Break out the mixtape and the glittery dress — we’re assembling the essential ingredients and clichés that define early-2000s romantic comedies. From independent career women and brooding rivals to city-as-character shots, makeover and "working-on-myself" montages, karaoke set‑pieces, fake-dating schemes and Cinderella reveals, plus rain-soaked kisses and crowd-pleasing declarations — expect quirky friends, mentors, a dash of magic, and a quotable line or two.
