Sydney Sweeney channels Kate Winslet from 'Titanic', and Lucy Boynton travels through time to favorite songs – here's a selection of cool fresh rom-coms.

Sometimes it feels like the rom-com genre ended with the peak popularity of Meg Ryan. But in reality, it's more alive than ever and occasionally delivers pleasant examples that you wouldn't be ashamed to spend an evening watching with your loved one. Especially for such occasions, we've put together a selection of 5 noteworthy rom-coms released in 2023-2024.

«The Greatest Hits» (2024)

Imagine that listening to a song significant to your couple transports you back to the very moment you first heard it. Sounds romantic, but for Harriet (Lucy Boynton) it's a real torment, because her boyfriend Max (David Corenswet) died 2 years ago. In the present, the girl meets David (Justin H. Min), who is also experiencing a serious loss, but the past doesn't want to let her go so easily.

Time travel even within romantic comedies is not a new solution. Suffice it to recall «About Time». However, director Ned Benson («The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby») uses this simple narrative tool to clearly show that life goes on no matter what. And even if you had many pleasant moments in the past, that doesn't mean the present and especially the future will be worse. Just as love is not always unique.

«The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight» (2023)

What could be more romantic in cinema than feelings flaring up during a first meeting? Except maybe fate, which brings together heroes who lost contact right after the encounter! That's exactly what happens to the characters of Haley Lu Richardson and Ben Hardy, who meet on a plane but lose each other immediately after landing, without having time to exchange numbers. But even in huge London, they are destined to meet again.

This rom-com doesn't reinvent the wheel in terms of plot (you immediately spot references like «Serendipity»), but focuses on the emotions and touching nature of the characters and their relationships, as well as the role of fate (here it's a full-fledged character) in people's lives. And this sincerity in everything – from dialogues to awkward situations – wins you over and makes watching the film memorable.

«Anyone But You» (2023)

Is there a chance for mutual sympathy if the first date turned into a disaster with plenty of mutual reproaches? The answer to this question is given by the heroes of Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, whose acquaintance didn't work out, but who need to communicate because of mutual friends.

As with «The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight», the creators chose a path well-trodden long before them (in this case, depicting a fake couple). The emphasis here is on the chemistry of the actors and the hilarious situations their characters get into (there's even a cute deliberate reference to «Titanic»). It turned out funny, sincere, and moderately romantic.

«Rye Lane» (2023)

A guy meets a girl. They walk and talk. In general, there's nothing more in the film «Rye Lane» at first glance. And is it necessary? If literally every frame of this rom-com is imbued with wit, cinephilia, life.

It's like «Before Sunrise» for zoomers. It's like if trendy reels and stories were turned into a full-fledged film. It's like if they filmed real love, stripped of cinematic clichés, but spiced up with endless humor from memes and everyday situations. A must-see for fans of the genre.

«Marmalade» (2024)

To avoid being overly saccharine and monotonous, rom-coms often abound with eccentricity. «Marmalade» with Joe Keery from «Stranger Things» is just that kind of film. Have you ever seen a pure rom-com about a heist where the main character is «dumb as a cork tree»?!

Even with uneven narrative and tone mixed with an unnecessary tilt towards criticism of capitalism, «Marmalade» has enough charm to captivate the viewer, and the idols of the youngest among them perfectly play their roles of crazy lovers (but that's not certain).