The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade

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"Only unfulfilled love can be romantic."

Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona centers on Javier Bardem's relationships with three wildly different women: the adventurous but indecisive Cristina (Scarlett Johannson), the practical but insecure Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and his fiery would-be soul mate Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz). The intoxicating locales of Spain hightlight this delightfully playful romp, a provocative film that blurs the lines between love and lust.

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"Sometimes I get so lonely I forget what day it is..."

Lars and the Real Girl's premise should have been cringe-worthy: Ryan Gosling dates a life-size *** doll, and the entire town goes to great lengths to protect the fairy tale. But Nancy Oliver's Oscar-nominated script is so gentle, and so melancholic, that it becomes a quietly powerful story of a stunted man who finally comes of age. Darkly funny but sweet-natured, Lars is a small treasure.

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"No man is an island"

No stranger to romantic comedies, Hugh Grant delivered perhaps his best performance ever in About a Boy, a different kind of rom-com. Through his relationship with a young teenager, Grant subtly transforms from notorious womanizer into, well, a man capable of loving the beautiful Rachel Weisz. Grant's relationship with the boy is tender and thoughtful, much like the film itself.

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"I don't really know what kind of girl I am."

Much has been made about the Diablo Cody-isms that permeate the script, but the heart of Juno is Ellen Page, and her coming to terms with her feelings for Michael Cera. Sure, it takes getting pregnant for her to realize the man of her dreams is the wimp in yellow shorts, but then, the characters in Juno aren't like normal people anyway. Page's heavy-lifting deserved every bit of that Oscar nomination.

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"You're prettier than I am."

Sure, there's a graphic scene involving a baby coming out of a womb. Yes, there's nudity and plenty of expletives. And ok, it is sort of strange how a schlub like Seth Rogen can get a girl like Katherine Heigl.

Even so, there's an inherent sweetness to Knocked Up that make it such a pleasure to watch. Judd Apatow's treatment of the supporting characters, like Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, also help catapult the film into one of the genre's very best.