Romantic Comedies

[PepSinger]

I wonder if Andy’s friends and boyfriend are in any way related to The Family Stone?

[aradia22]

OK, so in the book I don't remember exactly what happens but the friend played by Tracie Thoms 

Spoiler

gets into a car accident and Andy doesn't respond because she's busy doing something crazy for Miranda. I think it might be last minute passports for her twin daughters or something. And I think it's seeing how callous she's become about her best friend (who was not as annoying as the movie friends) is what makes her boyfriend finally leave her. And Andy finally hits her own breaking point and goes back to be with her friend.

Quote

Also, Andy has a point when she says if Miranda was a man no one would care how he treated his employees or what hoops he made them jump through. Everyone would just say he's does a great job. Which honestly is true. A man does the same thing Miranda does? No one would say anything. Except how much money he made them. What a good job he did. But when a woman does the same thing she's called Ice Queen, a bitch, etc.  

See, I kind of hate this. Because it's not really true. We should not make excuses for abusive bosses whether they're men or women. Also, in the book I feel like there's more of a gendered edge to it. Miranda is a bad mom. Her demands are related to getting her daughters things as a substitute for parenting. It would be like having a male character who asked for some black market Viagra or made Andy the go-between his wife and mistress. It's not part of her job and it's specifically gendered. In the book you can't separate Miranda's gender from her behavior. Again, not to give the book too much credit (because it is bad) but I do think it's more interesting to have a world that's so dominated by female characters.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I think Miranda in the movie is a great Mom.  And when she's getting a divorce she talks about how the papers will go after her failed marriages.  It reminds me of the tabloids' sick obsession with Jennifer Aniston.  15 years later, and they're still selling tabloids based on Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.  They divorced 15 years ago!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think they do the same with men in big business.  It's definitely gendered.  Yes, the Jeff Bezos thing was a big thing in the news but that was completely out of the ordinary.  Tabloids and media definitely go after women harder for not making relationships work than men.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Spartan Girl]

I finally watched Isn't It Romantic today, and they hit every cliche and trope right on the head! But it was cute too.

[aradia22]

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I think Miranda in the movie is a great Mom. 

I haven't seen the movie in a while so I can't say. Also, movies and TV shows rarely remember the characters have kids so it's difficult to judge her based on screen time (pretty sure they're never on screen) or number of mentions (I think it's mainly at the end when they're trying to make her sympathetic). But there are plenty of movies where you're supposed to accept that the characters are fine parents without seeing evidence on screen.

Quote

I don't think they do the same with men in big business.  It's definitely gendered.  Yes, the Jeff Bezos thing was a big thing in the news but that was completely out of the ordinary.  Tabloids and media definitely go after women harder for not making relationships work than men.

I disagree because as of late a lot of celebrity couples seem to be breaking up because of cheating (or worse) on man's part so I think they get a fair amount of criticism. Also, I can be a feminist and still think Miranda Lambert is a homewrecker. Because yes, all those married and attached men were the ones in relationships but if you're constantly the common denominator, maybe there's something up with you. 

To bring this back around, I wonder if you could do a version of The Devil Wears Prada today that was closer to the book or if your main female protagonist still has to be pretty likable. I'm not saying they should (again, the book is mediocre at best and everyone is VERY unlikable) but I feel like for all that Amy Schumer and Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling and other women are expanding the possibilities for what female characters can be in rom-com and rom-com-esque material, they still don't stray too far into unlikable territory. Which reminds me that I need to watch some stuff like You're the Worst and Obvious Child.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I saw Obvious Child.  It definitely has its fans, but I thought it was just kind of average.  I really didn't enjoy the pilot of YTW because to me it was extremely cliched, but again, that definitely has its fans.

It's a good idea for a brainstorming topic.  What romantic comedies have unlikeable leads as protagonists?

I guess the most famous example I can think of as a possibly unlikeable protagonist in a romcom is Julia Roberts in My Best Friend's Wedding.

[aradia22]

I watched quite a bit of You're the Worst's first season but then I cancelled hulu. But I've heard that the last season or two really delves into mental health in a great way so I'm going to start from the beginning and give it another chance. 

I think it depends what you are willing to classify as a romantic comedy. I do think that movies with male protagonists that are not necessarily labeled rom-coms let the guys behave worse and still get the girl. Like Groundhog Day.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I think it depends what you are willing to classify as a romantic comedy. I do think that movies with male protagonists that are not necessarily labeled rom-coms let the guys behave worse and still get the girl. Like Groundhog Day.

Absolutely!  I had the exact same thought.  I thought about his character, and I thought about Tom Hanks in A League of their Own.  ALotO is not a romantic comedy, but there DOES seem to be some kind of mutual respect/affection between Tom Hanks and Geena Davis's characters, and Tom's character is definitely an asshole in that.  

Some other rom coms, maybe atypical, where the lead isn't exactly stereotypically "likeable" 

Bad Teacher
Boomerang (Eddie Murphy)
Benny and Joon (Maybe this is more of a drama?)
Obviously the 50 shades movies
The Break Up

Bridesmaids is very popular, and they don't make any effort to make Kristen Wiig likeable.  She's kind of a loser, and admits she is shallow, and kind of a dick to the cop guy who is obviously as sweet as can be, but you definitely want to root for her, I think?  

Failure to Launch, both leads are unlikeable, yet I like the movie.  Kind of a flip of How to Lose a Guy.

The Family Stone is a very notorious example.
Mean Girls
Nine Months

I remember posting here about Only You how Robert Downey Jr. is just a manipulative asshole in it.  That's a love interest that I think is just downright unlikeable.

The Proposal is a good example.  When I first saw the movie I hated it!  But now I'm older and I just give in and admit I kind of like it.  Definitely enough to watch it every few years.

[aradia22]

I think Benny and Joon and 50 Shades are supposed to be dramas. Bad Teacher definitely works. I wouldn't count Mean Girls because I think you're supposed to believe Kady is a good person and you're just waiting for her to redeem herself. Coming of age stories with teenagers fall into an in-between zone (See: my controversial opinion about Sierra Burgess is a Loser). I think they can mess up more because the audience is supposed to understand that they aren't fully formed people yet though YMMV. 

It's interesting you bring up Kristen Wiig because I think she does this a lot with her indie movies. The one I've watched so far is Welcome to Me. She's pretty monstrous in that. Though I'm not sure how much indies count because they don't make a lot of money and they don't really have the approval of a mainstream audience. You've always been able to have more unlikable characters in less popular movies because they have to appeal to fewer people to make back their money.

I haven't watched Trainwreck yet but I did watch I Feel Pretty (it was on a plane). 

I would suggest Bridget Jones as a relatable but somewhat unlikable heroine. I'll also throw out Heartbreakers, The Wedding Planner, The Sweetest Thing, Sweet Home Alabama, Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, Confessions of a Shopaholic, and The Proposal. But that gets into YMMV territory. I feel like part of what people find problematic about mainstream rom-coms is that even when female characters are unlikable or have idiosyncratic behaviors, the movie tries to justify them and rationalize them and make the characters still seem likable, relatable, etc. The argument is that they're like all other women as though if they weren't they wouldn't have universal appeal. 

[paulvdb]

6 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Coming of age stories with teenagers fall into an in-between zone (See: my controversial opinion about Sierra Burgess is a Loser). I think they can mess up more because the audience is supposed to understand that they aren't fully formed people yet though YMMV.

That's how I feel. I can accept certain things from teens that I would find unacceptable in adults. That's one of the reasons why I tend to watch more teen movies and tv series than movies and series with adults.

[doesntworkonwood]

I just watched Always Be My Maybe and it was okay. I think that the storyline worked quite well except the Keanu Reeves bit (which was pretty fun, but also came out of nowhere), but some of the jokes didn't land for me so it got a bit awkward at times. 

[twoods]

I thought Always Be My Maybe was hilarious. It was really cute and I got teary eyed at some parts. The soundtrack was awesome. More of this, Netflix!

Edited June 1, 2019 by twoods

[Irlandesa]

I have a split decision!  I thought the first half or maybe more of the movie was a lot of fun and had some great comedy. 

I did think the

Spoiler

Keanu

thing went on a tid bit too long.   I also think the movie faltered a bit after

Spoiler

they slept together with the big breakup.

I guess it's good in

Spoiler

the end that he went where she did (as opposed to what Hallmark does) but I'm a little sad that she succumbed to his food shaming.  Sometimes that weird stuff is good!  Why can't she do both?

And ughh.....

Spoiler

I hate public declarations. 

The writing was cringey on that.

But overall, they had chemistry, they were charming and the movie had some truly genuine laughs. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Sorry to any fans out there, but I finally tried "Love, Rosie" (2014) and I really didn't like it!  I think it's based off of a Cecelia Ahern novel.  I found the movie really cliched !  Lily Collins was adorable, and I think I quite like her to be honest, and the soundtrack was good.  Other than that, eh!!!  

Edited June 6, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[tennisgurl]

On 5/26/2019 at 12:26 PM, PepSinger said:

I wonder if Andy’s friends and boyfriend are in any way related to The Family Stone?

I think a problem with The Devil Wears Prada is that they were afraid to really make Andy actually unlikable. As was discussed upthread, its kind of rare to find a rom com that has a protagonist who is allowed to be really unlikable, even if they have character development to make them better people. They had this idea of Andy losing herself to materialism and ambition, but they didnt really want her to make any questionable choices or deliberately blow off her friends or boyfriend or screw people over because that would make their hero look bad, and they didnt want that. So they gave her excuses for why she does everything that pisses people off, like she didnt mean to miss her boyfriend birthday, she didnt mean to take the Paris trip from Emily, but because they insist on keeping her likable throughout, she not only hardly has an arc, it makes her friends and boyfriend look like assholes who are just looking for reasons to be mad at Andy for doing her job. If they had actually had Andy become a selfish conniving person and have to learn a lesson and become a good person again, it would make her posses complaints about her make more sense, and it would be a stringer film.

[andromeda331]

11 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I think a problem with The Devil Wears Prada is that they were afraid to really make Andy actually unlikable. As was discussed upthread, its kind of rare to find a rom com that has a protagonist who is allowed to be really unlikable, even if they have character development to make them better people. They had this idea of Andy losing herself to materialism and ambition, but they didnt really want her to make any questionable choices or deliberately blow off her friends or boyfriend or screw people over because that would make their hero look bad, and they didnt want that. So they gave her excuses for why she does everything that pisses people off, like she didnt mean to miss her boyfriend birthday, she didnt mean to take the Paris trip from Emily, but because they insist on keeping her likable throughout, she not only hardly has an arc, it makes her friends and boyfriend look like assholes who are just looking for reasons to be mad at Andy for doing her job. If they had actually had Andy become a selfish conniving person and have to learn a lesson and become a good person again, it would make her posses complaints about her make more sense, and it would be a stringer film.

That's true. Its hard to understand why the boyfriend and friends are so upset with her when we don't see any reason for it. They do look like assholes. Maybe they are assholes. But we don't get to see Andy tell them off. But then try to tell us they were right. But how were they right? Andy started taking an interest in fashion? Except she did so only because she started taking her job more seriously which she really should have. If your going to work for fashion or really any place you need to start taking your job seriously. I still think the friends and boyfriends were assholes. The boyfriend was a huge hypocrite for being all about fancy cheese and a chef working the same hours. The friends being assholes even after Andy gave them all that nice stuff. They could have gotten her fired when they stole her phone and tossed around. Who does that after their friend gives them really nice stuff?

The problem is they never really decided what the lesson Andy was suppose to learn. She starts taking an interest in fashion and that is suppose to bad. Even though she works at a fashion house. That's a requirement. She really starts getting into her job and liking it. How is that a bad thing? That could be the lesson. She wasn't really interested in fashion and thought it was stupid, and beneath her. But then realized she was wrong. Most people there are trying really hard to do their job. They work really hard, and so many are really nice. She went into a field that she didn't have an interested in and end up liking it. Learning about it.

They seemed to want the friends and boyfriend to be right. But she never really does anything wrong. Yes, she missed her boyfriend's birthday but he's a chef and most likely working the same hours. He's allowed to like fancy cheese but she's not allowed to like fancy clothes? That she works to much. Well, there are many careers that its a requirement. They could have Andy realized if she kept working the same job she would always have to put it first. Not her friends or boyfriend. The way Miranda loves her daughters but still puts fashion first. She's missing a lot of their lives. Same with her marriage. That would have been a way to go. They try but they don't really go there. Her friends still come of as assholes because all Andy is doing is working a lot of hours in a job. Yeah, it sucks when you can't spend as much time with your friend but her only crime is working.

They try to make it look like Andy quits because she doesn't want to be Miranda but don't really go there either. Yes, she stepped over Emily, but she found out about the plan to oust Miranda and tried to undo it. Plus the part they skipped right over was Andy really seemed to be enjoying her job and liking it. She started really getting into it. She didn't seem like she wanted to quit or leave. But they never have a scene with her talking about it or it vs her original dream journalism.

So she really just comes off leaving a job she really liked because of her asshole boyfriend and friends. Who by the way announces he's moving to Boston. So why is it okay for him to move to Boston. But not okay for Andy to stay at a job she liked? Why was it okay for him and her friends to constantly treat her like crap for working a job that she ended up liking? How was that a better ending? They wanted us to think they were right without ever giving us a reason as to why.

[catlover79]

My favorite romantic movies all begin with "W"...While You Were Sleeping, When Harry Met Sally, and The Wedding Singer.

[blugirlami21]

I just saw When Harry Met Sally this year and I loved it.  I thought it was super cute.  It holds up really well considering how old it is.

[catlover79]

4 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I just saw When Harry Met Sally this year and I loved it.  I thought it was super cute.  It holds up really well considering how old it is.

Yeah, it came out in 1989. 30 years ago, how time flies.

[Ms Blue Jay]

15 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I just saw When Harry Met Sally this year and I loved it.  I thought it was super cute.  It holds up really well considering how old it is.

When Harry Met Sally
Truth about Cats and Dogs
Reality Bites
Notting Hill

These are all movies I didn't really "get" when I was younger, but now when I watch them, I think they're perfect and I am sometimes even moved to tears.  While You Were Sleeping really had to grow on me, but now I like it.

I saw "Always Be My Maybe" and I loved it.  I really felt like the movie was made specifically for me.  I have no complaints.  The best part was the soundtrack.  Ali/Randall and I must like all the same music.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[blugirlami21]

I never really understood the Notting Hill love but maybe I need to really watch it again.  I love The Truth About Cats and Dogs.  

I was thinking of trying to find another older one, Til There Was You.  I used to love that one when I was younger.  They never play it on tv anymore.

[topanga]

16 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I just saw When Harry Met Sally this year and I loved it.  I thought it was super cute.  It holds up really well considering how old it is.

12 hours ago, catlover79 said:

Yeah, it came out in 1989. 30 years ago, how time flies.

Your post shows me how young you are, blugirlami21.  LOL. Or maybe I'm just refusing to accept that I'm old. Or both. 😴

[Dandesun]

16 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I just saw When Harry Met Sally this year and I loved it.  I thought it was super cute.  It holds up really well considering how old it is.

I think the thing that really makes WHMS work, at least for me, is that the span of the years from when they met to when they became friends and all that followed made it believable to me that after the movie their relationship succeeded. There are a lot of rom coms out there that I've seen and I sit through going 'I give this relationship two months tops' as the credits roll.

Playing It Cool was on over the weekend and I checked it out for about... two minutes because despite my initial reaction to the trailer awhile back I cannot resist Chris Evans... except that clearly I can because holy shit was I ever rooting for that guy to never find happiness ever. All of the negative feelings I had watching the trailer came back full force and I don't feel comfortable hating Chris Evans so I turned it off and watched Ducktales instead.

[blugirlami21]

7 hours ago, topanga said:

Your post shows me how young you are, blugirlami21.  LOL. Or maybe I'm just refusing to accept that I'm old. Or both. 😴

I mean its about as old as I am.  Not sure if that dates you or not lol.

6 hours ago, Dandesun said:

I think the thing that really makes WHMS work, at least for me, is that the span of the years from when they met to when they became friends and all that followed made it believable to me that after the movie their relationship succeeded. There are a lot of rom coms out there that I've seen and I sit through going 'I give this relationship two months tops' as the credits roll.

Playing It Cool was on over the weekend and I checked it out for about... two minutes because despite my initial reaction to the trailer awhile back I cannot resist Chris Evans... except that clearly I can because holy shit was I ever rooting for that guy to never find happiness ever. All of the negative feelings I had watching the trailer came back full force and I don't feel comfortable hating Chris Evans so I turned it off and watched Ducktales instead.

Yeah.  I've seen a lot if not most of Chris Evans' non superhero work and the two romances I remember were pretty bad.  I would recommend What's Your Number?  if you've never seen it.  I like his nonromantic roles far better.  Gifted is a good one.

Edited June 11, 2019 by blugirlami21

[Dandesun]

17 minutes ago, blugirlami21 said:

Yeah.  I've seen a lot if not most of Chris Evans' non superhero work and the two romances I remember were pretty bad.  I would recommend What's Your Number?  if you've never seen it.  I like is nonromantic roles far better.  Gifted is a good one.

I have seen What's Your Number and other than the slut shaming from her so-called friends and the sister's wedding vows including things like the groom not being allowed to blow his nose in the shower (seriously, has she never had a cold? Been so congested that a hot, steamy shower loosens all that shit up and you can breathe again?! TYRANNY!) I really liked it.

Also felt like that was a couple who could make it after the movie ended because he really celebrated her weirdness in a way that her mother did not. Evans and Faris had great chemistry and it's hilarious to watch now simply because of the sheer amount of people in it that went on to be in an MCU movie. (Evans is Cap, Pratt's Starlord, Martin Freeman is Everett Ross, Anthony Mackie is Falcon...)

[blugirlami21]

4 hours ago, Dandesun said:

I have seen What's Your Number and other than the slut shaming from her so-called friends and the sister's wedding vows including things like the groom not being allowed to blow his nose in the shower (seriously, has she never had a cold? Been so congested that a hot, steamy shower loosens all that shit up and you can breathe again?! TYRANNY!) I really liked it.

Also felt like that was a couple who could make it after the movie ended because he really celebrated her weirdness in a way that her mother did not. Evans and Faris had great chemistry and it's hilarious to watch now simply because of the sheer amount of people in it that went on to be in an MCU movie. (Evans is Cap, Pratt's Starlord, Martin Freeman is Everett Ross, Anthony Mackie is Falcon...)

I agree lol. Anna Faris blew through marvel before it was even a thing 😉

I watched Sliding Doors the other night after watching the Mummy. Needed more John Hannah. Wish he had done more romance.

Also The Mummy is a great romantic comedy under all the action. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have amazing chemistry 😍

[Popples]

2 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

Also The Mummy is a great romantic comedy under all the action. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have amazing chemistry

I didn't even watch the third one because I knew that the chemistry wouldn't be the same without Rachel Weisz. I think she was pregnant or had just had a baby when they filmed it and I wished they had waited a bit so she could come back.

[twoods]

Brendan Fraser has been in some romantic comedy movies that aren’t very good (Mrs Winterborne and Blast From the Past) but I end up watching them whenever they are on TV because I enjoy the chemistry between him and the lead. I don’t know what it is about him but I always found him so warm and charming.

[Ms Blue Jay]

12 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

I was thinking of trying to find another older one, Til There Was You.  I used to love that one when I was younger.  They never play it on tv anymore.

Oh my god!  I like this one.  I think Sarah Jessica Parker is amazing in both this movie and The First Wives Club.  What SUCKS is that it's sooooo hard for me to buy this movie on DVD in Canada.  

Edited June 11, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

17 minutes ago, twoods said:

Brendan Fraser has been in some romantic comedy movies that aren’t very good (Mrs Winterborne and Blast From the Past) but I end up watching them whenever they are on TV because I enjoy the chemistry between him and the lead. I don’t know what it is about him but I always found him so warm and charming.

I do love Encino Man.  I remember liking George of the Jungle.  My brother's always been pushing me to try Blast from the Past because I love Alicia Silverstone. 

[Shannon L.]

8 hours ago, twoods said:

Brendan Fraser has been in some romantic comedy movies that aren’t very good (Mrs Winterborne and Blast From the Past) but I end up watching them whenever they are on TV because I enjoy the chemistry between him and the lead. I don’t know what it is about him but I always found him so warm and charming.

I have to disagree with you about Blast From the Past.  I thought it was pretty good and a lot of fun! @Ms Blue Jay, you should try it.  At best, you'll really like it, at worst, you'll find it kind of cute (I hope--I don't know anyone who flat out didn't like it).   George of the Jungle was pretty good, too, which was a pleasant surprise, since at first, I thought it looked stupid.  As for Brendan, I met him once and he's was really nice and surprisingly, quite shy. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Shannon L.

[festivus]

I loved any movie Brendan Fraser was in even if it wasn't the greatest. I think Blast from the Past could have been better but I loved it anyway. Brendan just has the best onscreen presence. I love him like I love Hugh Grant. As in everything they did was good even if it wasn't quite good if you know what I mean.

[blugirlami21]

I must be a huge Brendan Fraser stan because I love both Blast From the Past and Mrs Winterbourne lol

[festivus]

1 hour ago, blugirlami21 said:

I must be a huge Brendan Fraser stan because I love both Blast From the Past and Mrs Winterbourne lol

I do too. I can't think of anything he ever did that I didn't like. I heart him. He was the first celebrity person to show up in one of my dreams (no, not like that 😋!) I just very very rarely dream about any celebrity persons so I remember that.

[aradia22]

I watched Finding Your Feet. It's available on hulu. It doesn't seem like a rom-com at first but eventually it reveals itself to be one. I thought the whole thing was worthwhile but I would say that if you need to fast-forward or skip to get through the almost 2 hour running time, feel free because there are plenty of inessential bits.

What's really lovely about this vs. other rom-coms with older actors is that it doesn't shy away from them being older. For a lighter movie I think it has some really heartfelt and honest things to say about aging and death as it relates to relationships and romance. I liked all the variation in the relationships.

Spoiler

Also, it was a bit of a forced last-minute conflict for Sandra to have never realized that Charlie's wife was still alive. And it was also a cop-out to have her suddenly pass away before she had to make her decision about whether to join him on his trip. But I did like how she didn't get upset with him irrationally but was firm about not wanting to be the other woman. She didn't compromise on her values.

The cast is pretty fantastic. There were some silly jokes here and there (e.g. obligatory Viagra joke) but on the whole, I think this is the kind of material older actors deserve to get. 

[blugirlami21]

On 6/11/2019 at 1:40 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh my god!  I like this one.  I think Sarah Jessica Parker is amazing in both this movie and The First Wives Club.  What SUCKS is that it's sooooo hard for me to buy this movie on DVD in Canada.  

Its's actually really expensive to buy here as well.  Not sure why that is considering how old it is

Edited June 17, 2019 by blugirlami21

[tribeca]

On 6/11/2019 at 1:58 PM, blugirlami21 said:

I must be a huge Brendan Fraser stan because I love both Blast From the Past and Mrs Winterbourne lol

Me too.  I use to love mrs. winterbourne and would watch it whenever it was on TV.  I love Shirley also.  The cast was really love able in that one.  

It’s kind of sad Brendan Fraser really isn’t in anything anymore. 

[twoods]

Amazon is streaming Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams and I really enjoyed it. It had some romance, the comedy parts made me laugh and the story was interesting. 

Edited June 27, 2019 by twoods

[topanga]

11 minutes ago, twoods said:

Amazon is streaming Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams and I really enjoyed it. It had some romance, the comedy parts made me laugh and the story was interesting. 

I love that one! Rachel McAdams is one of those actresses who should be a bigger star than she is. But Hollywood is a fickle lover. You just can't predict who's going to get that ultimate happy ending. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I feel like Rachel probably has exactly the career she wants.  She was just recently in Disobedience and Game Night, both critically acclaimed.  Who is a bigger star than her in her age group?  She's 40 and it's hard to think of contemporaries more successful than her.  Amy Adams is one, but she's been nominated for 6 Oscars, so she's an outlier.  Natalie Portman is another, but she's also an outlier because she's been successful since childhood.  I never thought Rachel's career was in trouble.  I've always made claims that her performance in "Mean Girls" was severely underrated, and there was a podcast that asked people to vote for which performance in 2004 was most deserving that did not get nominated for an Oscar, and Rachel's performance was voted #1.

 

I liked Morning Glory a lot the first time I saw it, but it lost some of its luster the second time around.  

Edited June 30, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I feel like Rachel probably has exactly the career she wants.  She was just recently in Disobedience and Game Night, both critically acclaimed.  Who is a bigger star than her in her age group?  She's 40 and it's hard to think of contemporaries more successful than her.  Amy Adams is one, but she's been nominated for 6 Oscars, so she's an outlier.  Natalie Portman is another, but she's also an outlier because she's been successful since childhood.  I never thought Rachel's career was in trouble.  I've always made claims that her performance in "Mean Girls" was severely underrated, and there was a podcast that asked people to vote for which performance in 2004 was most deserving that did not get nominated for an Oscar, and Rachel's performance was voted #1.

 

I liked Morning Glory a lot the first time I saw it, but it lost some of its luster the second time around.  

I think both Rachel McAdams and Amy Adams have naturally youthful faces, they can play a variety of age ranges even now. I think Rachel is likely happy with her career. She’s a solid B list actress with A list credits. I would like to see her in more Romantic Comedies, I loved her chemistry with Channing Tatum. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I agree that Rachel seems to age not at ALL, but Amy doesn't look as youthful to me.  Rachel is a bit younger but she has this face that is like, unreal.  She's like a doll or animation.  I think it's so perfect.  And yet she's a good enough actor that it's hard to remember that the same person is acting in Wedding Crashers, Mean Girls, and Midnight in Paris.  It's crazy.

Looking at her page, she was also in a Best Picture winner, "Spotlight".  So that's pretty good.

Edited July 1, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[topanga]

On 6/30/2019 at 2:14 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I feel like Rachel probably has exactly the career she wants.  She was just recently in Disobedience and Game Night, both critically acclaimed.  Who is a bigger star than her in her age group?  She's 40 and it's hard to think of contemporaries more successful than her.  Amy Adams is one, but she's been nominated for 6 Oscars, so she's an outlier.  Natalie Portman is another, but she's also an outlier because she's been successful since childhood.  I never thought Rachel's career was in trouble.  I've always made claims that her performance in "Mean Girls" was severely underrated, and there was a podcast that asked people to vote for which performance in 2004 was most deserving that did not get nominated for an Oscar, and Rachel's performance was voted #1.

I didn't say that Rachel is a nobody, and I've never heard her complain about her career. But with her talent and youthful looks, I think she could have--and should have-- had more leading roles. Besides Morning Glory, in her movies, she was usually the wife, the girlfriend, or one of many in an ensemble piece. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I see what you mean.  Movies where 1 woman around that age leading a movie is probably rarer these days.  Rebel Wilson got to do it with "Isn't it Romantic".  Taraji P. Henson has a couple of them.  Maybe Rachel feels like romcoms don't stretch her acting muscles enough.  She was in some of the biggest movies of the 2000s but maybe it's not so interesting anymore.  In the 2000s there were huge romcoms starring Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez, etc. but it's not something that happens so frequently anymore.  

Morning Glory only made a profit of $20 million.  With Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford as co-stars it probably underperformed.  

There's a lot of information here about it being a box office disappointment:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Glory_(2010_film)#Box_office

I'm a big fan of Cameron Diaz, and she had 3 romantic comedies in the 2010s that I really enjoy:  Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, and The Other Woman.  For such small-budgeted movies, these movies all did bonkers at the box office.  

Edited July 1, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[topanga]

5 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I'm a big fan of Cameron Diaz, and she had 3 romantic comedies in the 2010s that I really enjoy:  Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, and The Other Woman.  For such small-budgeted movies, these movies all did bonkers at the box office.  

I love Cameron Diaz. Beautiful, but she also doesn’t mind looking silly or being the bad guy in screwball comedies . 

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, topanga said:

I love Cameron Diaz. Beautiful, but she also doesn’t mind looking silly or being the bad guy in screwball comedies . 

Unfortunately she said she was retiring from acting in 2014.  Sad.  😣

[Bastet]

I went looking for the beautiful "I think she's a very nice girl" scene from Kissing Jessica Stein, and found this oral history of the film:

[twoods]

I caught a simple but sweet movie called The Park Bench on Amazon and was charmed by it. It is a movie about a girl tutoring a guy in American Lit on a park bench (that is where every scene is in) and I’m sure was super cheap to make, but both leads had such a nice chemistry.

[topanga]

On 7/2/2019 at 1:06 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Unfortunately she said she was retiring from acting in 2014.  Sad.  😣

I thought you were kidding, but nope. Her IMDB page conforms it. Why did she retire? 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, topanga said:

I thought you were kidding, but nope. Her IMDB page conforms it. Why did she retire? 

I wasn't kidding, but when I Google it, it doesn't seem like the issue is that clear.  Maybe she's not formally retired but has definitely said things that seem like she's done for now.  I don't know why articles say "Sex Tape" was a "flop".  It made 3 times its budget.

https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1138642/cameron-diaz-done-with-acting-rumors/

This is what she said in 2014

The Sweetest Thing reunion

https://ew.com/movies/2018/03/29/the-sweetest-thing-reunion-diaz-applegate-blair/

Edited July 26, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay