The Most Anticipated Romantic Comedies of 2025 — So Far

Plus: An interview with rom-com writer Lauren Kung Jessen.

Meg is looking at me like, “Erin, our movie is 35 years old. Aren’t you supposed to be writing about current-day romantic comedies?”

Hi friends,

In case you missed this bright spot of news last week: Meg Ryan cryptically announced that she and Billy Crystal are “reuniting for something iconic.” Something they will reveal “soon.” In the meantime, all we have is the Instagram photo below, which is cozier than Billy’s cable-knit sweater. (Yes, I’ve framed it and will be displaying it on the shelf next to my most-treasured family heirlooms.)

megryan

A post shared by @megryan

So: What’s the Something Iconic? In an ideal universe, Nora Ephron would still be among us and available to pen a follow-up to When Harry Met Sally with her feisty collaborator Rob Reiner. But in lieu of that fantasy collaboration, I could see Meg and Billy — who know their characters better than anyone — doing a multi-camera comedy series on Apple TV or Hulu or Max. I’d follow them anywhere. EVEN PEACOCK.

Following Meg’s mic drop, a journalist friend who reminds me so much of Sally Albright sent me a message.

“What is it?” she wanted to know. “I’m worried just a superbowl commercial.”

Yes, I responded, that was likely the case. (A consensus was building online.)

“Total letdown but it will be a nice wholesome 60 seconds,” she wrote, while I nodded in agreement.

As silly as it sounds, Harry and Sally’s short-lived Super Bowl reunion — expected to air Sunday, February 9 — currently sits near the top of my list of the year’s Most Anticipated Romantic Comedies. Others on my radar thus far:

• You’re Cordially Invited (January 30): First of all, I can’t believe it’s taken this long for Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon to join together in the church of cinema. Second of all, the premise intrigues: The stars go to war as enemies planning separate weddings that are booked at the same venue (!), on the same day (!). I could go on about Reese, and her talents, but I have to say that I am so impressed of late with Will and the heart seeping into his hijinks — from Spirited to Eurovision Song Contest to Will & Harper. Who knew that Old School’s breakout clown was the antidote to the new broligarchy?

• Kinda Pregnant (February 5): So, hmmmmm, Amy Schumer — she’s not for everyone. In fact, she’s what one might call an “Unlikable Female Protagonist.” That said, the setup in her latest rom-com sounds hilarious. Schumer’s character, jealous of a friend’s pregnancy, straps on a fake baby bump and pretends she’s expecting. Her scheme unravels after she encounters the man of her dreams: Will Forte, a.k.a. MacGruber.

• La Dolce Villa (February 13): I am sucker for a second-chance love story (and a good pun). Netflix recruited Scott Foley, a.k.a. Noel from Felicity and Jennifer Garner’s first husband, to portray an uptight American consultant who tries to stop his daughter (Maia Reficco, salt-of-the-earth) from pouring her money into restoring an Italian villa. When he arrives in town, the mayor (Violante Placido, smoldering) stops him in his tracks.

• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (February 14): This much-anticipated rom-com marks Renée Zellweger’s grand return to the genre, and I have so missed her fearless physical comedy and emotional vulnerability. The world needs more Bridget! I can’t wait to escape into her cozy London life, minus the “smug marrieds,” and see what she’s been up to lately. Curiously, I’ll have to stream the movie … on Peacock. What in the Reindeer Jumper???

• A Nice Indian Boy (April 4): Coming soon, to an actual movie theater, hopefully near you! Jonathan Groff and Karan Soni headline the movie, which garnered warm reviews as it traveled the festival circuit last year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, at one point in the picture Groff declares, “I think we’re all embarrassed by the bigness of love.” Honestly, say no more: I’m sold.

• The Wedding Banquet (April 18): A buzzy remake of Ang Lee’s 1993 rom-com of the same name, this film — also heading to theaters! — stars Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran and Han Gi-chan. The marriage plot, via Vanity Fair: “While managing the commitment issues of his boyfriend Chris (Yang), Min (Gi-chan) convinces his best friend Angela (Tran) to marry him instead — with the agreement he’ll pay for her partner Liz’s (Gladstone) IVF treatments in exchange for a green card.” Things get really awkward when a relative throws a surprise Korean wedding banquet in Min and Angela’s honor.

There are many more rom-coms on the horizon, from Celine Song’s Materialists to an adaptation of Emily Henry’s People We Meet on Vacation, but they don’t yet have release dates. Watch this space — I’ll send out more info as it comes.

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YOU’VE GOT … A BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Lauren Kung Jessen has done it again. Critics are raving about her third book, Yin Yang Love Song, which arrives Tuesday and bursts with comic banter and dreamy romanticism. I, for one, devoured every page.

I’ve long admired Lauren’s writing talent as well as her dynamic career trajectory: She went to culinary school in New York City, with the intention of becoming a food writer, but eventually began working in the kitchens of the famed restaurant Eleven Madison Park (where Carmy worked before opening The Bear).

In 2023, Lauren published her debut novel, Lunar Love, and left fine dining behind, though delicious cuisine still shows up in her novels. “Food works so well in books because it’s another way to delight our senses,” she tells me. “And just like love, food is a human need.”

I asked her a few questions about her newest novel, her drafting process and — because I’m me — her ultimate romantic comedy.

Hi Lauren! What inspired you to write Yin Yang Love Song?

There were a few seeds of inspiration that led to me writing this novel: a photo I had seen of Yo-Yo Ma playing cello in a forest, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a quote by Lao Tzu: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” I had wondered, what if Yo-Yo Ma was a “bad boy” and broke hearts? And what if TCM could heal that heartbreak? It all started to come together from there.

What those seeds ultimately became was a love story between a “bad boy” heartbreaker cellist and a heartbreak-healing herbalist. One is a famous prodigy-turned-rockstar; the other an empathetic healer who comes from a long line of women cursed to never find lasting love. One is always working, always striving to break more records and achieve more, more, more, while the other has learned from experience how damaging health-wise that kind of lifestyle can be.

I’m someone who’s very go-go-go. Have been my whole life. And when I wrote this book, I was deep in burnout — but very much in denial about it. Because I recognized this, I set a writing schedule that would be healthier for me. It also means that a lot of the conversations Chryssy and Vin have on the page had come from a vulnerable and honest place.

Which actors should play Chryssy and Vin in a film adaptation?

This question used to be so difficult to answer. It still is, as there isn’t nearly enough mixed race representation in Hollywood. But, as more actors and actresses have come onto the scene in a bigger way, I do have two people in mind for Yin Yang Love Song.

I’d cast Jessica Henwick as Chryssy and Lewis Tan as Vin. Both are mixed race actors who deserve to be in the leading roles. I’ve seen them in more dramatic and action-packed roles, but would love to see them together in a rom-com.

What is your typical day like when you're in the process of writing a novel?

I have a few phases of writing before it reaches my editor. There’s the brainstorm phase, which gives me a lot more flexibility in my day because I’m dreaming, synopsis-ing, and outlining. Once that’s in a good spot, I move into drafting and self-editing, which is where I spend the bulk of the novel’s life. My days look different than they did writing my other two books, where I would be up early and up late. Now, I try to be more mindful about this being sustainable.

I have a day job, so I do that. Writing happens after work for a few hours. If I’m on a roll or feeling behind, I’ll sometimes write after dinner, but this tends to affect my sleep. Then, on weekends, I’ll get a good 4-5 hour writing session in. That’s about how long I can go until everything starts blurring together.

I’m pretty good about sitting down cold and starting to write, as long as I leave notes for myself the day before. By doing that, I can pick up right where I left off and know exactly what I need to do. Other than that, I don’t need much except for water, coffee or matcha, and my notebook.

Do you have an all-time favorite rom-com book or movie?

Erin, this question isn’t even fair! There’s no way I can pick just one, all-time favorite book for this, so I’m going the movie route (and even then, there are still too many good ones to decide between). I will say one that I’ve come to love more as an adult is Notting Hill. It’s so cozy and gentle and the humor is impeccable. I love the meet-cute where Hugh Grant has to confront a shoplifter in front of Julia Roberts, and then again when he spills orange juice on her. I love London and the setting. The “whoopsie-daisies” scene makes me laugh out loud every single time.

You can buy Yin Yang Love Song here and follow Lauren on Instagram here. Her Substack, past present future, is a great source for writing advice and food recs.

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END CREDITS

• On an altogether different note, I just started watching Black Doves, the newish Netflix series starring Keira Knightley as a spy-for-hire in seediest London. Her character, Helen Webb, also happens to be married to Britain's secretary of defense! While I prefer Keira in a corset — oh god, that makes me sound like Kate Winslet’s mom in Titanic — it is thrilling to find her in her grittiest role yet. (I would not want to meet Helen in a dark alley.)

• Tina Brown
  ’s Fresh Hell newsletter is divine. And unlike Keira’s assassin, the iconic British editor slays with her words (while pulling no punches).

• If you’ve got an incorrigible sweet tooth, Caity Weaver’s breathless account of her trip to an austere Austrian health spa to cure her sugar addiction will have you cry-laughing — and then reaching for another Sweet Tarts rope: My candy of choice.

• Back to Romance:

  Alyssa Jarrett
  looks into her crystal ball and predicts Twilight nostalgia will reign supreme. (Millennial flashback time: Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?) Meanwhile,
  Becca Freeman
  — whose radar for The Next Big Thing is uncanny — is recommending a Sleepless in Seattle-inspired tale “about a radio DJ whose show goes viral after a young girl calls in asking for dating advice for her mom.”

Well, that’d be a fantastic role for Meg Ryan. With Billy as the DJ? Or Hanks?

Yours in manifesting~

Erin