Thinking of watching something a little offbeat tonight but don’t have time to shuffle through all those titles on Netflix? We’ve combed the depths again and this time came up with 5 quirky romantic comedies you need to see.
Just Friends
Back in 2005, Ryan Reynolds wasn’t quite the household name he is today and this oddball comedy opposite Amy Smart and Anna Farris didn’t do much to fix that, even if it is a sort of a fun sleeper. Reynolds is Chris Brander, a chubby wholesome kind of guy with a mad crush on Jamie Palamino (Smart) who wants only to be friends, crushing his heart and putting him on the run to LA where BAM, he reinvents himself into well, you know, a Ryan Reyonlds-esque sort of hunk. Ten years later, when circumstances have him back in town, he’s not got himself get a second shot. But there are some assorted complications, namely a pop singer named Samantha (Farris) who isn’t quite onboard with his plans. The cast keeps this formulaic love story zipping along and is well worth a watch for Reynold’s growing trademark self-deprecating charms.
How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days
For awhile there, Matthew McConaughey was all about the comedy, especially one with some romance and there were no better than the two films he did with Kate Hudson, including this rom-com from 2003. Hudson plays Andie Anderson, a columnist for a women’s magazine who writes popular “How to…” articles, though is tried of the fluff and wants something meatier. This inspires her to write the titular story, where she will date a man and lose him using only the classic mistakes women often make when in a relationship. Meanwhile, Benjamin Barry (McConaughey) is an ad guy who bets his boss he can make any woman fall for him, in hopes of winning a big campaign, and guess who he runs into in trying and make that happen? (Did you say Andie?) Keeping their identities and pursuits to themselves, it’s off to the races in this weirdly satisfying movie that is bubbling over with charisma.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Hey. Have you ever wanted to see Jason Segel‘s naked bits? If you answered “yes,” then here’s your chance. If you said “no,” then be warned, you’ll be wanting to avert your eyes for a moment, but you’d be missing one of the funniest moments in the movie. Segel is Peter Bretter, a television score composer dating the star of a hit crime drama series he does the music for. She’s Sarah (Kristen Bell) and one day, she comes home with some bad news. She’s moving on, and this absolutely devastates the already vulnerable Peter, who rushes off to Hawaii to get away from it all, only discover Sarah – and her new rock star man Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) – are in the suite next door. Good thing there’s a cute concierge named Rachel (Mila Kunis) in the mix to give Peter some distraction. This is a genuinely funny and even touching quirky romance that ends with Dracula. Why would you even want to miss this?
Along Came Polly
Ben Stiller has made a career out of the absurd and here he joins up with then hotter-than-hot-right now Jennifer Aniston in this 2004 oddball of a romance that is a bit tamer than There’s Something About Mary but clearly tries to reach for fruit off that funny vine. He is Reuben Feffer, an insurance risk assessor whose wife (Debra Messing) cheats on him … on their honeymoon! Now alone, and thinking he needs to take some risks of his own, sets out to win the heart of former school classmate Polly Prince (Aniston), a notorious freebird who takes everything in life with a kind of go-for-it attitude. Can he keep up with her? And does she even care? Co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman nearly walks off with the movie, but this is still a wildly weird rom-com made all the better with some great back-and-forths from the leads.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The grandmaster smash of quirky romantic comedies, this masterpiece mash-up of kooky comedy and real emotional rocks is a must see. Starring Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer, the titular virgin, the story follows his efforts to meet and find a woman he can fall in love with … and break a drought that’s kept him sidelined his whole life. With the amazing Catherin Keenar as Trish, the single mother who catches his eye, their misadventures in getting to sex is one of the most rewarding rom-com movies ever made. Featuring a bevy of now classic funny moments, what makes this work so darned well is its complete dedication in making Andy authentic, a guy we relate to and want to see succeed. This is great stuff and the best quirky romantic comedy on Netflix right now.