Hulu continues to helm refreshing takes on romantic comedies. Just this year, the network released Crush, one of the most wholesome romantic stories streaming in 2022, starring Auli'i Cravalho and Rowan Blanchard.
The genre is also seeing more LGBTQ+ representation and overall diversity in movies and TV series, and these changes were already starting to be a part of the movies that came out during the 2010s. This has increased audiences' interest, but it has not been enough to hype some of these great but overlooked stories that deserve more attention.
The Tourist (2010)
The Tourist is a 2010 movie that s Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie onscreen. Depp's character is a math teacher called Frank Tupelo who, while traveling through Europe meets Elise (portrayed by Angelina Jolie). They end up involved in Alexander Pearce's, her lover, scheme to kidnap Elise.
The relationship between her and Frank is an intense and flirtatious one set throughout the most romantic destinies in Europe as they try to outrun Pearce. The ending of their story could not be more unexpected, with a revelation that proves the unfairness of its 6.0 rating on IMDb.
Game Night (2018)
Besides all the weirdness and good humor typically associated with friendships and romantic relationships, Game Night focuses on Max (portrayed by Jason Bateman) and Annie (played by Rachel McAdams) as an uninteresting couple. Trying to spice up their weekly game, Bateman's brother puts his classic Corvette on the line for the winner of the game.
The premise of "what if a group of friends' game night went awry?" takes a wild turn with this 2018 movie, proving that it does not need more than 100 minutes to produce and develop an enticing premise when the made-up mystery turns out to be very real, with dangerous stakes for everyone involved as audiences the characters to solve the mystery.
The Kids Are All Right (2016)
Released in 2016, The Kids Are All Right is a romantic comedy and drama directed by Kelly Fremon. It follows the story of Jules and Nic, who have been together for twenty years. Their kids, Joni and Laser, embark on a journey to meet their biological father, Paul (played by Mark Ruffalo), who ends up complicating things between Jules and Nic.
A small budget of only $4 million was no obstacle to the movie's success as a complex love story that s some of the most talented young actors currently in Hollywood, such as Hailee Steinfeld and Kyra Sedgwick, and earned a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Easy A (2010)
This 2010 movie's irreverence and its consideration and reformulation of classical clichés and romantic tropes make it one of the best takes on the romantic comedy subgenre out there.
It counts multi-awarded actress Emma Stone as the protagonist, Olive, who decides to combat her boredom by taking the advice of her best friend and spreading a rumor about losing her virginity during a weekend. She is caught in a web of lies and side drama that complicates her relationship with her crush, Todd, and which helped Easy A to reach the fourteenth position in Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 best high school movies.
Certified Copy (2010)
Juliette Binoche stars as an unnamed woman in Abbas Kiarostami's first dramatic movie to be shot outside of Iran. Referred to as "She" in the final credits, the character lives in Italy with her son. When a British art critic, James Miller visits her store, they spend the day together. As their conversation progress, they begin arguing about him abandoning her and their child for years.
Audiences are thus forced to question the nature of the relationship between them: the puzzle of whether they have in fact have been married for 15 years or are merely role-playing remains unanswered. Certified Copy manages to move away from critics, and usher audiences into a bittersweet exploration of human nature.
The Edge Of Seventeen (2016)
The Edge of Seventeen premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016. Nothing could have predicted this movie's success when it came out, but it endured thanks to its down-to-earth approach to storytelling and a stellar cast.
Famous for her role as Kate Bishop, a beloved comic protegee in the MCU, Hailee Steinfeld stars as Nadine Franklin, a smart student experiencing difficulties integrating into the high-school community. Among the ups and downs of the transition from teenager to young adult, the movie delves into the bumpy but sweet relationship between Nadine and her awkward friend Erwin Kim (portrayed by Hayden Szeto).
The Spectacular Now (2013)
coming-of-age movie that Redditors think is not talked about enough. It focuses on Shailene Woodley's character, Aimee Finecky, and her relationship with Miles Teller's Sutter Keely, a senior.
Theirs is a path filled with hardships, from his drinking problem to her shyness. The Spectacular Now explores important if often overlooked topics such as social and psychological issues including class, gender, and parental influence on children, as well as binge-drinking.
American Hustle (2013)
American Hustle centers on a trio of thieves and forgers and their misadventures while they are being persecuted by the FBI. To further complicate matters, Irving Rosenfeld falls in love with his partner, Sydney Prosser. His jealous wife finds out about the affair and interferes with their mission in an attempt to bring them down.
With David O. Russell's best movies. Not only has a gripping and easygoing plot, but American Hustle also summoned household names into its wings, like Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jeremy Renner - proving wrong many reviewers who did not relate to the plot.
Serial (Bad) Weddings / Qu'est-Ce Qu'on A Fait Au Bon Dieu? (2014)
Claude Verneuil and his wife, Marie, are two upper-class Catholic parents whose younger daughter, Laure, is about to get married. They discriminate against their three older daughters falling in love and marrying men from different races and religions, but pretend to accept their sons-in-law. Their hopes for a Catholic European addition to the family fall to the ground when they learn that Laure's fiancée is a Black West African man from the Ivory Coast.
In spite of its sensitive themes and an audience score of 61% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is a superb French comedy, whose original title literally means "What have I done to God?" It is a funny and touching movie that serves as a critique of racism and other forms of discrimination, especially when these get in the way of someone's happiness.
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014)
Michael Keaton portrays Riggan Thomson, a frustrated actor on a mission to assemble a Broadway production that hopefully will reanimate his career. As the pressure of opening night increases, his ex-alter ego, the Birdman, follows him around, which challenges the creative process, as well as his relationship with his daughter and his ex-wife. Moreover, Riggan's current girlfriend, Laura Alburn, also co-stars in the play, which shakes their relationship to the core.
Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman was a critical success that viewers either hate or love, as the divergence between critics and audience demonstrates. It is a funny, if stressful, narrative that certainly deserves a second look from viewers.
