The best action rom-coms balance the different genres to deliver something for everyone, but some of these movies go overlooked by the public. Mixing action and rom-com is not a new idea, as there have been some great examples over the years. Romancing the Stone made way to more modern hits like The Lost City, while movies like The Fall Guy served as love stories to action movies, while also including a genuine love story amid the stunts and explosions. However, while these movies reached a wider crowd, fans of action rom-coms should explore some underrated options.

In terms of box office, critical reception, or simply staying in the public consciousness, these movies were left wanting. Despite being underappreciated, they deliver the big things fans of this genre are looking for, namely thrilling action, a charming love story, and some big laughs. From blockbuster flops with A-list stars to smaller gems that never found their audience, these movies are perfect for anyone looking for that mix of action, comedy, and romance.

10

Excess Baggage (1997)

Directed By Marco Brambilla

Excess Baggage is a 1990s crime comedy that falls short of its attempts to be a Tarantino-esque romp, but is still great fun with a fantastic cast. Alicia Silverstone plays a self-centered and spoiled daughter to a crooked millionaire who seeks to get her father’s attention by faking her own kidnapping. However, following a poorly-timed case of grand theft auto, small-time crook Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) accidentally kidnaps her for real and becomes the target of some dangerous people.

With Silverstone coming off the success of the classic teen movie Clueless, the role is a fun, edgier one for her, while it is also nice to see Del Toro taking on a more comedic project than usual. The combative nature of the relationship between the two characters allows a more interesting relationship to evolve, while the mob storyline makes for a nice threatening element.

9

The Lovebirds (2020)

Directed By Michael Showalter

While The Lovebirds is a rom-com, it does find a lot of its humor from the premise of a relationship that is coming to an end. After years of being together, Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) find themselves mutually agreeing to call it quits. However, just as they make this significant decision, they find themselves thrown into a murder mystery in which they are the prime suspects, being hunted by police and the real killers.

It is a fun twist on the typical rom-com story to start with a relationship at its end, only for the chaotic events they find themselves in to bring them closer together. Nanjiani and Rae are terrific comedic actors, and it is a lot of fun seeing them react to the escalating mayhem. They also bring out the nuances in struggling relationships and finding the flaws in each partner, but also showing how they make each other happy.

8

The Great Race (1965)

Directed By Blake Edwards

While audiences might not expect to find some great action rom-coms in earlier eras of movies, the screwball comedy The Great Race has big laughs, charming romance, and some truly ambitious action set pieces. The Great Race is an adventure that finds heroic racer The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis) facing off with his villainous rival Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon) in a car race from New York City to Paris, with Maggie DuBois (Natalie Wood) reporting on their exploits along the way.

Wood and Curtis make for a fun Old Hollywood couple with their star power shining even among the mayhem of this movie. With the wild sequences, including the largest pie fight in movie history, The Great Race was the most expensive comedy ever made at the time of its release. It also features one of Lemmon’s funniest performances as he embraces his over-the-top villain.

7

This Means War (2012)

Directed By McG

Seeing Chris Pine and Tom Hardy team up for an action movie is a lot of fun, though fans might not have expected it would come attached to a rom-com premise. In This Means War, Pine and Hardy play fellow spies and best friends at a covert agency who discover that they are both interested in the same girl, played by Reese Witherspoon. As she is trying to decide between the two new men in her life, the two former friends go to war, using their spy skills to sabotage each other’s romance.

It is a silly premise, but it is helped along by the charming cast and some funny moments. Pine and Hardy make for great warring buddies, with one of the funniest sequences coming from Hardy taking Witherspoon on a paintball date and going way too hard on his young compeтιтors. It also comes to a conclusion that most love triangle movies try to avoid.

6

Fool’s Gold (2008)

Directed By Andy Tennant

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson already proved themselves to be a perfect rom-com couple in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. While Fool’s Gold is not on par with that classic, seeing the two stars reunite with a little adventure element thrown into the mix made for an underrated fun time. Fool’s Gold stars the duo as a pair of adventurers whose marriage has fallen apart, only for a newly discovered clue to reignite their sense of adventure and send them in search of a legendary treasure.

The chemistry between McConaughey and Hudson goes a long way to elevate the movie, as they are funny and charming whether they are fighting with each other or in love with each other. Seeing the rocky relationship heal as they go on the run from other greedy treasure hunters adds a sweetness to this adventure, with it never taking itself too seriously.

5

Mr. Right (2016)

Directed By Paco Cabezas

This smaller action rom-com flew under the radar despite the fact that it stars two incredibly likable actors. Anna Kendrick plays a young woman who has been unlucky with love until she meets a seemingly perfect new man (Sam Rockwell). However, as their romance gets going, she discovers that he is actually an ex-hitman who is being hunted by his former criminal ᴀssociates, putting her in the crosshairs.

Rockwell and Kendrick have a great, humorous rapport as they switch between charming early dating vibes to the more chaotic and ᴅᴇᴀᴅly reality of what their relationship becomes. Rockwell also makes for a very funny, laid-back action hero with some impressive fighting skills. While not on the production level of some of these other action rom-coms, it manages to be a blast on its smaller scale.

4

American Ultra (2015)

Directed By Nima Nourizadeh

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart’s second movie together, American Ultra not only blends rom-com and action, but is also a stoner comedy. Eisenberg plays an unambitious stoner who spends his days hanging out with his girlfriend (Stewart). However, when it is revealed he is actually a sleeper government agent who is being targeted for extermination, he must flee his former colleagues and save his girlfriend, all while high.

While not on the same level of stoner-action-comedy fun as Pineapple Express, American Ultra is still filled with laughs, thanks mostly to Eisenberg’s distinct comedic timing. It is also a lot of fun seeing him in action hero mode in the stylized sequences. However, the charm of the romance is the high point of the movie, as Eisenberg and Stewart make for a relatable couple amid the wild story.

3

Date Night (2010)

Directed By Shawn Levy

Tina Fey and Steve Carell are currently teamed up in the cast of Netflix’s The Four Seasons, but the comedic actors worked together before on a fun rom-com. Date Night finds Fey and Carell playing a married couple who are worried that their marriage is losing some of its spark. While on their scheduled date night, they decide to spice things up by taking someone else’s reservation at a fancy restaurant, leading to a case of mistaken idenтιтy that forces them on the run from gangsters and corrupt cops.

The movie presents the setup of a typical on-the-run thriller but adds in some hilarious relationship comedy as this frantic couple revert to their domestic squabbles and personas. Fey and Carell make for a great team, going from one dangerous situation to another over the course of a wild night. They are also joined by a hilarious supporting cast that includes James Franco, Mark Wahlberg, Kristen Wiig, Mark Ruffalo, and more.

2

Knight And Day (2010)

Directed By James Mangold

The combined star power of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz paired with the action filmmaking of James Mangold should have made Knight and Day an easy success. While the movie failed at the box office and received mixed reviews, its reputation has improved over time, with more people discovering its fun. Cruise plays a disgraced spy who is looking to clear his name, inadvertently getting a mild-mannered woman (Diaz) wrapped up in his mission.

The movie is a great display of Cruise’s comedic skills as he plays an impressive action hero who is far more scatterbrained than the actor’s typical protagonists. Diaz is wonderful as his flustered fish-out-of-water love interest, with her annoyance at his eventually leading to a charming romance. Mangold also shows off his skills, delivering some fun action sequences that fit into the comedic tone while still being thrilling.

1

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)

Directed By George Armitage

Grosse Pointe Black is one of the best forgotten movies of the 1990s. John Cusack stars as Martin, a man lost in his career who decides to return to his hometown for his high school reunion, where he rekindles his romance with Debi (Minni Driver), the girl he left behind. While that might seem like a lot of rom-coms about 30-something characters, the catch is that Martin’s career, in which he is having an existential crisis, is as a professional hitman.

Cusack and Driver have wonderful chemistry together as people trying to recapture the romance of their teen years and there’s a lot of fun with Martin reconnecting with his old friends and community. However, the movie also delivers some surprisingly fun action when Martin’s job catches up with him, including a slick high school fight scene and a great shootout featuring Dan Aykroyd as an eccentric rival hitman.