Romantic comedies were at their best in the noughties.
There were shenanigans and misunderstandings and frantic races to the airport to declare undying love.
Here are 10 of the best '00s rom coms, ranked:
10. The Proposal
This is just a fun movie, that's always up for a good time.
It follows the story of Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) the editor-in-chief of an American book publishing company, who is hated by everyone she comes across.
After learning she's about to be deported back to Canada, she persuades her long suffering assistant, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), to marry her.
The pair travel back to Margaret's hometown for the wedding, and hilarity ensues.
9. The Family Stone
This movie is seriously underrated.
It's Sarah Jessica Parker at her most Sarah Jessica Parker-ish.
Basically, it follows the story of Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) who brings his uptight big city girlfriend Meredith Morton (Parker) home to his small Connecticut town for Christmas.
His family hate Meredith, except for his brother Ben (Luke Wilson) who manages to bring out her fun side.
The Family Stone is a story about family, love, loss and finding out who you really are underneath all the layers.
8. 27 Dresses
The premise of 27 Dresses is ridiculous, but it made a lot of women feel seen.
It also has all the elements of a bloody good rom com - shenanigans, a ruse, and a big finale.
Plus James Marsden and his... face.
And that final scene with all the bridesmaids wearing their own hideous bridesmaid dresses never fails to make me ugly cry laugh.
7. Sweet Home Alabama
I feel like Sweet Home Alabama set the precedent for all of those Hallmark/Netflix movies about big city girls returning to their home towns and falling back in love with their high school sweetheart.
It's not the most original story, but the chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas' characters is palpable and the supporting cast make this a really fun movie.
Plus the soundtrack is *chefs kiss*.
6. Suddenly 30
I love a good time travelling/body swapping movie.
Suddenly 30 is a movie about wanting your life to be different and then learning the life you had is pretty bloody great to begin with.
The chemistry between Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo is great and Judy Greer is a brilliant villain.
5. How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days
How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days has all the elements of a bloody good rom-com.
Shenanigans, misunderstandings, a very tanned Matthew McConaughey, a high stakes ruse, and a big payoff at the end.
This is a movie you can watch time and time again and still find enjoyable.
4. Love Actually
Ok, I love Love Actually as a Christmas movie. But I don't think it's the best rom com.
I think the movie - which precisely everyone in the world has seen at least 10 times - does a brilliant job of showing all the different sides of love, but it doesn't give the audience that one big happy ending.
Still, Hugh Grant dancing and Emma Thompson crying to Joni Mitchell are some of the most iconic scenes in modern film.
3. Serendipity
Serendipity is one of the most underrated rom coms of all time. And it's definitely the most underrated Christmas movie of all time.
Set in New York in the late 1990s, the movie follows the story of Jonathan Trager (John Cusack) who meets a woman named Sara Thomas at Bloomingdales when they attempt to buy the same pair of gloves.
They're both in relationships but their mutual attraction leads to them having a coffee at a nearby coffee shop named Serendipity33.
At the end of the night when Sara gives Jonathan her number, the piece of paper is blown away in the wind. She interprets it as a bad omen.
She writes her number in a copy of Gabriel García Márquez's Love in the Time of Cholera and says if Jonathan finds the book and the number, they're meant to be.
A few years later, when a newly engaged Jonathan is back in New York, he goes on a quest to find the book.
The rest is, as they say is... serendipity.
2. Bridget Jones's Diary
If you look back at Bridget Jones's Diary through a 2021 lens, you'll find a lot of problems with it.
First of all, this skinny, blonde, traditionally attractive woman is constantly being criticised for her weight and her looks.
She's incredibly successful and owns a flat in London at 30 but everyone thinks she's a loser. And the men she's focused on chasing are... a bit sh*t actually.
But Bridget Jones captures that messy time in your early 30s when you think everyone else has what you want and that you'll never achieve your idea of the "perfect life".
It's also a movie about realising that perfect life doesn't exist and that sometimes the messiest bits are the best bits.
Plus, it's really bloody funny.
1. The Holiday
Every single time I watch The Holiday, I tear up when it gets to the scene where Arthur tells Kate Winslet's Iris that she's acting like the best friend when she should be the leading lady of her own life.
I SHOULD BE THE LEADING LADY OF MY OWN GODDAMN LIFE, DAMMIT.
This is just one of the bits of wisdom from this Christmas-themed rom-com that has stood the test of time.
The chemistry between the four leads, the Arthur of it all, the fact that this movie can be mushy and sentimental one minute, unbelievably wise the next, and laugh out loud funny after that, is the reason it remains one of the best rom coms of all time.
And hands down the best Christmas rom-com (sorry, Love Actually) of all time.
Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.
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