The 10 Best Romantic Comedy Movies of 2022 (2024)

In this film, Rao delivers one of the best performances of his acting career as Shardul Thakur. His character comes of age and out of the closet too. The writing of this film is light, effective, and nuanced, subtly dismissing the many heteronormative binaries existing in society; the soundtrack is enjoyable, and each character has a well-defined arc that it traces unproblematically in the course of this film’s runtime. Badhaai Do also portrays a Pride March as part of the film’s climax, making it a redefining moment in popular commercial Indian cinema. It surpasses the kind of skewed queer representation that its predecessors – Ek Ladki ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019) or Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan (2020) – achieved. Bonus: It goes on to dip its toes into the more complex topics of child adoption for queer people.

Streaming on Netflix

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2. Marry Me

This romcom is like the most loved film, Notting Hill (1999), but was made in 2022. It is a story of a Latin superstar, Kat Valdez (played by Jenifer Lopez), who impulsively decides to marry a high-school math teacher, Charlie Gilbert (played by Owen Wilson), when the latter happens to attend her concert and is unable to reject her proposal onstage in fear of public humiliation. The latter was holding a “Marry Me” poster that belonged to his friend Parker (played by). The two decide to stay in a marriage for a few months to escape media scrutiny, and this time away from the media and Kat’s management impacts their relationship positively. Do they decide to make the marriage official in the end? Kat composes a song for Charlie named “On My Way,” so you must guess the rest.

This is the most rom-com-like romantic comedy that Hollywood delivered this year. Lopez shines in this film as herself and as Kat. On the other hand, Wilson brings a familiar, humble tenderness to the screen. The characters are supposed to be in their 30s, but we can choose to suspend our disbelief towards the same because the sweet romance and patient love story make for a heartwarming watch. The film is also crafty and charismatic, including every sequence that makes us want to perceive Jimmy Fallon as a villain. It is such a wacky and cute film at the same time. Bonus: Did you know that the film has been adapted from a 2012 graphic novel by the same name?

Streaming on Prime Video

3. Thiruchitrambalam

Pazham (played by Dhanush) is a food delivery agent who lives in a house with his father, Inspector Neelakandan (played by Prakash Raj), and his namesake and grandfather (played by Bharatiraja). There is a constant tension in the house because of the unresolved tension between Pazham and his father around the death of his mother and sister in a road accident. Pazham tries to woo his childhood crush, Anusha (played by Raashii Khanna), and another woman he meets at a family wedding called Ranjini. However, luck doesn’t favor his romantic interests, and his grandfather redirects him to think of marrying his childhood best friend, Shobana (played by Nithya Menen), who lives in the same apartment and has been his confidant for the longest time. The story edges towards a sweet, romantic reconciliation between two best friends.

The last time an Indian rom-com that focused on the story of two best friends left me rooting, cheering, and singing for them was the Bollywood film Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na (2008). Here, the story is pretty straightforward; in fact, the rom-com aspects of the story don’t kick in until the latter half of the film. However, the film grounds itself so firmly that you soon become a part of Thiruchitrambalam’s world and quest for love. The male characters in the movie represent the many shades of fragile masculinities, making this the most wholesome dysfunctional family experience on screen from the recent past. The instant chemistry between Dhanush and Menen’s character screams a jolly good time if you want to sit back and enjoy a slice-of-life drama.

Streaming on Sun NXT

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4. Fire Island

2022 must be remembered as a year that came up with a queer retelling of Jane Austen’s famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, and did complete justice to it. The story follows Noah (played by Joel Kim Booster) and his friends, Luke (played by Matt Rogers), Max (played by Torian Miller), Keegan (played by Tomas Matos), and Howie (played by Bowen Yang), as they take a weeklong vacation to Fire Island. It is a paradise for the queer community, where they stay over at the house of Erin (played by Margaret Cho), a spiritual mother-of-sorts to them. They cross paths with another group of friends on this island, Charlie (played by James Scully), Will (played by Conrad Ricamora), and Cooper (played by Nick Adams). The rest of the plot is a steaming sexy, queer modern-day romantic adventure.

The script of this film is comic and simultaneously manages to comment on queer experiences born out of the inherent racism in all of us. For example, Noah and Howie are gay characters defined by their Asian identity. I also haven’t watched a film before that uses the OnlyFans account, underwear parties, and armchair activism as essential aspects of its plot, let alone an Austen retelling. In between all the fun, non-monogamy, softcore p*rn, and hooking ups, there’s also some deeply existential philosophy around love, sex, and relationships in general for the queer people and how the hetero-patriarchal environment around them shapes their experiences with affection. This film is essential in cultural viewing, superbly imagined and impressive. It certainly takes the bar of queer romcom a notch higher.

Streaming on Hotstar

5. The Sky is Everywhere

Lennie Walker (played by Grace Kaufman) has recently experienced the tragic loss of her elder sibling, Bailey (played by Havana Rose Liu). The incident so shakes her that she finds herself clothed in Bailey’s garments most of the time (for example: showing up in school after a long break in the same clothes that Bailey died in), surrounded by Bailey’s things, uncannily attracted to Bailey’s boyfriend, Toby (Pico Alexander), and at a loss with her penchant for music. There’s also a manic pixie dream boy character at her school, a newcomer named Joe Fontaine (played by Jacques Colimon), who somehow understands Lennie and develops a sparkling relationship with her. This is a YA love triangle that is much less cringe than the impression it generates because of how deftly Decker uses this premise to explore a web of complex emotions, especially that of a family struggling to cope with loss in their own inexplicably personal ways.

Pop culture has recently started looking at and trying to understand the nature of grief and trauma as is experienced by teenagers. American TV show, Euphoria (2019 – ) and Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club (2022) set down a near-perfect roadmap to understanding the same. Decker takes this understanding of grief a notch higher with this film; she teams up with Kaufman to portray grief as a messy, avant-garde emotion, throwing in a bit of magic realism to complement the whirlwind of teenage fantasies and feelings. Classical jazz music, excerpts of poems hung from trees, a garden of colorful sweet-smelling roses – the intricately crafted setting makes it a perfect spot for a modern-day fairy tale. While Hailey’s relationship with Toby is raw and throbbing with pain, the moments she shares with Joe are warm and sensual. Interestingly, Hailey’s love story is only a subplot in the film, so Decker gives you a chance to engage in a fine emotional drama that has a hopeful message – Grief is endurable.

Streaming on Apple Tv+

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6. Bros

Bobby Lieber (played by Billy Eichner) is the best ‘white cis gay man’ out there. He hosts a podcast and a radio show on queerness and has recently accepted the position of curator for a new queer history museum in Manhattan. He meets a hot-but-boring Aaron Shepard (played by Luke Macfarlane) and soon starts spending more and more time together. The story follows the most conventional rom-com plot possible but makes all its characters queer and revolves around the topics of queerness – identity, sexuality, queer history, etc. – to reclaim the rom-com genre. In its efforts, it’s better than other 2022 romcoms, like Crush, which tried a similar thing.

Sweet, sweet queer joy! This film adds to the positive queer representation in rom-coms, becoming the first studio-backed Hollywood picture with queer protagonists. The protagonists are crafted as fully-rounded characters with a fair share of flaws for the audience to recognize and acknowledge. Besides, the jokes land so well that you may need to remember from time to time if it was made purely for representation purposes or to entertain the masses boundlessly. There’s a constant conversation around the mainstreaming of queer history, including a conversation where Bobby and Aaron discuss how straight actors are winning accolades for portraying queer characters in popular Hollywood films. It also has a sweet center of sentimentality that is the trademark of all rom-coms.

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7. I Want You Back

Peter (played by Charlie Day) and Emma (played by Jenny Slate) meet each other after their partners dump them. They bond over their tears at the Fire Exit of their workplace and eventually decide to help each other get back to their ex-partners. While Peter successfully makes friends with Emma’s ex, Noah (played by Scott Eastwood), Emma brews tension in the relationship between Annie (played by Gina Rodriguez), Peter’s ex, and her current boyfriend, Logan (played by Manny Jacinto). Will Peter and Emma successfully find their true love and start over their lives in their 30s? This is a 2022 romcom that you already know the ending of, but you enjoy the path it takes to reach its happy ending (especially a Pete Davidson cameo).

It is a cute film (whatever you think that may be) that uses the trope of two unlikely friends bonding over a heartbreak to perfection. The last time they perfected this kind of film was Set it Up (2018). Bonus: You get to see Slate perform alongside school children in a Little Shop of Horrors musical. There’s also some worldly wisdom about growing up and the disenchantment of one’s 30s. This formulaic rom-com is all about knowing who you wish to put the oxygen mask on when your flight is undergoing turbulence.

Streaming on Prime Video

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8. Rosaline

This is a 2022 romcom that reimagines one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet. Set in Verona, the story follows Rosaline (played by Kaitlyn Dever), a young Capulet who is head-over-heels in love with Romeo (played by Kyle Allen). Despite knowing fully well that their families are mortal enemies, Romeo goes forward to confess his love for Rosaline; unfortunately, the latter is left tongue-tied at this gesture which creates some misunderstanding between them.

She promises to meet Romeo at the Capulet masquerade ball, deciding to profess her love for him there, but she is kept back by a suitor, Dario Penza (played by Sean Teale), of her father’s choice. On the other hand, Romeo goes to this party and meets Juliet (played by Isabela Merced), Rosaline’s younger cousin. After that, Rosaline must trace the difficult path of letting her love for Romeo go and come to terms with the romance brewing around her. The narrative also imagines Paris (played by Spenser Stevenson) as a best friend to Rosaline and queer character – an age-old rom-com trope that is given a modern spin in this retelling.

I enjoyed this film more than I imagined I would when I first came to learn about it; after all, pop culture is so unhealthily obsessed with recreating Regency-era romances with a modern twist these days (Bridgerton, Persuasion, etc.). The reimagining can feel a little watered down, especially for religious fans of the Shakespearean story. Still, the humorous elements in the script land well due to Dever’s impeccable comic timing. You should look out for the character of Rosaline’s nurse, Nurse Janet (played by Minnie Driver), and the courier guy (played by Nico Hiraga), who serve to slyly comment on the socio-cultural nature of commonplace services in those times. If you have watched this film, how many popular songs could you spot, and which was your favorite?

Streaming on Hotstar

9. Moonshot

The film opens in 2049, and human beings have colonized Mars. Walt (played by Cole Sprouse) dreams of going to space but is rejected by the Student Mars Program 37 times. He wants to go to Mars now to meet Ginny (played by Emily Rudd), a girl he met at a party and fell in love with throughout the night. On the other hand, Sophie (played by Lana Condor), whose boyfriend has chosen a more extended stay on Mars, has bought herself a ticket to be with him and his family. Walt convinces Sophie to let him sneak into the space shuttle so he can at least take a trip to Mars, but circ*mstances force him to play Sophie’s boyfriend, Calvin, on this journey. This journey makes Walt and Sophie rethink their priorities, relationships, and desire to be around each other.

I liked this 2022 romcom because of its setting – the vast gulp of nothingness between Earth and Mars. It is a mix between science fiction and romantic comedy, a genre difficult to get right, so kudos to this one for trying. You can think of it as a road trip two people of opposite characters must take to reach a destination. The symbiotic relationship between capitalism and the human condition and human beings and machines lies at the core of this rom-com. It constantly makes us wonder about the possibilities that can open up in the future with space exploration and warns us how this could disengage us from our life on Earth. Bonus: A cat called Ginny shows Walt the way to space. What better?

Streaming on Prime Video

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10. Love and Leashes

Jung Ji-Woo (played by Seohyun) develops feelings for a new co-worker, Jung Ji-Hoo (played by lee Jun-Young). One day, a package arrives at the office for Ji-Hoo that Ji-Woo receives. Soon, she comes to learn about Ji-Hoo’s S&M tendencies. They enter into a three-month contract where Ji-Woo will act as Ji-Hoo’s master. This is an educational romcom. This is also a film based on a webcomic, Moral Sense, by Gyeowool, which is a piece of particularly relevant information because it appears to educate the readers on the many shades of BDSM and the different kinds of pleasure that one can find apart from normative sexual pleasure.

At the core of this film is the idea of boundaries in relationships. It refuses to stereotype kinks as abnormal or unhealthy. For example, a more significant part of the film’s first half deals with Ji-Hoo constantly feeling like an outcast for his kinks. This has to be one of the more wholesome and positive representations of kinks I have seen in pop culture. It brings together the good ole’ charm of a romantic comedy and spices up the educational plot with humor and some conventional twists in the story, making it a well-meaning film on workplace romance that seeks to advocate sexual freedom.

Streaming on Netflix

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