10 Great Romantic Comedies That Ruled the Oscars

It happened on one (Oscar Awards) night.

Not many rom-coms have made it to the top of this year's Oscar nominations. True, the genre has had a weird few years, but there's always at least one rom-com that hits the big time every year. Some even made it all the way to the Oscars, an impressive feat given the Academy's traditional taste.

The recent re-release of "Roman Holiday" is a perfect reminder of some rom-com's influence at the Oscars. Some have even been nominated for best picture, and even if only a handful of them do, their presence among the nominees is a triumph in itself.

1 'It Happened One Night' (1934)

Widely considered one of the best films of all time, not to mention the best romantic comedy of all time, One Night Stand dominated the Academy Awards in 1935. The story revolves around an unexpected romance between a spoiled socialite and a cynical journalist as they are forced to travel together. Starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

It Happened One Night was the first of three films to win five Academy Awards: Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay. For forty-one years, it was the only film to win both leading actor and actress until "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" joined its ranks.

2 'The Philadelphia Story' (1940)

Philadelphia The story stars three true movie icons: Katharine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant. The plot revolves around a wealthy but spoiled socialite whose life is disrupted by the sudden arrival of her ex-husband and a tabloid reporter on the eve of her wedding.

The Philadelphia Story was a huge critical and commercial success, earning six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Stewart won Best Actor, his only competitive win at the Oscars, while Hepburn was nominated for her third. The Philadelphia Story remains a beloved classic, and even those who aren't fans of romantic comedies will enjoy Hepburn's bubbly socialite romp.

3 'Roman Holiday' (1953)

William Wheeler's Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. The plot follows a princess of an unknown European country who travels to Rome with a reporter, away from her imperious royal duties.

"Roman Holiday" was a smashing box office hit and a huge success. Hepburn became the first actor to win an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for a single role, and the film was nominated for a total of ten Oscars, winning Best Story and Best Costume Design - Black and White. Unfortunately, the film's screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, since he was blacklisted in Hollywood at the time, was not given credit for his work.

4 'The Apartment' (1960)

Billy Wilder's classic The Apartment centers on Jack Lemmon as an insurance clerk who allows senior members of the company to use his apartment for extramarital affairs. Things get complicated when he develops feelings for the elevator operator, played by Shirley MacLaine, who is having an affair with his boss.

"The Apartment" was critically acclaimed for its humor and romance, as well as one of the most memorable closing lines in film, and was an immediate and overwhelming success. It was nominated for ten Oscars and won five, including Best Picture and Director for Wilder. To this day, many believe McClain should have won Best Actress, but she faced stiff competition from Elizabeth Taylor, who was recovering from a dangerous surgery at the time.

5 'Annie Hall' (1977)

Neurotic, charming, and with one of the sharpest, funniest scripts in film history, Annie Hall is one of the best romances ever made. The film chronicles the rise and fall of the relationship between comedian Albisinger and nightclub singer Annie Hall.

Diane Keaton quickly became a movie icon with her quirky performance in Annie Hall. The film was nominated for Oscar's five major awards and won four awards: picture, director, actress and original screenplay. In one of the most memorable Oscar races of the 20th century, Annie Hall won the prestigious Best Picture award for Star Wars.

6 'Tootsie' (1982)

Dustin Hoffman stars as the talented but complex actor Michael Dorsey, who takes on the identity of a woman in Sydney Pollack's 1982 romantic comedy Tootsie in order to secure more work opportunities. One of the funniest comedies of the '80s, this movie co-stars Jessica Lange, Teri Garr and Bill Murray.

The idea of ​​a middle-aged actor becoming a middle-aged actress to get a job may seem ironic and inappropriate today, but in 1982 it was a stroke of genius. A spot among Oscar contenders. It received ten nominations, but only one for Jessica Lange's supporting performance.

7 'Moonstruck' (1987)

Cher and Nicolas Cage in the 1987 rom-com Moonstruck. The plot centers on Loretta Castorini, an Italian widow who is tormented by an affair with her fiancé's brother. Danny Aiello, Vincent Gardenia and Olympia Dukakis.

Moonstruck was a critical and financial success, earning six Oscar nominations. Cher impressively won best actress in one of the films The most competitive race for the Oscars, which also includes Glenn Close's Fatal Attraction, Holly Hunter's Broadcast News and Sally Kirkland's Ana. Moonstruck also won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay for Dukakis.

8 'Working Girl' (1988)

Mike Nichols directed Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith in the 1988 romantic comedy Working Girl. The film tells the story of Tess McGill, a brilliant but underrated secretary who rises through the corporate world posing as her boss, only to fall in love with the investment broker she works with.

Working Girl was a critical and commercial success. It was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and performances by Griffith, Weaver and scene-stealer Joan Cusack. Its only triumph, however, is its anthem, Carly Simon's now-iconic "Let the River Run."

9 'Shakespeare In Love' (1998)

Part historical novel and part rom-com, Shakespeare in Love starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. The film follows the romance between a young William Shakespeare and a beautiful woman, Viola de Lesseps, who dreams of acting on stage.

It's impossible to talk about Shakespeare in Love without acknowledging the ugly role that a disgraced work played in its Oscar success. Indeed, the film had an Oscar campaign to end all Oscar campaigns, and its efforts paid off. Shakespeare in Love was nominated for thirteen Oscars and won seven, including Best Picture. Its triumphs have aged like milk over the years, but the film remains a charming and vibrant feel-good movie, and an excellent introduction to the romantic comedy genre.

10 'Silver Linings Playbook' (2012)

Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence became true A-listers with their 2012 romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook. The movie follows a man with bipolar disorder and a young widow who develop an unlikely relationship while rehearsing for a dance competition.

The critically acclaimed and commercially successful Silver Linings Playbook was a major player throughout the 2013 awards season. It was nominated for eight Oscars, including all major acting categories and the Big Five. While it only took home Best Actress, making Lawrence the second-youngest winner in the category, its legacy as a beloved and revered romantic comedy is all but certain.