50 iconic rom-coms everyone should see at least once

She's just a girl, standing there, telling a guy that he loves her. Well, she's actually a movie star played by Julia Roberts, but you get the point. Notting Hill is one of the best films about a couple making it last despite their differences. 

It's a rom-com starring Tom Hanks, which means you can expect some laughs, some tears and an ending where everything comes together perfectly. I mean, this is a Seattle movie where it never rains! Nora Ephron brings a sunny energy to the story of two strangers falling in love. 

When Harry Met Sally, they were friends in college with almost no attraction to each other. Over the years, things change in ways that are funny, surprising, and surprisingly moving in this Nora Ephron comedy.

Yes, this is the movie where John Cusack puts a speaker over his head. But it's so much more than that. A dark, twisted, and occasionally depressing look at teenage romance, Say Anything says a lot about the mania of teenage love. 

Who let this guy babysit? In this classic rom-com, Hugh Grant plays a slob who gets tasked with watching a young boy at home. Over the course of weeks, he learns to grow through his experience and eventually finds his soulmate, the last thing he expects to find while watching a child. 

This Technicolor classic brings new meaning to "till death do us part." When a fighter pilot dies in a plane crash, he escapes from the "afterlife" to see his love back in England. In a swirl of dreamy colors, ethereal set-pieces, and ecstatically operatic moments, the directors Powell and Pressberger deliver a monumental ode to true love. 

Arguably the funniest movie ever made--actually, scratch that, most likely the funniest movie ever made. The Naked Gun is a police spoof that has more great jokes than any other movie ever. 

Italy? Check. Pasta? Check. Diane Lane looking for love? Check. Checkout this rom-com for an escapist glass of cinema. 

Did you really think we would leave Clueless off our list? As if! This rom-com about a matchmaker in high school is a genius spin on Jane Austen's Emma.

There's snapping. There's dancing. There's John Travolta acting like a total weirdo. There's a lot of fun in this musical about high schoolers falling in love, not least of which is the outfits that look searingly dated.

Ben Stiller can't catch a break in this outrageously funny comedy about a loser who falls for the endlessly attractive Cameron Diaz. The scene where he gets mistaken for a murderer had me rolling on the floor with laughter.

This is the kind of rom-com that just makes you feel good. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz swap homes for Christmas and get the gift of love, splendid locations, fashionable outfits and inner peace.

Maybe the most fantastic rom-com ever made. Charlie Chaplin's romance opens your eyes to the meaning of true love. When his character runs into his girlfriend who can suddenly see--and sees him as a man in rags and doesn't care--it may melt your heart into a puddle of joy. There are no words to describe this movie's ending and not enough tissues in your house to clean up the tears from your couch.

Romantic comedies don't get much more classic than It Happened One Night. Often cited as the first-ever rom-com, the screwball comedy about a reporter hired to track down a runaway daughter is packed with funny entendres.

This is hardly the vision of romance we want in our lives, but it's an original, energetic and entertaining journey nonetheless. Francois Truffaut's film breathes with youthful energy and creative abandon, filmmaking techniques that defined his early films and a love for cinema that is palpable and pleasurable. 

Italy, pasta and Audrey Hepburn make for a cinematic dish like no other. Her breakout role as a princess going undercover in Rome is every bit as unvarnished as the monuments that surround her character. 

Carey Grant is to screwball comedies what Hugh Grant is to 90s rom-coms--a bumbling character who wins you over with his buffoonish charms. Grant's scientist falls for Hepburn's heroine and it's comedy gold.

Show me the money! Show me the jokes! Show me the rekindled romance between Tom Cruise and his love interest! Show me Jerry Maguire, a comedy that sells the promise of true love. 

Adam Sandler has made a lot of terrible rom-coms in his day. But this comedy about a wedding singer falling in love is actually quite good, with an ending that could be described as...emotional? 

An instant classic. This comedy about a girl who gets cancer and her love interest's desire to stick it out could have been another terminally bad cancer movie, but instead, it winds up being a hysterical and heartfelt romantic comedy.

Car chases aren't what you think of when you think of romantic comedy. But hey, this rom-com about Burt Reynolds, his buddy, and his love interest driving across the country with beer in the trunk and cops on their tail is a rollicking entry to the genre.

Opa!  There are a lot of laughs in this comedy about a man getting thrown into the wacky antics of his girlfriend's family.

A princess gets sent to reality, finds true love and learns about her herself in a comedy that is trite on paper yet winning in execution. Thanks to Amy Adams' performance, this film is actually quite enjoyable. 

A woman sets out to make everyone's life better in this whimsical comedy, and let Amelie into you life, and she might do the the same for you. This is a joyously optimistic movie that only becomes more joyous when the main character finds true love. 

There are definitely some problems with this movie--the next-door neighbor is a dated caricature, the mood is really dark, and the movie's romance isn't great. But hey, it's got Audrey Hepburn sparkling like a million diamonds and some fantastic filmmaking techniques, which earns it a spot on our list.

A colorful musical that turns a small village into an explosion of pastel hues, The Young Girls of Rochefort is one of the most aesthetically beautiful films ever made. As the citizens of this movie search for love, they do so in highly stunning locations. 

It's nice to see a movie about someone finding true love after a breakup, especially a movie as funny as this film. There are some incredibly humorous moments in this comedy about bouncing back from heartbreak. 

Adam Sandler is a great actor, but he's not often in great films. When he collaborates with auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson, however, Sandler proves to be one of the greatest actors around. In this bizarre romance, Sandler delivers an incredible performance as a lunatic in love. 

Woody Allen's love letter to romance, comedy and his hometown is a classic for a reason. It's a personal journey through the mind of its director, which can be messy, genius, frustrating, and magnificent.

This is a near-perfect rom-com. With its slapstick humor, silly gags, and incomparable Marilyn Monroe, the story of cross-dressing musicians remains a comedic classic.

Who says animated movies can't be rom-coms? This Disney movie has romance and comedy, along with fantasy, action and horror. It remains one of the most inventive films Disney has ever made.

Who says movies about a robot can't be a rom-com? Wall-E is an incredibly romantic comedy about a robot who finds love where you least expect it. 

This is not only one of the most beautiful movies ever made, it's one of the most romantic as well. When a fish becomes a human, she falls in love with another child. In a tidal wave of lyrical and emotional moments, Hayao Miyzaki reminds why he is animation's greatest director. 

There's comedy, romance, and people falling in love in Federico Fellini's reminiscence about his childhood, which is one of the most escapist films ever made. There aren't many movies you'd want to visit more than Amarcord, a dazzling, colorful, humorous and whimsical look at Fellini's childhood.

Another Tom Hanks rom-com, which means comedy, romance and perfect endings are going to unfold on screen. Plus, you can expect Hanks to fall in love with Meg Ryan.

A flower in a graveyard, Harold and Maude find beauty in the unlikeliest of places. When a grandma and a young man fall in love, they valiantly be themselves in a cinematic void of conformity. It's a magnificently optimistic film to watch and very funny as well. 

Okay, so the film is directed by Woody Allen, which might steer some viewers away from this rom-com. That being said, there aren't many films as witty, unique, and intelligent as this comedy about lovers who weren't meant to be. Some might even call it "Kafka-esque."

It's kismet--these two characters are meant for each other and are the source of many laughs in Silver Linings Playbook. A bleak rom-com, this movie finds silver linings in its saddest of moments. 

Ryan Gosling, in the rain, with the love of his life. Women still get drenched watching the ending of The Notebook alone on their couch. 

Ryan Gosling as a stuntman, charming up Emily Blunt while being incredibly comedic? That's what makes The Fall Guy so dang good. It's a movie that showcases the best of Gosling's charms, which is why it might be an instant classic.

Is Love Story a comedy? In parts, but it's really a devastating tragedy that started the cancer trend in movies. Get out those tissues; this one is a tear-jerker.

Is this the best child performance ever? Maybe. Is it a romantic comedy that's enjoyable to watch? Absolutely! Lindsay Lohan delivers one of the great child performances as sisters trying to get their parents back together.

Watching Ferris Bueller ditch school is one of the most enjoyable things in movies. It's a movie with romance, comedy, life lessons, and incredibly memorable moments.

Wes Anderson's best film is about a high school student falling for his teacher. Sweet, charming, and precocious, Rushmore is Anderson at his most whimsical. 

There's romance at summer camp when two characters meet on the dance floor in Dirty Dancing. A movie that positively grooves, Dirty Dancing is a classic with flow. 

Do bromances count for a rom-com list? If so, then this comedy about adult step-brothers acting like children is one of the best of them all.

The best Jane Austen adaptation ever, Sense and Sensibility is a romantic comedy with heart. It's about two sisters who search for love and find it amidst gorgeous landscapes and fun jokes in Ang Lee's film. 

Two singles find a connection over the course of a day in Before Sunrise. Unfolding in long camera takes and realistic dialogue, Before Sunrise is an escapist stroll through the avenues of their newfound love. 

There's humor, romance, and lots of room on that door in Titanic. A rom-com with a side of tragedy.

Is there a more enjoyable fantasy movie out there? Inconceivable! The Princess Bride is a wonderful movie in every way.