The 5 best underrated rom-coms to watch on Stan.

There's no better way to brighten up a dull evening than by grabbing a block of choccy, brewing a fresh cuppa and popping a rom-com on TV. 

The only trouble is for true rom-com fans (guilty!), it can sometimes feel like we've seen them all. There's the absolute classics like Notting Hill, My Best Friend's Wedding and Bridget Jones' Diary, but what about the romantic comedies that have passed us by without the fanfare?

I've rounded-up some truly underrated rom-coms which can all be conveniently streamed on Stan. 

The Wedding Date.

Image: Stan. 

This rom-com is criminally under-hyped despite it being delightful. Debra Messing stars as single woman Kat who hires a male escort Nick (played by Dermot Mulroney) to take to her younger sister's wedding in London. 

Kat is still reeling from being dumped a few years ago so she recruits Nick in order to make her ex-fiancé jealous.

Of course, things don't go to plan because the chemistry between Messing and Mulroney is so damn hot! Plus Amy Adams as Messing's bratty younger sibling is too perfect for words. 

Something Borrowed.

Image: Stan. 

This film was huge upon its 2011 release, and yet, there hasn't been much talk of it since. But it's great! Firstly, let's go through the cast: the angelic Ginnifer Goodwin, the devilish Kate Hudson, professionally handsome man and Tom Cruise doppelgänger Colin Egglesfield and The Office's John Krasinski. 

Goodwin and Hudson play childhood best friends Rachel and Darcy. Rachel introduced Darcy to her fiancé Dex, but the only problem is... Rachel has been in love with Dex since they met in college. 

On a drunken night out, Rachel accidentally admits her feelings and things escalate from there. Come for the complicated female friendship dynamic and stay for the hilarious one-liners from Krasinski.

The Nanny Diaries.

Image: Stan.

This heartwarming adaption of the 2002 novel of the same name had truly slipped through the cracks. The 2007 rom-com has an incredible cast with Scarlett Johansson as leading lady, Chris Evans as romantic interest (duh!), Laura Linney playing one hell of a complicated antagonist, and Alicia Keys (for some reason??). 

The movie revolves around anthropology graduate Annie. She's feeling unsettled in her career path so ends up as a nanny for a wealthy family in New York City. Annie then has to contend with bonding with the family's child Grover, dealing with his detached parents, while balancing a new romance with a neighbour. 

It's a super sweet movie! 

I am slightly biased as I loved The Nanny Diaries book in my teen years — but the film is a damn good adaption. 

Any Questions For Ben?

Image: Stan. 

It would be unpatriotic to have a movie listicle without any Australian films, and Any Questions For Ben? is up there with the rest of these underrated gems. 

This movie is deeply 2012, just look at its stars: Josh Lawson and Rachael Taylor. At the time, the actors were two of Australia's most exciting exports. Lawson had just been cast in House of Lies while Taylor had just finished a stint on Grey's Anatomy. 

Anyways, back to the movie — it's really fun! Lawson plays Ben, whose entire existence is rocked when he realises when speaking to high school's students about his career that his job as 'brand manager' sucks — the students have no questions, hence the film's title. But it's on career day that he reunites with Taylor's character Alex which could mark the start of Ben's first serious relationship... unless he messes it up, which is likely given Ben's track record. 

Love Life.

Image: Stan. 

Okay, this isn't a movie but it's an incredible (and incredibly underrated) limited-series that falls firmly in the rom-com category. This anthology series premiered in 2020 featuring Anna Kendrick as single woman Darby. 

The 10-episode series chronicles Darby's relationships — some good, some disasters — in her attempt to find a special someone, and in the process, she finds herself. 

This is the perfect show to watch after a breakup. And the second (and sadly final) season starring The Good Place's William Jackson Harper was equally enthralling... and messy. 

Feature image: HBO Max + Warner Bros + FilmColony.

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