The early 2000's easily produced some of the funniest and most romantic movies of our short lifetimes. They are relatable and make us hope our love lives turn out the same way somehow.
1. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (2002)
Written by Greek actress and writer, Nia Vardalos, us non-Greeks can't help but think that this is the way a huge Greek family is and at the end of the movie, we wish we were Greek. This movie portrays a woman, Toula (Nia Vardalos), who still lives with her parents and is consumed by her huge family and it's Greek, family-run restaurant so that she has no time to think about herself or her love life. That is, until Ian Miller walks into her life and changes everything. It gives us hope that anything is possible in the game of love, but at the end of the day, family is the most important thing we can have in our lives, no matter how embarrassing they can be. P.S. I think the sequel is just as good and as funny, contrary to other people who say it's not!
2. "Along Came Polly" (2004)
Jennifer Aniston (Polly) and and Ben Stiller (Rueben) are a dynamic duo in this romantic comedy that pulls us at our heartstrings. It shows us that the people we were always meant to be with may not be the people we'd expect to ever be with.
3. "He's Just Not That Into You" (2009)
"He's Just Not That Into You" is another movie many of us can relate to. It portrays many different situations happening simultaneously involving a bunch of different people and couples. It demonstrates that there's no "right" way to fall in love and that love can be insanely complicated.
4. "13 Going on 30" (2004)
This movie presents two main themes: love and growing up. It shows us that sometimes in life, we grow up to be people we never imagined we'd become and never wanted to become altogether. Although we can't go into the future to see ourselves, we can make sure we are the people we want to be in the now and make sure we never lose that aspect of ourselves as we grow up.
5. "Valentine's Day" (2010)
Just like the movie "He's Just Not That Into You," this movie presents many different scenarios happening among different individuals all at the same time. Except in this movie, these situations are happening on a very special, supposed-to-be-romantic day, Valentine's Day. This movie presents Valentine's Day as it happens to normal people and not sugarcoated like most other movies as well as people in reality portray it as. It shows us that life doesn't always turn out the way we had planned, but in the end, it is for the best and the way it was always supposed to be.
6. "27 Dresses" (2008)
I've seen through many different bridal shows such as "Say Yes to the Dress" that many women go through the constant cycle of forever being a bridesmaid and never settling down to have their own dream wedding. In this movie, however, the man of the main character's dreams is being taken away by her little sister. Not a very common thing to happen in real life. It shows us that in any situation, a big sister always has to be there for her little sister and life does play out for the better in the end.
7. "Easy A" (2010)
"Easy A" definitely shows us a situation happening in high school that normally would never happen. One young girl is intentionally portraying herself as risque and going beyond the norms that we see in high school. It shows us that we should never be anyone else besides ourselves and that it may take some out of the ordinary circumstances and behaviors that help us find who we really are.
8. "Monster-in-Law" (2005)
Although most of us college students aren't married and most likely can't relate to the extreme situations that Charlie (Jennifer Lopez), goes through with her overbearing, possessive mother-in-law, Viola (Jane Fonda). It is still extremely funny to see the two characters interact in an overly dramatic portrayal of mother-in-law, daughter-in-law relationships most adults have with each other.
9. "Just Married" (2003)
Like most newlyweds, marriage life isn't all it's made out to be. For newlyweds, Tom (Ashton Kutcher), and Sarah (Brittany Murphy), their honeymoon doesn't turn out the way they planned it and even temporarily breaks them apart. However, they realize how much they love each other and can't be without one another and find their way back.
10. "The Proposal" (2009)
Not many of us would go through a whole wedding just to keep a job as the main character Margaret (Sandra Bullock), went go through to keep her high status book editing job. And not many people would marry their crazy boss so they could continue to ruin their lives as the character, Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), has done. In the end, like most rom-coms, it all works out and leaves us with an "aww" factor.
