The Romantic Comedy Heroines That Came Before Our New Favorite Crazy Rich Asians Icon

Once upon a time, romantic comedies were movie theater staples. While not every rom-com earned the accolades of When Harry Met Sally, Hollywood always had some love story to tell. Then, one day, it didn't. As the years went by, the best way to find a quality rom-com was by scrolling through your Netflix library for a tried-but-true favorite.

It wasn't all bad, of course. While Hollywood preferred big-budget superhero flicks to smaller boy-meets-girl tales, many of us got reacquainted with the heroines of iconic rom-coms. For those of us once too young to identify with, say, Meg Ryan in everything, the lack of new love stories gave us the opportunity to view the classics. At least, that's what it did for my romantic comedy-obsessed heart.

Today, the tide is changing. We are officially in a romantic comedy renaissance. Our rom-coms, and its heroines, better reflect the world we actually live in.

Constance Wu's soon-to-be iconic character in Crazy Rich Asians will surely soon be up there with the classic characters portrayed by stars like Reese Witherspoon, Meg Ryan, and Sandra Bullock. Before Wu's character joins the ranks of other beloved rom-com queens, here's a look back on all the women whom we rooted for to find love.

(One quick note: In an effort to make sure this list does not feature a rundown of Julia Roberts characters, we've picked the best romantic comedy part each actress has played.)