Romantic Comedies

[aradia22]

@Scarlett45

RE: The psychologist

Spoiler

That made curious about the ideal "type" in Israel, or at least among the Orthodox community. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but you can see that there's a more Gentile-passing look that seems to be coded as more attractive in the movie. I think Ziva (her roommate who ends up with her ex-fiance Gidi), Yoss the pop star, and the sign language interpreter are good examples. Even Michal's mother and sister to some extent. But the three I mentioned are closer to having lighter, straight hair and blue eyes. They have a slimmer build and more delicate European features, particularly Ziva. It's also notable that in spite of her religious beliefs, the more attractive men/viable love interests in the movie did not wear payot (Yoss, Shimi, the interpreter). 

Anyway, I wonder how everyone else read that scene. I don't think Michal was ever rude to her date but she seemed a little distracted by the interpreter and the camera was definitely more interested in the interpreter than her date. Even putting aside the practicalities of an indie movie (they use a lot of natural lighting, etc.) the framing and lighting emphasized Michal and the interpreter over her date. I don't think we were supposed to think they were flirting with each other but that the psychologist who was deaf was supposed to look particularly bad next to his handsome interpreter.

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

@Scarlett45

RE: The psychologist

  Hide contents

That made curious about the ideal "type" in Israel, or at least among the Orthodox community. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but you can see that there's a more Gentile-passing look that seems to be coded as more attractive in the movie. I think Ziva (her roommate who ends up with her ex-fiance Gidi), Yoss the pop star, and the sign language interpreter are good examples. Even Michal's mother and sister to some extent. But the three I mentioned are closer to having lighter, straight hair and blue eyes. They have a slimmer build and more delicate European features, particularly Ziva. It's also notable that in spite of her religious beliefs, the more attractive men/viable love interests in the movie did not wear payot (Yoss, Shimi, the interpreter). 

Anyway, I wonder how everyone else read that scene. I don't think Michal was ever rude to her date but she seemed a little distracted by the interpreter and the camera was definitely more interested in the interpreter than her date. Even putting aside the practicalities of an indie movie (they use a lot of natural lighting, etc.) the framing and lighting emphasized Michal and the interpreter over her date. I don't think we were supposed to think they were flirting with each other but that the psychologist who was deaf was supposed to look particularly bad next to his handsome interpreter.

I was wondering about this but I didn’t want to assume.

 I thought Shimi was very handsome, and the most “ethnic” (as in non WASPY) looking for her suitors. I thought Michal was gorgeous but looked more middle eastern than Caucasian to me. The sign language interpreter was a handsome man with stricking blue eyes. I know many cultures having blue eyes is a “thing” like how black Americans deal with colorism.

[aradia22]

If we're just ranking attractiveness of the guys in The Wedding Plan, I'd say 

Spoiler

#1 The guy who wouldn't look her in the face. I now realize who he reminds me of... young Joaquin Phoenix.

#2 Shimi. He's very attractive, he just looks older than I'm personally attracted to right now.

#3 The interpreter. Blandly cute but very charming.

#4 Assaf (last guy). I think my opinion was very affected by things we knew about him. Like that she called him "salt of the earth" and he had a nice voice. Though he was kind of a dick.

#5 Yoss. Super duper not my type. I find blondes a little creepy and he had the bad kind of hipster vibe for me though he did have a nice smile and the actor was charming.

#6 Gidi, the psychologist, and anyone else I'm forgetting. Nerds

[Irlandesa]

15 hours ago, Luckylyn said:

I will say the chemistry between the lead and her brother in law is amazing.  I was really torn about what she should do because her mother was pressuring her so much on the one hand and on the other there really did seem to be a genuine spark between her and the brother in law.

I need to see The Wedding Plan so I can join your conversation.  I've been meaning to watch because I did see Fill The Void in a movie theater and really enjoyed it.  Yes, the lead and her brother-in-law had great chemistry, I thought.  So chaste and yet so hot. It was a somewhat ambiguous ending but I think it's because I sometimes have a hard time reading the devotion (to family, to religion) on display.  I liked how they did seem good for one another and yet her objections made sense--if a bit idealistic.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I may have brought this up previously, but I recently revisited an old favourite - Head over Heels from 2001, starring Monica Potter and Freddie Prinze Jr.  IT HELD UP!  I was so happy.  I remember really liking this one in my college years but it was still really cute and funny.  There was some dumb potty humour, but the model roommates and China Chow are amazing.  So much fun.

[aradia22]

@Ms Blue Jay That's one of those movies where if I describe the plot to someone... Rear Window, model roommates, she's an art restorer, there's a makeover sequence, also there are mobsters, etc. it sounds dumb. And I realize that I can never really be friends with those people. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I wish it was more popular.  I was so happy I still liked it just as much @aradia22

[PepSinger]

I LOVE Head Over Heels. Is it on Hulu or Netflix???

"Can you do that thing with your back again?" 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I wouldn't know @PepSinger because... I ... own... the DVD..... (TWICE).  hahahahahaha

This was like 5 bucks at Walmart.ca.

https://www.amazon.com/Movie-Marathon-Romantic-Collection-Wimbledon/dp/B004GSVXCG

Edited October 11, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[VCRTracking]

Okay I'm digging the premise of this one. Like a Last Action Hero for romantic comedies. Being stuck in a romcom is much more interesting than being in a 90s action movie!

[Irlandesa]

I want that now.

[methodwriter85]

I can't stand Rebel Wilson but I will make an exception for a romantic comedy parody. Liam Hemsworth is perfect casting for the type of guy that would have been the "perfect" one for the lead heroine, until she realizes what she wants all along is the imperfect dude that's been under her nose all along.

I'm guessing in this case, it's going to be Adam Devine. People really aren't kidding about how the guy who looks like he should play the high school/college asshole gets to play so many protagonist good guy parts.

[dusang]

18 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I can't stand Rebel Wilson but I will make an exception for a romantic comedy parody. Liam Hemsworth is perfect casting for the type of guy that would have been the "perfect" one for the lead heroine, until she realizes what she wants all along is the imperfect dude that's been under her nose all along.

The Hemsworths really don't mind poking fun at themselves, do they? I like it! 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Rebel Wilson is totally tanking the promotion for this movie, because she's blocking a whooooooooooole bunch of black women on Twitter for pointing out to her that she's NOT "the first plus sized woman to star in a romantic comedy", like she's claimed.  She's claimed it while promoting the movie, you can Google this to see if you don't believe it!  You can also Google this issue for some great articles that list all the women who have done it before her - most namely, Queen Latifah (several times over), Ricki Lake, Mo'Nique, arguably Toni Collette in Muriel's Wedding, Nikki Blonsky, and some others.  People keep mentioning Amy Schumer, but she looks like a size 4 or 6 to me, so I don't really accept her as an example.

I was interested in the movie at first, but seeing Rebel's behaviour these past few weeks, it's just atrocious, and there's no way I'm paying even 1 cent to see it now.

I hope the movie is a bomb!

Edited November 4, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[dusang]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Rebel Wilson is totally tanking the promotion for this movie, because she's blocking a whooooooooooole bunch of black women on Twitter for pointing out to her that she's NOT "the first plus sized woman to star in a romantic comedy", like she's claimed.  She's claimed it while promoting the movie, you can Google this to see if you don't believe it!  You can also Google this issue for some great articles that list all the women who have done it before her - most namely, Queen Latifah (several times over), Ricki Lake, Mo'Nique, arguably Toni Collette in Muriel's Wedding, Nikki Blonsky, and some others.  People keep mentioning Amy Schumer, but she looks like a size 4 or 6 to me, so I don't really accept her as an example.

I was interested in the movie at first, but seeing Rebel's behaviour these past few weeks, it's just atrocious, and there's no way I'm paying even 1 cent to see it now.

I hope the movie is a bomb!

Goddamn it! Can we not have one simple, non-problematic thing?! I just want to see Liam Hemsworth shirtless -- is that too much to ask?

[Ms Blue Jay]

I can't really blame you for that.

[HunterHunted]

On 11/4/2018 at 2:28 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Rebel Wilson is totally tanking the promotion for this movie, because she's blocking a whooooooooooole bunch of black women on Twitter for pointing out to her that she's NOT "the first plus sized woman to star in a romantic comedy", like she's claimed. 

I don't know why this is a hill she's willing to die on. She could have simply replied "oops," "didn't realize that," or "you're right." And knowing how few romcoms star plus size actresses, she could have easily had the studio PR try to figure out some other notable statistics, like: how few films (romantic or otherwise) star plus size actresses, how few star characters of color and when they do, they're rarely as well promoted, how many romantic comedies are very male focused by featuring an obnoxious male character who achieves redemption by winning the girl (Groundhog Day), or how few feature older or queer romances. By emphasizing all of these facts, she could still make a very strong case for why, even if her film isn't the first, it's still noteworthy and important.

Though this has brought up other interesting thoughts. Vanity Fair has a list of the 25 greatest Rom Coms. There are quite a few that I simply object to their inclusion. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is legitimately terrible. My Best Friend's Wedding isn't a rom com; it's a subversion of a rom com. I don't know if I'd call Broadcast News a rom com; it's a dramedy that includes a romantic subplot.  I can remember watching this with my family when I was 11 or 12. My younger siblings were probably 6 and 10 at the time; we agreed that Holly Hunter didn't need either of those guys. Groundhog Day isn't really a romantic comedy. Andie McDowell is barely a character; she's an object, a prize that proves that Bill Murray's character has finally become a decent person. 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/best-romantic-comedies-list

Vulture has its own list from a couple of years ago.

http://www.vulture.com/2014/02/25-best-romantic-comedies-since-1989-when-harry-met-sally/slideshow/1/

[tennisgurl]

I really loved How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when I was a kid, but looking back on it...what the crap was that?!?! The only good thing is that these two sociopaths will just be with each other now, not spreading their mind games to the rest of the population. 

[andromeda331]

4 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

I don't know why this is a hill she's willing to die on. She could have simply replied "oops," "didn't realize that," or "you're right." And knowing how few romcoms star plus size actresses, she could have easily had the studio PR try to figure out some other notable statistics, like: how few films (romantic or otherwise) star plus size actresses, how few star characters of color and when they do, they're rarely as well promoted, how many romantic comedies are very male focused by featuring an obnoxious male character who achieves redemption by winning the girl (Groundhog Day), or how few feature older or queer romances. By emphasizing all of these facts, she could still make a very strong case for why, even if her film isn't the first, it's still noteworthy and important.

Though this has brought up other interesting thoughts. Vanity Fair has a list of the 25 greatest Rom Coms. There are quite a few that I simply object to their inclusion. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is legitimately terrible. My Best Friend's Wedding isn't a rom com; it's a subversion of a rom com. I don't know if I'd call Broadcast News a rom com; it's a dramedy that includes a romantic subplot.  I can remember watching this with my family when I was 11 or 12. My younger siblings were probably 6 and 10 at the time; we agreed that Holly Hunter didn't need either of those guys. Groundhog Day isn't really a romantic comedy. Andie McDowell is barely a character; she's an object, a prize that proves that Bill Murray's character has finally become a decent person. 

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/08/best-romantic-comedies-list

Vulture has its own list from a couple of years ago.

http://www.vulture.com/2014/02/25-best-romantic-comedies-since-1989-when-harry-met-sally/slideshow/1/

I agree although I'd throw Sleepless in Seattle too not when I was a teen but as an adult its weird when you realize at the end they don't know each other at all. He only seen her once and kind of creepy, she can't stop thinking about a guy after hearing his voice. She hired a private investigator and then followed them around Seattle. I didn't really like it that Pullman's character just accepts her calling off their wedding. It didn't have to be a big scene but its hard to imagine anyone could sit their calmly after their fiancé or fiancée tells them she's being thinking about another guy going far as to hire PI and follow him around Seattle all while still engaged to you. Or Jonah deciding she was the one from her letter. Yes Victoria had an annoy laugh but she was a nice woman and Tom Hanks character was interested enough to ask her out.

I hated How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days they both were horrible for getting into a relationship only to purposely screw it up for a job. Also are we suppose to think Andi is smart? If so why is she so surprised she can't write about important issues? Its a fashion magazine. Don't get me started on the frosting. 

Yes My Best Friend's Wedding was a subversion and a very good one. Its starts out like the typical rom com and goes until you realize Jules is the terrible person and not the fiancée. She is horrible but it was fun to realize it was going in that direction.  It was really nice. How many rom coms are out there where the girlfriend/fiancée/fiancé is the bad person and so its totally okay to break up the couple to steal the guy or girl. It was awesome that Jules was the bad person for trying to break up the couple. I still have a few issues with it but I still love that they did that.  

[scarynikki12]

I'm just commenting on the list at random, so here we go.

My Best Friend's Wedding is a great movie but I agree that it's a subversive take on the genre.  It's also why it was such a smart play for Julia and her team when they were looking for roles to get her out of that slump. 

Much Ado About Nothing, while a comedy with romance, isn't one I'd put on this list.  I can't really explain it but I think it might be that I see Rom Coms as a modern construct and Shakespeare, while still excellent, is not.  If it had been an interpretation of the play, then sure, but not a straight adaptation.

Sleepless In Seattle is sooooo close to being a great Rom Com but it suffers due to Annie stalking Sam.  Just change it to her actually doing a story on him and then falling for him in the process and it's perfect.

I can only watch the first half of You've Got Mail because I HATE that Joe puts Kathleen out of business and then they end up together.  She's right when she said it was personal to her and I wish there had been a way for her to keep the store or for them not to end up together.  When she reveals to him that closing the store made her feel like her mother had died all over again that was it.  NO WAY should she have given Joe the time of day.  I know they have a line about Kathleen writing children's books to let us know that she'll be ok but I don't care.  Even the charm of Tom Hanks (who I adore and if the movie had just been him playing with his brother and aunt I'd have been happy) wasn't enough to save Joe.

I have a lot of affection for Notting Hill but I don't consider it a Rom Com.  Rom Dram, maybe, as it's far more dramatic than comedic.

10 Things and Clueless are hallmarks of my teenage years.  When I was a kid my mother wouldn't let me go see movies by myself (and it drives her nuts that I go solo almost exclusively now that I'm and adult) so I had to convince my then 8 year old brother to see Clueless with me.  He liked it and my mom rolled her eyes but I got to see it.  10 Things came out after I had my license so I just told her I was meeting friends and drove alone. 

When Harry Met Sally deserves that top spot.  It still holds up after thirty years and outshines all the other ones.  Meg and Billy were pitch perfect together and the rest of the cast was too. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

How to Lose a Guy - I always thought this was one of my favourites, but the last time I watched it, I was very ??????.  I'm still willing to give it some more chances though. It's been in my favourites list for so long I'm scared to let it go.

I agree that Annie's a MAJOR stalker, yet Sleepless in Seattle still has to be in my top ten, that's just the way life is!  Tom Hanks is so perfect and funny in it.  That movie is like the coziest blanket.  It's like how in The Devil Wears Prada, Anne Hathaway's friends and family are all awful towards her yet I still love it.

Notting Hill is too depressing for me (same with Sliding Doors), and When Harry Met Sally was never in my top ten.  Neither was You've Got Mail.  (Neither was While You were Sleeping.  Or Love Actually.)

I still think My Best Friend's Wedding is like, a perfect movie.  Insanely watchable.  Julia is kind of an asshole, but I think that's ok.  

Clueless is perfect and my number 1.  I think Groundhog Day is incredibly romantic at the end.  I don't mind that it gets included, but it's also kind of sci-fi-y.  

Those are two of the whitest lists I've ever seen.  Is any movie in the Vanity Fair non-white whatsoever?  Dave Chappelle in You've Got Mail..... LOL!

That Vulture list is just as bad.  There's one non-white movie included, yet some white movies I really don't like  (Silver Linings Playbook, Her, About a Boy) are included. In what world are Punch Drunk Love and Eternal Sunshine romantic comedies?  What a nightmare list.  These lists always get me so riled up.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[aradia22]

Quote

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is legitimately terrible. 

Quote

I really loved How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days when I was a kid, but looking back on it...what the crap was that?!?! The only good thing is that these two sociopaths will just be with each other now, not spreading their mind games to the rest of the population. 

 

This is why I love it though? I'm not going to say I'm so urbane and sophisticated that I enjoy it as an absurdist metacommentary. But for some reason, this is the one of the few comedies with sociopaths (and there are many) that works for me. Even at the time the movie came out, I knew they were horrible. It didn't bother me. That said, I haven't watched it in years so it might not hold up.

Quote

I can only watch the first half of You've Got Mail because I HATE that Joe puts Kathleen out of business and then they end up together.

Just watch The Shop Around the Corner. 

Quote

Those are two of the whitest lists I've ever seen.  Is any movie in the Vanity Fair non-white whatsoever?  Dave Chappelle in You've Got Mail..... LOL!

That Vulture list is just as bad.  There's one non-white movie included, yet some white movies I really don't like  (Silver Linings Playbook, Her, About a Boy) are included. In what world are Punch Drunk Love and Eternal Sunshine romantic comedies?  What a nightmare list.  These lists always get me so riled up.

Seriously. I'm not chiming in with my own list as I'm not sure how much COMEDY I need in my rom-com. When I think of my favorite romantic movies in general, they usually have some quips or banter but aren't necessary LOL funny. Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Ever After, etc. Those are really my jams. I like some pathos with my romance. I feel like the movies I like with more comedy tend to be the old school black and white movies. I do love 10 Things I Hate About You but I don't remember finding it hilarious. 

I appreciate the shoutouts for Some Kind of Wonderful and Down with Love which I haven't seen in years so they might actually be terrible. I don't remember. I should revisit Amelie too. No love for She's All That?

Also, I'm now curious about Much Ado About Nothing. I also still need to see Moonstruck and Four Weddings and Notting Hill.

I thought Vulture had good taste but that list is weird af and skews VERY modern. Like they threw on recent movies that weren't rom-coms or weren't that good just to get to 25. 

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, scarynikki12 said:

I can only watch the first half of You've Got Mail because I HATE that Joe puts Kathleen out of business and then they end up together.  She's right when she said it was personal to her and I wish there had been a way for her to keep the store or for them not to end up together.  When she reveals to him that closing the store made her feel like her mother had died all over again that was it.  NO WAY should she have given Joe the time of day.  I know they have a line about Kathleen writing children's books to let us know that she'll be ok but I don't care.  Even the charm of Tom Hanks (who I adore and if the movie had just been him playing with his brother and aunt I'd have been happy) wasn't enough to save Joe.

The movie did two things that made this work for me.  One is that it did go through the realistic scenario that a large bookstore would eventually smother a smaller bookstore next door by simply existing.  And that there was a time lapse. 

35 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

This is why I love it though? I'm not going to say I'm so urbane and sophisticated that I enjoy it as an absurdist metacommentary. But for some reason, this is the one of the few comedies with sociopaths (and there are many) that works for me. Even at the time the movie came out, I knew they were horrible. It didn't bother me. That said, I haven't watched it in years so it might not hold up.

I liked the first half of the movie when I first saw it but it lost me once they started trying to destroy their relationship but I rewatched it recently and I actually came around on it because they were both psychopaths.  It's something I can appreciate now in a way I couldn't appreciate then. 

And in a way I never could accept with The Wedding Planner.  But chemistry can make me forgive a lot of sins and I liked Kate's chem with Matthew McM more than I liked his with J Lo.

[methodwriter85]

I have probably watched this scene more times than I should have.

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

This is why I love it though? I'm not going to say I'm so urbane and sophisticated that I enjoy it as an absurdist metacommentary. But for some reason, this is the one of the few comedies with sociopaths (and there are many) that works for me. Even at the time the movie came out, I knew they were horrible. It didn't bother me. That said, I haven't watched it in years so it might not hold up.

Just watch The Shop Around the Corner. 

Seriously. I'm not chiming in with my own list as I'm not sure how much COMEDY I need in my rom-com. When I think of my favorite romantic movies in general, they usually have some quips or banter but aren't necessary LOL funny. Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Ever After, etc. Those are really my jams. I like some pathos with my romance. I feel like the movies I like with more comedy tend to be the old school black and white movies. I do love 10 Things I Hate About You but I don't remember finding it hilarious. 

I appreciate the shoutouts for Some Kind of Wonderful and Down with Love which I haven't seen in years so they might actually be terrible. I don't remember. I should revisit Amelie too. No love for She's All That?

Also, I'm now curious about Much Ado About Nothing. I also still need to see Moonstruck and Four Weddings and Notting Hill.

I thought Vulture had good taste but that list is weird af and skews VERY modern. Like they threw on recent movies that weren't rom-coms or weren't that good just to get to 25. 

Ever After is one of my favorite rom coms I love the clothes and setting. Henry and Danielle have really good chemistry together and we get to see them together watching the relationship and feelings develop. Its not instant. Danielle disagrees with him openly. Its obvious he's never met anyone like her and she helps him see things different. Henry has a few things to overcome. He's arrogant and doesn't really care about anything at first. They have hurdles to over come. Her stepfamily, she's a servant and didn't give her real name. But it works and flows really well.       

[aradia22]

Oh, I thought of a rom-com I actually find funny. Laws of Attraction https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0323033/

The rom-com is more of a side plot but I would throw in Miss Congeniality based on how random those other lists got. 

Quote

And in a way I never could accept with The Wedding Planner.  But chemistry can make me forgive a lot of sins and I liked Kate's chem with Matthew McM more than I liked his with J Lo.

Yeah, I get why the characters in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days were dicks. He was in advertising and she was working at a women's fashion magazine. With The Wedding Planner, I was never confused about why these two beautiful people would be attracted to each other. But it didn't make sense with their characters (I think he was a pediatrician and she was just generally friendly) why they were such jerks to each other. Also, oh God the Italian (?) character in that movie. What was with that period of rom-coms needing to have something offensive (ethnic stereotypes, misogyny, etc.)? 

I never watched Leap Year but lol at how that whole restaurant goes completely silent so they can have a quiet conversation. Also, that reminds me of one of my favorite "guy comes back" scenes. It still gets me.

[Trini]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Seriously. I'm not chiming in with my own list as I'm not sure how much COMEDY I need in my rom-com. When I think of my favorite romantic movies in general, they usually have some quips or banter but aren't necessary LOL funny. Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Ever After, etc. Those are really my jams. I like some pathos with my romance. I feel like the movies I like with more comedy tend to be the old school black and white movies. I do love 10 Things I Hate About You but I don't remember finding it hilarious. 

I've been thinking about starting a topic for straight Romance/Romantic Dramas -- if anyone thinks there's enough interest.

[Ms Blue Jay]

10 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I do love 10 Things I Hate About You but I don't remember finding it hilarious. 

The father is really funny.  In 2018 his attitude is pretty condescending towards teenage girls but I think he's hilarious nonetheless.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 hours ago, Trini said:

I've been thinking about starting a topic for straight Romance/Romantic Dramas -- if anyone thinks there's enough interest.

I do have a personal list of my favourite romantic dramas because I think they're different than Romantic Comedies... I'm very loose with my definitions so any kind of action or drama or thriller involving romance gets added into there  for me, like Titanic.  The first half of Titanic is like a perfect romantic comedy to me.  I guess Pride & Prejudice would fit, I also include movies like Bounce, Obsessed, Call Me By Your Name, Cruel Intentions, Vanilla Sky, Out of Sight, the 50 Shades series, (and on and on.)

Edited November 6, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[aradia22]

Quote

The father is really funny.  In 2018 his attitude is pretty condescending towards teenage girls but I think he's hilarious nonetheless.

That reminds me, does either Princess Diaries movie count as a rom-com? 

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, Trini said:

I've been thinking about starting a topic for straight Romance/Romantic Dramas -- if anyone thinks there's enough interest.

I prefer romcoms but definitely yes.  It would get interesting to categorize, though.  Is Dirty Dancing romcom or romantic drama?

[aradia22]

Quote

I prefer romcoms but definitely yes.  It would get interesting to categorize, though.  Is Dirty Dancing romcom or romantic drama?

I feel like we'll just confuse ourselves with two threads unless romantic dramas are only tearjerkers. I'd be open to a basic "romance" thread with rom-coms having their own thread here. 

Because yeah, Moulin Rouge, Dirty Dancing, Ever After, and Titanic all have mostly dramatic elements. (Prostitution, attempted rape, abortion, indentured servitude, class conflict, large scale loss of life, etc.) But they also all have humorous elements. To me that says romance more than romantic drama. I rarely watch romantic dramas... The English Patient, The Painted Veil, Atonement, etc. That's what I think of when I think romantic drama. 

[methodwriter85]

Don't forget Silver Linings Playbook, which is considered a romcom but also deals with grief and mental illness. There are a lot of movies that kind of fall in between pure comedy and a tearjerker.

[Ms Blue Jay]

It was actually mentioned on one of those articles linked upthread, and I referred to it as a movie that I personally didn't like... I don't remember laughing at it once, to be honest.... but that movie was just not meant for me.  

[raven]

19 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I also still need to see Moonstruck and Four Weddings and Notting Hill.

I LOVE Moonstruck, it is one of the few movies I own.  Cher is perfectly cast and her chemistry with Nicholas Cage is off the charts.  La Bohème! That's Amore!

It's romantic, funny and visually beautiful.   The mini plots with Cher's character's parents are both good too.

[tennisgurl]

11 hours ago, aradia22 said:

That reminds me, does either Princess Diaries movie count as a rom-com? 

I think it does, mixed with a bit of a coming of age teen movie. Generally, I would say a rom com has to be mostly comedic in tone, and have a romance the major thread of the story. So I would count stuff like Silver Linings Playbook or Dirty Dancing as more romantic dramas, or maybe dramadys, but I wouldn't consider them to be comedies. And generally I would say a rom com should have both sides of the couple getting about equal screen time, but not always. 

[aradia22]

Based on that description, I'd say Princess Diaries 1 is more coming of age and the sequel is more of a rom-com. 

[VCRTracking]

15 hours ago, raven said:

I LOVE Moonstruck, it is one of the few movies I own.  Cher is perfectly cast and her chemistry with Nicholas Cage is off the charts.  La Bohème! That's Amore!

It's romantic, funny and visually beautiful.   The mini plots with Cher's character's parents are both good too.

 

I love it too. I also like that it's one of the Hollywood movies about Italian-Americans that doesn't involve the Mafia or organized crime in any way!

[methodwriter85]

6 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I love it too. I also like that it's one of the Hollywood movies about Italian-Americans that doesn't involve the Mafia or organized crime in any way!

There's this one scene where they light Olympia Dukakis in a really beautiful, luminous way and it kind of shocked me because she was a supporting character actress over a certain age. They usually never get that kind of treatment.

In contrast, Teri Garr said that they actually refilmed scenes with her character because she apparently looked too good and that wouldn't do because the producers decided Jessica Lange had to be the most beautiful girl in the world per the viewpoint of the movie. I would say that Tootsie is a comedy with some romantic elements, although I'm really glad they end with Michael and Julie making up but not as a couple, at least for now. It would have felt really fake for them to have ended the movie with a kiss.

Anyway, My Best Friend's Wedding fans would get a kick out of this:

Aww. Kind of a shame they didn't try to do another romantic movie together. They really do have great friendship chemistry.

Edited November 7, 2018 by methodwriter85

[dusang]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:14 PM, scarynikki12 said:

I can only watch the first half of You've Got Mail because I HATE that Joe puts Kathleen out of business and then they end up together.  She's right when she said it was personal to her and I wish there had been a way for her to keep the store or for them not to end up together.  When she reveals to him that closing the store made her feel like her mother had died all over again that was it.  NO WAY should she have given Joe the time of day.  I know they have a line about Kathleen writing children's books to let us know that she'll be ok but I don't care.  Even the charm of Tom Hanks (who I adore and if the movie had just been him playing with his brother and aunt I'd have been happy) wasn't enough to save Joe.

I love how dated that movie is -- the dial-up boings, the AOL product placement. Not to mention that "Fox Books" definitely filed for bankruptcy within a decade!

[aradia22]

Shit. I finally watched the trailer for Isn't It Romantic and Rebel Wilson's behavior aside, I'm totally going to watch that movie. It's like "I Feel Pretty" crossed with "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." Does that mean I'm probably going to wait until it's on Netflix or Amazon Prime? Yes. But I'm still going to watch it. The pop music, the dance sequences, the meta-humor, the fact that they got a Hemsworth so she'd have a love interest with an Australian accent... I'm weak. 

Which reminds me that I don't think I mentioned that I watched "I Feel Pretty" on a plane. It was not good. But it had some moments. I mostly liked her relationship with her love interest. It was everything else that was a mess. 

[tribeca]

I have probably watched while you were sleeping a million times.    Sandra Bullock is so pretty and it’s sad how alone she is.   She really falls in love with the whole family.  There’s some thing charming about that. 

[QueerGirrl]

I think While You Were Sleeping is my favorite all-time romcom.   Even though the hot dog stands on Michigan Avenue annoy the hell out of me!  We don't have that here!

[tennisgurl]

Sweet Home Alabama is on, right now, and while that movie has a lot of issues, the thing that always baffles me is that Mel ditched Andrew for her ex, Jake. I get that Andrew is the classic "nice seemingly perfect guy who gets ditched for the imperfect one" trope, and the movie is called Sweet Home Alabama, not I Love New York, and I give them credit for not making him a jerk like a lot of those characters, but...it honestly seems like even the movie is rooting for them to get together a few times. They make him so likable, and give him so many sweet romantic scenes with Mel, and even some of his own scenes dealing with his overbearing mom, and Reece Witherspoon and Patrick Dempsy have really nice chemistry, that when Mel dumps him at the altar for her rather jerky ex, it makes the ending more sad than romantic. Like, yeah, she could have married this kind, funny, interesting guy, but instead she went with the guy who called her a bitch like three days ago. Yea?

Although, Mel was kinda of a jerk as well (and lied to him for most all of their relationship), so maybe he was better off without her. 

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Sweet Home Alabama is on, right now, and while that movie has a lot of issues, the thing that always baffles me is that Mel ditched Andrew for her ex, Jake.

Ugh, I hate that movie.  Well, I like some little side moments and characters, but I hate the main storyline.  She and Jake were teenagers, she got pregnant, they got married, she miscarried, they split up, the end.  She has this great life in NY (and Jake has a great life in Alabama), so why in all hell would she suddenly decide to ditch her fiancé - at the altar, no less - to get back with this jerk?  (Even if he was a great guy, he's still someone she barely knows as an adult.)  It's stupid, like all those Hallmark movies where the big city gal decides what she really wants is a quiet life with the small-town handyman or whatever.  They weren't some great love back then - it's like she said, she was just the first girl to crawl into the back of his truck - and they aren't anything now. 

Getting married (to Andrew) there in her hometown instead of NY was the nice way of coming to terms with where she came from, and blending that with who she is now.  It's a sweet scene when she introduces Andrew to her parents, saying with pride that her mom makes the best jam in the state (or something like that).  He accepts that she hasn't been honest about her life, because he understands why.  That wedding would have been the happy ending. 

[Browncoat]

And does Mel now have to give up her life and career in New York and move back to Alabama?  And do what, exactly, if she does move back?  The ending always bugs me, too.

[tennisgurl]

22 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

And does Mel now have to give up her life and career in New York and move back to Alabama?  And do what, exactly, if she does move back?  The ending always bugs me, too.

I always wondered if Mel was giving up her career to move back to Alabama, or if she was going to work from Alabama? Because that would be pretty freaking hard to do as a big wig in the fashion industry, unless she was operating out of a much larger southern city. So, Mel left not only her wonderful fiance, but her career she built from the ground up, and her whole life and friends in New York, to...be a housewife in her tiny town in Alabama? Or help Jake with his business? Thats a pretty sad ending when you actually think about it. Never try to move on with your life kids! Your never really happy unless you stay in the same freaking place your entire life!

I think it would have been a much better movie if, like @Bastet said, she married Andrew after making peace with her roots, and it ended with her deigning a line inspired by the country or something, meshing her two worlds. Not by ditching a life she seemed happy in to go back in time to when she was a kid. 

[aradia22]

Quote

 It's stupid, like all those Hallmark movies where the big city gal decides what she really wants is a quiet life with the small-town handyman or whatever. 

I HATE these movies.

[scarynikki12]

If memory serves, SHA does an ending montage showing Mel, Jake, and their (what looks like 3 or 4 years old) daughter in New York so my guess is that Jake follows her back to New York and either hires someone to run Deep South Glass for a majority of the time or he just travels back and forth a lot. 

I agree that SHA goes out of its way (unintentionally I'm sure) to demonstrate that Mel and Jake shouldn't get back together.  We saw her in New York and she was thriving.  Her career was taking off, she was in love, and she wasn't asked to choose between those two parts of her life.  Andrew had no issue with her career and was as enthusiastic with her success as she was.  Jake down in Alabama was also thriving and, while he wasn't in love, he seemed content.  The later reveal that Jake had followed Mel to New York, was blown away, and returned home determined to make himself worthy of her didn't really work with how he behaved previously.  He hadn't tried to write or call her to explain why he wouldn't sign the papers, yet he was apparently working hard for years to build up his glass company, open the restaurant/shop, to make himself worthy for Mel and then what?  Was he going to fly to New York and show her his tax returns and profit margins?  Was he going to go on a big publicity campaign for his company and hope she'd notice and come running back?  He said he knew about Andrew yet he didn't take that as a sign that the relationship was truly over or that he needed to act on whatever plan he had.  He had no way of knowing that Andrew was unaware of the marriage yet he didn't seem concerned that a fancy divorce lawyer would show up one day to strong arm him into signing on behalf of his rich client.  Jake doesn't make a lot of sense for a guy who was supposed to have been pining for the wife who'd left him. 

[festivus]

I've never seen Sweet Home Alabama and it sounds like I shouldn't bother. 

My favorite rom-com is The Wedding Singer but we already discussed that one so my second fave is Notting Hill. I know Julia Roberts is a bitca for at least a good 3/4 of that movie but I still love it. I mean we have Hugh Grant and his charming British friends and honestly they could have ended it with them not getting together and I would still love it. The real romance was between his sister and Rhys Ifans anyway. They were so cute.