Romantic Comedies

[Athena]

Yes I remember For Love or Money; it was one of my first Michael J Fox films aside from Back to the Future. He is charming in it and it's really a romcom with a good focus on his personal journey. I also liked that MJF is not the most typical kind of romcom lead. He's the same height as his female lead and the character is less suave but still entrepreneurial and ambitious.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Athena said:

Yes I remember For Love or Money; it was one of my first Michael J Fox films aside from Back to the Future. He is charming in it and it's really a romcom with a good focus on his personal journey. I also liked that MJF is not the most typical kind of romcom lead. He's the same height as his female lead and the character is less suave but still entrepreneurial and ambitious.

And yet despite his ambition he was a good guy overall. He kept saving that elderly bellhop from being fired and he really did care enough to help that middle-aged guest show his wife a good time.

As far as I'm concerned, Michael J Fox was a great lead for a romcom. I've loved him since I was ten. 

I had no idea the girl in that movie was Princess Margaret in The Tudors!

Edited March 12, 2019 by Spartan Girl

[methodwriter85]

He probably would have done a lot more romcoms if he didn't get sick, I think.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I've seen it a bunch of times.  Michael J. Fox is adorable - obviously the BTTF movies are among my absolute top favourites, and I really like Doc Hollywood and Life with Mikey.  For Love or Money is just okay, to be honest.

That reminds me, I recently rewatched Scent of a Woman, which also co-stars Gabrielle Anwar.  It's a 3 hour movie, not sure why, but that tango scene?  Oh my god.  One of the best scenes, ever.  I rewound it like 20 times.  

That reminds me, maybe I should revisit The Secret of My Success again.  I remember liking Greedy as a child, but when I tried it again as an adult I couldn't even get through it.

But definitely, MJF is one of my favourite movie stars.  One of the cutest and most charismatic.

Edited March 17, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Mabinogia]

9 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

That reminds me, maybe I should revisit The Secret of My Success again.

Secret of My Success is my fave MJF non-BTTF movie. I love that one. 

[PepSinger]

I love The Secret of My Success. I watch it any time I happen to catch it.

[Archery]

I have a trilogy of "woman with gay best friend' rom-com movies:  in order of quality, best to least, they are: 

My Best Friend's Wedding, with Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett (I've been known to derisively spit "food critic!" in Cameron Diaz's voice when displeased over a judging result on competitive cooking shows),

Object of My Affection, with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd (there are scenes in this movie that legit break my heart), and

The Next Best Thing, with Madonna and Rupert Everett (again) -- this one is probably objectively terrible, but I love it.  

Yes, I had a crush on Rupert Everett in the late '90s (Paul Rudd being an honorary Rupert Everett for that one film).

[Ms Blue Jay]

Hey guys, debatable whether "Cruel Intentions" is a romantic comedy or drama, but there's a new issue of Entertainment Weekly coming out and there's an oral history about the movie as it's the 20th anniversary.  It's the one with "Veep" on the cover.

https://ew.com/movies/2019/03/21/cruel-intentions-oral-history/

[Trini]

That reminds me that we'd discussed a little about making another thread for romantic dramas - thread made!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Oral history of 10 Things I Hate About You - also 20 years old.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/arts/10-things-i-hate-about-you-heath-ledger.html

[ruby24]

I'll list some of my favorites in this genre (and yes, I'm going WAY back):

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Love Me Tonight (1932)

It Happened One Night (1934)

Midnight (1939)

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

His Girl Friday (1940)

The Lady Eve (1941)

Roman Holiday (1953)

Sabrina (1954)

The Apartment (1960)

The Goodbye Girl (1977)

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Look Who's Talking (1989)

Say Anything (1989)

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Clueless (1995)

While You Were Sleeping (1995)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

The Wedding Singer (1998)

Amelie (2001)

Bridget Jones's Diary (2001)

Love Actually (2003)

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

Edited March 29, 2019 by ruby24

[BooBear]

I just watched the Escort and thought it was good.  I have seen it described as a comedy though I don't think it is funny. 

Basically a guy who is struggling in his life and chosen career (writer in LA) gets the idea to write about a high class escort's life so he can get a job at a magazine. She initially says no but realizes he could be a protector against violent johns.  

The two main characters have very strong chemistry and the woman has a modern reason for choosing this job. Not a lot of sex is focused on. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/23/2019 at 12:29 PM, Archery said:

I have a trilogy of "woman with gay best friend' rom-com movies:  in order of quality, best to least, they are: 

My Best Friend's Wedding, with Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett (I've been known to derisively spit "food critic!" in Cameron Diaz's voice when displeased over a judging result on competitive cooking shows),

Object of My Affection, with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd (there are scenes in this movie that legit break my heart), and

The Next Best Thing, with Madonna and Rupert Everett (again) -- this one is probably objectively terrible, but I love it.  

Yes, I had a crush on Rupert Everett in the late '90s (Paul Rudd being an honorary Rupert Everett for that one film).

Funny coincidence!  I just saw The Object of My Affection recently too.  I got these awesome movie channel that shows movies from the 1950s to the 2000s.  I've seen it before.  I always felt like it was kind of mediocre.  I kind of enjoyed myself this time.  One thing that's cool about this movie is that I counted at least 3 interracial relationships.  Also, funnily enough the movie was in 1998 and that's when Will & Grace started too - both really remind me of each other!  It's like the movie version of Will & Grace, without all the slapstick humour.

Now you got me curious about The Next Best Thing.

[festivus]

Hmm.. I don't even remember Object of my Affection. I'll have to check it out. Love Paul Rudd. I've never seen The Next Best Thing either.

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I got these awesome movie channel that shows movies from the 1950s to the 2000s.

What channel is that?

[Ms Blue Jay]

40 minutes ago, festivus said:

Hmm.. I don't even remember Object of my Affection. I'll have to check it out. Love Paul Rudd. I've never seen The Next Best Thing either.

What channel is that?

I'm in Canada and I'm with Rogers.

It's called Hollywood Suite on Demand.  It gives me 4 channels, one per decade (it says from 70s to 2000s but I swear they throw in movies from the 50s, 60s, and 2010s as well).  It's fantastic.  

[Scarlett45]

Currently watching Ali’s Wedding on Netflix. I’m enjoying it so far. It’s the first Muslim (Australian) Rom Com of its kind. 

I finally finished the movie- I have been nursing a cold and I fell asleep last night. It was VERY CUTE! I am going to ask some of my Muslim friends what they thought, it was clearly a romantic comedy but also culturally accurate if that makes sense. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/10-things-i-hate-about-you-anniversary-1999-american-pie-teen-movie-year/?cmp=TWRT_Edit_1999_TeenMovies

[methodwriter85]

You know, when I heard about the "Boyfriend for Hire" deal where women pay men to pretend to be their date for up to 4 hours, I figured that would actually make a really good premise for a romcom.

So I'm totally in on this.

Edited April 1, 2019 by methodwriter85

[memememe76]

Ooh, Woman With Gay Best Friend movies. Love them! I would also nominate Mean Girls and Crazy Rich Asians. 

[festivus]

I have got to see Crazy Rich Asians. It's not available on any of the steaming services I have but we just got HBO for a few months for Game of Thrones so I'll have to check that one.

[methodwriter85]

The wedding scene is absolutely breathtaking. I can't see anything ever topping it.

[aradia22]

I was listening to How Did This Get Made and they covered this on an episode. I refuse to believe this movie exists. I know I just watched the trailer, but it cannot possibly be real.

[Ms Blue Jay]

As a Torontonian, Hollywood movies set in Toronto are sooooooooooo rare!  There's also the one starring Daniel Radcliffe, called (sadly), "What If?"

On the street, I was given a pizza slice and a coupon to see "Little Italy" for free.  I still didn't see it.

At first, I thought the casting seemed kinda fucked up, but then I read that Hayden Christensen is actually 1/4 Italian.  

Edited April 7, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[methodwriter85]

7 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I was listening to How Did This Get Made and they covered this on an episode. I refuse to believe this movie exists. I know I just watched the trailer, but it cannot possibly be real.

It's funny to remember that at one time, Hayden Christensen was considered a rising young talent. (I probably didn't spell his name right and I don't care enough about him to look it up.)

[PepSinger]

I adore “What If?”!

[BooBear]

I saw the Perfect Date as it dropped today.  It wasn't bad just a little by the book. And I wasn't really feeling the romance of it. 

[shoregirl]

6 minutes ago, BooBear said:

I saw the Perfect Date as it dropped today.  It wasn't bad just a little by the book. And I wasn't really feeling the romance of it. 

I wasnt either. I don't think they had chemistry. It probably didnt help that I rewatched To All The Boys I've Loved Before and 10 Things I Hate About You this week.

[aradia22]

I've been wanting to watch Sierra Burgess is a Loser since Netflix dropped the trailer. Oh my God, I LOVED it. Highly recommend. I don't really rewatch movies anymore but I will definitely be rewatching this. It's so cute and wholesome. I liked that it uses all these old and new tropes and story beats but the script is funny and smart and clever enough to not make it feel too routine. I liked all the leads. I definitely get the attraction to Noah Centineo (still haven't watched To All the Boys I've Loved Before). I totally would have crushed on him if I saw this movie as a teenager. They've written him as perfect and he delivers. It's like Jake Ryan in 16 Candles but with the boyish charm of Hugh Grant (not in Bridget Jones) or maybe Danny in the early seasons of The Mindy Project but he says all the right things for 2019. I can't think of another movie off the top of my head where the wish fulfillment goes so far that the heartthrob falls for the girl without her completing her makeover to conventionally attractive. I mean, yes, Sierra was dolled up for homecoming at the end but she still does not have the idea face and body type by Hollywood standards. The closest I can think of is maybe Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding or Fran in Strictly Ballroom. But it certainly doesn't happen a lot. I also loved a lot of the development of Veronica's character arc and her friendship with Sierra. 

I would have watched a whole TV show of this but then again I think they dragged out the Cyrano thing for as long as was acceptable. The movie was not afraid to get into morally murky territory but I think they mostly earned their happy ending and didn't go too over the top with the Hollywood stuff. 

[BooBear]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I've been wanting to watch Sierra Burgess is a Loser since Netflix dropped the trailer. Oh my God, I LOVED it. Highly recommend.

Ugh I hated it. For me it went over the line when she and her mean girl BFF tricked him into kissing Sierra without his knowledge. That is assault and if the tables were turned there would be outrage. Also no way those two would ever get together, period, but never mind after the elaborate ruse she went to.  Yes she actually pretended to be a deaf mute to keep the ruse up. Offensive to me. 

[festivus]

I already ranted in the thread for the movie about how much I hated it so I won't do it again but Sierra Burgess is still a loser as far as I'm concerned.

[Irlandesa]

On 4/12/2019 at 1:31 PM, BooBear said:

I saw the Perfect Date as it dropped today.  It wasn't bad just a little by the book. And I wasn't really feeling the romance of it. 

I agree.  It was going okay but then sort of fell apart about half way through.  And not in a weird way just a "this isn't quite coming together" kind of way. 

Sadly, I agree about not liking Sierra Burgess.  I was looking forward to it but she was pretty much awful and, as I said previously, the movie expected the fact that her size made her somewhat of an outsider to do a lot of work to make up for her awfulness.  I could maybe forgive one of the bad things she did but the kissing deception, plus releasing the video/pic of the pretty girl just to hurt her, added with the fact that the pretty girl made the reconciliation happen at the end and Sierra not really having to do a thing....it just left a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't get past.

Dumplin' did a much better job of body positivity and having the hot guy fall for the bigger girl.

[aradia22]

Quote

Ugh I hated it. For me it went over the line when she and her mean girl BFF tricked him into kissing Sierra without his knowledge. That is assault and if the tables were turned there would be outrage. Also no way those two would ever get together, period, but never mind after the elaborate ruse she went to.  Yes she actually pretended to be a deaf mute to keep the ruse up. Offensive to me. 

I guess to me there was enough balance that it didn't bother me. Like, she didn't undergo an elaborate ruse pretending to be deaf. She just awkwardly did it once when Dan forced her to go up to him and he saw through her immediately when her ASL was meaningless so that didn't feel like much of a deception. It wasn't like she established this whole other persona and became his friend while pretending to be deaf mute. And to me a kiss is not a huge deal (regardless of gender) so it's there as a way of escalating her behavior. I liked that she behaved badly. It started with her being fine with herself but as she got a taste of the things she always felt she'd been denied, her behavior escalated into worse misdeeds. To me, that's a teen movie. I don't expect perfect characters who don't do anything wrong. But then I grew up on movies like Jawbreaker and Never Been Kissed and Mean Girls and Teen Witch and Heathers. It would have felt overly dramatic if Dan was upset because he texted her when she was already out and she didn't want to come over to watch horror movies. But knowing everything she's done, he's right to be horrified at how much she's been willing to do to trick and manipulate this guy and how her id has lashed out at Veronica. The Sierra we meet at the beginning seems like a relatively good person because she's never really been tested. That's what a lot of these coming of age movies do. They test the protagonists with some kind of temptation to see how they react (usually badly) and then they have to earn their way to a new status quo where they keep the new elements (usually a love interest, popularity, a makeover) and earn back the old ones (usually best friends, academic standing, meta: the audience's sympathy). 

Quote

added with the fact that the pretty girl made the reconciliation happen at the end and Sierra not really having to do a thing....it just left a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't get past.

I agree with this. I think things fell into place far too easily in the end. That's the wish fulfillment. In another, better movie Sierra would have had to do more work to earn back her relationships with Veronica, Dan, Jamey, her mom, etc. than just write a song. That's why I would watch a TV show version where she had to do all that work and it was a drawn out process where it took time for them to forgive her. 

Anyway, I totally get where other people might have been more bothered by some things and you have a right to your reaction but it worked for me.

Edited April 14, 2019 by aradia22

[methodwriter85]

10 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Sadly, I agree about not liking Sierra Burgess.  I was looking forward to it but she was pretty much awful and, as I said previously, the movie expected the fact that her size made her somewhat of an outsider to do a lot of work to make up for her awfulness.  I could maybe forgive one of the bad things she did but the kissing deception, plus releasing the video/pic of the pretty girl just to hurt her, added with the fact that the pretty girl made the reconciliation happen at the end and Sierra not really having to do a thing....it just left a bad taste in my mouth that I couldn't get past.

I feel like the movie would have worked better if we see Sierra go alone to the dance, make up with the two friends, and THEN work something out with Noah Centineo. The writers wanted all to be forgiven without any effort because they felt like Sierra deserved to have her Jake Ryan moment (note he's got a red car) but the movie was the lesser because of the fact that she really didn't have to pay for her mistakes in the movie, at all.

Which is a shame, because this movie comes so close to being really good. It just fumbles the ending.

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I feel like the movie would have worked better if we see Sierra go alone to the dance, make up with the two friends, and THEN work something out with Noah Centineo. The writers wanted all to be forgiven without any effort because they felt like Sierra deserved to have her Jake Ryan moment (note he's got a red car) but the movie was the lesser because of the fact that she really didn't have to pay for her mistakes in the movie, at all.

Which is a shame, because this movie comes so close to being really good. It just fumbles the ending.

That would have been so much better. 

[aradia22]

I watched Destination Wedding tonight on Amazon Prime. I really enjoyed it. It has an indie-ish vibe like Sideways and it's definitely influenced by Woody Allen. But if you know the two characters are going to be cynical and unlikable (I don't mean in the way that rom-com characters usually banter and bicker but actually bitter and superior and unpleasant) then I think it works. I can see how someone who wants to watch a traditional rom-com might hate this and I do think especially in the latter half or third of the movie, it's a little pretentious when its musings on love are actually quite shallow. Unlikable people need love too and they shouldn't be with someone nice that they'd poison with their resentment and endless complaining. I also found parts of it very funny. Things like him carrying her and when they first kiss and have sex were nice send ups of the way movies romanticize those things without being too obvious about it. 

I think Keanu was miscast and Wynona actually worked quite well in the part though I grew to like them both. I think his character needed someone to deliver the quips better and someone who was more nebbishy given all the throat clearing but I kind of liked that he wasn't too charming because that character should be a jerk and you lose that if you cast someone too charismatic. He came across like a boring marketing guy with hinted at conservative leanings who had mostly closed himself off from emotional messiness. And I just thought she was fantastic. I wasn't old enough to be a huge fan of hers in the 80's/90's but I've always liked her once I did see one of her movies and this movie makes me wish she would get more roles. I think she's more versatile than she's given credit for being.

[aradia22]

I watched Alex & Emma for the first time. It's on Hulu. For years, I thought from the commercials that this was a time travel movie. Like they kept being reincarnated as lovers or something. I think it's the very end of the movie in the gazebo that confused me. 

Anyway, it was mostly fine as a rom-com once it got going. The set up was awful with him owing money for his gambling. And Alex's writing is pretty bad. It's kind of like Ruby Sparks where when a woman is finally able to talk back to this male auteur, she tries to tell him that his writing is shallow and problematic. But even though A&E has Kate Hudson's character call out Luke Wilson's character, I don't know if the person writing the script realizes how bad Alex's writing actually is. It's like bad fanfiction of The Great Gatsby. Also, it was horribly anachronistic for a historical novel.

The movie is a lot like Music & Lyrics except in M&L they actually wrote good songs. Emma has quirks (reading the end of the book before deciding if she wants to read the whole thing, picking off tomato skins) but I didn't think she was very manic pixie.

I feel like Luke and Kate had chemistry but he was really miscast. They needed to be in a more modern movie that wasn't splitting time between present day and this lame version of the 1920's/1930's. Also, I felt a little bad that he was stuck playing this character. Luke Wilson is great. Alex was not. Emma deserved better. Also, I realize it wouldn't have fit into the run time of the movie, but if Alex had really wanted to fix the book, he would have taken Emma's earlier suggestions and rewritten what comes off as serialized fanfiction written without an outline and edited it with the knowledge that Adam is supposed to end up with Anna and that his love for Polina has always been shallow. A good writer doesn't just tack on a new ending like that fixes things. But again, he's a bad writer. 

I think the movie works on the strength of Kate Hudson and the strategic deployment of Norah Jones.

It was fine for what it was but I have no plans to rewatch it. I probably will rewatch Destination Wedding at some point but it's not good enough to be a regular rewatch. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I personally really really didn't like Destination Wedding, although I was hoping to.  It just really wasn't for me.

I watched The Perfect Date - I think the first half was a lot better than the second.  The lead female actor was really good, and it was a pleasant surprise to find that she's the sister of Vanessa Marano, who is also a good actor.  It was weird how it kind of reminded me of Pretty Woman..... there are some parallels there.  It was okay, but definitely not great.

[twoods]

I agree about Perfect Date. I liked the characters and actors but I felt that something was missing. There should have been more bonding scenes between the leads to make us root for them to get together. In To All the Boys... there were so many great scenes between Peter and Laura Jean and I could see them falling in love, but in Perfect Date it wasn’t there.

Has anyone watched the other new Netflix offering, Someone Great? It looks promising but after being disappointed by Perfect Date, I’m not getting my hopes up.

[topanga]

On 4/20/2019 at 1:37 PM, twoods said:

Has anyone watched the other new Netflix offering, Someone Great? It looks promising but after being disappointed by Perfect Date, I’m not getting my hopes up.

I tried to watch it this weekend. I wanted to like this move. I love Gina Rodriguez, and the cast was very diverse. But it just didn't grab me--I didn't make it to the end. The writing was all over the place--too many flashbacks and flash forwards that kept me utterly confused. And the characters were one-dimensional millennial stereotypes. Everyone did pot or other illegal drugs, they were always ready with a snappy one-liner, and they all had nice apartments with neon signs and other hipster decor. They talked about their great jobs, but I rarely saw them  do any actual work. Maybe that's because they were always high. (Yeah, get off my lawn).

But I suppose what disappointed me most was the actual love story. I didn't feel any chemistry between Gina Rodriguez and Lakeith Stanfield--two great actors whose work I admire. And if I couldn't feel the love story, then the entire movie was a wrap for me. 

[bijoux]

Thanks, @topanga. I was mulling over whether to watch it or not because I wasn't sold based on the trailers. I guess I'll use those 90 minutes some other way.

Meanwhile, I am super bummed that Dumplin'still hasn't been added to my Netflix. I actually am interested in that one. Usually, the original lroductions are added simultaneously to the US release. I don't get what the hold up here is. 

[topanga]

6 minutes ago, bijoux said:

Thanks, @topanga. I was mulling over whether to watch it or not because I wasn't sold based on the trailers. I guess I'll use those 90 minutes some other way.

Meanwhile, I am super bummed that Dumplin'still hasn't been added to my Netflix. I actually am interested in that one. Usually, the original lroductions are added simultaneously to the US release. I don't get what the hold up here is. 

I still think you should check it out if you're even slightly interested--you might really enjoy it. I tend to be needlessly picky when it comes to rom-coms. I have to like at least one of the main characters, and the chemistry between the two leads has to give me butterflies. The meet-cute doesn't have to be realistic, but the feelings that develop from that meet-cute must be plausible (I'm winking at you, While You Were Sleeping and To All The Boys I've Loved Before).

[Irlandesa]

57 minutes ago, bijoux said:

Meanwhile, I am super bummed that Dumplin'still hasn't been added to my Netflix. I actually am interested in that one. Usually, the original lroductions are added simultaneously to the US release. I don't get what the hold up here is. 

Netflix has two types of Netflix originals.  The things it creates itself and distributes worldwide on their platform and the things it picks up for distribution in a certain area. Dumplin' was a movie done by an outside studio that was finished when Netflix bought it for US distribution.  The producing studio might have other distribution arrangements  in other countries which is why it's not on your Netflix.

That's different than a movie done specifically for Netflix from day 1 or one that they buy worldwide distribution for.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Irlandesa

[shantown]

On 4/20/2019 at 1:37 PM, twoods said:

Has anyone watched the other new Netflix offering, Someone Great? It looks promising but after being disappointed by Perfect Date, I’m not getting my hopes up.

It's more of a friendship comedy than a romcom, but I thought it was worth it for the soundtrack!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Articles like this make me so angry; I couldn't even get through it -- I'm too close to the subject matter to be able to read this without going into a rage of how many ways I think he's incorrect -- but maybe someone else would find it interesting.

Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/magazine/romantic-comedy-movies.html

[topanga]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Articles like this make me so angry; I couldn't even get through it -- I'm too close to the subject matter to be able to read this without going into a rage of how many ways I think he's incorrect -- but maybe someone else would find it interesting.

Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/magazine/romantic-comedy-movies.html

Yeah, I didn't like his definition of a rom-com and the fact that he left out or mis-characterized several recent films. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a Teen Drama and not a rom-com? Puleaze. I can't remember how he labeled The Big Sick, but he didn't call it  rom-com. Crazy Rich Asians wasn't a rom-com because Asian culture and family tradition were also part of the love story? And did he even mention Trainwreck in this article? 

Sure, he sounds nostalgic for movies from the '90s and the aughts. But that doesn't mean he gets to piss on today's movies. Rom-coms are different then they used to be, but they're still good, and they're certainly making a comeback.

[VCRTracking]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Articles like this make me so angry; I couldn't even get through it -- I'm too close to the subject matter to be able to read this without going into a rage of how many ways I think he's incorrect -- but maybe someone else would find it interesting.

Rom-Coms Were Corny and Retrograde. Why Do I Miss Them so Much?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/magazine/romantic-comedy-movies.html

58 minutes ago, topanga said:

Yeah, I didn't like his definition of a rom-com and the fact that he left out or mis-characterized several recent films. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is a Teen Drama and not a rom-com? Puleaze. I can't remember how he labeled The Big Sick, but he didn't call it  rom-com. Crazy Rich Asians wasn't a rom-com because Asian culture and family tradition were also part of the love story? And did he even mention Trainwreck in this article? 

Sure, he sounds nostalgic for movies from the '90s and the aughts. But that doesn't mean he gets to piss on today's movies. Rom-coms are different then they used to be, but they're still good, and they're certainly making a comeback.

I think he should have titled his article "I wish Rom-Coms be like how they used to be". Romcoms still being made but don't fit the specific criteria he's looking for concerning the "drawbridge". I think what he's looking for can now be found on sitcoms Leslie and Ben on Parks and Recreation or Jake and Amy on Brooklyn Nine Nine.* Relationships between co-workers who are equals, with ups and downs and progress over multiple seasons instead of under 2 hours in a movie. Both partners equally funny, with each alternately being the straight person to the other on occasions. The men as capable of being as romantic and the women just as devoted to their work.

*I originally put down Jim and Pam on The Office first but thinking about it they verged too much on the romantic drama side to me. There was so much angst, with Dwight and Michael providing the only laughs.

Edited April 24, 2019 by VCRTracking

[aradia22]

Quote

Yeah, I didn't like his definition of a rom-com and the fact that he left out or mis-characterized several recent films.

See: How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ

This is a thing men do to things written by women (and by extension things written primarily to appeal to women, anything characterized as feminine, etc.). Things start to feel important when there's the weight of many voices speaking together. And importance and authority is the first step to power. And growing power from those who are either not male or not white (I don't think that list of movies is a coincidence) is threatening to the white male status quo. So male critics recategorize "good" movies to keep them divided from what they perceive as the frivolousness of the feminine category. And then the dominant society can go on thinking that white men are the only ones who make and star in serious movies and women and POC have nothing that important to say, or, if they do, they are exceptional. Divided from the rest of this alternative storytelling, Crazy Rich Asians is an anomaly. You only see one when you should be seeing one of many.

Which is why in 2019 we somehow keep having the same insane conversation of whether Movie X now proves that people will watch a movie starring a woman.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thank you @aradia22 for helping articulate why shit like this makes me angry, and when people promote EVERY NEW ROMANTIC COMEDY with the completely inaccurate propaganda that "The romantic comedy is finally back."  

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but Jimmy Fallon had on 3 separate guests and said the same line for all 3 of them in like the span of the week "I miss romantic comedies!  You're finally bringing it back!"  It was said to Jennifer Lopez (Second Act), Rose Byrne (Juliet Naked), and a third person, perhaps somebody promoting CRA.  Regardless it is so fucking stupid to keep declaring the romantic comedy dead while you're promoting 3 new ones.

TATBILB and Crazy Rich Asians are 10000% Romantic Comedies.  The Big Sick I'd call a Romantic Drama, but regardless, it did star 2 comedians, so whatever, maybe some people found it funny.  I'd even call Fifty Shades of Grey a Romantic Comedy - the two latter sequels I'd call romantic drama.  Romantic comedies are still making huge money.

And it's not like any of these fit the bill of equals in the workplace

The Proposal?!?!?!?!
How to Lose a Guy!??!?!?!?
Pretty fucking WOMAN?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?

So what the fuck is he talking about

I was really shocked he denigrated the two hugest Asian romantic comedies right now (THERE'S ALSO SET IT UP, WHICH STARS LUCY LIU) - he's actually black so I was confused.

Edited April 24, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

 And did he even mention Trainwreck in this article? 

He didn't mention Bridesmaids which was a huge financial success, yet he mentioned 27 Dresses.  LOL.  Another movie about being a bridesmaid that is like 4 million times worse.

[aradia22]

Quote

I was really shocked he denigrated the two hugest Asian romantic comedies right now (THERE'S ALSO SET IT UP, WHICH STARS LUCY LIU) - he's actually black so I was confused.

Intersectionality. Recently finished So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo (not a big focus but there's at least one chapter acknowledging that the problems of Asian Americans are often left out of the conversation and a commitment to social justice and parity means inviting everyone to the table) and currently reading ain't i a woman by bell hooks (male POC are still men and still capable of misogyny/sexism). 

I had to stop listening to Wesley Morris' podcast when he was at Grantland because of the misogyny/sexism he never seemed to recognize. I listened to Still Processing until they took a break for forever and then I forgot about that podcast until right now. I feel like being in the presence of Jenna, he may have unconsciously checked himself in a way he didn't when he had a male cohost.