With nostalgia over simpler times growing across social media, films of past decades have been gaining popularity like they once did during their initial release.
Nostalgia has surged through current media for many reasons, primarily to relive the happiness originally felt with certain TV shows, films, and music. With people revisiting the “recession pop” and teen drama shows of the 2010s, it stands to reason they’d also watch 2000s rom-coms to laugh like they once did. Here are our top five rom-coms from the 2000s to satisfy the nostalgia in all of us.
1) Sweet Home Alabama (2002)
Settle into the couch with Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama as she plays rising fashion designer Melanie Carmichael. Melanie has built a great life in New York, despite the downside of her high school sweetheart husband, whom she left back in Alabama. As Melanie moved on from her spouse, she got engaged to her successful boyfriend.
Melanie then heads home to finally get her husband, Jake, to sign the divorce papers. Jake refuses to sign once again, leaving Melanie to visit her Southern family and friends that she’s spent so long avoiding. As Melanie reconnects with her roots, she begins to wonder if her new life is really what she needs.
Led by Witherspoon’s classic charm, lovable side characters, and notable one-liners, this down-south rom-com will bring the nostalgic feels.
Available to watch on Netflix.
2) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
It’s a battle of the sexes in this film starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey as they play “Who Will Break Up First?” Hudson is Andie Anderson, a writer with a “How to” magazine column. She’s tasked to write “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” to point out the classic mistakes women make in driving away men. Andie then searches for a guy to conduct this experiment on.
Opposite Hudson is McConaughey’s Benjamin Barry, an ad executive who bets his colleagues that he can make any girl fall in love with him in 10 days. The leads soon meet, and Andie begins a hilarious series of accidents, overstepping, and ridiculous outbursts. She’s stubbornly met with Ben’s insistence to keep dating her despite his increasing urge to dump her.
Eventually, Andie and Ben develop real feelings for one another, leading them to consider coming clean about their true intentions. Through the nostalgia of its stars at the beginning of their careers, this film will make viewers want to travel back to the 2000s.
Available to buy on Amazon Prime.
3) 13 Going on 30 (2004)
Jennifer Garner shines as Jenna Rink, a teenage wallflower in the 1980s who wishes she were thirty, flirty, and thriving. She also wishes she were part of the popular crowd at her school, and even invites them to her birthday party, much to the dismay of her best friend, Matt.
At Jenna’s birthday party, Matt gifts her a Barbie Dreamhouse sprinkled with wishing dust, while sharing a moment with her right as the other party guests arrive. After the leader of the popular girls plays a prank on Jenna, she shuts herself in the closet, shouting how she wishes she were thirty. The wishing dust suddenly lands on her, and she magically time-travels to where she is now 30 years old.
Now a 30-year-old with a 13-year-old brain, Jenna must navigate 2004 with her adult job, adult friends, adult boyfriend, and adult expectations. Helping her along the way is Matt, although they’ve lost touch growing up, which throws Jenna for a tailspin.
As Jenna humorously adapts to her new life and begins to fall for her best friend, she realizes the woman she grew to be isn’t who she actually wanted to become, leading her to try to return to the past.
Filled with ’80s and ’00s style alike, this rom-com secures its nostalgic notes with Razzles and flip phones. Bonus points include ’80s singers Michael Jackson, Rick Springfield, and Pat Benatar.
Available to buy on Amazon Prime.
4) The Holiday (2006)
Tap into the Christmas season with The Holiday. Starring a fine cast of Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black, this film offers perfect cozy nostalgia. Diaz and Winslet play Amanda and Iris, respectively, two women on opposite sides of the world who both have wound up unlucky in love and single for the holidays.
After meeting on a home swap website, Amanda and Iris agree to swap each other’s homes for Christmas. Amanda travels to Iris’s cottage in England, and Iris travels to Amanda’s fancy house in California. While each woman enjoys their surroundings, they each encounter a new love interest. Through new chances at love, Amanda and Iris finally begin to enjoy life again.
Tucked away in the 2000s, this often-forgotten holiday rom-com will touch viewers’ hearts and bring smiles to their faces. Humor dances through the film from Jack Black’s signature goofiness and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Dustin Hoffman cameo.
Available to watch on Starz.
5) Knocked Up (2007)
Rounding out the nostalgia is a trademark Judd Apatow film, Knocked Up. Starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen as an unlikely instant couple, the laughs are constant throughout. Heigl’s Alison is a journalist on the rise with her career. She meets Rogen’s character Ben, a slacker who hangs out with his buddies all day, at a bar. Despite their different approaches to life, they hit it off and have a one-night stand.
Through miscommunication, Alison becomes pregnant after their one-night stand. Now she and Ben are faced with the difficult decision on what to do next. Alison decides to continue her pregnancy, and Ben tries to support her and be there for their budding family. However, he quickly stumbles as the pressure of being a father and provider begins to weigh on him.
Through tough but funny ups and downs, Alison and Ben begin to fall for one another and slowly embrace the unconventionality of their relationship. Joined with goofy side characters from the likes of Jonah Hill and Jason Segel, this film provides a raunchy laugh to the nostalgia of Judd Apatow movies in particular.
Available to watch on Netflix.
What nostalgia brings
Sometimes one just needs to relive or take comfort in things from the past to get through rough times, or simply feed their nostalgia over what used to be. This is seen in most forms of media, like film, television, music, and even art. One common form of nostalgia is watching films from a specific decade or bygone era, and that’s what these rom-coms provide: comfort and laughter for one’s nostalgic heart.
