My Top Ten Rom-Coms of the Decade: Let me preface this article with one thing: this list is not a deep, profound piece of movie analysis meant to tell everyone what the top ten best movies are from this decade. If you want to see a list of my top ten movies from the decade, you can check out that list here at Screenage Wasteland! But even that list was created from the heart and from my love of each movie, regardless of its Rotten Tomatoes score or what the professional critics thought of it. At the end of the decade, I wanted to look back at the movies that stayed with me for whatever reason, and that’s where that list came from. That’s also how this list was created, although I stayed primarily in the rom-com genre because… well, that’s what this blog has been about! For 2020, I’m considering adding a weekly review of non-romantic comedies, but that’s something I’m still sitting on. In any case, below you’ll find my top ten rom-coms from 2010-2019 (in no particular order). The Big Sick (2017) How many romantic comedies would succeed if the leading lady ended up in a medically induced coma for the majority of the movie? I can’t imagine very many… unless, of course, they had a hilarious cast, a clever script, and a skilled director. Thankfully, The Big Sick checks all these boxes, and then some. Based on the real-life courtship of screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick deals with two people falling in love despite the cultural clash that threatens to keep them apart. When Emily (Zoe Kazan) falls ill, Kumail finds himself in an awkwardly funny and vulnerable position with Emily’s parents, played by the immensely talented Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. It’s a charming movie, ridiculously funny and sweet. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) Netflix has been extremely inconsistent with its original rom-coms lately. It feels like, for every one that hits the mark, there are three duds to follow. But I keep coming back for more, hoping that Netflix will give me more movies like To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Adapted from Jenny Han’s excellent book, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a teenage romance that finally has some substance, as well as characters with actual personalities. Lara Jean and Peter’s fake relationship will inevitably blossom into something more, but it’s so much fun to watch it happen. I can remember texting my sisters after watching this movie, gushing over how damn adorable it was. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, which dropped on Netflix in February 2019. Plus One (2019) While I enjoyed the trailer when it debuted, I didn’t have very high expectations for Plus One. I adore the friends-to-lovers trope, and it takes place during a hectic wedding season for the two leads, but what else could it possibly give me that I haven’t already seen? Thankfully, Plus One took me by surprise, as did leads Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. Erskine’s Alice is not your typical leading lady. She’s raunchy and blunt, flawed and vulnerable. Quaid isn’t merely riding on the coattails of his famous parents. He’s very talented and a likable leading man, even when his character is a jerk and makes really poor choices. It effortlessly juggles several rom-com tropes and breathes new life into many of them, making this a movie I think even those who despise the genre would enjoy. Before We Go (2014) When Chris Evans’s directorial debut was released in 2014, critics were not kind. It was not well-received at all, and honestly, I had never heard of it before scrolling through Netflix earlier this year to find something new to watch. However, this is a movie (for me) that illustrates why we shouldn’t always avoid films that professional critics dislike. Chris Evans is so affable and warm in this movie, conveying just the right amount of “nice guy” to avoid being downright boring (and creepy). And Alice Eve, whom I’ve never been a big fan of, really won me over with her conflicted, emotional performance. This movie doesn’t depend on any crazy hijinks or outrageous declarations of love. The blossoming romance is so subtle that the ending surprised me with its emotional impact. Before Midnight (2013) Why, or why, did it take me so long to watch the Before Trilogy? I have no answers for you. But I’m so glad I finally did, and honestly, being able to watch all three of them practically back-to-back for the first time was such a treat. While Before Midnight is not my favorite in the trilogy (that honor still belongs to Before Sunrise), it’s still a magnificent piece of filmmaking. Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke reunite to demonstrate how a movie centered on communication can captivate an audience. Jesse and Celeste have moved on from the flutter of new and exciting love, nostalgia, and idealism, diving right into the harsh realities of commitment. They are together now with children, but conflict and suppressed resentments threaten their love story. It’s brutal, but it’s real. Man Up (2014) What an underseen gem of a movie. Man Up was yet another film I had never heard of until my weekly scroll through Netflix, and I am a sucker for Simon Pegg in just about anything. The premise sounded cute – a somewhat aimless woman named Nancy is inadvertently mistaken by a man to be his blind date. Rather than correct him, Nancy pretends to be who he thinks she is, and the two embark on a rather eventful evening of lies, honesty, and ex-lovers. Lake Bell and Simon Pegg are perfectly matched, and their on-point chemistry drives the film. Man Up is hilarious and silly, but also endearing. Long Shot (2019) If there is one movie this year I wish more people would have seen, it’s Long Shot.