Everyone always talks about the leading ladies of romantic comedies, but what about the leading men? Point of fact: Hugh Grant has more romantic comedies under his belt than some of the ladies of the same era. He was very prolific in rom coms from the late ‘90s up until about the mid ‘00s, and has been in some of the most memorable rom coms ever. Does he like being known in this way? Hmm.
Today, we’re doing our best to rank the top 10 of his romantic comedies, so without further adieu, let’s get to it!
10. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
To be honest, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason does not live up to the original. The only reason it even cracks the top 10 is because the only other romantic comedy of Hugh’s that we could possibly count, Did You Hear About the Morgans?, is even worse. While Bridget waffling between Hugh’s terrible (but terribly handsome) Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy at least made some sense in the first film, it’s more of the same in the sequel, which just makes any growth she had go out the window. But, it is based on a book, so perhaps we can’t fully blame the movie for that.
9. Love Actually (2003)
Is this controversial? Not in our book. Sorry not sorry — Love Actually is overrated. Does it have some memorable moments? Sure. Are those enough? No. The problem with these ensemble films is that they lose a real semblance of unity because they’re jumping around between people with only tangential relationships to each other. Interestingly, this is Richard Curtis’ directorial debut, but he actually wrote or co-wrote many of the other films that are on this list as well.
8. Two Weeks Notice (2002)
Hugh stars alongside Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice, a film about a lawyer (Bullock) who works for a billionaire real estate developer (Hugh) with a lack of decision-making ability and a tendency to sleep with any attractive girl. When she decides enough is enough and puts in her two weeks’ notice, of course they both now realize how much they enjoy each other. It’s a fairly typical romantic comedy, but when you have both Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock, can you really go wrong? It’s missing a little bit of the extra spark some of the other films have on this list, so that’s why it’s near the bottom.
7. Nine Months (1995)
Not only do you have Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore starring in Nine Months, a romantic comedy about a couple who finds out they are accidentally pregnant, you’ve also got a stellar supporting cast with Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams, Tom Arnold, and Joan Cusack. Hugh’s character is very commitment-phobic and scared of having children, which is ironic given he is a child psychologist. Hugh has since said, as this movie was his first major studio film, that he felt he overacted and ruined much of it. But it’s actually a lot funnier than people may remember, despite being fairly generic, plot-wise.
6. Music and Lyrics (2007)
If you want to see Hugh singing and dancing in a very ‘80s music video, the song of which will get stuck in your head for days, look no further than Music and Lyrics. Hugh stars as a washed up former pop star who has a chance to regain stardom if he can just write a new song for the latest teen sensation. But he needs help — luckily the girl who happens to be watering his plants also is great at writing lyrics. Let’s get these two together, stat! Though apparently Hugh and Drew Barrymore didn’t get along much in real life, they have some nice chemistry in the movie. And can you really knock a romcom with music elements? No.
5. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Hugh’s real breakout role came in Four Weddings and a Funeral, which was the first time he starred in a film written by Richard Curtis, who wrote quite a few other films on this list, as we previously mentioned. Apparently, the role was based on Curtis himself, and he didn’t want Hugh for the part as he thought he was too handsome. If not for Hugh getting this role, we might not have seen him in any of these other roles either, as he was about to give up on acting. The film became huge, much to the surprise of almost all involved. Some could argue it deserves a higher spot on the list, but to us it was a bit less memorable than the films that are coming up.
4. Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Hugh delves into a classic Jane Austen novel with Sense and Sensibility, which Emma Thompson adapted from the book, and was the first English-language film directed by Ang Lee. Thompson worked on the screenplay for five years to get it right, and apparently studios were a bit nervous because it was going to be her first writing credit. Of course, they needn’t have been worried, as she’d go on to win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Hugh played Edward Ferrars, the main love interest of Emma’s Elinor, and apparently he was the one they had in mind for the role from the start. This film was also one of Kate Winslet’s early roles just before Titanic.
3. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)
Up until Bridget Jones’s Diary, Hugh had always played the affable if slightly neurotic romantic lead. Here, he turns that role on its head by delving into a character that was much less likable. In his other roles where he’s a bit of a scoundrel, he usually learns from his bad ways to redeem himself in the end, but in Bridget Jones he’s truly the villain of the picture, no matter how much you don’t want him to be. Though the sequels to this film are pretty terrible, the original is still a lot of fun to this day, thanks not only to Hugh’s role here, but also the plucky Renee Zellweger and, of course, Colin Firth.
2. Notting Hill (1999)
Is there a movie on this list that’s more romantic than Notting Hill? Doubtful. Here, Hugh is at his most memorable as simple bookshop (to be more precise, travel bookshop) owner William Thacker who just happens to meet the most famous actress in the world, Anna Scott, played by Julia Roberts. It’s a bit of a fantasy, the story, but it works thanks to both Hugh and Julia really selling that these two could fall for each other. The movie just makes you feel good, and don’t we all need that sometimes?
1. About a Boy (2002)
Perhaps you’d argue About a Boy isn’t really a romantic comedy, as the main tension of the film isn’t really whether Hugh’s Will will get together with Rachel Weisz’s character, but rather whether he will grow up and help the young Nicholas Hoult’s Marcus, who is having issues with bullies. Nonetheless, it is one of Hugh’s best movies, and best performances, that we just had to put it in at number one despite its somewhat murky romcom qualities. There’s still romance and comedy, and you root for them to get together. We highly recommend this film if you haven’t seen it.
What’s your favorite Hugh Grant romantic comedy? Do you agree with our list? Let us know in the comments!
- Hugh comes from a military family, with many accomplished veterans and aristocracy, including an ancestor who died at the Battle of Culloden in Scotland.
- Hugh attended Oxford University on a Galsworthy scholarship, where he studied English and graduated with second-class honors.
- Hugh dated actress Elizabeth Hurley for 13 years. Eventually they broke up, and he is now married with five children from two different relationships.
- In 2011, Hugh wrote an expose about phone bugging done by British journalists with the full knowledge of British politicians.
- Hugh was originally going to play Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.
- Hugh comes from a military family, with many accomplished veterans and aristocracy, including an ancestor who died at the Battle of Culloden in Scotland.
- Hugh attended Oxford University on a Galsworthy scholarship, where he studied English and graduated with second-class honors.
- Hugh dated actress Elizabeth Hurley for 13 years. Eventually they broke up, and he is now married with five children from two different relationships.
- In 2011, Hugh wrote an expose about phone bugging done by British journalists with the full knowledge of British politicians.
- Hugh was originally going to play Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.
