Blind dates are inherently awkward, but they don't need to go as poorly as the one's seen in some of Hollywood's funniest (and not-so-funny) films. But, there's just something so relatable about the sweaty anxiety that comes with meeting someone new, while simultaneously putting this unnatural amount of pressure on oneself to make a good impression.
It's both true to life and incredibly worthy of a scene. The blind date, whether it's in reality or on the silver screen, is riddled with tension. To have a rom-com without a blind date is almost a cardinal sin in the cinema landscape. They don't always have to go like garbage, but in these films, that's exactly what these meet-ups do.
10 When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally is as poignant a romantic comedy-drama now as it was in the late '80s. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan's chemistry is outstanding, arguably even better than the chemistry Ryan shared with Tom Hanks in Joe Versus the Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail.
However, the blind date isn't for Harry or Sally, it's inadvertently for their two friends. The titular couple initially set one another up with their best friends, but it soon becomes apparent that it's not Harry and Carrie Fisher's Marie that is the match, nor Sally and Bruno Kirby's Jess, but rather Marie and Jess. It's an awkward turn of events, but not as awkward as the subsequent years between the blind date and Harry and Sally finally realizing they are just as compatible as their besties.
9 Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino's magnum opus, Pulp Fiction can basically be solely credited for the boom in independent cinema throughout the 1990s. It also has one heck of an intense blind date scene.
Pulp Fiction is essentially a watchable screenwriting course, with Tarantino's impressive ability to build tension consistently on display. This is ever present in Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace's shared evening, which starts with awkward silences before moving onto a retro diner for a dance-off. Unfortunately, the "date" (Vega's really just keeping the married Wallace company) ends with a near-fatal overdose. Both parties exit the situation relatively unscathed, but had Mia Wallace died, Vega would have a lot more than a guilty conscience and bad memories to worry about.
8 Bringing Down the House (2003)
Precious little of Bringing Down the House has aged well, but at least it brought Queen Latifah further into public consciousness and gave Steve Martin an excuse to shoot for the moon. Released in the early aughts, it's essentially a "cautionary tale" about the intricacies of (early) online dating.
Fortunately for Martin's Peter Sanderson, his blind date may not be precisely what he was hoping for, but she's sweet, hilarious, and an absolute blast to be around. Essentially, he's an older white tax attorney, and she's a felon. Of course, she doesn't deserve her felonious status. Naturally, the former helps the latter clear her name.
7 Little Children (2006)
The most uncomfortable blind date on this list bar none, Little Children features Jackie Earle Haley in a performance so brilliant it's absolutely unwatchable. He plays a child molester recently released from prison, and it's readily apparent he should have stayed locked up.
This becomes obvious when his mother sets him up on a date with a sweet, soft-spoken woman named Sheila. After all goes well enough, Haley's Ronnie takes Sheila to a local playground, parks in front of it, and masturbates. It's awful in every conceivable fashion, and the worst date ever committed to celluloid outside The Town that Dreaded Sundown.
6 Baby Mama (2008)
Baby Mama was the first of thus far two cinematic collaborations between Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. And it's undoubtedly a thousand times more pleasant and memorable than 2015's Sisters.
Sure, it's not the most memorable comedy of the aughts, but that lends it this compulsively rewatchable nature. The flawed blind date in question involves Fey's Kate Holbrook, a woman who has discovered she has a T-shaped uterus. Prior to this discovery, Holbrook meets a man at a restaurant and almost immediately discloses the fact she's desperate to procreate. He gets a cab.
5 All About Steve (2009)
Make no mistake, the negative reputation that precedes All About Steve is entirely warranted. It's an example of a film where the studio hinged everything on a reliable star (Sandra Bullock) but saddled her with what is a remarkably unworkable script. The entire point of the film is that the true central character (Mary Horowitz, not the titular Steve, with whom she's obsessed) is unlikable. The core concept of a film absolutely cannot be a likable performer in an unlikable role, unless there's anything remotely of substance surrounding it.
This is not the case in the stone-cold unfunny All About Steve, which can't even make good use of the requisite blind date scene (somewhat of a major catalyst for this type of narrative). Naturally, the date includes Mary and Steve, Mary an awkward crossword puzzle writer and Steve a fairly standard-dude cameraman. He tries to slide out of the single date peacefully by telling her he's leaving town, saying he "wishes she could be there." But, of course, he doesn't mean it sincerely. Not that that's how Mary takes it.
4 Movie 43 (2013)
Movie 43's only claim to fame was as a Razzie "winner." Its lack of sincere accolades is well deserved, as it's a broken and often repulsive film that generates infinitely more groans than laughs. That said, the segment titled "The Catch" is comparatively solid.
The plot follows Hugh Jackman's testicle-necked David as he goes on a blind date with a naturally aghast woman named Beth (Kate Winslet). The testicles are basically the entire joke of the sketch, which should go to show how effective the lesser remainder of the film is. But, the prosthetics are actually pretty good, so it's a visual gag worth a chuckle.
3 Blended (2014)
Adam Sandler's entire filmography has been one entire notoriously mixed bag, with more bad than good. Early movies like Little Nicky were weak at best, later theatrical films like Jack and Jill were atrocious, and the downward trajectory only found itself expedited once Sandler took Netflix's call. But there are bright spots. Whether it's Paul Thomas Anderson or Drew Barrymore, a Sandler film can work remarkably well when he's paired with the right talent. Unfortunately, while The Wedding Singer was and is phenomenal, and the somewhat poorly-aged 50 First Dates is also fun, there's just something off about Blended.
For one, its tone is more family-friendly than the actors' previous two collaborations, and this works to the film's detriment more often than its betterment. Two, Sandler and Barrymore's chemistry is softened significantly. Given the fact it practically opens on frame one with a Buffalo Wild Wings date gone sour, there should be tension between the characters. But there was also tension in 50 First Dates, and while that narrative was far less believable than the one seen in Blended, the latter ends up feeling like the less believable film as a whole. It's hard to stomach the concept of Barrymore's character sticking around Sandler's (even with the internationally-based forced proximity) after she's seen him lick wing sauce off his own chin.
2 They Came Together (2014)
David Wain, the utter genius behind the cult film Wet Hot American Summer, gave comedy fans another winner with the razor-sharp They Came Together. The film is anchored by a dinner scene between Joel and Molly (Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler) and Kyle and Karen (Bill Hader and Ellie Kemper), in which the former couple tells the cliché-ridden story of how they met.
The film tackles every trope seen in romantic comedies, including the disastrous blind date. In They Came Together, this takes the form of two Ben Franklin costumes at the same Halloween party. Both look ridiculous. That said, there's an even more awkward party scene later on in the film when Law & Order: SVU's Christopher Meloni (who was also in Wet Hot American Summer as well as its incredible Netflix prequel First Day at Camp and the sequel Ten Years Later) gets in a bodysuit only to poop it. He then tries to change out of it, fails to do so successfully (everyone asks why he's all of a sudden wearing a bath towel), then absolutely sticks to his ridiculous story all the way.
1 Scream VI (2023)
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett followed up their impressive Scream (2022) with the equally noteworthy Scream VI, one of the franchise's most surprising installments to date. And it's surprising from the outset.
Specifically, the financially successful slasher opens on modern scream queen Samara Weaving's film professor, waiting patiently on her no-show blind date. But at least she's talking to him on the phone. That said, his requests get odder and odder, and any film expert should know that a trip down a dark alley has never been a good idea.
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