I’m writing this to all of you out there who are still living (mostly) at home with your parents during COVID. Being a huge movie nerd, inspired by my mom who also loves movies, we probably watch more than most. And due to that nerd status, I keep a letterboxd and know exactly how many movies we’ve watched these last 9 months: 212. I must say these 212 movies don’t necessarily expand into too many different genres. You see if I’m going to watch a movie with both my parents, there are only so many movies that fit into the categories they both like. My dad likes action/comedy and my mom likes romance/comedy. These genres overlap in a very specific genre: Thriller RomCom (think Mr. and Mrs. Smith). But now that sports are back it’s usually just my mom and I watching movies. After long days filled with covid-anxiety and regular anxiety, she usually wants to watch something light (understandable) so my suggestions to watch Drive, Sev7en and the like are often shot down. That leaves us mostly with RomComs since my mom doesn’t like “bang bang shoot em up movies” (no John Wick for me). This has encouraged me to write this article for my own good, but also for the good of my friends who often ask me “what should I watch with my fam tonight?”
I split up the movies into some friendly categories so it’s not just a long list of movies with no explanation – although this is more of a list than a traditional article. I know not every movie perfectly fits into the RomCom category – I may have played a little fast and loose with the term at some points but I feel like most of the list still applies to the overall point of being light enough to watch. At the end I included some more obviously non-RomCom categories but the reason for inclusion is: would my mom watch this? If the answer is yes, it’s included; if no, it is not. So while I love the Fast & Furious movies, my mom cannot sit through them. I’m including the years just to be clear on what movie I’m talking about but to those of you who don’t want to watch 80s movies because they might be “too out of date” let me tell you that 80s Rob Lowe is WORTH IT.
There are a LOT of movies on this list and you may be thinking there’s no way I’ve seen all of these and you’re correct so I put a “**” next to those I haven’t seen yet – apologies if you don’t agree with my categorizations on these certain movies I just went off of their Wikipedia description for my subjective listing. Also, there are no Holiday movies on this list as we have several other articles about Holiday movies already (sorry The Family Stone). Also, please don’t be mad if I somehow overlooked an obvious one. I can already see myself publishing this and then being so upset I somehow forgot a Classic.
I also included the main star(s) in each movie so that you have a little context in case you’re unfamiliar. I listed everything in each category in chronological order. Let’s get started:
The Classics
These are absolute must watch Classics. If there are any on this list you haven’t seen, I suggest making them first priority.
- The Way We Were (1973) – Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford
2. Grease (1978) – John Travolta
3. St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) – Rob Lowe, Demi Moore
4. Breakfast Club (1985) – Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez
5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) – Matthew Broderick
6. Top Gun (1986) – Tom Cruise
7. Pretty in Pink (1986) – Molly Ringwald
8. Dirty Dancing (1987) – Patrick Schwayze
9. Can’t Buy Me Love (1987) – Patrick Dempsey
10. Big (1988) – Tom Hanks
11. Say Anything (1989) – John Cusack
12. When Harry Met Sally (1989) – Meg Ryan
13. You’ve Got Mail (1998) – Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
14. Pretty Woman (1990) – Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
15. Ghost (1990) – Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore
16. Father of the Bride (1991 & 1995) – Steve Martin
17. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
18. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) – Hugh Grant
19. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) – Julia Roberts
20. Titanic (1997) – Leonardo DiCaprio
21. Parent Trap (1998) – Lindsay Lohan
22. Notting Hill (1999) – Hugh Grant
23. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) – Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles
24. Miss Congeniality (2000 & 2005) – Sandra Bullock
25. Princess Diaries (2001 & 2004) – Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway
26. Legally Blonde (2001) – Reese Witherspoon
27. Love Actually (2003) – Hugh Grant
28. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) – Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey
29. The Notebook (2004) – Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams
30. Devil Wears Prada (2006) – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway
31. A Star is Born (2018) – Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga
Movies Made for Mom, That You’ll Like Too
These movies are for the most part made for “women of a certain age”. I’ve seen most of these recently and still think there’s a lot to connect to even if you are younger but these are clearly not made with 20 year olds in mind.
32. West Side Story (1961) – Natalie Wood, George Chakiris
33. Funny Girl (1968) – Barbra Streisand
34. Annie Hall (1977) – Diane Keaton
35. Flashdance (1983) – Jennifer Beals
36. Footloose (both versions are good but the original is better 1984 & 2011) – Kevin Bacon, Julianne Hough
37. The Princess Bride (1987) – Robin Wright
38. Moonstruck (1987) – Cher, Nicholas Cage
39. The First Wives Club (1996) – Diane Keaton, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn
40. Shakespeare in Love (1998) – Gwenyth Paltrow
41. Monster in Law (2005) – Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez
42. Nights in Rodanthe (2008) – Richard Gere, Diane Lane
43. It’s Complicated (2009) – Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin
44. Julie & Julia (2009) – Meryl Streep, Amy Adams
45. The Proposal (2009) – Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds
46. Eat Pray Love (2010) – Julia Roberts
47. This is 40 (2012) – Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd
48. This Is Where I Leave You (2014) – Tina Fey, Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda
49. The Intern (2015) – Anne Hathaway, Robert DeNiro
50. Book Club (2018) – Jane Fonda, Candace Bergen, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen
51. Wine Country (2019) – Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph
Movies Made For You, That Your Mom Will Like Too
These movies are definitely made more with a younger person in mind. Some of these are teen movies that perhaps are more fun to watch with friends than a mom but I think are still appropriate enough for your mom to enjoy too.
52. Bring It On (2000) – Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union
53. A Walk to Remember (2002) – Mandy Moore
54. What A Girl Wants (2003) – Amanda Bynes
55. Mean Girls (2004) – Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams
56. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) – Lindsay Lohan
57. She’s the Man (2006) – Amanda Bynes
58. Step Up (2006) – Channing Tatum
59. Dear John (2010) – Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried
60. The Last Song (2010) – Miley Cyrus, Liam Hemsworth
61. Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) – Logan Lerman, Emma Watson
62. The Duff (2015) – Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell
63. Edge of Seventeen (2016) – Hailee Steinfeld
64. Lady Bird (2017) – Saorsie Ronan
65. Blockers (2018) – Leslie Mann, John Cena, Kathryn Newton
66. Someone Great (2019) – Gina Rodriguez, Brittany Snow, Lakeith Stanfield
67. Booksmart (2019) – Beanie Feldstien, Kaitlyn Dever
Middle Ground aka The Sweet Spot
This is an insanely expansive category. Basically I just feel like these movies are a bit broader in terms of not being specifically made for either mothers or daughters. And while I’m sure many of these movies could technically go into either of the two above categories, I feel like these movies really are the sweet spot. All I really have to say is thank you to the Hollywood producers who decided to green light every mediocre RomCom idea from 2006-2008.
68. About Last Night… (1986) – Rob Lowe, Demi Moore
69. Mystic Pizza (1988) – Julia Roberts
70. Cocktail (1988) – Tom Cruise
71. Heathers (1988) – Winona Ryder, Christian Slater
72. Dangerous Minds (1995) – Michelle Pfieffer
73. The American President (1995) – Michael Douglas, Annette Bening
74. While You Were Sleeping (1995) – Sandra Bullock
75. **One Fine Day (1996) – George Clooney, Michelle Pfieffer
76. Jerry MaGuire (1996) – Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger
77. **Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997) – Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino
78. **Chasing Amy (1997) – Ben Affleck
79. There’s Something About Mary (1998) – Cameron Diaz,
80. Six Days Seven Nights (1998) – Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, David Schwimmer
81. **Can’t Hardly Wait (1998) – Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green
82. The Wedding Singer (1998) – Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
83. Runaway Bride (1999) – Julia Roberts, Richard Gere
84. She’s All That (1999) – Rachel Leigh Cook, Freddie Prinze Jr., Paul Walker
85. Cruel Intentions (1999) – Ryan Phillipe, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar
86. Never Been Kissed (1999) – Drew Barrymore
87. Election (1999) – Reese Witherspoon, Matthew Broderick
88. 28 Days (2000) – Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen
89. Coyote Ugly (2000) – Piper Perabo
90. Chocolat (2000) – Juliette Binoche, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench
91. The Wedding Planner (2001) – Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez
92. **Save the Last Dance (2001) – Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Kerry Washington
93. The Sweetest Thing (2002) – Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate, Selma Blair
94. Sweet Home Alabama (2002) – Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, Patrick Dempsey
95. Big Fat Liar (2002) – Amanda Bynes, Frankie Munez, Paul Giamatti
96. Chicago (2002) – Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta Jones, John C Reilly
97. Two Weeks Notice (2002) – Hugh Grant, Sandra Bullock
98. Mona Lisa Smile (2003) – Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal
99. Freaky Friday (2003) – Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis
100. 50 First Dates (2004) – Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
101. Jersey Girl (2004) – Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler
102. **Along Came Polly (2004) – Jennifer Aniston, Ben Stiller
103. A Cinderella Story (2004) – Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray
104. The Prince and Me (2004) – Julia Stiles
105. Hitch (2005) – Will Smith, Eva Longoria, Kevin James
106. The Wedding Date (2005) – Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney
107. Bewitched (2005) – Will Ferrell, Nicole Kidman
108. Wedding Crashers (2005) – Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams
109. Sahara (2005) – Matthew McConaughey, Penelope Cruz
110. Rumor Has It (2005) – Jennifer Aniston, Mark Ruffalo
111. Failure to Launch (2006) – Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker
112. Just My Luck (2006) – Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine
113. The Break Up (2006) – Jenifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn
114. **Wedding Daze (2006) – Jason Biggs, Isla Fisher
115. Accepted (2006) – Justin Long
116. Because I Said So (2007) – Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore
117. Sydney White (2007) – Amanda Bynes
118. PS I Love You (2007) – Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank
119. Hairspray (2007) – John Travolta, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah
120. The Heartbreak Kid (2007) – Ben Stiller, Malin Akerman
121. Georgia Rule (2007) – Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan
122. Knocked Up (2007) – Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl
123. License to Wed (2007) – Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Robin Williams
124. Enchanted (2007) – Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey
125. Music and Lyrics (2007) – Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore
126. Mamma Mia (2008 & 2018) – Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep
127. Made of Honor (2008) – Patrick Dempsey
128. Mad Money (2008) – Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes, Queen Latifah
129. Definitely Maybe (2008) – Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin
130. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) – Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Kristin Bell,
131. Get Smart (2008) – Anne Hathaway, Steve Carrell, Dwayne Johnson
132. Fools Gold (2008) – Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey
133. 27 Dresses (2008) – Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen
134. What Happens in Vegas (2008) – Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher
135. The House Bunny (2008) – Anna Faris
136. Bride Wars (2009) – Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Candace Bergen
137. He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) – Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long
138. 500 Days of Summer (2009) – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zoe Deschanel
139. Time Traveler’s Wife (2009) – Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
140. Ghost of Girlfriends Past (2009) – Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner
141. Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) – Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy
142. 17 Again (2009) – Zac Efron, Matthew Perry
143. The Ugly Truth (2009) – Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler
144. Leap Year (2010) – Amy Adams, Matthew Goode
145. When In Rome (2010) – Kristin Bell, Josh Duhamel
146. **Morning Glory (2010) – Rachel McAdams
147. The Switch (2010) – Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston
148. Easy A (2010) – Emma Stone
149. Crazy Stupid Love (2011) – Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore
150. No Strings Attached (2011) – Ashton Kutcher, Natalie Portman
151. Friends with Benefits (2011) – Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis
152. Just Go With It (2011) – Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston
153. What To Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) – Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez
154. **The Vow (2012) – Rachel McAdams
155. This Means War (2012) – Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy
156. Bachelorette (2012) – Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher
157. The Guilt Trip (2012) – Seth Rogen, Barbra Streisand
158. The Big Wedding (2013) – Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried
159. Admission (2013) – Paul Rudd, Tina Fey
160. The Hundred Foot Journey (2014) – Helen Mirren
161. That Awkward Moment (2014) – Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan
162. The Other Woman (2014) – Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann
163. **Sex Tape (2014) – Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel
164. Sleeping with Other People (2015) – Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie
165. La La Land (2016) – Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling
166. The Greatest Showman (2016) – Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams
167. How to Be Single (2016) – Rebel Wilson, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann
168. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016) – Zac Efron, Adam Devine
169. The Big Sick (2017) – Kumail Nanjiani
170. Call Me By Your Name (2017) – Timothee Chalamet, Armie Hammer
171. Home Again (2017) – Reese Witherspoon
172. Set it Up (2018) – Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell
173. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) – Constance Wu, Henry Golding
174. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) – Lily James, Mathew Goode
175. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) – Noah Centineo, Lana Condor
176. Game Night (2018) – Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams
177. Hustlers (2019) – Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu
178. Little Women (2019) – Saorise Ronan, Timothee Chalamet
179. Long Shot (2019) – Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen
180. Murder Mystery (2019) – Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston
181. Always Be My Maybe (2019) – Ali Wong, Randall Park
182. Isn’t it Romantic (2019) – Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine
183. Palm Springs (2020) – Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti
Bottom of the Barrel but If You’ve Already Seen All of the Above…
I really cannot endorse any of these movies however if you’re really desperate for more options these movies do exist. Jennifer Aniston is far too good for half these movies…
184. Defending Your Life (1991) – Albert Brooks, Meryl Streep
185. Something to Talk About (1996) – Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid
186. **She’s The One (1996) – Jennifer Aniston, Ed Burns
187. **Picture Perfect (1997) – Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr
188. Hanging Up (2000) – Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow
189. A Guy Thing (2003) – Julia Stiles, Jason Lee, Selma Blair
190. The Last Run (2004) – Amy Adams
191. Just Like Heaven (2005) – Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo
192. The Lake House (2006) – Keanue Reeves, Sandra Bullock
193. **Friends with Money (2006) – Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand
194. Another Cinderella Story (2008) – Selena Gomez
195. Funny People (2009) – Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler
196. **Love Happens (2009) – Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand
197. Valentines Day (2010) – Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel
198. How Do You Know (2010) – Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson
199. Charlie St. Cloud (2010) – Zac Efron, Kim Basinger
200. Something Borrowed (2011) – Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson
201. New Years eve (2011) – Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel
202. Hit and Run (2012) – Kristin Bell, Dax Shepard
203. The Lucky One (2012) – Zac Efron
204. The Five Year Engagement (2012) – Jason Segel, Emily Blunt
205. Safe Haven (2013) – Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough
206. And So It Goes (2014) – Diane Keaton, Michael Douglas
207. Spy (2015) – Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne
208. The Boss (2016) – Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell
209. Mother’s Day (2016) – Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson
210. Baywatch (2017) – Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron
211. Kissing Booth (2018) – Joey King, Jacob Elordi (okkaayyyy so I do love this movie but I recognize that its probably objectively bad)
212. The Hustle (2019) – Anne Hathaway, Rebel Wilson
213. The Lovebirds (2020) – Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae
Bonus: Those Thriller RomComs I Mentioned at the Beginning
If you’re still scrolling for movies after the 213 I listed above and want that very specific cross-over genre that happens to work for me, my mom and my dad, then please see below.
214. Out of Sign (1998) – George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez
215. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) – Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwenyth Paltrow
216. Intolerably Cruelty (2003) – George Clooney, Catherine Zeta Jones
217. The Italitan Job (2003) – Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg
218. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) – Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie
219. Inside Man (2006) – Denzel Washington, Clive Owen
220. Duplicity (2009) – Julia Roberts, Clive Owen
221. Michael Clayton (2007) – George Clooney
222. Salt (2010) – Angelina Jolie
223. The Tourist (2010) – Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp
224. The Bounty Hunter (2010) – Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler
225. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) – Emily Blunt, Matt Damon
226. Gone Girl (2014) – Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike
227. The Good Liar (2019) – Helen Mirren, Ian McKellan
