The most memorable British romantic comedies

The hook of “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is, seemingly, pretty unremarkable. It appears to be mostly, “What if there was a lady?” Bridget is not all that different from any female romantic comedy protagonist, but she’s British and she has a diary. The Renee Zellweger film was huge, though, so much so that it has now spawned three sequels.

Nancy Meyers is one of the foremost crafters of romantic comedies and inexplicably ornate house décor. Every kitchen in a Nancy Meyers movie seems to be a six-figure renovation. “The Holiday” sees Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz playing two women who do a house swap for the Christmas holiday, with the former going to California and the latter to England. Diaz then, of course, falls for Jude Law. So this is 75 percent a British rom-com, since half of it takes place in England and one of the leads is Winslet.

Jane Austen has become one of the biggest names in British literature, and her books have been adapted on numerous occasions. “Clueless” is even a take on “Emma.” There have been straightforward adaptations of the story of a woman who fancies herself a matchmaker even if her own romantic life is complicated. In the 1996 cinematic version, Gwyneth Paltrow plays Emma, and there was also another adaptation starring Anya Taylor-Joy released in 2020 to mostly positive reviews.

We have a rule around these parts: If it’s a romantic comedy and it stars Hugh Grant, it’s a British rom-com. No man exemplifies the idea of a British romantic comedy more than Grant. On top of that, “About a Boy” is based on a Nick Hornby novel and the kid is played by Nicholas Hoult, who has gone on to be a successful adult actor as well. The film is set in London to boot! If there is any quibble about “About a Boy,” it’s that it’s more of a romantic dramedy, but it still counts.

A famous American actress falls for a British bookstore owner in the titular London neighborhood. That’s a rom-com premise if we’ve ever heard one. If that wasn’t enough, the British guy is played by, yes, Hugh Grant, and the American actress is played by Julia Roberts. Those are two icons of the genre.

This is arguably the quintessential British rom-com. It was a huge hit and was even nominated for Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. The BAFTAs, naturally, loved it. Mike Newell directed, Richard Curtis penned it, and Grant, of course, starred. Even if you don’t think “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is the best romantic comedy, it’s certainly one of the most British (without being too British to make sense to an American audience).

In part due to his success as a screenwriter, Curtis both wrote and directed “Love Actually.” The pendulum has swung a little too far on this ensemble rom-com, in our opinion. At first the general consensus was that it was a delightful rom-com and a really good movie. Then, people started picking it apart, reasonably so, but that curdled into the idea that “Love Actually” is not just terrible but particularly problematic. Both poles are too far, as we’d call “Love Actually” uneven but totally fine.

William Shakespeare wrote a lot of tragedies (and a whole bunch of sonnets, as LFO told us), but also plenty of comedies. Ahh, but what if there was a romantic comedy about Shakespeare being in love? Unfortunately, time has not been kind to “Shakespeare in Love” for reasons having nothing to do with the movie, which is solid. It won Best Picture over “Saving Private Ryan,” which annoyed people enough as is. Then, even those who aren’t Oscars aficionados became aware of the narrative that one of the movie’s producers aggressively strong-armed voters to try and get it Best Picture. That producer, well, his initials are “H.W.” and certain revelations (and criminal convictions) eventually made any movie he touched utterly toxic to many.

Ridley Scott has directed movies like “Alien” and “Gladiator” and “Napoleon.” He also managed to helm a romantic comedy in the mix with all his sci-fi and action movies. “A Good Year” is one of a few movies Scott has made with Russell Crowe. Now, Crowe was born in New Zealander but has spent much of his life in Australia, and in this film he plays a Londoner who inherits a French vineyard, while the young version of Crowe’s character is played by the decidedly British Freddie Highmore.

Kicking it old school! British rom-coms existed before Hugh Grant! The tagline exemplifies a classic romantic comedy conceit: “They had the perfect love affair. Until they fell in love.” George Segal is having an affair with Glenda Jackson, a recently divorced woman looking for some stress-free romance. Of course, feelings have to develop. Jackson actually won Best Actress for “A Touch of Class.” The Oscars loved her, as she was nominated four times in the 1970s, winning twice.

As we often say, “memorable” doesn’t inherently equate to “good.” “Last Christmas” is more based on the Wham! song than one might think. In a literal way. Emilia Clarke plays a woman employed at a Christmas store who falls for a guy played by Henry Golding. Well, spoiler, Golding turns out to be the ghost of the man who she got her heart transplant from. Yes, last Christmas he gave her his heart.

“Romeo and Juliet” is the most famous of Shakespeare’s plays, but it is not a comedy. How do you make it comedic? Well, you remove the teenagers committing suıcide, for starters. Then, you make everybody a garden gnome. Rest assured, this is a British rom-com. Take a look at the voice cast if you need proof of that. Then they did a sequel called “Sherlock Gnomes” and Johnny Depp, of all people, voiced Sherlock.

You might be thinking, “Wait a second, how is a movie starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore set in Boston at all British?” That’s the American adaptation of “Fever Pitch.” The original film is British, and it is based on a memoir by Nick Hornby. Naturally, instead of baseball, it’s focused on soccer (or football, as it were). Colin Firth is not a Red Sox fan, but a massive Arsenal fan.

Look, “Mickey Blue Eyes” stars Hugh Grant and the fact he’s British is crucial to the story. That is enough to get it on this list. Grant plays an auctioneer from London who lives and works in New York and is engaged to an American woman. It turns out most of her family, including her father, have Mafia ties. Complications ensue, and Grant gets a ton of opportunities to be befuddled and flummoxed in his oh-so-British way.

Keri Russell is playing an American woman who is obsessed with the Colin Firth BBC miniseries version of “Pride and Prejudice,” so clearly “Austenland” is tied into the history of British romance. In this rom-com, Russell’s character goes to a place in England called, well, Austenland, which is a Jane Austen-themed resort. It’s one of the most meta takes on the British romantic comedy, which certainly helps it stand out.

It only makes sense to end things with a Shakespeare adaptation. Well, a proper one, one without garden gnomes. The 1993 version of “Much Ado About Nothing” is a great one to go with, because this cast is insanely stacked. Sure, naturally Kenneth Branagh starred and directed, but beyond him there’s Emma Thompson, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, a debuting Kate Beckinsale, and freakin’ Denzel Washington. If you’ve never seen an adaptation of a Shakespeare rom-com, this is probably the one to start with.