8. Notting Hill
The seminal and original film of the genre, a classic tale of foppish bookshop owner meets Hollywood star. Hugh Grant does his usual charming English act as protagonist Will, who by chance strikes up an unlikely relationship with Julia Roberts's Hollywood megastar Anna Scott. Will and Anna's relationship seems doomed from the start as the realities of their respective lifestyles - and their blinkered perceptions of the lifestyle of the other - encroach upon their romantic bubble. All the ManCom tropes are present here, assembled in full working order for perhaps the first time - featuring perhaps the best comedy sidekick in ManCom history in Rhys Ifans's Spike, a suitably dreadful rival in Alec Baldwin's Jeff, and a plotline that could be lifted directly from the handbook of ManComic writing. The great joy of Notting Hill doesn't come entirely from the central relationship, or even from the range of brilliant comic scenarios that litter the screenplay. There's more to this than bland genericism wrapped up in the thin blanket of a few good jokes. Instead, the film becomes more than the sum of its parts on the strength of the cast of wonderful characters that writer Richard Curtis assembles. Subtle relationships and eccentric edges are created out of the smallest and simplest details, with each character feeling like a fully-rounded individual regardless of screentime. There are very few screenwriters out there with the ability to write a scrip infused with such heart, soul and charm without resorting to overt sentimentality. This is an all-time classic in any language and any genre.