10 Romantic Comedies Critics Hated But Audiences Loved (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

The romantic comedy is an underappreciated and frequently-maligned art form, with many critics failing to recognize the value that its sentimentality and predictably often hold for viewers from all demographics. As a result, Rotten Tomatoes — the film criticism aggregator that has become the definitive source for any given movie’s viewability — sometimes ushers audiences away from wonderfully-conceived and carefully-developed films that can soothe viewers and offer them hope in equal measure.

Were critics to view this genre without bias, scores of movie lovers would discover warm, life-affirming works that have been shrouded by the unfairly-malicious press. These are just a few of the rom-coms that deserve more credit.

Life As We Know It (2010) Critics Score: 29% / Audience Score: 61%

Critics largely skewered Life As We Know It, a Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel vehicle in which the pair star as a failed blind date matchup who find themselves raising their friends’ child after a fatal accident.

But despite the overwhelmingly negative response it received, this film offers a novel premise that distinguishes it from the rest of Heigl’s work. The darkness and intensity of the plot challenge audiences in a way that romantic comedies are not known to do, while familiar themes and warm sentiments make for a viewing experience that those drawn to romantic comedies expect and appreciate.

When We First Met (2018) Critics Score: 43% / Audience Score: 57%

This Netflix original movie admittedly didn’t challenge star Adam Devine (know for his similarly rambunctious and immature character in Workaholics), but his romantic and platonic chemistry with the other leads provide emotional depth to a script that is exceptional by its own accord, even if When We First Met is one of those romantic comedy movies that’s so bad it’s good.

Perhaps the adolescent humor prevented critics from appreciating the film to the extent that it deserves, but its unexpected ending and deft use of pathos solidify it as a legitimate and respectable piece of art that can appeal to cinephiles and casual audiences alike.

Sweet Home Alabama (2002) Critics Sore: 39% / Audience Score: 78%

Sweet Home Alabama is certainly less renowned and culturally significant than Reese Witherspoon’s other early-2000s romantic comedy, Legally Blonde, but its closer adherence to the archetypal structure of the genre is only a flaw to those who are averse to films that are familiar in tone, regardless of the effectiveness of that familiarity.

General audiences were more appreciative of the film’s strongest aspects, such as Witherspoon’s on-screen chemistry with Josh Lucas and the script’s respect for the tropes and traditions that have rendered the romantic comedy a successful and appreciated art form for decades.

The Proposal (2009) Critics Score: 45% / Audience Score: 67%

The Proposal is not a daring or necessarily inventive film, but most moviegoers weren’t expecting such attributes from it. The beauty of romantic comedies is that they provide audiences with a familiar structure and minimal self-seriousness intentionally, serving as a refuge from the conflict and intensity that many audiences find plenty of away from the screen.

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds are a wonderfully unexpected pairing — with Reynolds delivering what is perhaps one of his best roles besides Deadpool — and their failure to challenge themselves in no way minimizes the effectiveness of the film.

Blended (2014) Critics Score: 15% / Audience Score: 64%

Adam Sandler teamed up with frequent collaborator, Drew Barrymore, for the 2014 flick, Blended, which failed to amuse critics to the extent that it did general audiences.

Many felt that the film’s director declined to break conventions or expand the boundaries of the romantic comedy genre, but its playful humor and comforting plot elements will satisfy any viewer who is seeking a warm, familiar story without pretense. Critics’ predilection for rugged and challenging films is often expressed at the expense of more gentle and familiar works such as this, but audiences appear to have latched onto Blended despite its lackluster press.

Fools Rush In (1997) Critics Score: 34% / Audience Score: 64%

This film took advantage of the then-new star power of Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry to provide viewers a glimpse of a relationship rarely depicted in the media at the time.

Many critics dogged the film for its apparent lack of originality, but audiences were far more sympathetic to its better intentions. The disparity between its critical and general reception may reflect more on the narrow tastes of some film critics than on the efficacy of the film.

50 First Dates (2004) Critics Score: 45% / Audience Score: 65%

The second of the three Sandler/Barrymore film collaborations and among the best Adam Sandler-led rom-coms, 50 First Dates has achieved virtually-iconic status amongst audiences nearly two decades after its release, despite its subpar critical reception.

Sandler’s trademark adolescent humor may not be appreciated by those who found it immature, but open-minded viewers appreciated the levity that it provides to scenes that may otherwise be excessively dramatic or sentimental. When paired with Sandler and Barrymore’s effortless chemistry, this cements the film as required viewing for romantic comedy aficionados.

Just Friends (2005) Critics Score: 42% / Audience Score: 71%

The 2000’s romantic comedy boom — which some rank among Ryan Reynolds’ best movies — produced an array of films that were oftentimes indistinguishable from one another and thereby held little staying power in the subsequent decade. 2005’s Just Friends managed to avoid this outcome by providing a fresh take on the platonic-friendship-with-sexual-tension trope, aided by suitable performances from stars Ryan Reynolds and Anna Faris.

Some critics’ seeming distaste of the genre has perhaps prevented them from appreciating the merits of its better-crafted offerings, with Just Friends being one of the more notable examples of their potential oversight.

She’s The Man (2006) Critics Score: 43% / Audience Score: 79%

This modern adaptation of the Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night, received markedly different reception from professional critics and casual audiences — a common trend for romantic comedies that aim to comfort and please rather than to challenge and enlighten.

Much of the film’s redeeming value stems from the early-career performances of Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum, which aided in converting a centuries-old story into a contemporary piece of mainstream entertainment. Viewers seeking a light and playful piece that does not posture as anything more substantial would benefit from a viewing of She’s The Man.

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003) Critics Score: 42% / Audience Score: 77%

Perhaps the most recognizable of Matthew McConaughey’s string of romantic comedies, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days has remained implanted in the cultural consciousness nearly twenty years after its 2003 release.

While critics of the day largely determined it to be an uninspired and insignificant work of mediocrity, common viewers continue to uphold it as a modern classic, appreciating its comforting plot and endearing acting to a far greater extent than the more-selective professionals. This film’s Rotten Tomatoes scores serve as a necessary reminder that a viewer’s taste may not necessarily be in line with those of film critics.