Top 20 Funniest Rom-Com Scenes of All Time
#20: The Performance
“Isn’t It Romantic?” (2019)
Top 10 Funniest Rom-Com Scenes of All Time
There’s nothing better than a good old fashioned song and dance number. Except maybe a song and dance number making fun of those typical song and dance numbers. The whole gimmick of “Isn’t It Romantic?” is that it makes fun of all the stereotypical things that happen in romantic comedies, and it’s exactly that winking nature which makes this scene all the more funny. Following an accident where she is knocked out, rom-com-hater Natalie wakes up in a romantic comedy. In this scene, she wows the crowd at a bar with a rousing rendition of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” True to musical tropes far and wide, everyone breaks into poppy synchronized choreography.
#19: The Dracula Musical Song
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008)
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It might not feel natural to put the words “Dracula” and “musical” in the same sentence. But not all of us are musical genius Peter Bretter from the movie “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” On a trip to Hawaii following a horrendous break-up, Peter strikes up a relationship with a hotel worker named Rachel. One night, she encourages him to play part of his life’s work in front of a crowd, a musical he’s been working on about the life of Dracula. Everything about this moment is hilarious, from Peter’s unwillingness to perform the song out of context, to the Transylvanian accent Jason Segel puts on while he sings about Van Helsing. Two tickets to the Dracula musical, please!
#18: “Big Mistake! Huge!”
“Pretty Woman” (1990)
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For this entry, one of a rom-com’s most gutting moments turns into its most triumphant. And funny! Don’t forget funny! After rich guy Edward asks sex worker Vivian to pretend to be his girlfriend, he gives her his credit card and sends her shopping. But the sales women on Rodeo Drive don’t care that she has the money. She doesn’t look the part, so they rudely turn her away. The next day, when Vivian shows up dressed to the nines, the women don’t recognize her and their attitudes are considerably different. Vivian beelines for the woman who shunned her, boldly making her remember their previous encounter.
#17: Adult Star Stand-Ins
“Love Actually” (2003)
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Some storylines in the ensemble film “Love Actually” are better than others. While this one may not be the most romantic of the bunch, it’s definitely the one that’s most entertaining. In the film, John and Judy meet each other because they are both stand-ins on movie sets, meaning they take the places of the actors while the crew gets the lighting and everything else just right. The first time they meet each other, the two are asked to get naked and stand in for sex scenes. Despite this raunchy meet cute, their conversations are quite wholesome and sweet. The contradiction between their physical and emotional states will never fail to make us laugh.
#16: Inebriated Singing
“27 Dresses” (2008)
Who hasn’t gotten drunk and sung “Bennie and the Jets” on top of a bar? No? Just Jane Nichols and Kevin Doyle, and us, then? Well, we should all try to let loose like that once in a while. In “27 Dresses,” Jane is a fairly buttoned-up woman who has been a bridesmaid at 27 weddings. Journalist Kevin secretly befriends her with the intention of writing an article about her, but as his feelings develop he starts to have second thoughts. The night the two finally act on their feelings, they get wasted at a bar. The night ends with the two jumping on top of said bar and singing all the wrong words to “Bennie and the Jets.” No worries, Jane. We also thought Elton was saying “electric boobs.”
#15: The Fart
“This Is 40” (2012)
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We all know that when you’ve been in a relationship for a long time, the passion can start to wane a little bit. It gives way to comfort and trust. And also, maybe something a bit more gross. This scene in “This Is 40” captures all of that far too well. While sitting in bed together, spying on their employee having sex in their store (as one does), Debbie and Pete start debating about their own life in the bedroom. During the conversation, Pete farts in bed, causing a different sort of explosion from Debbie. As she speaks, Pete just keeps farting. It might be juvenile, but this tickles our funny bone.
#14: The Waxing Scene
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (2005)
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Who would have thought Kelly Clarkson could be used as an expletive? Even after so many years, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” is still one of the funniest romantic comedies we’ve ever seen. Every scene has its moments, but nothing beats the iconic waxing scene which caused Carell’s character to take Clarkson’s name in vain. After everyone at work finds out that Andy is a virgin, his friends try to help him out. One of the ways they do so is booking him a chest wax, resulting in one of the funniest scenes of the last 20 years. Knowing that Carell was actually getting waxed here makes it even better. That pain is genuine and those of us who get waxed know it all too well.
#13: The Young Mansion
“Crazy Rich Asians” (2018)
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Sometimes, awe translates to humor. So is the case with this scene from 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians.” When Rachel’s friend Goh Peik Lin learns that Rachel is going to visit the famed Young mansion, she can’t let her go in unprepared. The amount of wealth on display at the Young’s house is sort of funny within itself, but Awkwafina’s performance all throughout is what really ups the humor. From freaking out in the car to the spare change of outfits, everything she does is a great bit.
#12: Jenna the Flirt
“13 Going on 30” (2004)
How far can comedy go without crossing the line? We think this scene in “13 Going on 30” walks that line perfectly. When Jenna Rink makes a wish to be 30 years old on her 13th birthday, she wakes up in the future the very next day. While Jenna might look 30 years old, she very much still has the brain and tastes of a 13-year-old. And that taste part is important for this one. When Jenna’s friend mentions that a guy at a restaurant is looking at her and encourages Jenna to flirt with him, Jenna takes her up on it. Only, she’s got the wrong guy. The visual gag of Jennifer Garner walking up to flirt with a preteen is an iconic one.
#11: The Original Fake Relationship
“It Happened One Night” (1934)
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If you’re a romantic comedy fan, we’re willing to bet that you love a good old-fashioned fake relationship. For this entry, we’re going back to the start of that wonderful trope. “It Happened One Night” came out in 1934, and is responsible for a lot of your favorite romantic comedy staples. While heiress Ellie and journalist Peter are on the run, they have to pretend to be married in order to share a room together. The room sharing and fake relationship leads to exactly what you’d expect, like almost-viewings, and trying to fool other people into believing their marriage. Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable have pitch perfect romantic comedy chemistry and they’re a true delight to watch together.
#10: The Zipper Scene
“There’s Something About Mary” (1998)
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“There’s Something About Mary” is one of the most memorable rom-coms to come out of the late ‘90s. Helmed by The Farrelly Brothers, the movie is full of gross-out humor, but the most visceral one takes place at the start. In a flashback, Ben Stiller’s character Ted, accidentally gets his...uh...appendage stuck in the zipper of his pants. To make matters worse, the incident happens right before he’s supposed to take his dream date, Mary, played by Cameron Diaz, to prom. The scene hilariously escalates as her parents, a police officer and firefighter all try to attempt to save the day. Although it can be hard to watch, there’s no mistaking that this moment has viewers seeing zippers in a whole new way.
#9: The Double Date with Keanu Reeves
“Always Be My Maybe” (2019)
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What’s more gut punching than seeing your crush with someone else? How about when that someone else is Keanu Reeves? Randall Park’s Marcus is in this unenviable position when Wong’s character, Sasha, brings the screen icon on a double date. Playing an exaggerated and pretentious version of himself, Reeves serves some great one liners. Park heightens the tension further by offering up some amazing reaction shots. It’s hard to narrow down his best moment because let’s be honest, Keanu Reeves’ entire appearance is great. However, the comedic timing in this scene is off the charts.
#8: The Fountain Fight
“Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” (2004)
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Briget Jones’s page to screen adaptations are an audience favorite. The Renee Zellwegger led films follow the lovably awkward TV reporter as she navigates life and love in London. Her romantic triangle with Mark Darcy and Daniel Cleaver, played by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant respectively, leads to an epic showdown in the first film. The scene is so memorable that it’s recreated in the sequel, “The Edge of Reason.” However, this time, they trade a Greek restaurant for a park fountain, as their battleground of choice. The most hilarious part of the scene is the fact that the two men aren’t coordinated enough to brawl. Moments like these prove that the Jones’s trilogy is one of the most iconic rom-com franchises to date.
#7: The Airplane Interrogation
“Bridesmaids” (2011)
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Melissa McCarthy was a master of improv long before she became a comedy megastar. The skill certainly served her well in her breakout role as oddball Megan in Paul Feig’s “Bridesmaids.” Playing off her real life husband, Ben Falcone, her character interrogates and flirts with her airplane seatmate, who she is convinced is an air marshall. McCarthy ad-libs most of the dialogue in the scene and gives audiences a masterclass in comedic timing. Her performance was so well received that she even earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 2012. Based on this moment alone, she’s more than deserving of that honor.
#6: Dog Flight
“The Proposal” (2009)
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Sandra Bullock is a reigning queen of rom-coms, and one of her best performances is in 2009’s “The Proposal.” Bullock portrays Margaret, a workaholic editor-in-chief, who finds out she is facing deportation to Canada. Instead of packing her bags, she blackmails her assistant Andrew, played by real life Canadian Ryan Reynolds, to become her fiance. The film offers no shortage of memorable moments, but there’s one that takes the cake. After accidentally letting Andrew’s family dog out, hilarity ensues as the pooch is captured by an eagle. Suddenly it’s up to the ill-equipped executive to rescue him. There’s an old showbiz saying that you should never work with kids or animals, but, luckily, Bullock ignores that sound advice and gives us this side splitting moment.
#5: The Poker Game
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003)
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Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are certified rom-com royalty, so it’s no wonder that their first onscreen collab became a massive hit in 2003. The story follows Andie, a how-to writer exploring how women sabotage relationships. As one of her tactics, she attempts to foil Ben’s poker game with his friends by being every stereotype of an overbearing girlfriend. Of course, Ben has his own agenda in play, and his career success hinges on keeping their love connection alive. No matter what Andie does, Ben has no choice but to keep his cool. The tension created by their opposing goals is the cherry on top of this comedic scene.
#4: I’ll Have What She’s Having
“When Harry Met Sally…” (1989)
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Screenwriting legend Nora Ephron blessed audiences with comedy classics like “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail.” That said, there’s no denying that her pièce de résistance is “When Harry Met Sally…” Despite the skepticism of Harry, played by Billy Crystal, the 80s classic follows his platonic friendship with Meg Ryan’s Sally as they come in and out of each other's lives over the years. During a notable lunch date the pair debate over the topic of female sexuality. Not one to back down from, Sally puts her cynical friend in his place, by proving her point in the middle of a crowded deli. Diners watch as the cringey but hilarious moment plays out, cementing it as one of the most iconic moments in romantic comedy history.
#3: The Karaoke Scene
“My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997)
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One of the most controversial rom-com characters in the 90s is without a doubt, “My Best Friend’s Wedding” protagonist, Jules Potter. Played by Oscar winner, Julia Roberts, the food critic is determined to ruin the upcoming wedding of her friend, Michael, in an effort to get him to fall for her. Her main obstacle is the sweet bride-to-be Kimmy, portrayed by Cameron Diaz. During a night out, Jules pressures Kimmy, stricken by stage fright, into performing karaoke. Although her vocals are far from pitch perfect, with the support of the bar, Kimmy loosens up. Thus, the ill-fated scheme backfires. Michael becomes even more endeared by his fiancee's confidence, and it’s back to the drawing board for Jules.
#2: First Forgetting
“50 First Dates” (2004)
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When veterinarian Henry Roth, played by Adam Sandler, meets Drew Barrymore’s Lucy, he thinks he’s found his perfect match. The only issue is that she suffers from short term memory loss, and wakes up every morning having completely forgotten what happened the day before. Through Henry’s determination though, the relationship progresses, and they eventually spend the night together. Unfortunately, Lucy wakes up the next morning thinking Henry is a stranger. Given those circumstances her reaction is entirely reasonable. It also makes for some good physical comedy. You can’t help but appreciate a man who’s not scared off by this situation.
#1: Everyone Finds Out
“Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011)
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Before they tap danced in “La La Land,” Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling made rom-com magic in 2011’s “Crazy Stupid Love.” Facing divorce, Steve Carrell’s Cal recruits Jacob, played by Ryan Gosling to help him get back into dating. Meanwhile, Jacob is starting a romance with Hannah, a law school grad played by Emma Stone. And it’s a surprise to everyone when we find out that she’s actually Cal’s daughter. Nobody takes this news particularly well. And as if that reveal weren’t enough, the scene just continues to escalate. More characters show up and more truths are told. The scene is definitely a lesson in storytelling gymnastics but gets funnier with each reveal, making it equal parts surprising and hilarious.
If we missed any of your favorite laugh out loud rom-com moments, let us know in the comments below.
