The best rom-coms to watch in the summer

Summer is officially wedding season, so, of course, one of the best rom-coms to watch this season is all about wedding festivities. Between the bridesmaid dress montage and James Marsden and Katherine Heigl belting out “Bennie and the Jets,” there’s a lot to love about 27 Dresses, and it’s particularly endearing in the summertime. 

A summertime classic, Mystic Pizza will have you wishing you were spending your summer in Connecticut. With an idyllic and peaceful setting, this rom-com is devastatingly relatable, and it’s proof that Julia Roberts was always meant to be a star. Mystic Pizza hits different from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

Few movies are as eternally satisfying to watch as 13 Going on 30 . Jennifer Garner tackling her career in New York City only to reunite with Mark Ruffalo is high cinema, and each of her outfits serves as major warm-weather outfit inspiration no matter how old the movie becomes. 

With Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone in a cast, there’s no way this movie could’ve been bad. Hilarious and endearing, Crazy, Stupid, Love is a good watch any time of the year, but since it culminates at graduation, it’s perfect to start a summer of rom-coms. 

We’d be remiss not to mention at least one rom-com from old Hollywood, and Roman Holiday is one of the best. We’d all love to spend our days milling about in Italy, and if watching Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn do it is the closest we can get this summer, we’ll take it. 

There’s something so wonderful about ‘80s movies, and The Princess Bride is one of the best. Though you won’t be able to recreate the same magic captured in this movie, watching it will have you craving adventure, and watching it in the summer will give you the best chance of actually having it. 

No, there’s never a wrong time to watch a young Hugh Grant, but there is a prime time to watch a young Hugh Grant, and that time is the summer. Four Weddings and a Funeral won’t have you wishing for a funeral, but it will have you wishing you had multiple weddings to attend in hopes of running into the same single hottie over and over again. 

Palm Springs isn’t your typical rom-com, but Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti are fantastic in this time-loop film set in the titular town. If you watch Groundhog Day every Groundhog Day, you’ll want to start watching Palm Springs every summer. It’s not old enough to reach classic status, but it will eventually. 

If you can’t actually take a vacation to Singapore, pretend you can by watching Crazy Rich Asians on repeat this summer. Starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians is full of heart and chemistry, and its setting is to die for. 

Bridesmaids is a perfect watch. Kristen Wiig’s antics paired with Maya Rudolph’s fantastic sass and the rest of her bridal party’s absurdity make for a great movie night whether you’re preparing for a wedding yourself or just need some comic relief. This is a film that’ll never get old. 

One of Judd Apatow’s best, Knocked Up features great rom-com performances from some of the genre’s heaviest hitters, Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen. It’s made even better by its supporting cast of Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd, and it’ll remind you that even the most inopportune situations this summer brings can be handled with a good sense of humor.

Though the summer in the title of this movie refers to the main character’s love interest and not the season, (500) Days of Summer is still a fantastic watch in the warmer months. No matter where you stand on Tom and Summer, it’s an undeniably endearing film. Try not to get “You Make My Dreams” stuck in your head after watching it. 

Summer is the season for all the rom-coms about weddings. And let’s face it, Julia Roberts and a wedding make for the perfect rom-com. Bittersweet and captivating, My Best Friend’s Wedding is major evidence for the argument that Roberts is the rom-com queen, and it’s an excellent watch for anyone looking to escape the heat. 

There’s a reason My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a comfort film for so many. It’s sweet and charming, and Nia Vardalos and John Corbett are perfect together. If this film doesn’t have you craving a Greek wedding of your own, it’ll at least have you craving an invitation to one. 

Rachel McAdams has oddly starred in two films where she’s married to a time traveler, and of the two, About Time is the more light-hearted. Take light-hearted with a grain of salt, though. While it is a rom-com, it’ll also have you bawling like a baby when it’s all said and done. 

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in Hawaii? What could possibly be more fun to watch in the summertime than that? 50 First Dates’ unique plot makes for an enjoyable watch. It’s funny and delightful, and the only bad thing is that it’s a reminder of how much better rom-coms were 20 years ago. 

Another rom-com from old Hollywood, Breakfast at Tiffany’s will have you wishing for rain this summer, even if you don’t own a cat or haven’t made a struggling writer fall in love with you. It’s also the perfect reminder that luxury is a state of mind, and you can still have a boujie summer even if you’re a little low on funds. 

A Drew Barrymore rom-com is always worth watching, but Fever Pitch is especially good in the summer. A remake of the 1997 film of the same name, this adaptation centers around baseball instead of soccer, and you’ll be itching for both a summer romance and a hot dog at a stadium in the same breath. 

If How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days only does one thing for you, it’ll make you wonder why Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey didn’t star in more movies together (we’re ignoring Fool’s Gold). It’ll likely do more for you, like fill you with happiness and inspire you to ride a Vespa. 

Any movie set in Los Angeles can be watched in the summertime, and La La Land is no exception. If you need a good rom-com musical to watch this summer, this is the one. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are radiant, and it’s worth all the praise it continues to receive.