The 2000s brought a pop-culture revolution unlike any that came before it. Low-rise jeans and UGG boots filled department stores, Britney Spears blasted from millions of iPods, and MTV music videos had a chokehold on every teenager. But the greatest impact of this era wasn’t the chunky highlights or the collective boyband obsession: it was the movies. Romantic comedies, also known as rom-coms, reached their golden age during the 2000s. So, two decades later, we revisited some of the best movies the time period has to offer to put on your watchlist this summer!
“(500) Days of Summer” – 2009
Only one movie has the ability to make you addicted to listening to The Smiths, give you the sudden urge to start a vinyl collection, and have you feverishly looking for flights to downtown Los Angeles. As the opening sequence narrates, “(500) Days of Summer” is not a love story: it’s a story about love. Regardless, it is one of the most heartwarming, emotional, and gut-wrenching movies of the 2000s. The main couple, Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) are average young adults navigating the highs and lows of their situationship. To Summer, it’s just a fling, but Tom finds himself falling in love with her. This movie is enthralling, hilarious, and deeply reflective of the human experience. Just like the title suggests, this is the perfect watch to get you into the “Summer” spirit with the cinematography, soundtrack, and setting giving off the same feeling as sunbathing on a picnic blanket in June. Just a fair warning, this movie is an emotional rollercoaster, but if you’re anything like us, it will change your entire perspective on love for the better. If you like storylines with a lot of yearning, and don’t mind shedding a few tears, this is the movie for you.
“13 Going on 30” – 2004
If we had a homecoming, who wouldn’t want to wear Jenna Rink’s (Jennifer Garner) iconic party dress? After getting bullied by a group of classmates on her 13th birthday, Jenna wishes to turn 30 to escape the hardships of adolescence and feel the freedom of adulthood. To her surprise, her wish comes true, and she is transported 17 years into the future. Going through her adult life with childlike innocence, she learns growing up isn’t as fun as the movies make it — specifically, with her best friend Matt Flamhaff (Mark Ruffalo), who she learns is dating her nemesis Lucy Wyman (Judy Greer). Jenna is a bubbly and full-of-life protagonist who reminds those around her that life is more fun with a whimsical spirit and a handful of Razzles. “13 Going on 30” is a light-hearted piece that captures the everlasting feeling of never wanting to grow up. The summer in high school is the perfect time to enjoy your youth, and no other movie sets you in that mindset as well as this will. Overall, this movie reminds you to always prioritize having fun, to never rush your youth, and that the correct response to “Arrivederci” is always “Au revoir.”
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” – 2003
While the other girls dreamed that they’d be Ben’s partner, we were dreaming to be Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Andie is at a critical point in her writing career, and for the next edition to her advice column, she decides to write a piece on how to get a man to end a relationship without getting blood on your hands. Her victim is Benjamin Barry (Matthew McConaughey), who is also not innocent; as a diamond salesperson, he makes a bet that he can get a girl to fall in love with him in a pinch and vows not to break up with her no matter what. The plot will have you at the edge of your seat, and the performances from both Hudson and McConaughey will have you giggling non-stop. It’s the perfect watch for late night sleepovers with your friends and if you haven’t seen it yet, the summer is the perfect time to do so.
No matter what your summer plans are, consider this your sign to revisit these iconic rom-coms. Whether you’re team Andie and Ben, Jenna and Matt, or Summer and Tom (even though they aren’t meant to be), these 2000s rom-coms will never go out of style.