The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade

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"I like to think about the life of wine. How it's a living thing..."

Sideways is a pretty great buddy comedy (featuring a hilariously brazen performance from Thomas Haden Church), but it's an even better romantic comedy. At its heart is the tender relationship between Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Maya (Virginia Madsen), two bruised divorcees who forge a tenuous connection to each other. From both of their beautiful speeches expressing their love of Pinot Noir to the wonderfully poignant open-ended knock at the door, their romance is note-perfect.

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"I'm lookin' at your face and I just wanna smash it...you're so pretty."

No doubt about it: Punch-Drunk Love is an odd little film. Director Paul Thomas Anderson recruited Adam Sandler, of all people, to star in his offbeat romantic comedy about a emotionally immature businessman prone to explosive fits of rage. He meets a kindred spirit in Emily Watson, leading the two to proclaim same rather curious declarations of love. The power of Punch-Drunk lies in the thrill that, after ages of loneliness, someone can come along and understand you with just one quick glance.

[bholus10]

"Did i listen to pop music because I was miserable?
Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

It's no coincidence Nick Hornby wrote both About a Boy and High Fidelity, and both movie adaptations show up on this list (let's ignore Fever Pitch for the time being). Hornby really is tapped into the psyche of the 20th century male. John Cusack plays the every-man type who retraces his past girlfriend history only to find he let the perfect woman slip through his fingers. Funny, insightful and insanely quotable, High Fidelity plays like an ultra-hip Woody Allen movie, which is a very good thing indeed.

[bholus10]

"Computer: define dancing."

Before you cry foul, let's think about the plot of Wall-E for a second: lonely boy meets girl, falls in love, and chases girl to the ends of the earth—or, in this case, the universe. How is that not a romantic comedy? Nevermind they're robots. Nevermind the lack of dialogue. Nevermind it's animated. When Wall-E and Eve dance together in the sky amongst the stars, we might as well be watching the second coming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

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"A surge of love, an urge to help mankind overcomes her."

A delicate, delicious little French trifle, Amélie is easily the most romantic film on this list. The adorable Audrey Tautou launched herself into the American consciousness as the quirky do-gooder waitress who sends her secret crush photos and riddles masking her identity in order to make their first encounter—and first kiss—the most romantic moment of her life. Endlessly imaginative and beautifully photographed, Amélie is a film to be treasured.