7 modern romantic comedies that redefined the genre

"Obvious Child" follows a woman who gets pregnant from a one-night stand and chooses to get an abortion. The movie makes a typically sad story — usually saved for gut-wrenching, hard-to-watch dramas — into an adorable story about a budding romance. It makes the abortion a side story, and not the main reason the movie exists. The film is filled with sweet and funny little moments that capture the awkwardness of a new romance. The movie also proved that Jenny Slate, who had a brief stint on "SNL," was a promising actress with some serious talent.

"Silver Linings Playbook" takes characters with mental illness seriously by portraying them as protagonists, and not side characters there for cheap laughs or tears. The smart and fast dialogue showed that anyone can be a hero and that a story about broken people doesn't have to be sad. The movie has dramatic elements, of course, but the performances and chemistry from Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Julie Weaver, and Robert De Niro turned a good screenplay into an excellent movie.

"Knocked Up" paved the way for explicit comedy that told emotional human stories. Writer and director Judd Apatow established this signature style with "Freaks and Geeks" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," but "Knocked Up" is his best work to date. It's a vulgar comedy, but at its heart it's a story about growing up.

"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is another successful rated R rom-com, like “Knocked Up.” Instead of going for typical rom-com tropes, it develops each character, even Kristen Bell’s Sarah Marshall, who starts as a villain but ends as a sympathetic character. The film’s twist: that Jason Segel’s Peter was a terrible, inattentive boyfriend, provided a refreshing take on the genre. The Muppet Dracula musical also helped make it truly memorable.

Better than any other rom-com in recent memory, Oscar nominee “The Big Sick" finds the light in the dark. A movie about a girlfriend in a coma — and a man risking cutting ties from his family to be with her — delivers some of the biggest laughs of any movie in years.

Along with being funny and romantic, the movie, based on a true story, captures the lives of immigrants in the US. It also captures one of the best depictions of the beginning stages of a romantic relationship.

On top of being a romantic comedy, the show is a musical that explores gender stereotypes, its diverse cast, and mental illness. Each episode has one to three comedic musical numbers. Adam Schlesinger, who composes and co-writes lyrics, is the bassist for Fountains of Wayne, the band who gained fame from the early 2000s hit, "Stacy's Mom."

Even the show's more dramatic episodes are a delight to watch, and make it a serious competitor for the best show on television. Its comedic aesthetic emulates the weird, pop culture centric humor of Tina Fey's "30 Rock," but for a slightly younger audience. Its excellent cast and star (co-creator) Rachel Bloom keep a potentially tired premise alive every week, and it truly goes places you'd never expect.