Okay, before we start: yes, there’s only one movie with trans rep and it’s a short feature at that. I know. (I made the list 11 titles long instead of the usual 10 to counterbalance that.) I was going to include Boy Meets Girl (which features a trans actress in the main role, in case you didn’t know), but frankly I have very mixed feelings about that movie. It feels a lot like a film for cis audience and not at all for trans people, and I really, really don’t understand why they didn’t go the sapphic route all the way.
I will tell you about an upcoming romcom with a trans main character played by a trans actress, though! Right now it’s called Re-Live: A Tale of an American Island Cheerleader and it stars Rain Valdez in the main role. Look out for that in 2021!
Imagine Me & You (2005)
dir. Ol Parker
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, sapphic mc
Why Should I Watch It?
You didn’t think I could possibly make this list without the absolute sapphic classic, did you? It’s a classic for a reason, okay! It’s got it all: the wild chemistry between the leads, ridiculous dates, gay pining, a scene at the end where someone yells their feelings… We could literally not ask for more.
Just Friends (2018)
dir. Annemarie van de Mond
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, Syrian gay li
Why Should I Watch It?
This is like a perfect gay romcom. I’m not kidding. They even dress up for their first date! One guy makes a romantic montage for the other one! There’s punching of homophobes! It’s like the crew asked gays what it is we want from a movie and they gave us all of it. I don’t get how this movie isn’t more popular…
The Thing About Harry (2020)
dir. Shelly Chopra Dhar
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, poc bi li, gay side characters
Why Should I Watch It?
Gay enemies to lovers? Forced to share a hotel room? (Sadly, there are two beds) Second chances? Emotional speeches? Overwhelming cuteness all around? Truly, this romcom has so much to offer, and then the song by morgxn written for it (I’m Just Wild About Harry) is just a cherry on top (I’ve had it randomly stuck in my head for months since I’ve watched it).
Breaking Fast (2020)
dir. Mike Mosallam
Letterboxd
Rep: Muslim gay mc, gay li, gay characters
Why Should I Watch It?
This is a little bit of a cheat, because I haven’t been able to watch this one myself yet. But from everything that I managed to learn about and the clips that I have seen, it looks absolutely delightful. Basically this is a movie about a gay Muslim guy during Ramadan and a gay christian guy who likes him and breaks fast with him every day.
The 10 Year Plan (2014)
dir. J.C. Calciano
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mcs
Why Should I Watch It?
This definitely has that Hallmark Movie kind of vibe (you know what I mean), but personally I think that makes it all the more adorable. And like what trope could be better than two gay friends deciding they will marry each other if they’re still single in ten years, and then being absolutely useless about it when the time comes. It’s basically a fanfic in movie form!
Saving Face (2004)
dir. Alice Wu
Letterboxd
Rep: Chinese-American lesbian mc & li
Why Should I Watch It?
So this is another lesbian classic and we all know about it already, but let’s be honest. No gay romcoms list would be complete without Saving Face. And if you somehow still haven’t watched it, please, save your face and do it right away! You can definitely tell this is an ownvoices movie, too, so really, it’s a blessing whenever you watch it.
Ideal Home (2018)
dir. Andrew Fleming
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mcs
Why Should I Watch It?
Paul Rudd plays a gay married cowboy. Do I really have to keep talking to sell this movie on you? If I do then listen, he and his husband go through some marital problems, their relationship isn’t ideal (which actually is so cool to see in a gay movie!) but then a child shows up whom they have to raise and everything changes. It’s so wholesome, I wanna puke.
The Feels (2017)
dir. Jenée LaMarque
Letterboxd
Rep: lesbian mc, Taiwanese lesbian mc, sapphic characters
Why Should I Watch It?
The main obstacle the lesbian couple here faces is that one of them have never had an orgasm. And they’ve been dating for ages, they’re about to get married. So that’s awkward. Truly, you won’t believe what a sweet conclusion a problem like that will serve you! My other favourite part is that the movie is super gay and super casual about it.
Dashing in December (2020)
dir. Jake Helgren
Letterboxd
Rep: gay mc, Colombian-American gay mc
Why Should I Watch It?
Possibly my favourite gay Christmas movie? Or at least in the top three. It’s a romcom in the purest form, and it also gives us cowboys riding horses in starlight and dancing to country music, and the cutest dates in barns. It’s one of those movies where the problem isn’t that a gay person isn’t out, but rather what they want from life.
I Hate New Year’s (2020)
dir. Christin Baker
Letterboxd
Rep: half-Korean American lesbian mc, Filipino-American lesbian mc, gay character
Why Should I Watch It?
Second Christmas movie in a row? Maybe. But I can do what I want. And if you wanna fight, technically it’s not one because it takes place during New Year’s Eve. It’s also a best friends to lovers situation, and there’s a super hot ex girlfriend who imparts some very needed knowledge on our main character. A very sweet story, for any time of year.
Ryans (2017)
dir. Rain Valdez & Natalie Heltzel
Letterboxd
Rep: trans Filipino mc, trans side character
Why Should I Watch It?
It may be 15 minutes long but it actually packs all that a romcom needs. A ridiculous problem to overcome (here doubled with a stereotype that trans women don’t date guys with names of their ex’s), some pining, and a Big Gesture to make things work again. I would of course rather see it as 90 minutes long, but it’s already so good to our souls as it is!
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