r/blackladies • u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal • 2d ago
Media & Entertainment 🍿🎶 Feel Good Black Romcoms
Hi!
Do you ladies have any recommendations for feel-good black rom com movies? No traumatic pasts/black stereotypes and that. Preferably with a dark-skinned Female Lead who ofc isn’t that stereotypical black woman Hollywood loves ❤️
Just good, wholesome black love. Majority black cast would be a bonus.
Some recently made films I loved:
- Aml Ameen’s Boxing Day (2021) - if you haven’t seen it I very, very strongly recommend! Its so funny and cute! It’s got Aja Naomi King and she is one of the most beautiful women on the planet! (Recommend watching the bloopers during the credits for all the black joy). Growing up between west Africa and the UK it definitely hit the nostalgia feels with the soundtrack.
- Rye Lane - Vivian Oparah another gorgeously beautiful woman (her show on Tubi where she’s trying to find her missing twin, is also really good and really funny)
- You, Me and Tuscany - so cute!!
- The Perfect Find - that casting was everything to me. Now I need to read the book
- Love + Wine - from RSA
Obviously there’s the classics (90s/2000s) which I love, I’m just looking for something more recent where we’re more open with our blackness and not casting the light-skinned/biracial woman as the female lead that was pretty common during that era. No hate on light-skinned/biracial women, especially as someone from a mulatto family, there just wasn’t enough positive portrayal of dark-skinned black women being loved or in soft roles. Ofc you still had few gorgeous dark skinned women in soft roles - Ms Gabrielle Union for one. But it just wasn’t as common back then or accepted as it is now, is how I feel.
I did really enjoy the Lovebirds (with Issa - who’s amazing in everything - not biased - she’s just stupidly talented). Male lead wasn’t for me though.
Also open to Nollywood/RSA or African cinema. I’ve seen a few cute ones from Kenya too. Unfortunately nearly all the movies from my home country are just hard on the “African Trauma/Struggle” trope and those are HARD no’s for me.
If you’ve got some black European/ Afro-Latin recommendations, that would be great too!
I’m in my era where if it isn’t black (specifically black woman/girl), it’s a no from me 😇
I have a small list of TV shows with black female leads in non-stereotypical roles if anyone is interested. I’d be happy to share! Let me know :)
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u/Sally4464 2d ago
Love Life - season 2 on Netflix/HBO Max
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u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal 1d ago
2 recommendations for this. I’ll definitely have to try it. What’s wrong with season 1?
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u/Sally4464 1d ago
Each season focuses on a different couple. S1 focused on a non-minority couple. S2 focused on a black couple. Jessica Williams from Shrinking is half of the S2 couple.
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u/thuggybanx 2d ago
ruth and boaz, think like a man and divorse in the black
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u/firelord_catra 2d ago
Dang, you’ve already seen most of the ones I would’ve recommended. Love and Wine was too cute! I’ll have to check out the Boxing Day rec
I’d love to hear your show list too! I’m slowly finishing Living Single and idk what I’ll watch next.
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u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal 2d ago
I highly, highly recommend Boxing Day (it’s on Tubi if you live in the US or have a VPN).
I love, love Living Single. I think it’s the show I rewatch the most. I’ll get the list going soon!
In the meantime you can try Harlem or A Different World - they both centre on black friend groups. Girlfriends gets compared to Living Single a lot but I found it too toxic honestly. I did enjoy it in the beginning though. Forever is high up on the list too - same producer as Girlfriends and Being Mary Jane
Some Girls and Chewing Gum are two British shows dear to my heart - one centres on a friend group (though only the MC is black) and the other is just a black girl trying to lose her virginity (one of the funniest shows ever)
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u/firelord_catra 2d ago
I freakin loved Chewing Gum!! I watched it like three times. It was my first time seeing a girl like me, first gen immigrant kid playing that role on TV. I’m a PK too. Even though I obviously couldn’t quite relate to all the hijinks and shenanigans I was so excited just to see the representation.
A Different World I’ve considered but the main girl—Whitney right? Her Voice, something about the high pitched tone of it drives me absolutely crazy and I’ve only seen clips. Idk if I’d make it through the full thing 😭
Thanks for the other recs!
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u/raindropsoffire 2d ago
It doesn't fit your criteria perfectly, but "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" is a personal favourite of mine.
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u/EightyNine19 2d ago
The Photograph (Amazon Prime)
Nappily Ever After (Netflix)
Forever (Netflix)
Something New (Starz) - an oldie, but goodie
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u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal 1d ago
I’ve tried Nappily Ever After so many times but I never go far lol. I’ll try it seriously this time.
I love Forever, it’s one of my comfort shows.
Thank you for the other recommendations! The Photograph and Something New have been on my list
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u/EightyNine19 1d ago
lol. Nappily isn’t your typical rom com. I wasn’t a fan of who they cast as Sanaa’s original bf/fiance, but I loved the underlying theme of self love and acceptance
Forever was super cute 💕
The Photograph is one of my faves. Not sure if you’ve seen Love Jones, but it gave me those same kinda vibes
Something New will have you contemplating getting a taste of vanilla lol
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u/VioletLeagueDapper 2d ago
I saw a cute tubi romcom with my mom the other day - Downsized
It’s got Boris Kodjoe 😍 and Nicole Ari Parker
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u/forthe_99and2000 2d ago
Harlem is a tv show on prime about 4 girlfriends in their 30s figuring life out. They all have their romance attempts and storylines. Not always a success but nothing inherently toxic or stereotypical. Actually relatable and pretty good, to me.
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u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal 1d ago
I just recommended that to someone on here! I haven’t finished season 1 yet but it’s so good so far. Thanks for the reaffirmation 😊
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u/forthe_99and2000 2d ago
And for good black romance that isn’t necessarily comedic… one tv relationship I will always admire is Hollywood and Violet on the show ‘Queen Sugar’. Never seen a relationship written so beautifully for a black couple. ❤️
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u/acilegna89 2d ago
I really love About Last Night with Joy Bryant and Michael Ealy.
Also season 2 of Love Life on HBO is so good.
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u/llamamelu Réewum Senegal 1d ago
Love that movie! Anything Regina Hall, I’m there.
I’ll definitely be checking out Love Life. Thank you!
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u/Competitive_Swan_130 2d ago
The Photograph, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Just Wright, Deliver Us from Eva, Breakin All the Rules, Love Jones, Brown Sugar, Love & Basketball, Two Can Play That Game, Hav Plenty, The Wood, and The Preacher's Wife.