Two-time Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger is one of Hollywood’s most famous and popular actresses. Zellweger, a leading woman and supporting actress, has starred in numerous movies throughout her decades-long career. The actress made her debut in 1992 and became a household name less than a decade later.
Renée Zellweger’s talents and versatility have seen her star in comedies, biographical dramas, and horror genres. However, she’s famous for her work in comedy and its subgenres. After a six-year hiatus from film, Zellweger will return to the big screen in 2025, reprising her role in the fourth installment of the Bridget Jones film series, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. With anticipation for her comeback, here are Renée Zellweger’s top 5 romantic comedy roles of her career.
5. New in Town
The 2009 romantic comedy New in Town may have been cheesy and clichéd for critics, but it was a commercial success. With Box Office earnings of $30 million, it is one of Renée Zellweger’s successful films. Zellweger, cast as Lucy Hill, co-starred alongside Harry Connick Jr. Zellweger’s character is a high-powered and ambitious corporate executive from Miami.
Her company sends Lucy to a small, snowy Minnesota town to oversee the restructuring of a food manufacturing plant. On arrival, she initially struggles to adapt to the local culture and harsh weather. However, as she warms up to and gets to know the residents, she starts to change her perspective on life, love, and community. Despite a not-too-kind first impression, Lucy Hill begins a relationship with Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick Jr.), the charming union leader.
4. Down with Love
In Peyton Reed’s 2003 romantic comedy Down with Love, Renée Zellweger was paired up with Ewan McGregor. Interestingly, it is Zellweger and McGregor’s first collaboration on the big screen. In Down with Love, Renée Zellweger played Barbara Novak, a confident, ambitious feminist author. The movie’s plot, set in the early 1960s, revolves around Barbara Novak’s clash with Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor).
As an author, Barbara published a bestselling book advocating for women to embrace independence and reject traditional romantic relationships. While seeking to have it published, she encounters Catcher Block, a charming, womanizing journalist who initially avoids meeting her. After her book is successful, Catcher plans to expose Barbara’s personal life as contrary to the ideals she promotes. Down with Love is created as a stylish homage to the romantic comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, particularly those of Doris Day and Rock Hudson.
3. Me, Myself & Irene
Jim Carrey led the cast of the Farrelly brothers’ 2000 slapstick comedy Me, Myself & Irene. Renée Zellweger was cast in a supporting role as Irene P. Waters, a love interest of Jim Carrey’s Charlie Baileygates character. Charlie is a mild-mannered Rhode Island state trooper with a split personality disorder, which leads to the creation of his aggressive alter ego, Hank Evans.
After Irene is framed by her ex-boyfriend Dickie Thurman (Daniel Greene) for a hit-and-run, Charlie is assigned to escort her from Rhode Island to Massena, New York. Along the way, they become the target of hitmen and corrupt officers. In the chaos, Irene and Charlie develop a romantic connection while navigating Charlie’s dual personalities. Me, Myself & Irene was a commercial success, grossing $149.3 million at the Box Office against its $51 million budget.
2. Jerry Maguire
Although not largely a romantic comedy, the romance between Renée Zellweger and Tom Cruise’s characters makes it a worthy addition. The 1996 Jerry Maguire sports comedy-drama is one of the top films from the 1990s. Besides its critical and commercial success, it developed a cult following after its release. In Jerry Maguire, Renée Zellweger played Dorothy Boyd, a single mother and accountant who works with the titular character (Tom Cruise).
After he’s fired from Sports Management International (SMI), Dorothy Boyd is the only SMI who chooses to follow him. As Jerry Maguire struggles to run his own sports agency, he begins a romantic relationship with Dorothy. Their relationship is central to the film’s emotional arc. Zellweger’s character delivers one of Jerry Maguire’s most memorable lines, “You had me at hello.”
1. Bridget Jones Film Series
Renée Zellweger’s most famous romantic comedy is the Bridget Jones film series. With films based on Helen Fielding’s novels, Zellweger portrays the title character Bridget Jones. Zellweger’s Bridget Jones is a relatable, single, and slightly clumsy woman. The films revolves around her navigating her personal and professional life while dealing with love, societal pressures, and self-doubt.
Over the years, the character has been known for Zellweger’s British accent, humor, wit, and vulnerability. She first played the character in 2001 in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Zellweger reprised her role in the 2004 and 2016 sequels, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason and Bridget Jones’s Baby, respectively. Renée Zellweger’s performance in the first installment earned the actress her first Oscar nomination. If you are a fan of Renée Zellweger’s romantic comedies, check out Jennifer Lopez’s top romantic comedies.
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