The 3. 4 Best Romantic Comedies of the Past Decade, and Where to Stream Them. Despite reports to the contrary, the romantic comedy is not dead. On television and in film, creators have been granted the freedom to upend traditional expectations for the genre. Glossy candlelit love scenes are out, replaced by rawer and more naturalistic depictions of sex. Z' alt='Romantic Horror Movies Hop ' title='Romantic Horror Movies Hop ' />Available to stream on Netflix. In a World. 2013 Like Greenberg, In a World. Though the movie is. Good list of top hollywood breakdancing, street dance, hiphop, club battle films released on dvd and netflix in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 20. Happy endings, too, have given way to bittersweet conclusions and melancholy. And while there are still plenty of projects about good looking white people falling in love in New York, the explosion of creative outlets available has also led to new voices and new kinds of romances. Most of all, though, the romantic comedy in 2. Projects like Crazy Ex Girlfriend and The Lobster delight in twisting rom com tropes, while movies like The Proposal and Silver Linings Playbook prove theres more than one way to play them straight. Theres room for all of them on our list of the best romantic comedies of the past ten years. Crazy Ex Girlfriend 2. When you call her crazy, youre just calling her in love. Thats a line from the season two theme song for this daffy and savage musical rom com, and its a fair summary of what Crazy Ex Girlfriend is about the wrongheaded idea, often perpetuated by romantic comedies, that women are emotionally unstable and willing to do anything to snag a man. Of course, protagonist Rebecca Bunch, played by the unceasingly energetic Rachel Bloom, is emotionally unstable and, as the series begins, willing to do anything to snag her man of choice, including spontaneously moving all the way across the country. But the sharp honesty of the song and dance numbers Settle for Me, the breakup ode It Was a Shit Show, the delusional Well Never Have Problems Again and the romantic disappointments that befall every character are confirmation that whats actually crazy are the fairy tales and rom coms that brainwashed Rebecca Bunch in the first place. Jen Chaney. Season one available to stream on Netflix. Season two available to stream at CWtv. Her 2. 01. 4A movie in which a piece of technology falls in love with a human Yeah, thats been done before. See 1. 98. 4s Electric Dreams. But Spike Jonze imagines the romantic possibilities in a more modern, richly constructed, deep, absurd, and sobering narrative thats just right for these digitally dominated times. In Her, the meet cute between Theodore Joaquin Phoenix and Samantha voice of Scarlett Johansson is really a voice only encounter between a man and his Siri or Alexa. But it leads to flirtation, then sexual attraction, and then possibly genuine feeling, raising the question Can a man love a woman when the woman is not real If conventional rom coms overlook the concerns and emotions a real woman might express, this one took that a step further by cutting out the real woman altogether, and showing us how impossible it is to exist in a partnership when one partner isnt fully present. JCAvailable to rent on Amazon. Youre the Worst 2. Gretchen Aya Cash and Jimmy Chris Geere hook up in the first episode of Youre the Worst after begrudgingly attending a wedding. Both are adamant that their encounter will not lead to a long term relationship. But of course it does, and these two horribly selfish, unethical people teach each other to find the better angels in their natures. No, wait. Thats not what happens at all. Film Noir Cartoons Wonder Woman here. The relationship continues but these two reprobates keep on being the kind of assholes who cheat and stalk and get off on visiting murder scenes, even though it seems like maybe they could love each other in a real way. When most of the characters on this show wade into even mildly sentimental waters, they dash out of the ocean screaming in horror and running as fast as they can. In this L. A. story, everyone is awful. Thats why its the best. JCSeasons one and two available to stream on Hulu. Season three available to buy on Amazon. Catastrophe 2. 01. Truly, a romance between two adults Catastrophe, created and written by the transatlantic duo of Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, starts with the premise of what might happen when two fairly mature and reasonable people have a vacation relationship lots of sex, accidentally conceive a baby, and then decide to keep it and raise it together. The show never gets cloying, in part because our protagonists are too gimlet eyed to fall for any bullshit, ooey gooey courtship, but also because having a child when youre no longer 2. Catastrophe always brings a reality smackdown to keep our characters tethered to the ground, but it keeps the faith that the couple, and the viewers, are in this. E. Alex Jung. Available to stream on Amazon Prime. Knocked Up 2. 00. Hailed as an instant classic upon its release, Knocked Up, in many ways, set the template for the next decade of rom coms. Sex here isnt a consummation instead, it happens early and awkwardly. While there is a plot, director Judd Apatow makes plenty of time for lazy scenes of 2. And above all, its unafraid to get depressing, showing all the ways both single life and domesticity can crush a persons soul. That schlubby Seth Rogen is paired up with beautiful Katherine Heigl was less revolutionary, but would be no less common in the rom coms that followed. Nate Jones. Available to rent on Amazon. Bridesmaids 2. 01. After the success of Judd Apatow films like The 4. Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, it felt like the rom com was officially shifting its attention toward man child protagonists. But Bridesmaids, released in 2. Apatow, put its manicured hands on either side of the camera and forcefully tugged the focus onto the women. The movie earned a lot of attention for being a box office smash that was both female and filthy, prompting crude women across America to respond by belching the words, Really Were like this all the time. What was more remarkable about Bridesmaids, aside from its two Oscar nominations, including one for best original screenplay, was its focus on the falling out and rekindling of feeling between the bride Maya Rudolph and her blundering maid of honor Kristen Wiig, who shared a much more obvious chemistry than the soon to be husband and wife. JCAvailable to rent on Amazon. Obvious Child 2. Just as Donna Jenny Slate is about to tell the man she had a one night stand with that shes pregnant and has decided to get an abortion, he holds a butter packet between his palm, warming it for her. Its an innocent and disarming moment, very Tom Hanks in a Nora Ephron film thing to do. Obvious Child is full of these cutsey moments that blend sweetness and frankness. Slate plays Donna with the perfect mix of humor and immaturity, while Jake Lacys Max is charming, and a little lame the two of them have an uncanny chemistry that works better as intimacy than full on sex appeal, which matches the movies perceptiveness about the awkwardness of a new romance. Hunter Harris. Available to stream on Amazon Prime. Jane the Virgin 2. In its earliest episodes, Jane the Virgin appears to be a classic romantic comedy uncomplicated by ambiguity, unhappy endings, or the mundane realities of normal life that have come to characterize more modern romance stories. Theres a love triangle, theres a pregnancy, there are breakups and reunions and comedic obstacles. But Jane the Virgins modernity is both underplayed and profound. As the show progresses, the high flying fantasyland elements are largely reserved for its melodramatic telenovela plots, while Janes personal life becomes one of the most grounded, emotionally realistic elements of the show. She struggles to balance parenting responsibilities with her sons father, and the sex with her new husband isnt great at first. Jane the Virgins insistence on her everyday humanity, combined with its simultaneous commitment to her happiness is quietly, ebulliently modern. Kathryn Van. Arendonk.