I was discussing with friends recently about the impact that Nora Ephron had on film. I was dismissed by several people who do not see her contributions as significant. However, I would disagree. She gave us the defining Rom-Com of her time in When Harry Met Sally. That means something. In addition, she followed it up with the hit Sleepless in Seattle. Sure that was a little too sugary sweet for me but it was immensely popular and was key in continuing the launching pad of success coming Tom Hanks' way. So, all this begs me to ask: Each generation has that one defining romantic comedy. Before When Harry Met Sally came Annie Hall, before that, one could find many solid examples(see Hepburn, Audrey). Since When Harry Met Sally came along, so many rom-coms have copied its concepts and ideas(mind you, I'm not saying it was wholly original itself, it just pulled its concepts together well). What have we seen that a generation or two from now that people like us on a forum will look back on as being original or influential since then?

I would like to contribue the "Before" movies and Lost in Translation : our generation perfected the ephemeral romantic comedy. However, if you wanted to call those romances and not romantic comedies, I would be hard-pressed to disagree with you.

Original Rom-Com..? There've been SO many recycled pieces out there that 'original' loses a bit of meaning.

I'd be happy if the current era could be remembered for works like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

500 Days of Summer.

I fail to how this film is any better then all the other middling rom-coms, I didn't see anything special about it at all, for me it was just incredibly mediocre and forgettable.

Well for one it tells a story about a man who loves a girl and they have a relationship and it ends because she doesn't love him. How often does that ever happen in a movie?

Well that alone dosen't automatically make it a good film, I just found the characters to be thinly written and they had no chemistry whatsoever, so the more "realistic" ending was a moot point since I didn't really care whether they broke up or not, normally I love Zooey(New Girl is one of my favorite shows) but even she wasn't enough to make this film watchable.

What generation are we talking about? If its 20 something, I'd say "(500) Days of Summer" or "Stranger than Fiction." Since it's romance, I'd pick the latter.

If the generation is teenagers, it's Twilight.

Good questions. I'm thinking post teen here. I'm looking for those touchtone films that will stand the test of time, not just a current fad.

Good choices in Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine and the Before films. All great films. I really enjoyed 500 Days of Summer though I don't quite think it reaches great heights.

Any others out there?

Movies made by or in association with Judd Apatow are going to be this generation's cultural touchstone. They're just the right balance of quality and accessibility. He may be this generation's John Hughes.

There are surely better movies, but quality is not the sole determining factor.

I think 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are definitely candidates for defining. As far as best-remembered I'd say 40 Year Old Virgin and Forgetting Sarah Marshall have the best shot. Knocked Up I think will probably age a little oddly (all those Spiderman 3 references, for example). But those early R-rated rom-coms (and Wedding Crashers) are probably defining for this generation.

Lost in Translation is a good call for looking at people's apathy and disconnection with the frantic modern world.

The best RomCom (if you could call it that) for me is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A straight 10/10. I'm not sure if it defines this generation specifically. But a truly great film.

Can it be? Ken and I actually and completely agree on something? My vote would definitely go to a rom-com that Apatow was heavily involved with (writing, directing, or producing). He is my generation's John Hughe, no question.

If this generation has a defining rom-com, i'd say it's Friends With Benefits

For the smart: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
For the not so smart: Juno
For the hordes: Sex in the city
For the blokes: Scott Pilgrim vs the World
For the men: The Truman Show
For the Teens: Twilight (although it's not intenionally funny)

Fucking Ken, Bones, and roastbeef nailed it.

Something with the Apatow stamp on it will be this generation's stand out rom-com...although I hate putting that label on them. They don't be to seem that stereotypical romantic comedy we've come to see in theatres. They're explicit, raw, and honest...

I think that rom-com label has become pretty generic lately, but movies like 40 Year, Knocked Up, Marshall and the like...I don't know, give it the twist it needs in this age.

If Friends with Benefits is our generation's defining anything, then we're all better off planning some kind of huge mass-suicide right now.

In a few centuries film students will look back and wonder what the hell we were doing with that one.

Ahahahaha.

I've only just realised that Will Gluck directed both Easy A and Friends with Benefits......2 aggressively tastless pieces of cinema that seem to celebrate both a crass decline in cinematic standards and the souless exploits of thoroughly unlikable people.

I'll make a note to avoid him like the plague in future.

Exactly how are they tasteless? Please explain.