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Classic Romantic Comedies That Deserve a Spot in Every Movie Lover’s Queue

Classic Romantic Comedies That Deserve a Spot in Every Movie Lover’s Queue

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Classic Romantic Comedies That Deserve a Spot in Every Movie Lover’s Queue

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

50. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

49. The Palm Beach Story (1942)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

48. The More the Merrier (1943)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

47. Pillow Talk (1959)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

46. Libeled Lady (1936)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

45. Desk Set (1957)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

44. Love Crazy (1941)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

43. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

42. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

41. A New Leaf (1971)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

40. The Major and the Minor (1942)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

39. The Band Wagon (1953)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

38. Adam's Rib (1949)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

37. Harold and Maude (1971)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

36. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation

35. The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

34. The Awful Truth (1937)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

33. The Graduate (1967)

Courtesy of Embassy Pictures

32. Born Yesterday (1950)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

31. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

30. Sabrina (1954)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

29. Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

28. Breaking Away (1979)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

27. The Quiet Man (1952)

Courtesy of Republic Pictures

26. You Can't Take It with You (1938)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

25. Play It Again, Sam (1972)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

24. Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

23. How to Steal a Million (1966)

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

22. Bachelor Mother (1939)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

20. The Lady Eve (1941)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

19. Manhattan (1979)

Courtesy of United Artists

18. Charade (1963)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

17. Auntie Mame (1958)

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

16. Ninotchka (1939)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

15. Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

14. Ball of Fire (1941)

Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

13. Holiday (1938)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

12. My Man Godfrey (1936)

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

11. His Girl Friday (1940)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

10. Annie Hall (1977)

Courtesy of United Artists

9. Roman Holiday (1953)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

8. The Apartment (1960)

Courtesy of United Artists

7. Some Like It Hot (1959)

Courtesy of United Artists

6. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

5. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

4. It Happened One Night (1934)

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

3. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

1. City Lights (1931)

Courtesy of United Artists

Classic Romantic Comedies That Deserve a Spot in Every Movie Lover’s Queue
50. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
49. The Palm Beach Story (1942)
48. The More the Merrier (1943)
47. Pillow Talk (1959)
46. Libeled Lady (1936)
45. Desk Set (1957)
44. Love Crazy (1941)
43. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
42. Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
41. A New Leaf (1971)
40. The Major and the Minor (1942)
39. The Band Wagon (1953)
38. Adam's Rib (1949)
37. Harold and Maude (1971)
36. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
35. The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
34. The Awful Truth (1937)
33. The Graduate (1967)
32. Born Yesterday (1950)
31. Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
30. Sabrina (1954)
29. Trouble in Paradise (1932)
28. Breaking Away (1979)
27. The Quiet Man (1952)
26. You Can't Take It with You (1938)
25. Play It Again, Sam (1972)
24. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
23. How to Steal a Million (1966)
22. Bachelor Mother (1939)
20. The Lady Eve (1941)
19. Manhattan (1979)
18. Charade (1963)
17. Auntie Mame (1958)
16. Ninotchka (1939)
15. Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)
14. Ball of Fire (1941)
13. Holiday (1938)
12. My Man Godfrey (1936)
11. His Girl Friday (1940)
10. Annie Hall (1977)
9. Roman Holiday (1953)
8. The Apartment (1960)
7. Some Like It Hot (1959)
6. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
5. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
4. It Happened One Night (1934)
3. Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)
2. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
1. City Lights (1931)

Classic Romantic Comedies That Deserve a Spot in Every Movie Lover’s Queue

Romantic comedies have always been a popular genre in film and television. Media falling under this umbrella saw a rise in the 1930s, during the Great Depression and World War II, when these "screwball comedies" highlighted the relationships between strong, sharp-witted female leads and their handsome male counterparts.

No matter the era, audiences love watching these relationships play out onscreen. According to YouGov.com, roughly seven in 10 Americans love watching romantic comedies. They may not be realistic, but these are still the greatest classic romantic comedies of all time.

To determine the greatest classic romantic comedies, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of June 2024, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies released before 1980 were included. Documentaries were not considered. Director information is from IMDb.

This post was updated on August 8th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

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