50 First Dates

50 First Dates stars Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and was released in 2004. It takes place in Hawaii and is about a man who is afraid of committing to a serious relationship with any woman, until he finally meets the girl of his dreams he falls in love with. The problem is that she suffers from head trauma and can only remember in 24 hour spans. So everyday she wakes up and remembers nothing from the day before.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Released in 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is an independent romantic comedy based on a one-woman play. The play was written by Nia Vardalos who starred in the play and movie. It’s about her Greek Orthodox family and the events surrounding her own wedding to a non-Greek man. The play was successful and garnered a lot of attention from Hollywood. The film was the highest grossing romantic comedy of all time making 241 million dollars, until the film Sing made 268 million dollars. The film is smart, witty and very quotable. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best original screenplay in 2003.

500 Days of Summer

500 Days of Summer is another independent romantic film that was very successful. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel as two young professionals and their relationship. The film deals with the theme of “true love” and if such a concept exists. The plot is interesting because the story is told in a non-linear fashion. The movie’s budget was 7.5 million dollars and made over 60 million world wide.

When Harry Met Sally

When Harry Met Sally is a 1989 romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The plot follows a man and woman named Harry and Sally and their relationship over a 12 year span. It’s an unconventional love story because it doesn’t show them dating. Instead the plot is about them randomly encountering each other in New York City. The film explores the question' “Can a man and woman only be friends?” The movie also shows snippets of fictitious interviews of older married couples telling the stories of how they met. The script was nominated for an Oscar.

Pretty In Pink

Written by the legendary film maker John Hughes, Pretty in Pink is about high school students navigating through their social cliques and love lives. The film explores first loves, class division and jealously. The film stars Molly Ringwald and John Cryer. Like many of John Hughe’s films it has become a cult classic.

The Wedding Singer

Another romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, The Wedding Singer is about an aspiring rock star in the 1980’s who pays the bills by singing at weddings. However when he loses his ambition for that lifestyle his fiancé breaks up with him. He then starts to fall in love with his friend Julia (played by Barrymore) who is engaged to a man cheating on her. The film’s budget was 18 million dollars and made 123 million world wide.

Love Actually

Love Actually is a Christmas romantic comedy released in 2003. Set in London the plot contains 10 different stories that are interwoven together. The movie has a large ensemble cast. The movie’s budget was 45 million dollars and it made 247 million world wide. It was nominated for a Golden Globe and is considered a modern day Christmas classic.

Lost In Translation

Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Lost In Translation stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. It’s about an actor on the downside of his career who goes to Tokyo to shoot a whiskey commercial. At his hotel he meets and befriends a college graduate named Charlotte. They confide in each other as he is having a mid life crisis and she is having marriage problems. The film was nominated for 4 Oscars winning Best original Screenplay. Off of a 4 million dollar budget the film made 119 million.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. stars the ensemble cast of Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Kevin Bacon. It’s a romantic comedy about a newly divorced father who gets advice from a womanizer on how to pick up woman and get back into the dating game. The movie was made for roughly 50 million dollars and went on to make 142 million. Ryan Gosling was nominated for a Golden Globe of Best Actor for his performance.

Along Came Polly

Released in 2004, Along Came Polly stars Ben Stiller, Jennifer Anniston and Philip Seymore Hoffman. It’s about a man who gets cheated on by his wife at their honeymoon. After he returns home he starts dating an old class mate of his named Polly. Things go well until his wife returns and wants to mend their relationship. It had a budget of 40 million dollars and made 173 million worldwide.

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