The romcom genre has a decidedly mixed record, often becoming a lazy way for stars to cash in on their popularity – with less than loveable results. Witness the career of Matthew McConaughey, which could have been described as ‘Death by romcom’ (Failure to Launch, The Wedding Planner, Fool’s Gold etc) until his 2011 comeback with Killer Joe. Gerard Butler also tried his hand with a slew of mediocre pictures (Playing for Keeps, The Bounty Hunter, The Ugly Truth etc), before reverting to action flicks.
But once in a while, the chemistry is just right and everything falls into place. Here’s my pick of ten alternative romantic comedies that avoid the saccharine pitfalls that often blight the field.
You People (2023) – Netflix
Jonah Hill co-wrote with director Kenya Barris (black-ish) this vague update of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), which is tonally unsure but boasts a few good laughs, primarily due to the presence of Eddie Murphy.
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