Girl Week 2021: Like the Against the Blogathon, Dell on Movies is hosting a new blogathon celebrating women in film. It takes place November 22nd-November 28th so here is my contribution! Female Leads in Romantic Comedies. Mind you, this is not an entire list of my favorite rom-com heroines, because that would be the longest blog post in the history of blog posts, but these are 10 characters that I love.
lainey (sleeping with other people)
Lainey is not your typical rom-com heroine. She is flawed, almost frustratingly so, caught between the love she has for her best friend and the undeniable hold a now-married former flame has over her. Even when she is making obvious mistakes, you can’t help but root for her, and Alison Brie is the perfect actress to bring the sexy yet vulnerable Lainey to life.
princess anne (roman holiday)
Audrey Hepburn is so insanely charming as the sheltered Princess Ann, a young woman controlled by schedules and meetings, and diplomacy. Desperate to experience some normalcy, she sneaks out during a trip to Rome and meets an opportunistic reporter played by Gregory Peck. Hepburn won an Oscar for her portrayal of Princess Ann and rightfully so. Her naivety, strength, and passion create such a delightful character that I can’t fathom it ever being successfully repeated.
nancy (man up)
Like Lainey, Nancy is not your typical rom-com leading lady. She’s quite a mess, actually, and quite cynical about romance and relationships. But she’s also funny and impulsive and never hesitates to call Simon Pegg’s Jack out on his own bullshit after they meet. Lake Bell is tremendous as Nancy and I would love to see her in more leading rom-com roles.
bridget jones (Bridget jones trilogy)
Oh, Bridget. Always looking to lose a few pounds while searching for her Prince Charming. There’s nothing quite like watching Bridget awkwardly navigate her way through life and love. Her chemistry with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) is off the charts, but it’s not hard to see why she fell for Hugh Grant’s Daniel as well. It’s hard to imagine anyone else but Renee Zellweger playing Bridget for so many reasons, but I absolutely love this character and I’m thrilled we go to see her ride off into the sunset with her love of her life (no, I am not thinking of the books, thank you).
kat (10 things i hate about you)
Heath Ledger’s Patrick Verona tends to get most of the praise in this 90s adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. But Julia Stiles really carries this movie as Kat Stratford, the antisocial, hard-headed high school senior who becomes the object of Verona’s affection. Stiles may play up the “shrewish” angle of the storyline, but she’s quite skilled at letting Kat’s insecurities and pain shine through when Patrick begins to peel back her many layers.
monica (LOVE AND BASKETBALL)
If you haven’t seen Love and Basketball, you really should. It’s such a wonderful film, chronicling the friendship and romance of Monica and Quincy as they deal with life-threatening to pull them apart. Sanaa Lathan is an actress I find to be very underrated and she shines in Love and Basketball as Monica. Monica is confident, so much so that she comes across as arrogant at times. Her strength hides her vulnerability but when push comes to shove, she steps up and fights for what she wants.
sally (when harry met sally)
As neurotic as Sally is, it would have been very easy to view the character as an unlikable mess. But when Meg Ryan plays her, she instead becomes an adorable neurotic mess, one who amuses rather than annoys. Watching Sally’s friendship with Harry (Billy Crystal) blossom and grow is pure perfection.
jenna (13 going on 30)
It takes a really special actress to be able to play a 13 year old in an adult woman’s body and Jennifer Garner is that actress. Jenna is slightly naïve, but also wonderstruck at the life she’s leading as an adult and also… a bit taken aback, given what a horrible person she apparently turned out to be. But Jenna manages to turn all that around while finally realizing what she has in her best friend, Matty. It’s not just about finding love, but discovering that having it all isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and happiness is more important than success.
leslie (just wright)
Leslie is a woman who does not have much luck in the love department. She’s a sports physical therapist and her love of sports tends to put her in the camp of being “one of the guys”, especially when her best friend Morgan (Paula Patton) is gorgeous and feminine. I love that Leslie never changes who she is to get the guy. She’s authentic and stays true to herself.
elle (legally blonde)
Look, I have no idea if Legally Blonde is what you could classify as a romantic comedy. There is romance, sure, but it’s definitely not the plot of the film, nor is it really a subplot. It’s a very minor one, so I’ve always been wary about putting Legally Blonde on any lists. But for the sake of this one, I’m going to go ahead and use Elle Woods. She’s hilarious, smart, and like Leslie Wright, not afraid to be herself, even if others ridicule her.
Dell on Movies
November 22, 2021Monica! Leslie! So happy to see you give some love to these fantastic, yet underappreciated characters. I don’t think I’ve even heard of Man Up. I’m going to have to check that one out. Thank you so much for taking part!
Sara
November 23, 2021Thank you! So many underappreciated female leads, and not just in rom-coms. I had never heard of Man Up before until I saw it on Netflix back in the day. I like the leads so I watched it and it deserves so much more love! Thank you for hosting!
Brittani
November 23, 2021Monica! Cat! Elle! I love this post. What a great idea.
Sara
November 23, 2021Thank you! 🙂
Birgit
November 23, 2021Great list of gals! I don’t know the first film not the one about basketball which sounds good. I love Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday and her acting in the finale of that film is excellent. Renee is great as Bridget and, to be honest, looks better with the weight on. Julia Stiles does carry the film and should be given more credit. I would say the same thing for Jennifer Garner who is quite good 8n this movie. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching it. The same for Legally Blonde. Reese Witherspoon shines as a wanna be married gal learning there is more to life and be8ng able to rise above her superficialities. I also like When Harry Met Sally which Meg Ryan did a superb job in her role. I have to check out the others that I have not seen.
Sara
November 23, 2021Thank you Birgit!
Joel
November 23, 2021What a fun way to go with this!!
I haven’t seen every one of these but the majority. My top three would be Audrey in Roman Holiday (a captivating performance), Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde (she does a great job of turning stereotypes on their heads) and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally (I’ve worked with women like her and they can be a challenge but are by and large interesting and curious people).
Sara
November 24, 2021I agree on Hepburn 100%! I liked her a lot in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but there’s something about Princess Ann that really commands the screen.
Eric Binford
November 30, 2021I’m happy to see the underrated Julia Stiles among your selections: she is indeed wonderful in 10 Things…
Sara
December 1, 2021Thank you! Heath generally gets all the attention but she was so good in this as well.
Cinematic Delights
December 11, 2021Excellent topic, Sara!
I’m familiar with most of these ladies, except Leslie, Monica and Lainey.
Audrey Hepburn was the perfect casting for Princess Ann, as was Renee Zellweger for Bridget Jones.
Out of your choices my favourite has to be Julia Stiles’s Kat. I rewatched 10 Things I Hate About You last year and really enjoyed it. Heath Ledger was perfectly cast, and Kat was so sharp and witty but also sensitive and gentle.
Sara
December 11, 2021Thanks! Stiles was wonderful as Kat and I think sometimes she gets lost in the talk of Heath Ledger as Patrick 🙂 She’s a strong female character and I love it.