90s Rom Coms All Romantics Need To See

I know that chicken soup is meant to be great for the soul when you’re ill, but is there anything better than sitting down with a pint of ice cream to watch some 90’s rom coms? Read on for the films that true romantics need to see to get that good feeling going.

  1. Ten things I hate about you On paper and in practice, this has everything. And I mean everything from Shakespeare to Heath Ledger to classic cliches and all the best that enemies to lovers tropes have to offer. There’s also a killer paintball scene. It’s the ideal nostalgic watch for any Romantics out there.
  2. Pretty Woman Julia Roberts was always going to form part of this list. The basic premise runs as follows: rags to riches and the best of the 90s fashion. This was a film that taught us to unlearn our prejudices directed towards sex work just as much as it taught us to see love in unlikely places. The prawn scene in the restaurant changed my entire perspective about fancy food.
  3. Notting Hill Now, while I’m on the subject of  Julia Roberts: her chemistry with Hugh Grant is truly swoon-worthy. It explores the pitfalls of the age of celebrity set against the quiet of a London bookshop. It set the stage for decades’ worth of teenage girls’ fantasies. I always say that I’d rather have a nervous Hugh Grant than a bad boy.
  4. She’s all that The perfect ‘popular guy meets indie girl’ cliche for all the Romantics. This gets a bad reputation because of a dodgy Netflix remake that did it no justice. But, hey, maybe that’s the point. It’s the perfect evidence that things don’t have to be perfect in order to have been enjoyed. She’s All That taught us to forge our own path in life and ‘not be like other girls’.
  5. Four Weddings and a Funeral Here we have a group of young, attractive thirty-somethings negotiating the highs and lows of single life – with some tragedy along the way to pull at the heartstrings. It has a complex love triangle and lots of pining, so be warned.
  6. Sleepless in Seattle Meg Ryan in her messy-hair peak and Tom Hanks in his affable single father peak. It’s the perfect combination and probably close to being the best film ever made. There’s a cheeky child that gets everything in motion and an iconic scene on the top of the Empire State building. It’s memorable for all the right reasons, and any Romantic should have this romp at the top of their ‘to-watch’ pile.
  7. You’ve Got Mail This is the same again, rinse and repeat. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are a fabulous double team, and they’re bringing all the best of the bookselling, friends-to-lovers dynamic, with a little pining thrown in just for good luck. They’re a great unlikely pairing and you should get in on this action if you haven’t seen it already. When it comes to 90’s rom coms, this is a must-watch.
  8. The Parent Trap Lindsey Lohan times two. Two secret friends who suddenly realize they’re long-lost sisters who get to finally bond. They just don’t know that they’re sisters. Everything from the haircuts to the leading single lovestruck father and the iconic stepmother ensures that this film more than satisfies its cult classic status.
  9. Love Jones This might be a less well-known film, but it’s totally relatable about young love and artistry. Darius and Nina are a pair of artists who can’t seem to escape either attraction to each other. They bond over music, photography, and poetry like any young lovers and teach us how to be vulnerable.
  10. My Best Friend’s Wedding Here we have another entry from Julia Roberts. She’s just about to turn 28, and wouldn’t you know that years ago she made a pact with her best friend that if they were both single by 28, they’d get married. Then, her friend texts her. It’s one of those stories, yes. Except, there are twists: it turns out he’s marrying a young Cameron Diaz. However, this prompts an inconvenient realization that Julia has been in love with him all along. She vows to stop the wedding at all costs. You’ve got to love her, but yikes!
  11. There’s something about Mary Here’s another Cameron Diaz starring moment, and for good reason. Ted has spent years thinking about her high school crush, Mary, and hires a guy to track her down to reconnect. However, the guy he hires falls for her and they get caught in a web of lies. I wonder who you’ll root for!
  12. The Wedding Singer Of all the 90’s rom coms on this list, this may be the most legendary. We have Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore at their best here as the wholesome wedding singer finds himself picking up the pieces as his fiancee leaves him at the altar. Drew hires him as her own wedding singer but ends up leaving her fiance for him. These characters always seem to have perfect timing, don’t they?
Hannah has a Masters degree in Romantic and Victorian literature in Scotland and spends her spare time writing anything from essays to short fiction about the life and times of the frogs in her local pond! She loves musical theatre, football, anything with potatoes, and remains a firm believer that most of the problems in this world can be solved by dancing around the kitchen to ABBA. You can find her on Instagram at @_hannahvic.
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