Predictability can be a sore spot when it comes to romantic comedies, but a story that follows a formula isn't always a problem. To some degree, audiences expect and even demand that romantic leads will fall for each other by the time the credits roll. As viewers, we rarely question if two people will end up together, but wonder if we'll be convinced of how they found their happily ever after.
The best movies in the genre take the time to develop their characters and offer insight into why these two people — who are often polar opposites — would believably wind up together. They also usually have at least one really great musical number, but it's not a requirement.
Here are 11 must-see romantic comedies.
"Splash" (1984)
"Splash" is basically "The Little Mermaid" combined with elements of "ET: The Extraterrestrial." This classic '80s rom-com stars Daryl Hannah as a mermaid who saves a man (Tom Hanks) from drowning and sets off to find him in New York City.
The two meet and fall in love, but their happy ending hits choppy waters when Hannah's character is kidnapped by government officials and Hanks has to save her. The movie isn't without its problems and certain jokes simply don't land as intended for a viewer in 2018. Still, you'll definitely want to see the original fish-out-of-water movie before Channing Tatum tries on a tail of his own in the gender-swapped remake that's already in the works.
"Moonstruck" (1987)
Cher stars as a widowed bookkeeper who falls in love with her fiancé's younger brother, Ronny, played by Nicolas Cage. "Moonstruck" is screwball comedy that is loud, over-the-top, and full of amazing performances (Cher and co-star Olympia Dukakis both won Oscars for their roles). It can be frustrating to watch the film romanticize Ronny's instability, but his monologue about love is pretty on the nose ("Love don't make things nice, it ruins everything, it breaks your heart, it makes things a mess ... We are here to ruin ourselves and break our hearts and love the wrong people and die.").
"Coming to America" (1988)
Easily the funniest movie on this list,"Coming to America" will celebrate its 30th anniversary later this month. The film stars Eddie Murphy as the crown prince of the fictional country of Zamunda. Murphy's character shuns an arranged marriage and sets off for New York City to find a wife. After trading his crown for a broom when he gets a job at a fast-food restaurant, he falls for the owner's daughter Lisa (Shari Headley).
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