Princess Diaries To Bride Wars: Tracing Anne Hathaway's Best Rom-Com Films

Have you ever watched an Anne Hathaway film you didn’t like? The actor who started her acting career with romantic-comedy films now has a list of impressive credentials in her mix of relationship dramas, action adventures, adult dramas, and a slew of awards—not to mention, she’s the undisputed queen of the onscreen glow-up.

Hathaway's latest screen appearance was the Apple TV+ series WeCrashed, which focuses on the love story at the centre of the rise and fall of the WeWork empire.

As the actor turns 40 today, 12 November, we reflect on some of Hathaway’s best early rom-com films that left us with sweet mushy longing.

Anne Hathaway Rom-Com Films

Princess Diaries

Hathaway’s debut film as a shy teenager who comes to know that she is the heir to the throne of a European kingdom was a runaway success and established her as a bankable actor.

Based on a YA novel by author Meg Cabot, the film also stars actor Julie Andrews. Hathaway played awkward 15-year-old teenager Mia Thermopolis who must contend with the realities of being actual royalty, including a barrage of paparazzi snooping in her private life and a handful of fake friends looking for their own slice of fame.

Bride Wars

Best friends turned foe has always been one of the popular narrative tools in pop culture. In the comedy Bride Wars, Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway) find their friendship tested when they book their respective weddings for the same day.

Soon the wedding prep turns into a sabotage-fest for the besties who try to best each other, from Emma (Hathaway) tampering with Liv’s (Hudson's) hair dye to Liv making Emma’s tan turn bright orange, the pranks are mostly juvenile and funny. ">Watch it if you’re in the mood for a flick that’s endearing and enjoyable in equal measure.

Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway in a still from the film

Love & Other Drugs

I wish I had curls like Hathaway, said every straight-haired girl (or maybe just me) after watching Love And Other Drugs.

Hathaway plays the role of Maggie Murdock, a free-spirited artist who suffers from Parkinson’s disease. While the adult romance is a satire on the healthcare industry, watch it for the sarcastic and playful chemistry between Maggie and Jamie, Jake Gyllenhaal's character.

The lighthearted romantic comedy shifts gear when Maggie’s medical diagnosis is revealed, and put their relationship to a test. The film has this appealing quality to break your heart and patch it back again to see the characters grow into mature adults.

The Devil Wears Prada

It isn’t possible to compile a list of Anne Hathaway rom-com films without including this movie based on a book of the same name. Aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Hathaway) takes a job as an editorial assistant at a high-fashion magazine under the icy leadership of Editor-in-Chief Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep).

Despite landing a job that “a million girls would kill for,” Andy isn’t one of them and rather sees the role as a mere stepping-stone to better things. After blistering lectures from Miranda, Andy literally pulls herself up and gets to work, testing her personal relationships in the process. Romantic interests aside, the film was a treat to see Andy falling in with herself and her job.

One Day

Based on a novel by David Nicholls, the romantic drama One Day saw Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) come together and fall apart over the course of two decades, always reconnecting on July 15, the anniversary of when they first connected.

They never become a couple, but the story follows their twin lives: sometimes together, sometimes poignantly apart. While the film received polarising reviews upon its release, it was upheld by the terrific and charming performances of its lead actors.

Suggested Reading: A Look At Anne Hathaway’s Big Movie Milestones On Her 38th Birthday!