21 Edgier Rom-Coms Guaranteed To Please Even The Most Heartless Viewer
When it comes to rom-coms, we all have our comfort movies, like When Harry Met Sally... or The Proposal.
Columbia Pictures / Via media.giphy.com
But outside of the lovey-dovey touchstones of the genre, there are a number of rom-coms out there for those who just can't stand the time-honored tropes of the subgenre. Luckily for them, there's a number of filmmakers who have felt the same way, and this list offers more than 20 alternatives for those who want something a little edgier or stranger than Never Been Kissed this Valentine's Day.
1.Sightseers
Though filmmaker Ben Wheatley is more renowned for his work in the horror world, Sightseers is the perfect romantic comedy for those who enjoy gallows humor as we follow two smitten misfits (Steve Oram and Alice Lowe) who discover a shared passion for murder while on holiday.
2.Modern Romance
A seminal romantic comedy with a bit of a cynical streak, Modern Romance tells the story of a neurotic and overworked man (Albert Brooks) who just can't decide if his significant other (Kathryn Harrold) is "the one."
3.Spontaneous
Tragically overlooked following its mid-pandemic release, Spontaneous follows two teenagers (Katherine Langford and Charlie Plummer) who find love in the most unexpected place: in the middle of a spontaneous combustion outbreak affecting teenagers in their small town.
4.Forgetting Sarah Marshall
While this uproarious film is often considered as a modern gem of the subgenre, Forgetting Sarah Marshall is way less conventional than you're average rom-com, from the extended subplot about a Dracula musical to random acts of violence, including a scene where Jason Segel murders a pig for a luau.
5.The Break Up
This writer will never forget the experience of seeing The Break Up in theaters, watching as the film's otherwise traditional romantic comedy tropes were flipped upside down by its refusal to reunite its lead couple (Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn) and left audiences visibly up in arms by not catering to their expectations.
6.Young Adult
Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman returned to the silver screen after Juno for this masterpiece that twists the rom-com formula into darker territory, in which a delusional has-been author (Charlize Theron) returns to her hometown to swoop up the man of her dreams (Patrick Wilson)...at the naming ceremony of his newborn daughter.
7.Don Jon
Written and directed by star Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon is another unconventional and surprisingly mature romantic comedy that is rooted by the lead character conflicted between his Lothario-esque identity and his self-destructive porn addiction.
8.A Dirty Shame
A raucous and unabashedly horny film that might sadly be the final film of John Waters, A Dirty Shame follows a repressed woman (Tracey Ullman) who develops an unquenchable desire for sex after an accident and teams with a local "sex saint" (Johnny Knoxville) to bring about a sexual revolution in their town.
9.The Baxter
A subtly subversive romantic comedy that buries its satirical edge under its warm-hearted nature, The Baxter is centered around the experience of the ordinary man who is left at the altar at the end of every rom-com.
10.Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Though you may be reluctant to call Scott Pilgrim a romantic comedy, the imaginative and effortlessly quotable cult favorite certainly fits the bill in the least traditional fashion. Honestly, more romantic comedies could use laser swords!
11.They Came Together
Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain goes full Airplane! mode with this hysterically bizarre and star-studded parody of big studio romantic comedies.
12.Death Becomes Her
From Robert Zemeckis during the height of his Tales From the Crypt popularity, Death Becomes Her follows a self-absorbed actor (Meryl Streep) and her longtime rival (Goldie Hawn) who fight to the death (...and beyond...) over the object of their affection: a nebbish plastic surgeon (Bruce Willis).
13.Knocked Up
Another esteemed rom-com from the mind of Judd Apatow, Knocked Up hilariously upends the romantic comedy formula by following two sides of an absolutely incompatible couple (Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen) as they plan for the birth of a baby that was the result of a one-night stand.
14.Up in the Air
Filmmaker Jason Reitman makes his second appearance on this list with Up in the Air, an adaptation of Walter Kirn's cynical novel that falls in line with his satirical debut feature, Thank You for Smoking.
15.Mr. & Mrs. Smith
A rom-com for those who like steamy seduction, witty one-liners, and hard-hitting action, Mr. & Mrs. Smith follows a pair of married assassins-for-hire (Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) whose boring relationship is spiced up when they are hired to kill one another.
16.Addams Family Values
Though one might not immediately think of Addams Family Values as a romantic comedy, this macabre farce definitely fits the bill as it primarily showcases three respective courtships: Morticia and Gomez (Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia), Wednesday and Joel (Christina Ricci and David Krumholtz), and Fester and Debbie (Christopher Lloyd and Joan Cusack).
17.Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors is considered a masterpiece of both the musical and romantic comedy subgenres, even if the latter is not frequently associated with sadistic dentists, murderous florists, and bloodthirsty, man-eating aliens.
18.Tammy and the T-Rex
For those who always wondered what their relationship would look like if their significant other's brain was placed inside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, look no further than this cult classic.
19.I Love You, Phillip Morris
I Love You, Phillip Morris is not just a dark romantic comedy about a con artist who attempts to escape from prison to reunite with the inmate that got away, but its slowly been gaining momentum as a fairly accessible rom-com favorite for LGBTQ+ audiences.
20.Grosse Pointe Blank
John Cusack may have cut his teeth in the romantic comedy space over the years, but he's rarely been better than in this atypical and surprisingly violent rom-com about a contract killer (Cusack) who reunites with his estranged high school sweetheart (Minnie Driver) while attempting to kill a federal witness not far from his high school reunion.
21.The Lobster
Yorgos Lanthimos masterfully weaves a hilarious and heartbreaking tale of dystopian comedy and oddball romance set in a facility in which seemingly hopeless singles are given 45 days to find a romantic partner or are transformed into an animal of their choosing.
