In 1964 when Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart was asked to judge whether or not “Les Amants” (“The Lovers”), a film by French director Louis Malle, was obscene, he acknowledged that defining obscenity was difficult, but added “I know it when I see it.” (And he didn’t see it in “Les Amants.”)
Humor is a lot like obscenity in that regard. Is a particular joke, comedy routine, comic strip, or comedic movie funny or not? Its ability to provoke laughter might be difficult to explicate, but each one of us knows whether it is or isn’t funny — to us — when we see (or hear) it.
Needless to say, not everybody finds the same things amusing. When stand-ups cross the line with a “too soon” joke, some people laugh while others turn away in disgust. When old-fashioned slapstick hits the screen, it sends some people into hysterics while leaving others cold. (Somebody once proposed that the difference between men and women was that men find the Three Stooges funny — itself a pretty funny observation. Or maybe not.) And there are even apparently people who don’t see the humor in “Seinfeld” or “The Simpsons.” (These are the very best sitcoms of all time.)
When boy-girl (or boy-boy or girl-girl) relationships are given a light, theoretically amusing touch — as in romantic comedies, or rom-coms — individual perceptions get even more complex, because they depend not only on whether we find the concept or the jokes funny but also whether we think the couple in question has believable personal magnetism.
Because professional movie critics tend to be more, well, critical about rom-coms (among other kinds of films), they are sometimes left unimpressed by the supposedly funny stuff and/or don’t buy into the mutual attraction supposedly portrayed onscreen. Audiences, however, are usually more forgiving and may end up liking motion pictures of this kind more than those who get paid to assess them.
To determine the romantic comedies audiences loved but critics hated, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience and critic reception from Rotten Tomatoes. Romantic comedies were ranked based on the difference between a film’s Tomatometer score — the percentage of professional critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes that are positive — and average audience score. Only films with at least five critics reviews were considered. Films with audience scores below 70% and Tomatometer scores above 50% were excluded. Cast information is from IMDb.
The films here range over a 65-year period, from 1954’s “The Long, Long Trailer” (starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) to a couple from 2019, “Jexi” and “Last Christmas.” Are these or any of the other entries on this list funny? See them and you’ll know.
25. French Kiss (1995)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (54,961 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 48% (25 reviews)
- Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton
24. Just Friends (2005)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (420,616 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 42% (109 reviews)
- Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris
23. Love & Sex (2000)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (7,510 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 47% (49 reviews)
- Starring: Famke Janssen, Jon Favreau, Noah Emmerich
22. Overboard (1987)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (68,349 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 44% (34 reviews)
- Starring: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann
21. The Holiday (2006)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (507,808 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 49% (158 reviews)
- Starring: Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law
20. Deliver Us from Eva (2003)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (20,011 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 44% (82 reviews)
- Starring: Gabrielle Union, LL Cool J, Essence Atkins
19. Made in Heaven (1987)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (3,890 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 50% (12 reviews)
- Starring: Timothy Hutton, Kelly McGillis, Maureen Stapleton
18. The Long, Long Trailer (1954)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (4,753 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 44% (9 reviews)
- Starring: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Marjorie Main
17. Last Christmas (2019)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (6,408 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 47% (208 reviews)
- Starring: Madison Ingoldsby, Emma Thompson, Boris Isakovic
16. Sydney White (2007)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (789,566 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 35% (85 reviews)
- Starring: Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton, Matt Long
15. American Desi (2001)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (3,023 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 38% (13 reviews)
- Starring: Deep Katdare, Ronobir Lahiri, Purva Bedi
14. How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days (2003)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (802,354 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 42% (150 reviews)
- Starring: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Goldberg
13. She’s the Man (2006)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (607,681 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 44% (114 reviews)
- Starring: Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey, Channing Tatum
12. A Lot Like Love (2005)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (76,776 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 41% (125 reviews)
- Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet, Taryn Manning
11. Creator (1985)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (1,488 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 38% (13 reviews)
- Starring: Peter O’Toole, Mariel Hemingway, Vincent Spano
10. Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (43,504 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 38% (13 reviews)
- Starring: Biff Yeager, Kristi Somers, Richard Blade
9. The Other Sister (1999)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (49,412 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 29% (49 reviews)
- Starring: Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, Giovanni Ribisi
8. Two Can Play That Game (2001)
RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 21, Vivica A fox during the SA Sports Awards from Sun City Superbowl on August 21, 2011 in Rustenburg, South Africa Photo by Frennie Shivambu / Gallo Images
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (34,139 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 41% (63 reviews)
- Starring: Vivica A. Fox, Morris Chestnut, Anthony Anderson
7. Same Time, Next Year (1978)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (4,446 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 40% (5 reviews)
- Starring: Alan Alda, Ellen Burstyn, Ivan Bonar
6. Sprung (1997)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (1,317 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 22% (9 reviews)
- Starring: Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, Paula Jai Parker
5. Jexi (2019)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (1,336 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 19% (32 reviews)
- Starring: Adam Devine, Alexandra Shipp, Rose Byrne
4. Daddy’s Little Girls (2007)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (225,961 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 26% (54 reviews)
- Starring: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Tracee Ellis Ross
3. P.S. I Love You (2007)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (254,242 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 25% (104 reviews)
- Starring: Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Harry Connick Jr.
2. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (14,709 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 12% (26 reviews)
- Starring: Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield, Regina King
1. American Dreamer (1984)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (3,345 votes)
- Rotten Tomatoes critics score: 17% (6 reviews)
- Starring: JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti, Giancarlo Giannini