Over the years,romantic comedieshave managed to conquer fans and stay relevant in the industry by offering thrilling stories that make us believe in love. Sure, it’s a genre that has been pretty much slammed by critics, and one that many consider highly predictable: we all know that, in most cases, the main characters will overcome all the obstacles that keep them apart for their happily ever after. Still, even with a predictable ending ahead of us, we rom-com fans continue to be on the lookout for each new release, losing ourselves in new, yet still somewhat familiar stories starring major players in the genre as well as many new actors that amaze us year after year. And, while rom-coms have not enjoyed the same success in recent years as they have in the past, productions like Netflix’sLove at First Sightkeeps our hopes up to see the genre triumph again.
The 1990s and 2000s were, hands down, thegolden age of rom-coms, with releases such asNotting Hill,10 Things I Hate About You,andHow to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, to name just a few of the many masterpieces delivered by the genre during that period. However, romantic comedies have been delighting audiences for longer than that, and there are manyproductions of yesteryearthat have stood the test of time and are worth revisiting. Here’s a rundown of the best rom-coms of the1970sthat still deserve a spot on any romance fan’s watchlist.
10Same Time, Next Year
In 1975, Bernard Slade released the rom-com stage playSame Time, Next Yearto widespread critical and audience acclaim. Three years later, the production received its film adaptation with Slade serving as screenwriter and Robert Mulligan at the helm.Same Time, Next Yearfeatures George and Doris, a man and woman who meet by chance at a California inn back in 1951 and spend the night together. Although each of them is happily married, with an established family, they decide to meet again at the same day and place, but a year later. Thus, this couple keeps meeting like this for over 25 years, and over time, the audience gets to witness the evolution of their lives and how their ties with their respective partners evolve.
Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn star in this production, with the latter reprising the main role she played years earlier in the play, this time earning a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Among the accolades awarded toSame Time, Next Yearwe should note Academy Award nominations for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Song.
9The Way We Were
Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford star inThe Way We Were, a Sydney Pollack film that many people consider to be one of the greatest love stories in the history of cinema. This 1973 film adapts Arthur Laurents' novel of the same name, which was inspired by his own experiences as a college student. The film features Hubbell Gardiner and Katie Morosky, two very different young people who meet in college and fall for each other quickly.
But their relationship doesn’t really kick off until many years later, though the disparities that brought them together in the first place are constantly threatening to fracture the bond between them for good.The Way We Werenot only became a box-office hit, but also received, among many accolades, Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
8A Little Romance
A Little Romanceis a film by George Roy Hill inspired by Patrick Cauvin’s novelE=mc2 Mon Amourthat, upon its release in 1979, won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. It features Thelonious Bernard and Diane Lane as Daniel and Lauren, two kids from very different worlds who meet in Paris and fall madly in love with one another, but cannot date because of their families' prohibitions. But after they discover an old popular legend, this teenage couple embarks on a trip to Venice to kiss under the Bridge of Sighs, hoping that, by doing so, their love may last forever.
1978 marked the premiere ofGrease, one of the mostsuccessful movie musicalsin the history of cinema that, to this day, remains enormously relevant in popular culture. Headed by Randal Kleiser in his directorial debut and based on the 1971 stage musical of the same name, this production stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as Danny and Sandy, two young people who meet during summer vacation in the 1950s and strike up a passionate but brief relationship that is cut short by the end of summer.
But things take a turn when Sandy’s family transfers her to Danny’s school, allowing the couple to give their love a second chance. However, things at school aren’t quite what they were on vacation, and Danny’s attitude will put a strain on their relationship.
6The Goodbye Girl
Back in 1977, Herber Ross' rom-comThe Goodbye Girlpremiered to great acclaim and broke a few records. For one thing, it became the first film of the genre to surpass $100 million in box office earnings, and also turned Richard Dreyfuss, one of its stars, into the youngest actor to win anAcademy Award for Best Actorup to that point.
This production, which also stars Marsha Mason and Quinn Cummings, introduces Paula and Elliot, a former dancer and an actor who, as a result of the actions of third parties, are forced to share an apartment together with the woman’s little daughter. But this coexistence, which starts off on the wrong foot due to the obvious differences between them, gradually leads to an unexpected bond that will rock their worlds upside down.
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5The Owl and the Pussycat
The Owl and the Pussycatis another popular rom-com revolving around very different characters who eventually fall madly in love. It is directed by Herbert Ross and based on Bill Manhoff’s play of the same name, first released in 1964. In the film,Barbra Streisandplays Doris, an actress and model who works as a sex worker in her apartment to keep from going into debt.
When her smart, laid-back neighbor Felix (played by George Segal) finds out about Doris' secret activities, he rats her out to their landlord, who decides to evict her from the building. to keep Doris off the street, Felix allows her to stay in his apartment for a while, and the two begin an unexpected relationship that, over time, dramatically transforms the way they feel about one another.
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4Harold and Maude
1971 marked the premiere ofHarold and Maude, a dark comedy film that, although widely criticized at the time of its release, became an incredibly relevant production with a cult following that continues to this day. It is helmed by Hal Ashby and stars Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, and Charles Tyner.
The film follows Harold, a 20-year-old man utterly obsessed with death that has no interest in leading the life his mother intended for him. Then one day, as he attends the funeral of a stranger, he meets Maude, an almost 80-year-old lady with an attitude that is dramatically different from his own. From then on, these characters engage in a friendship that, over time, turns into a very peculiar romance.
3Manhattan
After their collaboration on the 1977 filmAnnie Hall, Woody Allen recalled Diane Keaton to star inManhattan, a production that premiered two years later to critical and audience acclaim. This film, which went on to win the BAFTA Award for Best Film upon its release, has Allen serving as the lead actor alongside Keaton, with Mariel Hemingway, Michael Murphy, Meryl Streep, and Anne Byrne supporting them in the cast.Manhattanfollows Isaac Davis, a frustrated TV writer in the midst of an existential crisis who starts to develop feelings for Mary, his best friend’s mistress.
2The Heartbreak Kid
Charles Grodin, Cybill Shepherd and Jeannie Berlin star inThe Heartbreak Kid, a 1972 dark rom-com directed by Elaine May and inspired by Bruce Jay Friedman’s short story “A Change of Plan.” This popular production features Lenny, a salesman who marries a young woman named Lila soon after their romance begins. But things take a turn for the worse on their honeymoon, when Lenny actually gets to know this young woman and discovers that she is not what he expected.
To make matters worse, while on the trip he meets another lady who steals his heart and, in a very unexpected turn of events, decides to break off his marriage to start a relationship with his new love interest, even though this proves to be far more complicated than it seems. Building on the popularity ofThe Heartbreak Kid, a remakestarring Ben Stillerhit theaters in 2007, although it was not as well-received as the original film, and despite performing well at the box office, it greatly disappointed critics.
1Annie Hall
Rounding out this list isAnnie Hall, a production from 1977 that, for many, stands as the greatest in director Woody Allen’s career, as well as one of the best films of all time. Allen leads the cast as Alvy Singer, a 40-something comedian who, following the end of his relationship with aspiring singer Annie Hall, revisits the events that led to the breakup while reflecting on his life and obsessions, many of which have greatly impacted his romantic bonds.
Keaton stars opposite Allen in the title role, supported by Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Janet Margolin, Shelley Duvall, and Christopher Walken.Annie Hallbecame a major milestone in the history of cinema, and won several accolades. Among them, it is worth mentioning its Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor, emerging victorious in all categories except for the last one.
