Ravenclaws are smart and enjoy wit and creativity while frowning on complacency and conformity. Being the more practical and studious of the houses it might be hard to imagine a Ravenclaw taking the time to watch rom-coms.
But there are quite a few romantic comedies that a Ravenclaw would find lives up to their standards. However, on the other hand, there are also plenty that would solidify the genre as being unsmart and lazy. From Shakespeare in Love to She’s All That, here are five romcoms a Ravenclaw will love and five they will hate.
Love: Shakespeare In Love (1998)
A true scholar would be more than familiar with Shakespeare’s work, which has gone on to inspire many plays and movies, and one of them is even on this list. Ravenclaws will appreciate the fact that most of the characters and plots from this movie were inspired by Shakespeare’s actual plays.
A Ravenclaw, who values intellect and creativity might find themselves fantasizing about being with someone as talented and smart as William Shakespeare. And better yet, to be his muse for the most recognized play he wrote.
Hate: The Proposal (2009)
The Proposal features a strong powerful woman with Sandra Bullock’s character, but unfortunately, she is portrayed in such a negative fashion that Ravenclaws would be insulted. The movie makes it seem that in order to be a powerful woman you need to treat those around you in such a way that they nickname you “the witch.”
This movie had an opportunity to be smart and witty with such a strong leading lady playing what should be a strong, smart woman but instead what we get is a one-dimensional boss lady character who only learns to be a decent human being by giving up some of her power and literally getting on her knees.
Love: His Girl Friday (1940)
Now, this is what The Proposal should have been. In His Girl Friday we still see a powerful woman in Hildy, whose ex-husband spends the movie trying to win her back because he sees her value and importance and admires her brain, not just her looks.
Hildy is about to leave the workforce and retire as a housewife, a sentence Ravenclaws would gasp at for sure. Thankfully she makes the right choice and keeps working at the paper, learning you can be a woman and still have a successful career, a somewhat revolutionary concept for the era in which this movie was made.
Hate: Clueless (1995)
If you’re a Ravenclaw you probably avoided groups like the one focused on in 1995’s Clueless. Alicia Silverstone delivers one of her best performances in this classic ’90s satire, but the portrayal of Brittany Murphy’s character Tai going from “tragically unhip” to popular and turning into a typical mean girl might steer Ravenclaws away from this one.
And although its one of the most quotable movies of its decade, its valley girl tone and superficial flair might annoy those who value the language arts.
Love: Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Ravenclaws will be drawn to Jennifer Lawerence’s confident character Tiffany in Silver Linings Playbook as she confuses and intrigues Bradley Cooper’s character, Pat, in this well-written romantic comedy that takes tropes like the manic pixie dream girl and turns them on their axis.
Tiffany gives off the same vibe we get from famous Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood. They both are quirky and messy and weird but they don’t care what people think because they understand that’s not what’s important.
Hate: Just Married (2003)
We hate to include two of the late Britanny Murphy’s movies on the worst list but this one had to be included. Coming shortly after Kutcher’s flop, Dude Wheres My Car, this failed rom-com follows the same type of humor, as accident after accident happens during the newly married couple’s honeymoon in Europe.
Its humor is lackluster and with no wit and originality. And worst of all, Murphy’s character is actually a smart and successful woman before she marries Kutcher, whose lack of a brain is not made up for in any other qualities. She should have listened to her family as she seems to sacrifice a lot to be with him.
Love: 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
This classic romance is inspired by the great Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew. In both the play and this adaptation the lead is a strong female who knows what she wants and won’t let anything distract her. She’s been enlightened about some of the harsh realities about people and because of that, she keeps her walls up. It’s her perceptiveness and intelligence that makes it hard for her to trust others.
In the movie, Kat starts to fall for bad boy Cameron but when she learns of his deceit she quickly kicks him to curb, knowing her worth and unwillingness to take any less than she deserves. Her poem at the end is still quoted to this day and is a great poem about how love can affect even the strongest willed.
Hate: Sierra Burgess is a Loser (2018)
This Netflix original got a lot of heat for its portrayal of Sierra Burgess an outcast who catfishes her crush by pretending to be popular girl, Veronica. Sierra is supposed to represent the outcasts who like the arts and reading more than sports and social activities but shes portrayed in such a nasty way as the story progresses it’s hard to root for her.
From impersonating a deaf person to releasing a hurtful secret of someone who has helped her with her scheme, the movie is, excuse the pun, tone-deaf. But thankfully Netflix made up for this terrible original with a better one, which actually makes our list next as the best rom-com for Ravenclaws.
Love: The Half of It (2020)
This is the love story we need right now. Netflix’s new romantic comedy The Half of It is more of a love story developing between two friends more than a traditional romance, but it still belongs on this list because it has many elements modern rom-coms should adapt. For one, they shed the awful makeover trope (more on that in the next entry) and actually do the opposite, with Paul picking clothes for Ellie Chu that flatter her body but stay true to her comfortable laid back style. Another refreshing thing is to see a queer character center stage in a rom-com.
This movie is all about discovering the gifts you already have inside instead of changing yourself in order to win over the boy/girl/person. It might not end in romance for any of the characters but all three main characters end the movie with an understanding of love that many spend their whole lives discovering.
Hate: She’s All That (1999)
She’s All That perpetuates the terrible movie trope of the makeover scene. It instilled the thought that all it takes to transform a nerdy outcast is to take off her glasses and pull down her ponytail. Nevermind how superficial that is and the horrible lesson that teaches to young women. It’s as if it says that overalls and glasses are the worst thing in the world and are so hideous they block the world from seeing how talented and smart and likable the person is.
And sure, Rachel Leigh Cook’s Laney dons her overalls once again in the end but it takes Freddie Prince Jr.’s Zach way too long to realize she didn’t need to change, and that he and his friends did.
