The Best '70s Romantic Comedies Ranked

Ranker Film
March 23, 2016 1.0K votes 269 voters
Over 200 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best '70s Romantic Comedies Ranked

What are the best ‘70s romantic comedies? Fans have ranked their favorites below from best to worst. Some prove the old adage that opposites attract while others feature complicated love triangles. If many of the movies below sound recent, it could be because some of the greatest '70s romantic comedies have led to sequels and remakes.

Which of the '70s romantic comedies on the list below do you think is best? Does the musical Grease top your list? Comedy, drama, romance, and songs come together to make that 1978 film starring Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta a romantic comedy favorite of the 1970s and beyond. Or do you prefer how Woody Allen revolutionized the romantic comedy with his intellectual, introspective 1977 movie Annie Hall, as well as his other '70s romantic comedies – Manhattan and Play It Again, Sam?

Quirky and full of fun, Harold and Maude became a cult classic with film buffs after it was released in 1971. Other good movies featured on this top '70s romantic comedies list include Heaven Can Wait, The Goodbye Girl, and 10.

Which classic romcom deserves the top spot on this list? Chime in and vote up the best ‘70s romantic comedies.
Photo: Adam Bielawski / Via Wikimedia Commons
Ranked by
  • Grease
    1

    Grease

    John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing
    85 votes
    • Released: 1978
    • Directed by: Randal Kleiser
    Experience the friendships, romances and adventures of a group of high school kids in the 1950s. Welcome to the singing and dancing world of "Grease," the most successful movie musical of all time. A ...more

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  • The Goodbye Girl
    2

    The Goodbye Girl

    Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings
    62 votes
    • Released: 1977
    • Directed by: Herbert Ross
    Former Broadway hoofer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and her young daughter, Lucy (Quinn Cummings), are outraged to find that Paula's former lover has fled to Europe and subleased their apartment to ...more

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  • What's Up, Doc?
    3

    What's Up, Doc?

    Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Madeline Kahn
    58 votes
    • Released: 1972
    • Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich
    Two researchers have come to San Francisco to compete for a research grant in music. The man seems a bit distracted, and that was before he met a strange woman who has devoted her life to confusing ...more

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  • Butterflies Are Free
    4

    Butterflies Are Free

    Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart
    40 votes
    • Released: 1972
    • Directed by: Milton Katselas
    In early 1970s San Francisco, blind aspiring singer-songwriter Don Baker (Edward Albert) is living away from his overprotective mother (Eileen Heckart) for the first time. Free-spirited actress Jill ...more

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  • Harold and Maude
    5

    Harold and Maude

    Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Cyril Cusack
    58 votes
    • Released: 1971
    • Directed by: Hal Ashby
    Cult classic pairs Cort as a dead-pan disillusioned 20-year-old obsessed with suicide and a loveable Gordon as a fun-loving 80-year-old eccentric. They meet at a funeral, and develop a taboo romantic ...more

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  • A Little Romance
    6

    A Little Romance

    Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Thelonious Bernard
    31 votes
    • Released: 1979
    • Directed by: George Roy Hill
    Intellectually precocious teenager Lauren King (Diane Lane) lives in Paris with her somewhat ditzy mother (Sally Kellerman). On a movie set, she strikes up a friendship with teenage film buff Daniel ...more