But perhaps none has felt as needed as The Half of It-a proudly queer love story from Alice Wu, director of the 2004 cult classic Saving Face. Netflix has been credited with reviving the rom-com in recent years by distributing popular titles including Set It Up and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. And while every single pick may not contain every element commonly associated with the romantic comedy, they all fit the American Film Institute’s broad definition of “a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.” Of course, they’re all funny, too. Our ultimate list of best romantic comedies is an eclectic mix, containing everything from black-and-white classics to, well, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The takeaway, perhaps, is that “romantic comedy” is an elastic designation, one that lies at least partly in the eye of the beholder-appropriate enough for a genre all about falling in love. Though 31 rom-coms ultimately made the list, 20 more were left off because they received only a single vote-films that ran the gamut from Obvious Child to White Christmas to Strictly Ballroom to Wall-E. Which got us thinking: what are the best romantic comedies of all time, the films that most perfectly exemplify this beloved but under-appreciated genre? Vanity Fair’s Hollywood team decided to find out by making individual top 10 lists, then crunching the numbers, noting which films appeared most frequently, and-after a few brief arguments about what constitutes a romantic comedy, and what does not-came up with the final tally. That’s been clear for years now, since Netflix hit pay dirt by releasing scores of rom-coms, Crazy Rich Asians made bank at the box office, and Licorice Pizza became a critical darling. Yes, rom-coms have faltered in popularity since their 1990s heyday-but even as time passes, audiences are hungry as ever for banter, meet-cutes, and happy endings. As this list of the best romantic comedies ever proves, the death of the genre has been greatly exaggerated.

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