The Rom-Com Golden Age

The romantic comedy feels like a timeless genre, but most of the films we think of when we think of romantic comedies are from the same era: 1990-2010. What is it about these two decades that stands out? Why did people gravitate towards romantic comedies so much during this time? Is there a reason that romantic comedies made in the past few years feel like they’re missing something?

What Is a Rom-Com? History of the Genre

Romantic comedies blend lighthearted humor with heartfelt relationship struggles, creating one of the most popular genres in film. The genre has existed in media for centuries, and the first romantic comedy films began to appear as the medium was starting out. Girl Shy (1924), a silent film, was one of the first ever romantic comedies, and the genre’s popularity has only increased, with different subgenres and tropes appearing over time. 

The first rom-com subgenre, most popular in the 1930s, is a comedy of manners, where a rich person falls in love with someone less wealthy than themselves. It Happened One Night (1934) is one of the most prominent examples of this genre, and it was critically acclaimed, earning five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. Audiences of the time likely found hope in this genre due to the message of money not buying everything, which was particularly relevant to Depression-era audiences of the time. 

Screwball comedies made up the latter half of the 1930s and remained popular throughout the early 1950s. They satirize traditional romantic comedies, utilizing slapstick humor and absurdist plot points to drive the dynamic of the love story. Examples of this include The Philadelphia Story (1940), where newly divorced socialite Tracy Lord must decide between three men: her ex-husband, her fiance, and a prying reporter, and Bringing Up Baby (1938), where paleontologist David Huxley finds himself pursued by a scatterbrained and flighty heiress and her pet leopard, Baby, in an attempt to secure a million-dollar museum donation. 

The sex comedy was the dominant subgenre of the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. There was a focus on the inherent differences between men and women, with less focus on feel-good love stories, and an emphasis on sexual or romantic tension between leads. Examples of this subgenre include Desk Set (1957), Lover Come Back (1961), and Battle of the Sexes (1960). Oftentimes, the plot of these films would involve two professional rivals being pitted against each other, with the enemies-to-lovers trope dominating the subgenre. 

Radical Rom-Coms followed the sex comedy, with a move away from comedy, embracing a more cynical tone. This subgenre came about after the conclusion of the Hays Code in 1968, and is partly defined by its lack of innuendos or ploys. These films question if love exists at all, and unlike traditional romantic comedies, happy endings are not guaranteed for the leads. Annie Hall (1977) is an example of the subgenre, where comedian Alvy Singer reflects on the abrupt ending to his relationship with singer Annie Hall. 

Finally, the neotraditional rom-com is the subgenre that is most reflective of what we might consider a romantic comedy today. There was a de-emphasizing of sexual relationships, with a refocus on compatibility between the leads. This subgenre relies on tropes that have been prominent throughout the overall history of the genre while also focusing on realistic problems. Sleepless in Seattle (1993), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) are all examples of the neotraditional rom-com. One of the most important elements of this trope is the happy ending, where the main couple is able to overcome the character flaws or problems that are keeping them apart.  

Popularity During 1990s and 2000s

The neotraditional rom-com is the subgenre that created the extreme popularity of romantic comedies during the 1990s and early 2000s. When Harry Met Sally (1989) marked the beginning of this “golden age” of romantic comedies. Not only were these films marked by narrative elements such as emotional themes that are common relationship struggles and a complete happy-ending. You can start almost any romantic comedy made in the 1990s and 2000s and know, without any prior knowledge of the film, that the two leads would end up together in the end. But, there are additional factors that contributed to the popularity of the genre at the time. 

Romantic comedies were the big-budget films of the 1990s and early 2000s. This meant that they were always shown in theaters, with huge box office reception. When Harry Met Sally (1989) earned $92.8 million at the box office, and Sleepless in Seattle (1993) earned $227 million. The demand in movie theaters for neotraditional romantic comedies allowed the genre to prosper. Studios also produced romantic comedies because they are less expensive to create when compared to other genres, because the setting, characters, and plot are all based in reality. This created the studio’s incentive to continue pumping out romantic comedies. 

Another trait of the golden age of romantic comedies is the presence of genre-legend actors. People like Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, or Sandra Bullock were staples of the genre, appearing in multiple films now regarded as classics over the years. These likeable leads created likeable characters, which fueled the genre’s popularity despite its consistent format. They became instantly recognizable for their popularity in the genre, and audience members began to watch romantic comedies not for the plot, but for the actor they loved.

Power of Nostalgia, The Streaming Resurgence 

People will often preach that romantic comedies released in the past ten or so years don’t feel the same as the rom-coms that came out during the genre’s most popular era. Without the box office push from studios and instantly recognizable leads with strong chemistry, audiences no longer feel drawn to romantic comedies in recent years. The days of romantic comedy blockbusters are over. Oftentimes, it is easier to find a screening of an older rom-com than it would be to find a new one being released in theaters. The comforting feeling of romantic comedies, largely from their plot’s predictability and recurring cast members, fosters nostalgia when watching rom-coms of the 1990s or early 2000s today. 

The rise of romantic comedies being pushed by streaming services’ algorithms is reflective of the power that this nostalgia has. Audiences have a newfound appreciation for the genre, and streaming services have been profiting off of this nostalgia. They deliver romantic comedies both to the generation who grew up with them, as well as younger people that are seeing them for the first time. A great example of this is How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days (2003), which had a huge spike in popularity due to its place on Netflix’s newly added section. In 2024, the film made Netflix’s top ten chart, with audio from the movie blowing up on TikTok. However, despite the genre’s rising popularity, modern romantic comedies do not perform as well as their neotraditional counterparts. 

One reason for this lack of performance might be because studios and filmmakers alike look down on the genre now due to its perceived lack of nuance. Many filmmakers recently have been gravitating more towards experimental genres like horror or emotional drama – we see this with films like The Substance (2024), Anora (2024), or Opus (2025). However, there is still an audience demand for romantic comedies: roughly 70% of viewers reported enjoying the genre in 2023. Although they reached their height of popularity in the 1990s and early 2000s, the romantic comedy has been around since the beginning of the film industry. The questions then become: Has the genre peaked? Is the industry shifting away from it altogether? Or are audiences just waiting for the next rom-com subgenre that will bring its energy and passion back?

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