29 of the quirkiest rom-com careers (that aren't architect)

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Trailer editor (The Holiday)

Simon Mein/Columbia Pictures

There’s plenty to envy in rom-coms: Everyone is good looking, everyone has great clothes, and almost everyone has a cool job. Here are some of our favorites. How did Cameron Diaz’s character pay for that swanky L.A. pad? Cutting together movie trailers, and making them all look like hits.

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Bakery owner (It's Complicated)

Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal

Nancy Meyers movies always feature iconic kitchens, but Meryl Streep’s is a standout (not to mention the kitchen in her gorgeous bakery, where she and Steve Martin make those chocolate croissants…)

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**Bookshop owner (You've Got Mail)**

Everett Collection

Sure, Kathleen Kelly’s business is struggling, but who hasn’t fantasized about owning a cozy neighborhood bookstore?

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Vows columnist (27 Dresses)

Barry Wetcher/Twentieth Century Fox

James Marsden plays a cynic who writes newspaper romance—classic rom-com set-up.

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**"Coffee Collar" inventor (Made of Honor)**

Peter Iovino/Columbia Pictures

In case you forgot, Patrick Dempsey’s wealthy playboy gets to be a wealthy playboy because he invented the little cardboard that goes around a hot cup of to-go coffee.

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**Art restorer (Made of Honor)**

Peter Iovino/Columbia Pictures

Michelle Monaghan’s character has a cool gig restoring old paintings.

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Apartment dresser (Leap Year)

Jonathan Hession/Universal Studios

Amy Adams’s rom-com job in the Ireland-set guilty pleasure is setting up houses for real estate agents before their showings to help the properties sell.

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Boat salesman (Failure to Launch)

Paramount Pictures

Selling boats to rich people? Alright, alright, alright.

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Greeting card writer (500 Days of Summer)

Chuck Zlotnick/Fox Searchlight

Sure, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is also an architect, but before that, he meets Summer while working at his certifiably quirky greeting card job.

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**Sports doctor (Trainwreck)**

Mary Cybulski/Universal Studios

Both professional and also memorable, Bill Hader’s character hits the rom-com sweetspot.

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**Playwright (Something's Gotta Give)**

Bob Marshak/Columbia Pictures

Diane Keaton’s job is basically wearing summer linens, but it’s also playwright.

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Fashion designer (Sweet Home Alabama)

Everett Collection

Reese Witherspoon is an-up-and-coming fashion designer, who also gets to be engaged to McDreamy.

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Wedding dress designer (The Parent Trap)

Everett Collection

Slightly more specific than just being any tpe of fashion designer, Natasha Richardson played a famous wedding dress designer.

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**Vineyard owner (The Parent Trap)**

Everett Collection

Seems pretty nice to get to ride horses around a giant vineyard estate all day.

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Aquarium veternarian (50 First Dates)

Darren Michaels/Columbia Pictures

Adam Sandler got to hang with seals and penguins acting as a character who worked at Sea Life Park in Hawaii.

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Television composer (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Everett Collection

Jason Segel’s character worked composing the “ominous tones” for his girlfriend’s crime television show, but his real passion was vampire puppets.

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Voiceover artist (In A World...)

Roadside Attractions

Lake Bell portrayed a character trying to break the glass ceiling in voiceover work.

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**Web fashion retailer (The Intern)**

Francois Duhamel/Warner Bros.

Jules (Anne Hathaway) founded an online startup for selling clothes.

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**Author (The Decoy Bride)**

Everett Collection

David Tennant plays a literary author who wrote a bestselling book about a tiny Scottish island.

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eBay store owner (40 Year Old Virgin)

Suzanne Hanover/Universal Studios

Catherine Keener ran a store to help people sell things on eBay. No, you couldn’t just buy the things in the store.

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Gossip columnist (Hitch)

Barry Wetcher/Columbia Pictures

Most rom-com heroines have vague jobs in media, but at least Eva Mendes’s job has a bit of specificity.

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**Personalized letter writer (Her)**

Warner Bros. Pictures

Joaquin Pheonix plays a man who works at a company that uses AI to construct faux-personal notes.

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**Brewery employees (Drinking Buddies)**

Everett Collection

Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson play coworkers who are allowed to drink on the job together.

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**Screenwriter (Playing It Cool)**

Daniel McFadden

In this meta rom-com, Chris Evans plays a screenwriter who dreams of writing action movies.

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**Theater director (The Incredible Jessica James)**

Everett Collection

When she’s not a waitress, Jessica (Jessica Williams) works at a children’s theater workshop.

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YouTube comedian (Mr. Roosevelt)

Beachside Films

In her indie comedy, Noel Wells plays a character who’s trying to make it as a comedian, one YouTube subscriber at a time.

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Political staffer (Definitely, Maybe)

Andrew Schwartz/Universal Studios

Ryan Reynolds’s character worked on the Bill Clinton presidential campagn before having a daughter with a mystery mother.

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**Landscape architect (Just Like Heaven)**

Peter Iovino/DreamWorks

Sure, it’s ALMOST architect, but if you recall, Mark Ruffalo’s character actually designed gorgeous outdoor garden spaces.

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28 of the quirkiest rom-com careers (that aren't architect)

1 of 29

Trailer editor (The Holiday)

2 of 29

Bakery owner (It's Complicated)

3 of 29

Bookshop owner (You've Got Mail)

4 of 29

Vows columnist (27 Dresses)

5 of 29

"Coffee Collar" inventor (Made of Honor)

6 of 29

Art restorer (Made of Honor)

7 of 29

Apartment dresser (Leap Year)

8 of 29

Boat salesman (Failure to Launch)

9 of 29

Greeting card writer (500 Days of Summer)

10 of 29

Sports doctor (Trainwreck)

11 of 29

Playwright (Something's Gotta Give)

12 of 29

Fashion designer (Sweet Home Alabama)

13 of 29

Wedding dress designer (The Parent Trap)

14 of 29

Vineyard owner (The Parent Trap)

15 of 29

Aquarium veternarian (50 First Dates)

16 of 29

Television composer (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

17 of 29

Voiceover artist (In A World...)

18 of 29

Web fashion retailer (The Intern)

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Author (The Decoy Bride)

20 of 29

eBay store owner (40 Year Old Virgin)

21 of 29

Gossip columnist (Hitch)

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Personalized letter writer (Her)

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Brewery employees (Drinking Buddies)

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Screenwriter (Playing It Cool)

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Theater director (The Incredible Jessica James)

26 of 29

YouTube comedian (Mr. Roosevelt)

27 of 29

Political staffer (Definitely, Maybe)

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Landscape architect (Just Like Heaven)

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**Bookshop owner (You've Got Mail)**

**"Coffee Collar" inventor (Made of Honor)**

**Art restorer (Made of Honor)**

**Sports doctor (Trainwreck)**

**Playwright (Something's Gotta Give)**

**Vineyard owner (The Parent Trap)**

**Web fashion retailer (The Intern)**

**Author (The Decoy Bride)**

**Personalized letter writer (Her)**

**Brewery employees (Drinking Buddies)**

**Screenwriter (Playing It Cool)**

**Theater director (The Incredible Jessica James)**

**Landscape architect (Just Like Heaven)**