Love is often more painful than fun, but audiences prefer it when it’s leaning more towards the latter. That’s why romanticcomedies are so popular. It’s easy to tell how these stories will unfold. Two characters meet, break up due to an unavoidable or petty reason, realize they are nothing without each other, and reunite. Sometimes the two main characters never break up, but they must confront several challenges to their union, issues that drive them to the edge of sanity.
Despite our familiarity with rom-com plots, we still consume more and more of these movies because they oscillate close to our hearts. At the moment, most rom-com fans have probably watched all the hits, but there are a few more underrated gems available across various streaming services, especially on Tubi.
“Love don’t cost a thing,” and neither does Tubi, so US viewers can sit back and enjoy these wonderful movies while learning a thing or two about how to handle relationships with the ones we love.
10 Breakin’ All the Rules (2004)
In 2004, Jamie Foxx starred in both his most critically acclaimed movie (Ray) and his most underrated one: Breakin’ All the Rules. Distraught after being dumped by his fiancé, Quincy Watson (Foxx) quits his job as an editor but turns things around by penning a best-selling book about relationships. Things heat up when the book influences Quincy’s cousin Evan (Morris Chestnut) to neglect his sultry girlfriend, Nicky (Gabrielle Union). She then embarks on a steamy affair with Quincy under Evan’s nose.
Love is Always Complicated
This affecting romantic comedy is deliciously twisty, and achieves potent immediacy via the woes of its fun characters. Quincy and Evan embody the ordinary struggles of adult dating, and in a way, each of them inspires those who have virtually nothing to look out for but hope. Everything is handled with a splash of humor, controversy, tenderness, and by the movie’s end, a soulful dosage of poignancy. By all means, get caught up in this game of Breakin’ All the Rules.
9 A Simple Wedding (2018)
A Simple Wedding introduces us to Iranian-American housing attorney Nousha Hassani (Tara Grammy), who is content with her life as a single woman in her ‘30s. However, she remains tortured over her failure to appease her parents by getting married. Soon, she finds love in the form of a bisexual DJ, and for her conservative parents, this turns out to be worse than if she had just stayed single.
Examine the Clash of Cultures
This gutsy, hard-hitting romantic comedy tackles the topics of culture clash and whether we are prepared to choose partners that our families will approve of rather than those we truly love. Tara Grammy carries the film, playing Nousha as a confident but fragile, and vulnerable soul who desperately wants to be happy while not disappointing anyone. From wedding dresses catching fire to an uncle exercising his Casanova-eque pickup skills at the reception, there is no shortage of fun moments in A Simple Wedding.
8 Nice Guys Sleep Alone (1999)
Is it true that nice guys finish last? Carter (Sean O’Bryan) slowly starts to accept this notion in Nice Guys Sleep Alone. After all, all the women he is interested in are rejecting him and going for rude, insufferable guys. He thus decides to change his lifestyle and adopt a bad-boy persona. Unfortunately, he falls for a girl who has grown tired of getting heartbroken and now wants Mr. Nice Guy.
Nice Guys Can Still Win
With well-written dialogue and colorful shots, director Stu Pollard brilliantly conveys an increasingly menacing view of the dating field in Nice Guys Sleep Alone. On top of that, he infuses slapstick moments for thematic emphasis. A beautiful soundtrack also accompanies Carter on his difficult quest to find love and provides a musical leitmotif of desire and regret in this charming rom-com.
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7 Bed and Breakfast (2010)
Dean Cain is primarily known for playing Superman, but he has done much more since he hung up the red cape. In Bed and Breakfast, he is Jake, the owner of a bed and breakfast establishment. Things get complicated when his landlady passes off the property to her adult granddaughter, Ana (Juliana Paes), who works in Rio. Ana shows up intending to evict Jake, only to end up falling for him.
Love Comes Unexpectedly
The urgent, moving rom-com deals head-on with a raft of sensitive subjects — business failure, loneliness, depression — without losing its hilarity. Caine is incredible as the fiery, street-smart business owner who won’t let anything come between him and the project he has built. He even replies to Florence with a nude photo of his buttocks when she informs him of her plan to kick him out. She can go to hell, but will she? She ends up in his heart instead.
6 Paris Manhattan (2012)
French rom-com Paris Manhattan follows Alice Ovitz (Alice Taglioni), a blond Parisienne pharmacist who is a big fan of Woody Allen’s movies. She yearns for love, but her sister stole the only man she had a real shot at, and she has had little luck since then. Thankfully, years later, she meets the real Woody Allen, who offers her advice that changes her dating trajectory for the better.
Using Love to Celebrate Woody Allen
Paris Manhattan has many joys (or pains) and audiences will especially like how it also touches on parental micromanagement when it comes to dating choices. Alice’s mother believes her dating predicament can be remedied by making her more feminine. She should smile more, but will that help? While alone, she spills her frustrations on a Woody Allen poster in her room, a clear sign of depression. But things eventually get better, so be patient with Alice on this problematic journey to find Mr. Right.
5 My Tinder with Andre (2021)
It’s quite surprising that there is still a shortage of rom-coms revolving around dating apps. Thankfully, there is My Tinder with Andre, where Chloe (Amber Laird), a pragmatic realist, meets the romantic idealist Andre (Jordan Iacovella) on Tinder and goes on a date with him in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. The movie mainly centers on deep intellectual conversations between the two.
Is Online Dating the Best Option?
This soulful film, written by the two leads, examines personal perspectives, and unconventional love from a modern lens. Based on the 1981 comedy, My Dinner with Andre, My Dinner with Andre is generally a first-rate rom-com with plenty to tackle, but the director never lets the issues lessen the emotional impact of the tale. Amber Laird’s powerhouse performance is exciting to watch, while Jordan Iacovella touches your heart as her love interest. The subject is deep, but My Dinner with Andre demands to be watched.
4 You May Not Kiss the Bride (2011)
In You May Not Kiss the Bride, things get complicated for pet photographer, Bryan Lighthouse (Dave Annable) when he is forced to marry Masha Nikitin (Katharine McPhee) to pay a massive debt to her criminal parents. He is informed that they only want her to get a green card, and he is not to touch her. Well, it all seems like an easy arrangement, until Masha gets kidnapped during their honeymoon.
More Complications
Dave Annable is a marvel in the lead role, often panicking and making fresh choices with startling rapidity, and his chemistry with McPhee contains a mild sexual charge that is beautiful to see. Kathy Bates (best known for Stephen King’s Misery) is also well-cast as Bryan’s mother, a control freak who keeps urging Bryan to take Masha’s virginity, despite her parents having given a clear warning regarding the matter.
3 And Then Came Lola (2009)
And Then Came Lola isn’t just a great lesbian rom-com, it’s also a captivating time-loop movie. We are introduced to Lola (Ashleigh Sumner), a photographer, looking to take things to the next level with her new lover, Casey. One day, she steps out to deliver crucial prints for Danielle, who is also Casey’s ex. While at it, she encounters stranger obstacles that keep repeating themselves.
Love and 99 More Problems
Creative movie-making at its best, this tale of frustration and persistence marked career high points for all the actors as they were all new in the industry at the time. Ashleigh Sumner is alluring in her role as Lola, a well-intentioned woman who draws the eyes and hearts of many, but the movie really blazes thanks to the love triangle, and those chaotic time-loop moments. Running at only 71 minutes, it never loses steam, so be sure to dive in.
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2 What Other Couples Do (2013)
In What Other Couples Do, a group of married friends at a party decide to play Seven Minutes in Heaven as a simple way to kill time and have fun. Definitely not a good idea. As they each push themselves to do things they normally wouldn’t, their loyalties to each other – and the fundamental marriage ideals and practices – all get called into question.
Other Couples Do a Lot
The engrossing romantic comedy dwells on the inexplicable contradictions that define humans: preaching about the importance of loyalty on their outside while doing nasty things when the opportunity arises. The fabulous Cate Geehan plays her character with an incredible, poker-faced detachment, while Michael Marc Freedman imbues his own with just the right balance of curiosity and naivete. For shocking discoveries and little thrills, find out What Other Couples Do.
1 Watcha Wearin? (2012)
Love can be born out of an accident, and also out of a little naughtiness. The Korean rom-com Watcha Wearin? is proof of that. In it, Yoon-jung (Kim Ah-joong) attempts to erase the consternation plaguing her relationship by randomly calling her boyfriend on the phone and talking dirty. However, she dials the wrong number and goes on and on without realizing she is talking to a stranger. Soon, a romantic bond develops between the two.
Relatable Phone Conversations
The link between sweet words and feelings is deftly explored in this enjoyable film. The film is further propelled by earthy performances by both leads, who received a few accolades for their work back in their home country. A dialogue-filled, authentic depiction of normal dating practices, Watcha Wearin?highlights the importance of going with the flow. The conversations range from the genuine to the hilarious, so be sure to listen keenly.
