Romantic comedies have never really struggled to find an audience. What they have struggled with is being taken seriously. Despite their popularity, they're still framed as a lesser genre, something people enjoy, but don't always defend. Which is exactly why Kumail Nanjiani's guilty-pleasure rewatch movie reveal is so refreshing.
WATCH: Kumail Nanjiani Defends His Wedding Day Movie Choice (And It's Hilarious)
"I like a lot of rom-coms and a lot of people look down on those," the actor told JustWatch while promoting the 2026 biographical comedy drama See You When I See You. "But like those '90s rom-coms… I've seen all of them." His wife, writer, producer, and podcast host, Emily V. Gordon, went on to share that his favorite in the genre is 1994's Four Weddings and a Funeral.
"He wanted to watch Four Weddings and a Funeral on our wedding day," Gordon said. Nanjiani responded by backing up his choice. "That's a great movie. That's not a sorry, not sorry. It was nominated for Oscars." It's a light, funny exchange, but it also taps into something more familiar. Even now, saying you love romantic comedies can come with a need to justify it.
Why Rom-Coms Still Get Dismissed (Even When They're Good)
Romantic comedies have existed for as long as I can remember. And so has the dose of side-eye judgment that comes with them. Part of it comes down to how the genre has been framed as "chick flicks," and even in 2026, it's rarely used as a compliment. It tends to flatten everything into something predictable or overly sentimental, regardless of how well the film is actually made.
And once that label is tacked onto a film, it changes how it's perceived. Romantic comedies are pre-judged, expected to be less ambitious, less meaningful, and less worthy of critical attention. Even when the writing is brilliant or the performances are strong, those elements often get overlooked because of the category the film exists in.
That's what makes the dismissal feel less like a coincidence and more like a pattern. The way rom-coms are treated doesn't exist in isolation. It follows a much larger pop culture trend, where anything primarily associated with women is treated as less serious, regardless of its impact or popularity. You see it with boy bands, whose massive global success is framed as temporary or superficial.
The same thing happens with romance novels, which dominate publishing sales but are still dismissed in literary conversations. And the pattern is repeated in fan communities, where enthusiasm from a predominantly female demographic is sometimes side-lined instead of recognized for what it actually represents. That's why Nanjiani sharing his love for rom-coms is a pretty big deal.
Why To Watch 'Four Weddings And A Funeral' (And What To Watch After)
Four Weddings and a Funeral managed to challenge the chick flick stereotype all those years ago. The story follows Charles (Hugh Grant) and his friend group as they deal with love and missed chances across a series of events. It's a simple structure, but it gives the film space to build its characters in a way that feels natural rather than overly constructed.
The writing is sharp without feeling forced, and the emotional moments don't tip too far into sentimentality. But the film's biggest draw is Grant, whose performance helped define the modern rom-com lead. There's an ease to the way he carries the movie, moving between awkwardness and sincerity without ever overplaying either.
Four Weddings and a Funeral was also nominated for Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay, which makes it one of the clearest examples of a rom-com that managed to earn proper critical recognition. For his efforts, Grant won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
If Four Weddings and a Funeral (which can be found on Prime Video) sounds appealing, Notting Hill (1999) offers a similar mix of charm and character-driven storytelling. There's also 1989's When Harry Met Sally, which leans more into structure and dialogue, while My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) adds a slightly sharper edge to the formula.
Somewhere between all of them, you get a clear sense of why the genre has lasted for so long and why it's never really needed defending in the first place.
