Reality bites, but these rom-coms are as good as it gets. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the rom-coms from the 1990s that have stood the test of time.
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00:00God, if this man isn't the one, at least let me dance till I sweat.
00:04Would you like to dance?
00:05I'd love to.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the rom-coms from the 1990s
00:12that have stood the test of time.
00:14Just shut up.
00:16You had me at hello.
00:19Number 10.
00:20The Wedding Singer.
00:21Say what you will about some of Adam Sandler's misses, when he hits, he hits big.
00:26You're the wedding singer.
00:27Yeah.
00:28How you doing?
00:29How you doing?
00:30I'm Robbie.
00:31I'm Julia.
00:32The Wedding Singer is the perfect example of this.
00:34It's got loads of laughs, and he and Drew Barrymore have a chemistry that makes their
00:38love story believable and relatable.
00:40You know, can I say something?
00:42Yeah, I deal with a lot of people, but you two look truly happy.
00:46You're gonna make it.
00:47I know.
00:48Believe me.
00:49How do you know?
00:50It's no wonder they worked on more films together after that.
00:52For one thing, their characters Robbie and Julia have an amazing rapport.
00:56Plus, the story — about a wedding singer and waitress who fall for each other despite
01:00her engagement to another man — is filled with heart and laughter alike.
01:04It could be so nice, growing old with you.
01:11As a result, sentimentality brings a smile to our faces every time we press play.
01:17Number 9.
01:18Groundhog Day.
01:19There was tension on set during the filming of Groundhog Day.
01:22Indeed, there was conflict between director-slash-co-writer Harold Ramis and star Bill Murray over the
01:27story's tone.
01:28On me in three, two, one.
01:32This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large
01:36squirrel predicting the weather.
01:39I, for one, am very grateful to have been here.
01:41From Punxsutawney, this is Phil Connors.
01:44So long.
01:45Okay.
01:46We don't know who was in the right, but the true winner of the argument was the audience.
01:50You might think a movie about a guy having to relive the same day over and over again
01:54would get repetitive, but no.
02:01Sure, like Murray's character Phil when he's caught in the loop, we now know what's going
02:13to happen.
02:14But rather than diminish the viewing experience, it actually makes us enjoy it even more.
02:19What are the chances of getting out of town today?
02:21The Vans deal won't start.
02:23Larry's working on it.
02:24Oh, wouldn't you know it.
02:25Can I buy you a drink?
02:27Not only that, you can't deny the film's legacy.
02:29Nowadays, the term Groundhog Day is synonymous with repeated events or déjà vu experiences.
02:36Number eight, Reality Bites.
02:38We'd say it's ironic that Reality Bites made the list, but like Winona Ryder in the movie,
02:43we aren't exactly sure how to define it.
02:45Irony.
02:46It's a noun.
02:47It's when something is ironic.
02:48It's, well, I can't really define irony, but I know it when I see it.
02:56We're joking, of course.
02:57What we do know, though, is that Reality Bites, about disillusioned youth, is often dubbed
03:02a seminal Generation X rom-com.
03:05That's a generation that was largely seen as wanting to chill at the time.
03:08One of these mornings, I'm going to wake up before noon, and, yeah, right.
03:13One reviewer described them as not seeing, quote, any point in getting all bent out of
03:17shape and overambitious.
03:19If you think about it, Millennials and Gen Z get accused of being lazy in the same way.
03:23So while the music and clothes might have changed, Reality Bites still speaks to audiences
03:28today.
03:35Number seven, There's Something About Mary.
03:37There is something about this movie.
03:39Anyone who's seen it will tell you that it's inappropriate and gross.
03:42It's a boorish humor scene in things like the, well, non-traditional hair gel.
03:46Is that?
03:47Is that a hair gel?
03:51Yet this 1998 Farrelly Brothers film manages to elevate itself beyond a dumb, gross-out
03:56comedy.
03:57The tale of Cameron Diaz's Mary and the guys who want to date her instead strikes a unique
04:02balance between the rom and the com.
04:04You know, maybe you should just, like, move down here and marry me.
04:09This allows it to stand out as one of the genre's most memorable offerings in the 90s,
04:13and it hasn't lost its spunk.
04:15Years later, Ted and Mary's relationship still works.
04:18So does the outrageousness in many ways.
04:20A one, and a two, and a...
04:25We got a bleeder!
04:27Some bits will simply never not be funny.
04:30Number six, Pretty Woman.
04:32At first glance, one might not think a sweet, family-friendly rom-com about a rich man falling
04:36in love with a sex worker would work.
04:37What is your name?
04:38Edward.
04:39Edward?
04:40That's my favorite name in the whole world.
04:41No.
04:42I tell you what.
04:43This is fate, Edward.
04:44That's what this is.
04:48We especially doubt many would have bet on it becoming one of the most successful romantic
04:52comedies of all time.
04:53But that's exactly what Pretty Woman did, and here we are, over 30 years later, still
04:58talking about it.
04:59But it's more than just discourse.
05:01We're also still watching the movie, and loving the way it allows us to get lost in the love-conquers
05:06all fairytale dream of it.
05:07I had a good time.
05:09Me too.
05:10How many of us hope someone will romantically climb up our fire escape every time we play
05:14it on screen?
05:15There's no shame in it.
05:16So what happened after he climbed up the tower and rescued her?
05:22She rescues him right back.
05:24Number five, Jerry Maguire.
05:26It's been over 25 years since Jerry Maguire came out, yet when the time comes to pick
05:30something to watch today, we can often be heard yelling,
05:33Show me the movie!
05:34Jerry, you better yell!
05:35Show me the movie!
05:36Show me the movie!
05:42It had us at Hello! in 1996, and nothing has changed.
05:47It's a perfect rom-com, while also managing to be a sports and buddy flick.
05:51It also gives us a chance to see Tom Cruise doing something different than his now-classic
05:55action movies.
05:57Oops.
05:58Oops.
06:00Oops.
06:02Oops.
06:04Oops.
06:06We get butterflies in our stomach as we see the titular sports agent pave his own career
06:10path, while also finding and fighting for love.
06:13Not to get overly sentimental here, but Jerry Maguire, you complete us.
06:18I love you.
06:20You complete me.
06:25Number four, As Good As It Gets.
06:27has an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score and received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Basically,
06:33as good as it gets is almost as good as it gets when it comes to 90s rom-coms.
06:37I'm so afraid you're about to say something awful.
06:40Don't be pessimistic. It's not your style.
06:43Smartly written and character-driven, it's a mature and adult offering that still stays true
06:48to so many classic themes of the genre. That's why it remains a pick that's recognizable and
06:53comforting. We'd also be remiss not to mention Jack Nicholson as Melvin.
06:57A man with OCD who falls for Helen Hunt's single mom, Carol.
07:00Not that you're ugly.
07:02Easy, easy, pal. I can take the compliment. But my knees start knocking when you turn on the charm.
07:08Full blast.
07:09They didn't both win acting Oscars by accident. Their characters are complicated,
07:13and their journey is by no means easy. But we root for them as much now as we did back then.
07:19You make me want to be a better man.
07:21Number 3. 10 Things I Hate About You.
07:24Shakespeare is timeless, so it only makes sense that a classic teen rom-com based on
07:28a play by the immortal Bard would be one that still got it.
07:411999's 10 Things I Hate About You sets the taming of the shrew in high school,
07:45bringing us all the rom-coms we've ever seen.
07:48There's everything from the grand gesture to the climactic declaration of love,
07:52as the cynical cat, portrayed brilliantly by Julia Stiles, finds romance.
07:56I hate it when you're not around, and the fact that you didn't call.
08:01But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all.
08:07Let's be honest, those things never get old.
08:10Also, for many, the movie was a first introduction to Heath Ledger.
08:13For that reason, and many others, it will always hold a special place in our hearts.
08:20Number 2. You've Got Mail.
08:22You've...got mail.
08:25Yes.
08:30It's a very powerful word.
08:32Yes, I'm sure it is.
08:34It's a very powerful word.
08:36In this day and age, when meeting online is commonplace, there's something almost prescient
08:50about You've Got Mail. Though dial-up is a thing of the past, the concept is one many
08:54of us can relate to today, maybe even more so than we did back in 1998.
09:08Add to that the hidden identities and enemies-to-lovers plot between the owners of rival bookstores
09:13— one is a chain, one is a small local spot — and you get a winning formula. Tom Hanks
09:18and Meg Ryan together is just the cherry on top, with their charm bringing the whole thing
09:23home.
09:24We just have one more thing to say to You've Got Mail. You've got… it.
09:37Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:41Nodding Hill
09:42It's quaint. It's cozy. It's charming. What more could you want?
09:48I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
09:59My Best Friend's Wedding
10:00No need to say a little prayer. This tale of love, friendship, and growth still holds
10:05up.
10:06And ever, you never will part, oh how I love you, together, forever, that's how I must
10:21be, to live without you, who'd only mean heartbreak for me.
10:22Sleepless in Seattle
10:23We'll always stay up to watch fate win.
10:24Shall we?
10:33Clueless
10:34Everything from the outfits, to the slang, to the plot, is iconic.
10:39Then suddenly, oh my god, I love Josh. I am majorly, totally, butt-crazy in love with
10:51Josh.
10:52While You Were Sleeping
10:53We don't ever want to sleep through the heart and hilarity on display here.
10:56This way?
10:57This way.
10:58Okay.
10:59Ow!
11:00What was that?
11:01Was that my pants or my muscles?
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11:201.
11:21Four Weddings and a Funeral
11:22No one saw Four Weddings and a Funeral coming.
11:31We're sure the folks making it thought it was good and hoped it would do well, but we
11:35can't imagine anyone dreamed that this movie, made for a little over $4 million, would see
11:40a box office haul of over $245 million.
11:44Did we mention it also got a Best Picture Oscar nomination?
11:47It's easy to see why.
11:49In short, to recap in a slightly clearer version, in the words of David Cassidy, in fact, while
11:56he was still with the Partridge family, I think I love you.
11:59We laugh and cry as we navigate these friends' loves and lives with them, being served all
12:04the feels a romantic comedy should provide.
12:07Needless to say, we aren't surprised that everything about this gem of a rom-com remains
12:11worth watching.
12:12And do you think not being married to me might maybe be something you could consider doing
12:21for the rest of your life?
12:22What's your favorite 90s rom-com that still holds up?
12:24Let us know in the comments.
12:26I was thorough when I looked for you.
12:30And I feel justified lying in your arms.
12:34Because I got here on my own terms.
12:36Do you agree with our picks?
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