cynical "ugly duckling" who uses Thurman's beautiful, air-headed "swan" to win the man of their dreams. But what really sells me is the friendship between these women: Garaffalo is vulnerable and easily hurt, while Thurman is grateful to have a friend who builds her up rather than tear her down.
  
• 6 - Keeping the Faith (2000): The unlikely tale of a priest (Edward Norton) and a rabbi (Ben Stiller) who are best friends, completely support each other's faiths, and both fall for the same fun-loving, corporate gal-pal (Jenna Elfman). I've never found Edward Norton funnier, Ben Stiller sexier, and Jenna Elfman just glows - seriously, she's luminous. I want to date her, or at the very least make her my best friend. And the movie allows our priest and rabbi to be flawed people while simultaneously taking their faith seriously.
  
• 5 - Two Weeks Notice (2002): Charming corporate stooge is taught life lessons by noble, rigid do-gooder, and whaddaya know, they fall in love. We've seen this story before, but what is comes down to is the chemistry between Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock. Not only are they convincing as potential lovers, but they really sell me on their friendship. They complement each other completely - just watch them share a salad. Plus, it has this priceless exchange: "I've never seen you cry before. (pause) Well, except when Bush won." "Which one?"
  
• 4 - Never Been Kissed (1999): This was the year Drew Barrymore became a true movie star. She mastered physical comedy, wasn't afraid to look ugly and perfected that hopeful, childlike quality for which we love her. I really cared about her happiness in this movie and when she finally does get kissed, it's superbly scored with the Beach Boys "Don't Worry Baby."
  
• 3 - Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994): You know all those films where the hero has a large group of eccentric friends that act as his family? This is the film that started it all. Hugh Grant (last time on the list, I swear) broke into the big time as the stuttering, inarticulate hero, forever meeting the love of his life (Andie MacDowell) at weddings. But what hilarious weddings: being confronted by a table of exes at your reception table, stuck in a closet while the bride and groom noisily make love in the same room, and making horrendous wedding toasts - classic! And containing one of the saddest and most moving movie funerals I've ever seen.
  
• 2 - You've Got Mail (1998): While Sleepless in Seattle has the unabashed romanticism, I prefer Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks at their snarky best, hurling insults back and forth, all the while falling in love over the Internet. It features outstanding supporting performances from Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Dabney Coleman and a pre-fame Dave Chappelle. Hanks gets to have a mean streak and Ryan is perfectly manipulated into falling in love with him. And the scene where Ryan has to close her mother's bookstore forever always gets me crying.
  
• 1 - While You Were Sleeping (1995): Sandra Bullock plays her most endearing character, Lucy, a sweet romantic without any family, who falls in love with a guy in a coma. But his family! Yes, they're eccentric, but not unbelievably so, and they have so much love for one another and for Lucy. They embrace her wholeheartedly and watching her have the family she has so missed just makes the movie for me. It contains a fantastic family dinner sequence (a favorite scene in my family) and Bill Pullman is the perfect actor for Lucy to finally fall in real love with.

Go ahead and speak up with your favorite romantic comedies! Also, we haven't resolved our "Who'd Win in a Fight" discussion, at least not to my satisfaction, so go ahead and post your winners down there.