Stale romantic comedies could use blast from past

These 11 movies maximized the genre's potential in the modern era, making a guy's worst nightmare actually bearable. And maybe even enjoyable.

11. "Return to Me," 2000: The hook: As rom-com serendipity would have it, David Duchovny loses his wife in a car accident, only to fall in love with the woman (Minnie Driver) who received his dead wife's donor heart.

A guy's take: Did I mention she has his dead wife's heart beating inside her? The setup is almost sci-fi in its silliness, but the movie balances a bizarre romantic situation with humor and poignancy.

10. "Notting Hill," 1999 — The hook: The best of Julia Roberts' late-'90s rom-coms finds her playing an American actress — what a stretch! — who falls for Hugh Grant's charming bookshop owner. But dating a superstar actress isn't as easy as you'd think.

A guy's take: Grant's mumbling, ordinary Brit — who's prone to blurting out “Whoopsidaisies!” — gives all hetero men hope that they, too, could land Hollywood royalty.

9. "Maid in Manhattan," 2002 — The hook: In this Bronx Cinderella tale, a New York hotel maid (Jennifer Lopez) is pursued by a rich politician (Ralph Fiennes) who has mistaken her for an upper-crust socialite.

A guy's take: Why is Lord Voldemort slipping one-liners in a J. Lo rom-com? Because this one is better than you think. (This is my bold pick.)

8. "Shakespeare in Love," 1998 — The hook: A young William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) finds inspiration for Romeo and Juliet in his own star-crossed love affair with Gwyneth Paltrow.

A guy's take: Beating out Saving Private Ryan for best picture has got to mean something. It does: The comedy is fast and funny and the romance has very little cheese.

7. "Brown Sugar," 2002 — The hook: A hip-hop record exec (Taye Diggs) and a magazine editor (Sanaa Lathan) are childhood friends who discover they're in love with each other — even though they're both off the market.

A guy's take: The rap industry provides a fun backdrop to this love story, while supporting roles by Mos Def and Queen Latifah steal the show.

6. "Chasing Amy," 1997 — The hook: Kevin Smith's oddball rom-com finds a comic book artist falling in love with a woman who doesn't like men. Psst ... because she's a lesbian.

A guy's take: This indie favorite is filled with geeky insider jokes and raunchy sex puns, plus a young Ben Affleck (in the lead) before the Gigli fiasco.

5. "Shall We Dance," 1996 — The hook: The rom-com goes international with this Japanese film about a studious accountant who lives a secret life away from his wife — as a ballroom dancer. (Oh, my!)

A guy's take: Hollywood gobbled up the idea for a Richard Gere remake in 2004. But the Japanese version is funnier and truer to its universal message of self-discovery.

4. "High Fidelity," 2000 — The hook: As a vinyl-loving record shop owner who spends all his time fawning over dusty grooves, John Cusack can't figure out why he keeps losing girlfriends.

A guy's take: Classic soundtrack. Plus, few actors are better than Cusack at playing the acerbic aging hipster. His backup, Jack Black, is just as funny.

3. "The American President," 1995 — The hook: The U.S. president, played by Michael Douglas, is a single dad looking for a date with brash lobbyist Annette Bening. His political opponents cry foul.

A guy's take: Douglas is great as the ultimate bachelor. Also: the minutiae of the film's political story lines (Can the prez pass a crime bill? Should he bomb Libya?) is interesting stuff. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin went on to write The West Wing.

2. "When Harry Met Sally," 1989 — The hook: Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan reconnect through the years as they struggle with the question: Can two people sleep together and remain friends?

A guy's take: Doesn't really matter what I think. This is the blueprint.

1. "Knocked Up," 2007 — The hook: A one-night stand between Katherine Heigl's career-minded Alison and Seth Rogen's stoner doofus Ben results in an unexpected pregnancy — and the birth of a new breed of romantic comedy.

A guy's take: Knocked Up is the pinnacle of Judd Apatow's bromantic comedies, where men are forced to grow up or be cast out as useless nincompoops by the women in their lives. The movie felt like a game-changer at the time, but we're still waiting for the rest of the rom-com universe to catch up.