RomcomsCredit: Monique Westermann
Romcom fans were once spoiled for choice when it came to watching the world’s biggest celebrities being fun and flirty on the big screen. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. Hugh Grant and every famous actress of the ’90s and early 2000s.
But in the past few decades, great big-name romantic comedies have been harder to come by.
Superhero movies and big franchise properties largely stifled the production of mid-budget films and romcoms that found a comfy home on streaming platforms and were mostly autofilled by cheap unknown performers or former child stars reading scripts that sounded like they were written by AI (no, I don’t recommend the latest Lindsay Lohan offering on Netflix).
There have been exceptions. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was a spectacular box office hit. Ticket to Paradise (2023) had George Clooney and Julia Roberts showing off their on-screen chemistry to great effect. The Big Sick (2017), Always Be My Maybe (2019), Fire Island (2022) and Bros (2022) all had comedic talents flexing their muscles in fun and interesting ways (literally, in the case of Joel Kim Booster). But at best, we’d be blessed with one or two a year.
Not so for 2024. There are three fun, interesting romcoms either in cinemas or streaming now – with at least three more promising titles on the way. Are we getting back to the glory days? I can’t say for sure, but the fact that Netflix has an upcoming film featuring Nicole Kidman straddling Zac Efron has me excited.
Here’s your guide to the year’s best releases.
Anyone But You: The surprise hit that kicked off the craze
A romcom with chemistry so powerful it had fans speculating that the leads, Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney, were having an affair. This Australian-shot retelling of Much Ado About Nothing catapulted to global box office success back in January off the back of great word of mouth and huge engagement with younger audiences on TikTok.
Its success was so encouraging, in fact, that it had commentators predicting a “romcom renaissance” and Hollywood execs realising that viewers aged 18-24 wanted to get out and pay money for a movie with a lot of angry flirting, nudity and an extended singalong to a 2004 pop banger.
Available for rent or purchase now on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube or Google Play, and streaming on Binge from June 21.
The Idea of You: Anne Hathaway’s Harry Styles fanfic
It’s not every day you see an Academy Award winner starring in a film based on what some critics have labelled “Harry Styles fanfic”. In this Prime Video original, Hathaway stars as Solène, a 40-year-old art gallerist and single mother who strikes up an unexpected romance with a very kind, very British member of one of the world’s biggest boy bands.
Though Hathaway’s casting was met with some scepticism when the film was announced, reactions have been overwhelmingly positive with some viewers taken aback by the film’s relative depth and sincerity. Our reviewer said it “hit the sweet spot between quality, intelligence and fantasy that audiences are clearly craving in an era of overwhelming mediocrity”, with others pointing out it “is far more considerate to its characters than a lot of its streaming brethren are to theirs”.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.
The Fall Guy: Ryan Gosling makes a big move
Ryan Gosling has been the king of romance ever since he kissed Rachel McAdams in the rain in The Notebook (see also: on stage at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards), and his comedic efforts have resulted in the entire world both understanding and respecting the concept of “kenergy”. But, besides the excellent Crazy Stupid Love (2011), he’s been given surprisingly little scope to marry the two talents.
The Fall Guy is a remedy to that. In this light-hearted action romcom, Gosling stars as Colt Seavers: a downtrodden Hollywood stuntman trying to win back his one-time girlfriend and current director (Emily Blunt) while also untangling himself from a strange conspiracy on set.
(The film is also shot and set in Sydney which, between this and Anyone But You, is making a strong case for itself as the current romcom capital of the world.)
In cinemas now.
Hit Man: Glen Powell shows his range
This time last year, you might have known him best as the smarmy antagonist from Top Gun: Maverick but between this and January’s Anyone But You, Glen Powell has now solidified himself as the new king of the romcom.(Not a surprise to anyone who caught 2017’s Set It Up, another sleeper hit that streamed exclusively on Netflix.)
Hit Man is a sharp, fun romcom/crime caper co-written by Powell and director Richard Linklater (Before Sunset, Boyhood, Dazed and Confused) which follows the semi-true story of Gary Johnson: a mild-mannered psychology professor who moonlights with the police as a fake hit man. Johnson (Powell) adopts various disguises and personalities to elicit confessions from would-be murderers before he finds himself in a complicated and uncharacteristically steamy relationship with a woman making a hit on her husband (Adria Arjona). Think Out of Sight meets Mr and Mrs Smith.
Streaming on Netflix from June 7.
A Family Affair: Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron’s complicated hook-up
Much like Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You, Nicole Kidman (Brooke) hooks up with a younger movie star (Zac Efron) and undergoes a later-in-life journey of self-discovery in this upcoming Netflix film. Unfortunately, it’s complicated by her adult daughter (Joey King), who works for Efron, and spectacularly catches them in the act.
The trailer, released just this week, looks equal parts slapstick and sincere. And, most promisingly, has Efron in full self-parody mode playing the kind of hot, sweet dope he perfected in the Bad Neighbours movies.
Streaming on Netflix from June 28.
We Live In Time: Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield’s marriage story
Very few details have been released about this upcoming film, but director John Crowley (Brooklyn) has described it on a recent film podcast as “a portrait of a marriage and a portrait of what it takes to make a family”.
Co-starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, the film is said to “spin from hysteria and extremely funny moments to something rather shattering and heartbreaking a second later”. While the finished product may end up more romantic drama than romcom (like the excellent Challengers also earlier this year), Cowley promises “[the leads’] chemistry is extraordinary in it”.
No release date announced, but expected later this year.
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