My ideal Valentine’s Day consists of three things: pizza, chocolate and cuddling up on the couch with a rom-com.
As an extremely single hopeless romantic, I love to feel the joy and longing that comes with watching a meet-cute and happily ever after.
If you couldn’t guess, I also enjoy journalism, and I’m going out on a limb and assuming that anyone reading this does too.
If my assumption is correct, I have the genre for you: the early 2000s journalist rom-com.
Read on for an expert rom-com watcher’s take on the top journalist rom-coms that will make you long for a “sweep you off your feet” kind of romance.
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”
New York journalist Andie Anderson, played by Kate Hudson, is the resident “how-to girl” of Composure Magazine. The movie begins with Andie being assigned to write a column on “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” where she makes all of the common mistakes of a girl with a crush in order to teach girls what not to do.
Andie decides to deceive Ben Barry, played by Matthew McConaughey, into a relationship with her, pretending to be the girl of his nightmares. The goal: get Ben to break up with her in 10 days.
Meanwhile, Ben is trying to make Andie fall in love with him to win a bet he made with his boss — that he can get any girl to fall in love with him in 10 days. If he succeeds, he will head a major marketing deal and reach new heights in his career.
You couldn’t ask for a more iconic line-up: Kate Hudson’s yellow dress, “You’re So Vain,” by Carly Simon, the New York Knicks and Matthew McConaughey.
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is the perfect journalist rom-com for anyone new to the genre.
“13 Going on 30”
America’s sweetheart Jennifer Garner brings back all the ‘80s nostalgia in this magical movie.
Jenna Rink, played by Garner, wishes to be “thirty, flirty and thriving” on her 13th birthday and suddenly wakes up to find that she has fast-forwarded her life to 2004, where she is a big-time magazine editor.
Jenna has to navigate adult life with the mind of her 13-year-old self, and she realizes that 30-year-old Jenna has made some choices she is not proud of. The movie follows her working to change her future for the better.
If you find yourself longing for a friends-to-lovers, childhood crush-style movie this Valentine’s Day, look no further than “13 Going On 30.”
“27 Dresses”
My all-time favorite rom-com is a bit different from the others on this list, with a man playing the journalist.
Kevin Doyle, played by James Marsden — my pick for the sexiest man alive — is a wedding columnist.
He meets hopeless romantic Jane, played by Katherine Heigl, at a wedding he is covering. She is fulfilling her duties as a bridesmaid for the 27th time, perfectly exemplifying the “always a bridesmaid, never a bride” trope.
Jane’s world turns upside down when her boss, who she has been harboring a secret crush on for years, proposes to her sister and she is pressured to be the maid of honor.
This must-see rom-com will have any viewer singing “Bennie and the Jets,” for weeks.
“Sex and the City”
While it’s not a movie, I like to think this HBO show counts as a rom-com. It has all the characteristics—a fun, flirty female friend group, many male love interests and almost more sex than dialogue.
Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is a columnist who writes about the highs and lows of her and her friends’ love lives.
This rom-com adjacent series celebrates 30-something girls being single and successful in New York City, with each getting a new man in almost every episode, leading to frequent chaos, laughter and heartbreak.
Some may see Carrie as toxic, but her writing abilities, confidence and Manolo Blahnik collection are my lifestyle inspirations. Besides, we’ve all been a little psycho for the Mr. Big in our own lives.
This series will have you craving a cosmopolitan, your toxic situationship and a quiz to determine whether you’re a Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, or Samantha.
Whether you’re spending the fourteenth on your own or looking for a fun activity with your single friends or significant other — dive into the world of the early 2000s journalist rom-com this Valentine’s Day.
