14 Underrated Rom-Coms to Watch & Fall in Love With Next

In Sam Mendes’s 2009 film Away We Go, John Krasinksi and Maya Rudolph play Burt and Verona, a couple who are imminently expecting their first child together. Eager to find the right place for settling down and raising their baby, Burt and Verona visit various family and friends in a cross-country adventure that teaches them a valuable lesson along the way. They can make their own rules for their family without having to adhere to anyone else’s. Along with Krasinski and Rudolph, the film features an all-star ensemble that includes Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, Melanie Lynskey, Allison Janney, Chris Messina, Carmen Ejogo, and Maggie Gyllenhaal among others. This hidden gem is sure to delight. — Meaghan Darwish

Obvious Child is a sweet, funny, warm rom-com about abortion. Jenny Slate stars as comedian Donna, who has a one night stand with Max (Jake Lacey, who is dreamy as ever. The butter warming scene! Swoon!) and gets pregnant. Slate is perfect as a rom-com protagonist — gorgeous, messy, hilarious, and deeply likable. Will Donna and Max start dating? Fall in love? It’s a treat to watch and find out! — Leah Williams

What do chimpanzees, Italian food, heart transplants, and construction sites have in common? More than you would think! At the center of these items lies Return to Me, a Bonnie Hunt-directed film following the heartbroken Bob (David Duchovny) who unexpectedly finds love after his wife dies in a car accident. The twist is: His new love interest Grace (Minnie Driver) is privately a recent recipient of a life-saving heart transplant from his very own former wife. Dancing around this life-altering secret, the two leads are incredibly cute, navigating dating again after a long hiatus with the (at times comically invasive) support of their friends and their family. If you love to root for love, this one’s for you. — Katie Song

Drew Starkey should do more comedy (and romance)! The Outer Banks bad boy showed off major golden retriever energy as hotshot Zach MacLaren, who loses his memory and thinks Zoey Miller (Josephine Langford) is his girlfriend. As Zoey attempts to keep up the ruse, she and Zach begin to fall for each other. Starkey and Langford’s chemistry is off the charts. The Other Zoey is a delightful and feel-good rom-com that fell under the radar. — Avery Thompson

With a remake on its way, The Wedding Banquet is the movie to see. Ahead of its time, the Taiwanese-American collaboration combines a new-wave version of embracing cinematography with a traditional storyline structure. Indie enough to appeal to the film snob, while oozing with heartwarming tales so that even the most casual audience member appreciates it. The protagonist, Gao Wai-Tung (Winston Chao), is a bisexual man living with his partner, Simon (Mitchell Lichtenstein), until his parents decide he has to get married to a woman. Shenanigans ensue, which allows the audience to get enthralled by their unconventional nature of relationships. The Ang Lee-directed feature never allows the viewer to expect what comes next as it keeps you intrigued all the way through. Be aware, that once you finish the movie, it might become one of your new favorites. — Lauren Dehollogne

This one’s an oldie but a goodie. Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher play newlyweds on their European honeymoon in this 2003 rom-com. Wild hijinks ensue that test the couple in their first days of marriage. Kutcher does his usual schtick while Murphy steals the show. Their opposites-attract chemistry is so natural, partially because Kutcher and Murphy were falling in love while filming the movie. Just Married was the first of Murphy’s rom-com trifecta of the early 2000s, and with every rewatch, we just miss her more. — Avery Thompson

Jack Quaid (carrying the mantle of his rom-com royal parents, Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan) and Maya Erskine don’t need more than their charming rapport to make this quiet comedy work. As tragically single late-20-somethings on the wedding circuit, two former college besties agree to be each other’s dates in the hopes of wooing other love interests. You can guess what comes next, and, yes, the wedding setup has been done, but this one keeps things fresh by not trying too hard and focusing on the very believable connection between its two leads. It’s Hepburn-Tracy for the millennial generation. Erskine’s physical comedy — toned down from Pen15 — and Quaid’s ability to match her quick, dry wit are well worth your 99 minutes. — Samantha Westfall

Have you ever wondered: “What if Groundhog Day was set in Palm Springs during the event of a wedding?” If you have, then you’re in luck because that’s exactly the way to describe Palm Springs. The movie stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti. The at-times nihilistic movie plays with the actors’ palpable chemistry to make even the darkest segments relatable. Intertwining their own personal brands of witty sarcasm allows for some hilarious zingers. Palm Springs is equal amounts of absurd, hilarious, and romantic. This is why it’s a rom-com you can watch on repeat, just like the events in the plot! — Lauren Dehollogne

Long before they joined the Marvel universe, Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. starred in this ’94 cross-continent road trip to find one destiny-driven teacher’s fated mate. In a last attempt at fairy-tale love before she marries a kind foot doctor, Faith (Tomei) flies to Venice to chase down the man she was once told she was destined to marry but has never met. Instead, she meets Peter (Downey), who isn’t her chosen one but has indeed chosen Faith and decides to help her find the one. It’s fun, it’s flirty, and the entire cast leads this obviously cheesy tale of the costs of chasing love with incredible comedic timing. — Katie Song

If you haven’t seen But I’m a Cheerleader, stop reading this list right now and go watch it. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan, our titular cheerleader, who gets sent to conversion camp by her homophobic parents. She doesn’t even realize she’s a lesbian, but it becomes clear to her when she meets Graham (Clea DuVall) at camp and falls in love. It’s a lot more light-hearted than it sounds, with a Barbie-like color palette and RuPaul as a heterosexuality coach. It’s a rom-com with a capital COM. It’s adorably, innocently horny, as Megan and Graham fall in love and teenage lust. —  Leah Williams

The Hating Game did not get the love it deserved. The workplace rom-com, based on Sally Thorne’s bestseller of the same name, starred Lucy Hale as the pint-sized, red-lipped Lucy and Austin Stowell as the sharp and often grumpy Josh. These two silently hate each other behind their desks as they compete for the same job, but the eyes never lie. This rom-com is a delicious enemies-to-lovers journey and faithful to the source material! — Avery Thompson

In a similar vein to The Notebook (albeit more linear), this love story spans from childhood to parenthood, most of the love story developing in their high school and early adult years. Monica (Sanaa Lathan) and Quincy (Omar Epps) are both aspiring basketball players, who relate to one another and butt heads over their love of the sport. Talk about twin flames. Not only is their love story incredibly tender at times, but it’s also unpredictable. The basketball sequences also make for an engaging watch—the sport is fittingly part of the title as it represents the backdrop of their entire arc. I remember the first time I watched this film, and within the first twenty minutes had mourned all of the years I spent not watching Love and Basketball. — Katie Song

Forget Ted Lasso — this is the role that convinced me that Jason Sudeikis has the leading man it-factor. He and costar Alison Brie, in one of her most endearing turns, play a former college hookup who reconnect (platonically, at first) over their shared fear of commitment. The two burst through the screen with lightning-quick banter and palpable chemistry that call to mind When Harry Met Sally — with an edge, courtesy of writer-director Leslye Headland (Bachelorette, Russian Doll). Bonus: a top-tier comedic supporting cast, including Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne, Jason Mantzoukas, and Amanda Peet. It’s a lovers-to-friends-to-lovers story that would have made Nora Ephron proud. — Samantha Westfall

Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Vanessa Kirby, Margot Robbie, Tom Hollander, Bill Nighy… that’s just a cluster of the stars that make up the stellar ensemble by one of Richard Curtis’s most overlooked romantic comedy films, which also serves up plenty of drama. About Time follows Tim (Gleeson) a young lawyer who discovers that he has a genetic ability to travel through time. When Tim meets Mary (McAdams) during a blind date, he’s smitten, but a time-travel mishap resets the meet-cute, forcing him to find a new way to cross paths with the American. While the film is about much more than just Tim and Mary’s romance, it’s certainly the sweet focal point. It’s a sorely overlooked movie that needs to be added to your watch list immediately. — Meaghan Darwish