Each State’s Favorite Romantic Comedy of the Century

The nation might be divided when it comes to choosing between three-hour superhero blockbusters and even longer (albeit slower-moving) mob epics, but there’s one thing we can all agree on: Everybody loves a good 90-minute romantic comedy.

Having said that, states do have differing opinions about which one reigns supreme. After asking 4629 Americans to choose their favorite 21st-century movie from Rotten Tomatoes’s list of 150 best romantic comedies of all time, House Method found that a staggering 19 states love 2005’s The 40-Year-Old Virgin above all others. In second place, with 11 states, was Kristen Wiig’s oft-quoted modern classic Bridesmaids from 2011. According to those stats, we simply can’t get enough of Judd Apatow—not only did he direct and co-write The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but he also produced Bridesmaids.

Apart from those two riotous romps, the votes were scattered across many other movies. 13 Going on 30 (2004) and 500 Days of Summer (2009) won four states each, and 2005’s buddy comedy Wedding Crashers came in fifth place with three states.

Amy Adams’s tour de force as a fairytale princess-to-be battling the terrors of present-day Manhattan in 2007’s Enchanted was adequately appreciated by just one state—Nebraska—and Delaware went with 2001’s Amélie, a movie almost as hard to describe as Delaware itself.

Certain quintessential flicks are surprisingly scarce on the map. Only Montana chose 2001’s Bridget Jones’s Diary, and 2003’s Love Actually is exalted by Hawaiians and evidently no one else.

Since the study just included movies released in 2000 or later, The-40-Year Old Virgin and the rest of the contenders didn’t have quite as much competition as they could’ve had. Meg Ryan-led classics When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993) came out before the turn of the century, as did other top rom-coms like My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997), Say Anything (1989), and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999).

In the mood for more talk of love and laughter? Find out 40 fun facts about your favorite romantic comedies here.