My top five favourite romantic comedies

I’ve meticulously curated a list of my favourite romantic comedies, just in time for a Valentine’s Day—or post-Valentine’s—marathon.

Whether you’re snuggling up with your partner or hunkering down by yourself with a box of chocolates, this list is filled with romance movies to watch around the season of love. 

When Harry Met Sally

This is my comfort movie.

I love everything about it—the dry humour, the interspersed interviews from old married couples, the setting of New York City in the fall and winter, and the sweet, honest, and complex friendship between Harry and Sally.

I’ve seen it countless times, and each time I enjoy it more.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

This is the romantic comedy movie I can relate to most of all. Growing up in a large Greek family like the one the protagonist has, I can personally attest to the loudness, the excess of food, and the abundance of love.

As immigrants from Greece, my grandparents raised my mother—and my mother in turn raised me—on everything Greek.

When I was younger, every Tuesday and Thursday my girlfriends would wave at me and skip off to Girl Scouts while I was driven 30 minutes away to study Greek for two hours.

Like the protagonist, I was once ashamed and embarrassed of my Greek culture. I wouldn’t take my Greek leftovers to school or invite my friends over when my extended family was at my house—but I’ve come to cherish those things the most about my life. 

Watching this movie reminds me of a time when all my Greek relatives were around. It makes me feel at home.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

You can never go wrong with a Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson rom-com, and this one takes the cake.

When an advertising exec and an ambitious journalist become entangled in a complex web of lies and bets for their own gain, they stumble into love. It’s somehow charming, comforting, and slightly painful to watch—and after all these years, I’ve yet to get sick of it.

If nothing else, watch it for Kate Hudson’s iconic yellow dress and Matthew McConaughey’s accent and physique.

Valentine’s Day

This movie needs no introduction.

Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Jenifer Garner, Taylor Swift, Patrick Dempsey, and Jamie Foxx. Need I say more?

Midnight in Paris

Visiting Paris with his two-timing fiancé and her materialistic parents, Owen Wilson’s screenwriter character time-travels to the 1920s every night at the stroke of midnight. Once there, he runs into renowned authors F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein. 

Owen Wilson is living my dream come true.

While maintaining the best nostalgic aspects of similar movies—the inner monologues, charmingly awkward characters, and fabulous soundtrack—Midnight in Paris feels like a European stroll under the stars.