Meg Ryan, romantic comedy's grand dame, in When Harry Met Sally....
From the screwball Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn classics of the ‘30s-‘40s to the movie that set the standard for all to come, 1989’s When Harry Met Sally… to the raunchy recent Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the romantic comedy may be the most beloved (and reviled) genre in all moviedom. When done well, they can be wonderful escapist fun. When done badly, they’ll make your eyes bleed, or at least make you wish you were watching anything else with some testosterone. Even one of Renny Harlin's last flicks.
In the ‘90s, Meg Ryan owned the rom-com, beating close runners-up Pretty Woman Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock as the grandmamma of modern-day chick flicks (kudos to Bullock, though, who has two coming down the pike, one opposite younger man Ryan Reynolds—you go, guuuurl). Others known in the genre throughout this decade and the last have included Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Lopez and Drew Barrymore. At 35, Cameron Diaz still churns ‘em out, as in this week’s What Happens in Vegas with Ashton Kutcher.
In recent years Goldie Hawn spawn Kate Hudson emerged as rom-com producers’ golden-haired go-to gal, particularly if they’re also bouncing around the name Matthew McConaughey. Jennifer Aniston has taken her Friends vibe to the big screen in a number of rom-coms. Neither of them are going anywhere soon, with Kate’s My Best Friend’s Girl and Bride Wars on the way and Aniston in Traveling and Management this year, and either could wind up the Meg Ryan of the new millennium. But the torch must be passed sometime, so here we give you some heireses to the throne.
Katherine Heigl, 29
For her: After toiling around for years, this rom-com phenom became a household name thanks in part to TV’s Gray’s Anatomy. She then starred in Apatow’s breakout hit Knocked Up and bridally challenged 27 Dresses, and even followed her characters to the altar last year. Comment romantique!
Against her: Overexposed as the “next Julia”?
Rom-Com to Come: The Ugly Truth (2009) with Gerard Butler, as a morning show producer put to the romantic test by her correspondent.
Kristen Bell, 27
For her: The diminutive blonde is coming off great buzz for Forgetting Sarah Marshall and TV’s hit Gossip Girl. As we’ve seen, being an Apatow girl can launch one’s career.
Against her: Not well-known enough?
Rom-Com to Come: ‘09’s When in Rome, as an art curator pursued by wannabe lovers played by Will Arnett and Jon Heder, co-starring her own real-life love, Dax Shepard.
Anne Hathaway, 25
For her: As a princess in love many times (The Princess Diaries 1 & 2, Ella Enchanted), why not the next rom-com queen? Becoming Jane was the fourth romance (though not a comedy) in the tall, striking brunette’s starry-eyed career.
Against her: Too typecast as a young princess?
Rom-Com to Come: Bride Wars with vet Kate Hudson as competing friends who schedule their weddings on the same day.
Amy Adams, 33
For her: She is, in a word, adorable. Auds were Enchanted by her wide-eyed innocence and lively humor. Unfortunately, most missed Adams in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, another Cinderella story that showed off her sparkling natural-born talent.
Against her: Not much.
Rom-Com to Come: None—but just you wait.
Michelle Monaghan, 31
For her: She’s got chops, having acted alongside Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible III), Matt Damon (The Bourne Supremacy) and Charlize Theron (North Country). She also appeared in the rom-coms The Heartbreak Kid (with Ben Stiller) and Made of Honor with Patrick Dempsey (following in Amy Adams’ shoes?).
Against her: Not as recognizable a name as some of the others.
Rom-Com to Come: None.
Amanda Bynes, 22
For her: She gives Anne Hathaway a run for her money for sheer numbers in the genre (um, What a Girl Wants, Lovewrecked, She's the Man, Hairspray, Sydney White?), and she’s younger.
Against her: Can she shake the tween image?
Rom-Com to Come: None—yet.
Elizabeth Banks, 34
For her: One of the original Apatow girls (she had a small part in The 40-Year Old Virgin), Banks epitomizes girl-next-door attraction, plus she’s genuinely funny to boot and was a bright spot in the lackluster Definitely, Maybe. Loved her on Scrubs, too.
Against her: After appearing in the “I’m ****ing Seth Rogen” video, is she too Apatow-esque?
Rom-Com to Come: Zack and Miri Make a Porno, starring opposite Seth Rogen as best pals who make an adult film to solve their money probs.
Isla Fisher, 32
For her: The Aussie redhead made a splash as a crazy nympho in Wedding Crashers, and showed off spot-on comic timing in Definitely, Maybe.
Against her: Not a lot of audience recognition, but just wait til she gets that breakthrough role.
Rom-Com to Come: It may come with the buzzed-about adaptation of the hit novel Confessions of a Shopaholic, as a financial journalist who falls for a wealthy entrepreneur in the Big Apple.
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