Credit: Paramount Pictures

Between the early 2000s and the 2010s, Hollywood rom-coms had some personal vendetta against anyone who they thought had life figured out, because every time a character came remotely close to sorting their issues or they saw a sensible plan in sight, these rom-coms made it worse.

The genre wasn’t at all in for giving the characters a fairy-tale romance on a silver platter; it preferred people with careers on the line and a deep suspicion of commitment, which made falling in love feel like a terrible decision waiting to happen.

But the fun didn’t end with young lovers, because these films gave older characters the chance to discover that experience too. Don’t worry, none of these has sad endings that’ll leave you with your hearts sinking… They are called ‘feel-good’ for a reason.

So, for your weekend watchlist, forget romances where everything falls into place without a fight. These four chaotic romances will give you both tickles and butterflies.

Four feel-good romances to watch on Netflix this weekend

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Donald Petrie, 2003)

Kate Hudson in that yellow satin dress has probably done more for rom-com history than half the love declarations Hollywood has thrown at us, but people, the real fun in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days begins long before that gorgeous entrance, when two people decide to use each other for their careers and end up making absolute fools of themselves.

Andie Anderson, a magazine columnist, is tasked with driving a man away in ten days for an article, while advertising executive Ben Barry bets he can make a woman fall for him within the same deadline. Neither knows about the other’s little scheme, so you are watching Andie sabotage the relationship while Ben puts up with her outrageous behaviour, convinced he’s winning.

And once genuine feelings creep into this ridiculous arrangement, the whole thing becomes a glorious mess, because you know their secrets are bound to blow up in their faces, and goodness, that’s what makes it such a cracking watch.

Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck, 2011)

You’ve got to admire the sheer audacity of Friends with Benefits, because Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake spend half the film poking fun at cheesy rom-coms while getting themselves caught up in the most ridiculous romantic arrangement. Oh, the irony! And everyone can see where this is going except these two sad souls… they really think they’ve got it all figured out!

Jamie (Kunis), a New York headhunter, convinces Dylan (Timberlake) to move from Los Angeles for a job at GQ. They soon become mates and decide that sleeping together without getting emotionally involved is a rather brilliant idea. Sounds foolproof… until those pesky feelings come along and ruin everything!

And honestly, watching these two act like they’re far too clever to fall in love while making a complete mess of their emotions is an absolute treat. Oh, give it a rest, you two… you’re fooling absolutely no one!

Something’s Gotta Give (Nancy Meyers, 2003)

Just know that you’ve struck rom-com gold with Jack Nicholson dating women young enough to be his daughters while Diane Keaton rolls her eyes at his nonsense. Something’s Gotta Give gives us Harry Sanborn (Nicholson), an ageing bachelor who thinks commitment is a disease and women his own age might as well be invisible.

After a while, Harry suffers a heart attack while staying at his much younger girlfriend’s family beach house, leaving him stuck recovering under the roof of her mother, Erica Barry (Keaton), a divorced playwright who has absolutely no patience for his womanising rubbish. But as the two spend time together, their mutual irritation gives way to an attraction, while Erica finds herself being pursued by a handsome young doctor (Keanu Reeves). Something to keep in mind here is that the film gets even better than how the plot sounds.

Life as We Know It (Greg Berlanti, 2010)

Ahh, Katherine Heigl, the ultimate queen of early noughties rom-coms, and this time she’s paired with Josh Duhamel, who are being forced to raise a baby together after one disastrous blind date. This movie also makes you wonder a rather important question: what on earth were their friends thinking, because these two can hardly stand being in the same room, let alone sharing a house?

Holly (Heigl), a bakery owner, and Messer (Duhamel), a sports television director, find their lives turned upside down when their mutual friends die in a car accident, leaving them as guardians of their baby daughter, Sophie. And the poor pair haven’t the foggiest idea how to manage parenthood, especially when they disagree on just about everything.

But you’ve got to give them credit, because watching two people who couldn’t survive a single date learn to become a family is what makes this film worth your weekend.