Romantic comedies that DO get it

This is inspired by a post I saw from Verily Magazine on romantic comedies that portray false ideas of love and relationships

Read their article by clicking here: http://verilymag.com/2016/01/bad-dating-advice-romantic-comedies-romcoms-love


I couldn't agree more with their premise that a lot of romantic comedies teach FALSE ideas about love, relationships, etc.



I thought I would put together my own list of "rom-com-ish" films that DO convey a healthy sense of what love and relationships are.


1) Groundhog Day - I've given talks based around this film.  Bill Murray, when confronted with waking up to the same day every day, moves through a progression of
a. spending his first "repeat days" on self-indulgence
b. then he starts killing himself
c. then he tries to woo his love interest through tricks and gimmicks
d. then he starts to actually use his days to become a better person
e. this allows him to finally win the love and affection of his beloved


2) While You Were Sleeping - a beautiful presentation of what happens when we deceive others, and how lies can really complicate matters, but also, more importantly, a beautiful exploration of loneliness, and how true love and a true experience of family is what we are made for



3) Warm Bodies - I could do talks on this film all day long too.  The whole "teen guy as a zombie who can only follow instinct" is a beautiful image of what "UNvirtuous man" looks like - a walking zombie.  When our teen zombie actually meets his love interest, he starts to come back to life - again a beautiful image on the transformative power of authentic and virtuous love!  (Thanks to Sr. Helena Burns for pointing this film out to me while we were filming "The Third Way!")


4) Return to Me - another great story highlighting the fact that "you don't just marry another person, you marry their family as well" - a joyous celebration of good faithful relationships, and how love calls us out of isolation.



5) Family Man - more of a hybrid between "drama" and "rom-com" this is one of my favorite movies of all time.  Again we see the transformation that love between two people (and also the love within the larger context of family) calls us away from ourselves and isolation and loneliness and misery.  I've also used this film for many classes and presentations.



What is your list of romantic comedies that get it right?