Cheesy? Sometimes. Predictable? Usually. Awesome? ALWAYS! Whether you’re snuggling up with that special someone or drowning your sorrows with Smirnoff and cookie dough, there are some romantic comedies that never get old. I won’t call this a best list of “all time,” cause I admit that I haven’t seen all the classics. But these are seriously the best, withstanding the test of  time and offering a delightful balance of both rom and com!

Bridget Jones’ Diary

It’s easy to love Bridget, the chubby publicity girl who sends dirty IMs to her boss (Hugh Grant…yum) and must choose between slimming giant underpants (likely to bring about sexy situations) or sexy ones (much more appropriate if the sexy situation does occur). But for me, here’s why Bridget Jones’ Diaryis the perfect romcom: you really don’t know who she’s going to end up with. The characters are so rich; at first we think Hugh’s a nice guy, while Colin Firth is the stuffy prick…but over the course of the movie, we learn the truth.

Love Actually

Like Bridget, this one doubles as a Christmas movie – bonus! I think what impresses me most about Love Actually, though, is that it tackles so many stories with its “intersecting lives” structure (note that you can’t really think of another movie that pulls it off well). The types of love run the gamut from young Sam’s school crush to . My only problem: Why can’t Laura Linney be nice to her baby bro AND keep the hot guy? So unfair.

Sleepless in Seattle

Usually romcoms are structured in one of two ways: either the couple hates each other until the very end, or they love each other but can’t be together because of family or money or distance or whatever (the Romeo & Juliet approach). Sleepless in Seattle kind of manages to do both: Tom Hanks refuses to listen to his son’s pleas for him to write back to Meg Ryan, Meg resists her crazy crush on Tom and plans instead to marry the boring dude with all the allergies, and to top it all off, the two live on opposite coasts. It’s filled with great details and interesting characters, from Jonah’s bossy friend to the iconic digital heart that flashes red across the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.

10 Things I Hate About You

I had to throw a teen one in here. Like Bridget, it’s a modern-day Shakespeare adaptation (Will was seriously onto something) – and it’s like three romantic comedies in one. You’ve got Kat and Patrick the “scary” outcasts, Bianca and Cameron the young optimists, and even two weirdo sidekicks. The movie also includes plenty of big romantic gestures, including Heath Ledger’s huge musical number on the football field. Sigh…no wonder I have to watch it every time it’s on cable.

Pretty Woman

Okay, so maybe Julia Roberts‘ shoulder-padded dresses didn’t quite withstand the test of time – but the story of the businessman who falls in love with the spunky hooker certainly has.  This movie is just fun, and it made Julia a star for a reason. She’s irresistibly funny as she tries to navigate the fancy world of Rodeo Drive, dinner parties and polo matches. Plus there’s Richard Gere and that oh-so-charming smile…