Romantic Comedies

[blugirlami21]

I love Sliding Doors, John Hannah is so amazing in that movie and Addicted to Love is also great.

I really like Friends With Benefits, Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake have great chemistry.

[Browncoat]

49 minutes ago, blugirlami21 said:

John Hannah is so amazing

In everything I've seen him in.

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, jazzygem said:

Kissing Jessica Stein,

I saw Kissing Jessica Stein and Imagine Me & You for the first time in the past couple of years.  Both are fantastic.

2 hours ago, jazzygem said:

and Addicted to Love.

I finally saw this one too.  I wasn't crazy about it, but I absolutely love the 90s aesthetic of it and I'll probably watch it again.  Same goes for "Two if by Sea".

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, jazzygem said:

Plus One

Juliet, Naked

Plus One was great!

And I loooooooooved Juliet Naked.  Something about it really worked for me.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, jazzygem said:

Kissing Jessica Stein

One of the few I like, and I love it.  I've probably posted this here before, but when Tovah, the stereotypical NY Jewish mother who has spent the whole movie "he's a very nice boy"ing Jessica in a quest to find her a good husband listens to her say without saying it the truth about her relationship with Helen, the "friend" she'd been bringing around, and responds, "I think she's a very nice girl," I cry.

 

[aradia22]

I don't remember if I posted about it here but I HATED Sliding Doors. Her options seemed miserable in both timelines and I didn't get what was so great about the "good" love interest. I guess I do prefer the rom-coms that don't tell women their standards are too high and they need to compromise. I go more for the fairytale ones. When Harry Met Sally is also rough for me. 

Give me Ever After or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I don't even need the happy ending. I will happily take Roman Holiday or My Best Friend's Wedding as long as the message isn't that the heroine should happily take a mediocre man. 

Unrelated... is Down With Love ever going to be free on streaming?

[blugirlami21]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I don't remember if I posted about it here but I HATED Sliding Doors. Her options seemed miserable in both timelines and I didn't get what was so great about the "good" love interest. I guess I do prefer the rom-coms that don't tell women their standards are too high and they need to compromise. I go more for the fairytale ones. When Harry Met Sally is also rough for me. 

Give me Ever After or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I don't even need the happy ending. I will happily take Roman Holiday or My Best Friend's Wedding as long as the message isn't that the heroine should happily take a mediocre man. 

Unrelated... is Down With Love ever going to be free on streaming?

Idk I never thought that John Hannah's character was a compromise. What I loved about that choice is that she grew as an independent person but I'm not knocking your opinion of it all. There are loads of romcoms that are beloved that I can't stand. Like My Best Friends Wedding lol. Ugh I hate it. No one is remotely likeable imo so it's hard for me to care what happens to anybody.

I used to think I would hate When Harry Met Sally for a long time, I only saw it last year but I actually really love it. I like that they and consequently their friendship had to mature a lot before they could fall in love.

Does mediocre mean unattractive? Just curious. Oddly enough in the right romcom any actor can be attractive to me even if they aren't usually. For example I can take or leave Jack Black usually but he's super attractive to me in The Holiday. 

I've never seen Kissing Jessica Stein. I've always heard good things tho. 

Am I the only one who hates 500 Days Of Summer? What is the appeal? I just came away thinking that Tom was an immature ass. You can't force people to want a relationship with you.

Edited June 14, 2021 by blugirlami21

[aradia22]

Quote

Idk I never thought that John Hannah's character was a compromise. [...] Does mediocre mean unattractive? Just curious. Oddly enough in the right romcom any actor can be attractive to me even if they aren't usually. For example I can take or leave Jack Black usually but he's super attractive to me in The Holiday. 

Partially it means unattractive. I have a shaky memory of that movie but doesn't he 

Spoiler

intentionally conceal that he's still married (separated is still married). Like, in all the time he spends trying to be friends/courting her, he never mentions it so it's a surprise. And I think when she confronts him, he admits that he kept it from her but I'm not sure. 

I think the movie is also hurt by presenting it like GWYNETH PALTROW would be alone forever if she didn't choose this guy who just happens to be around. Hannah has a big acting moment at the end but throughout the rest of it, I didn't find him charming enough to understand 'why him.'

Hugh Grant is attractive but I think a movie that does imperfect love interest well is Music & Lyrics. In some ways he's a catch, and in others, he's not. And the movie is very clear on when he messes up and doesn't treat it like charming flaws or like that's just what you need to roll with to be in an adult relationship. Just because fairytales are fantasy, it doesn't mean that everything non-ideal is something you should have to put up with. I think that's one of the more subtle toxic rom-com messages. He's obnoxious, he's a jerk, he lies, he cheated on you, you constantly fight... well, pobody's nerfect. 🙄

[pinkandsparkly13]

I'll have to watch Sliding Doors soon. I've never seen it. 

I think Catch and Release is okay, but I find it to be a bit overrated with some people. Idk. It's not that interesting to me. 

One that comes to mind that I really like is View From the Top. I know it's not a great movie, but I can watch it over and over again. Not sure if it's completely a romantic comedy though. And I love the clothes! Ha 

I also really like Because I Said So. I can watch that one over and over again too. Although I don't really like the pressure on Milly to find a man. Mandy Moore was only 22 in that movie! Her mom acted like if she didn't find love soon, she never would. And what's wrong with being alone for awhile, especially when you're that young? Or even when you're older like the mom? I know that's how it works in movies though. I mean Milly had a good life it seemed. She had her own business, a nice place, a good relationship with her sisters. She was dating around. Let her be! 

[Ms Blue Jay]

For me, I don't hate Sliding Doors, but it's SAD.  It's just SAD!  It doesn't make me happy at all.

On 6/13/2021 at 10:54 PM, blugirlami21 said:

 There are loads of romcoms that are beloved that I can't stand. Like My Best Friends Wedding lol. Ugh I hate it. No one is remotely likeable imo so it's hard for me to care what happens to anybody.

Oh. my god I misread this as My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Sorry.  I love My Best Friend's Wedding.

14 hours ago, pinkandsparkly13 said:

One that comes to mind that I really like is View From the Top. I know it's not a great movie, but I can watch it over and over again. Not sure if it's completely a romantic comedy though. And I love the clothes! Ha 

I also really like Because I Said So. I can watch that one over and over again too. Although I don't really like the pressure on Milly to find a man. Mandy Moore was only 22 in that movie! Her mom acted like if she didn't find love soon, she never would. And what's wrong with being alone for awhile, especially when you're that young? Or even when you're older like the mom? I know that's how it works in movies though. I mean Milly had a good life it seemed. She had her own business, a nice place, a good relationship with her sisters. She was dating around. Let her be! 

I love both of these 🥰

Edited June 15, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Trini]

On 5/2/2021 at 1:02 PM, tribeca said:

...
   It’s one reason I always loved while you were sleeping.  Lucy is so sad and alone.  She really does not change who she is in the movie.  She just gets out of her sadness.  She finds love and a family.  

I've seen bits and pieces over the years, but I've never seen the whole thing all the way through. I really should just actively find it and watch it. I've always heard good things, and I like Sandra Bullock.

 

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

For me, I don't hate Sliding Doors, but it's SAD.  It's just SAD!  It doesn't make me happy at all.

I don't think it even qualifies as a rom-com. I'd classify it as a romantic drama. Either way, both her love interests had problems so I wasn't satisfied by the ending.

Edited June 15, 2021 by Trini

[Ms Blue Jay]

11 minutes ago, Trini said:

I don't think it even qualifies as a rom-com. I'd classify it as a romantic drama. Either way, both her love interests had problems so I wasn't satisfied by the ending.

Right.  We've talked about this, but a lot of classic romantic comedies I actually qualify as dramas.  "Sliding Doors" is a good example.  I think I even feel the same way about "Notting Hill".  But that one I love! 

"500 Days of Summer" is kind of sad too.  I probably haven't seen this since 2009, but I'd like to try it again.  I suffered through a lot of hype when it was released because I was managing at a theatre and dealing with the film company promoting it.

[Bastet]

On 6/13/2021 at 7:54 PM, blugirlami21 said:

There are loads of romcoms that are beloved that I can't stand. Like My Best Friends Wedding lol. Ugh I hate it. No one is remotely likeable imo so it's hard for me to care what happens to anybody.

I think that one is barely okay, but refreshing in that the two biggest stars don't wind up together.  I mean, no one should marry the dude, but at least he and the maid of honor don't delude themselves into thinking their stupid pact is real when it really at long, pathetic last comes down to the wire - that's progress for the genre.  A truly good movie would have ended with him single and contemplating how to be better, but I at least spent less time yelling at the screen than is typical.

[aradia22]

Quote

"500 Days of Summer" is kind of sad too.  I probably haven't seen this since 2009, but I'd like to try it again. 

I know it has a big musical number but I think of it as a more palatable (that is, not so jarring) Ruby Sparks. It's more meta commentary on relationships than rom-com. Actually, it's very similar to The Apartment now that I've seen both. Except The Apartment is better.

Quote

A truly good movie would have ended with him single and contemplating how to be better, but I at least spent less time yelling at the screen than is typical.

Yeah, the ring scene is hot but WILDLY inappropriate. And him marrying a girl right out of college and dragging her around with him for his job is never properly resolved beyond 'they love each other.' But I kind of think at that point they couldn't leave it open-ended and they needed to get married to close that possibility. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thanks @Bastet you made me realize that I COMPLETELY misread that initial post.  I don't like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding".  I absolutely adore "My Best Friend's Wedding".  One of the most watchable movies to me.

[Scarlett45]

I think the thing I like best about Sliding Doors is the notion that “one moment can change your life.”

I recently saw Kissing Jessica Stein as well as Friends with Kids and I enjoyed both.

Some others I like that aren’t super popular are Sleeping with Other People, Boomerang, Deliver Us from Eva, Just Wright, Two Night Stand.

[jazzygem]

5 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Sleeping with Other People

I love this movie. I always recommend it to people. 

I really don't like "My Best Friend's Wedding". It's my least favorite of all the Julia Roberts romcoms that I've seen (never saw "Notting Hill"). I really like "Runaway Bride" and "Pretty Woman" is mostly watchable.

12 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Boomerang

That's a great one. Along with "Coming to America" & "The Best Man".  "Last Holiday", "Brown Sugar" & Two Can Play That Game " are good, also.

[Scarlett45]

Speaking of The Best Man, this woman cracked me up. 
 

 

[Scarlett45]

12 minutes ago, jazzygem said:

I really don't like "My Best Friend's Wedding". It's my least favorite of all the Julia Roberts romcoms that I've seen (never saw "Notting Hill"). I really like "Runaway Bride" and "Pretty Woman" is mostly watchable.

I don’t like My Best Friend’s Wedding either. 
 

I do like Pretty Woman, but I hate the ending. I don’t like how Vivian gets indignant when Edward asks her to be a kept woman (she never said she didn’t want to be a kept woman, it’s not an insult!), and then, she leaves, and he climbs up the ladder. Ummm okay- is he going to encourage her to go back to school? Better herself? Is she going to be his kept woman because he climbed up the ladder?

Of course she had every right to not want to be a kept woman, but what exactly is he now offering her? I didn’t get any emotional development on that. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

I think the thing I like best about Sliding Doors is the notion that “one moment can change your life.”

I recently saw Kissing Jessica Stein as well as Friends with Kids and I enjoyed both.

Some others I like that aren’t super popular are Sleeping with Other People, Boomerang, Deliver Us from Eva, Just Wright, Two Night Stand.

It's funny because "Sliding Doors" is referenced as a thing ALL OF THE TIME.   As in "That was a Sliding Doors moment."  So in a way, it's revolutionary, but I wonder, were there other films that did that technique before that one?  

I think I watched SWOP because of this thread, and I really enjoyed it.

Edited June 16, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Bastet]

I remember watching Sliding Doors at a friend's house when it first came out as a rental, but cannot remember a single thing that happened in it.  (We probably had too much to drink, since it was just a two-block walk home.  [And now I'm wondering what became of her; we lost touch after I moved.])

I hate Pretty Woman, but if I come across the "You work on commission, right?  Big mistake.  Huge." scene while going around the dial, I'll stop and watch that.

Notting Hill was okay (and if I had to re-watch a Julia Roberts rom-com in its entirety, that would be my pick*), because I can tolerate these films more when Hugh Grant is involved.

*Which is not a knock on Julia Roberts, who I love in Erin Brockovich and like in several other films; I just don't like rom-coms in general, and her numerous ones are not on my exceptions list (although they often have a friend supporting character I enjoy).

[aradia22]

Quote

I hate Pretty Woman, but if I come across the "You work on commission, right?  Big mistake.  Huge." scene while going around the dial, I'll stop and watch that.

I think Pretty Woman is a fun movie to watch but terrible as a romance. It has a lot of good comedic moments and that great Garry Marshall energy. But it was not written as a romance and it shows in the convoluted Pygmalion we seen on screen. I'm not trying to get into a whole debate about sex work but that movie is a mess. In many ways, The Princess Diaries has similar beats and is much more enjoyable. 

[blugirlami21]

Thanks whoever told me Til There Was You was on YouTube 😍. It was just as good as I remember. 

Sliding Doors is kind of sad but I like that there's hope at the end.

I hate Because I Said So. I didn't care that Mandy Moore was dating around, I hated that she lied about it. It was just so messy and unnecessary. 

Never understood the appeal of Nothing Hill. My favorite Julia Roberts romcom is probably America's Sweethearts. That's not one that's mentioned too much. 

I love Just Wright and The Last Holiday. I love that Queen Latifah's romcoms have substance. Its never about just getting a man.

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, aradia22 said:

In many ways, The Princess Diaries has similar beats and is much more enjoyable

I agree with you on that. I think The Princess Diaries is more “com” than “rom”, yes it’s a teen romance but I don’t root for the characters to get together. At least in Pretty Woman (as problematic as it is in some ways) I do feel the heat between Edward and Vivianne. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

Thanks whoever told me Til There Was You was on YouTube 😍. It was just as good as I remember. 

My favorite Julia Roberts romcom is probably America's Sweethearts. That's not one that's mentioned too much. 

That's awesome that TTWY is on YouTube.

I rewatched "America's Sweethearts" recently and I couldn't believe how much of it I had committed to memory.  That must mean that I watched it a loooot in the 2000s!  I still like that one.

[Browncoat]

5 hours ago, blugirlami21 said:

My favorite Julia Roberts romcom is probably America's Sweethearts.

I will watch that if I come across it when I'm channel surfing.  I have an irrational love of that movie, despite its many flaws.

I also love Notting Hill, and most Hugh Grant movies.  Music & Lyrics is underrated.

[Ms Blue Jay]

7 hours ago, Browncoat said:

 Music & Lyrics is underrated.

So good.  Hugh Grant is the romcom king.   I even like his "bad" ones like Nine Months and Mickey Blue Eyes.  The Rewrite with Marisa Tomei is also really good.  I think the only one I hated was "Did You Hear about the Morgans".  Oh and maybe "Bridget Jones 2".

Edited June 16, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[Scarlett45]

46 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

So good.  Hugh Grant is the romcom king.   I even like his "bad" ones like Nine Months and Mickey Blue Eyes.  The Rewrite with Marisa Tomei is also really good.  I think the only one I hated was "Did You Hear about the Morgans".  Oh and maybe "Bridget Jones 2".

I don’t like many Hugh Grant movies. I enjoy “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Love Actually” but that’s it. I feel like we are told he’s supposed to be charming, but I don’t feel it. 
 

Did I tell y’all I watched “Love, Simon”  yesterday? I loved it. 

[jazzygem]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

So good.  Hugh Grant is the romcom king.   I even like his "bad" ones like Nine Months and Mickey Blue Eyes.  The Rewrite with Marisa Tomei is also really good.  I think the only one I hated was "Did You Hear about the Morgans".  Oh and maybe "Bridget Jones 2".

I really liked The Rewrite and Nine Months. I know I've seen Mickey Blue Eyes and I recall enjoying it but I don't really remember much about it other than the general plot. . It's been a long time.

I recently watched some of my "guilty pleasure" romcoms with my daughter. Ones that aren't great but I find enjoyable

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Better Off Dead 

Can't Buy Me Love

Jersey Girl (1992)

Valley Girl

 

Edited June 17, 2021 by jazzygem

[Ms Blue Jay]

3 minutes ago, jazzygem said:

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Better Off Dead 

Can't Buy Me Love

Jersey Girl (1992)

Valley Girl

Oh I actually genuinely enjoyed some of these a great deal, I bolded my favourites.  I gotta try CBML again.

I don't even think Mickey Blue Eyes is that good but for some reason I keep watching it.  LOL.  

Edited June 17, 2021 by Ms Blue Jay

[aradia22]

I don't know how you'd group them but there's definitely a group of rom-coms with a very weird comedic sensibility. I'd put America's Sweethearts and Someone Like You in that group. 

I haven't watched them but Shallow Hal, Along Came Polly, The Ugly Truth, Blended, Bride Wars, etc. would probably fit as well. Gross out humor, somewhat meanspirited, often misogynistic... Maybe it's the awkwardness of trying to fit a romantic movie into the comedic sensibility of the moment or maybe it has to do with building vehicles around male comedians?

[twoods]

Someone like You was decent until they ruined it with the worst onscreen kiss ever at the end of the movie. It was so awkward and yuck, as opposed to Bridget Jones which was wonderful.

I don’t remember ever watching Catch and Release but saw it on Prime last night and may give it a go since you guys liked it.

Has anyone seen the new one on Netflix called 2 Hearts? Didn’t want to waste my time if it wasn’t good, and I’m not very fond of fate movies (except for Serendipity). 

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I don't know how you'd group them but there's definitely a group of rom-coms with a very weird comedic sensibility. I'd put America's Sweethearts and Someone Like You in that group. 

I haven't watched them but Shallow Hal, Along Came Polly, The Ugly Truth, Blended, Bride Wars, etc. would probably fit as well. Gross out humor, somewhat meanspirited, often misogynistic... Maybe it's the awkwardness of trying to fit a romantic movie into the comedic sensibility of the moment or maybe it has to do with building vehicles around male comedians?

I’m the rare person who really liked Blended. The premise was different and all of the kids were charming. Add in Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and it was fun!

[Ms Blue Jay]

12 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I’m the rare person who really liked Blended. The premise was different and all of the kids were charming. Add in Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and it was fun!

Oh I liked Blended.  The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates, and Blended.  I like them all!  The Wedding Singer is perfect.

Matthew McConaughey talks about being in romcom jail in his new book:

https://www.yahoo.com/now/matthew-mcconaughey-turned-down-millions-vowing-no-romcoms-201821412.html

[twoods]

Dang it, now I want to go watch the Wedding Singer for the billionth time. That movie is pure perfection.

[blugirlami21]

I've ever really gravitated towards the wedding singer for some reason. I prefer 50 first dates, I find the premise very romantic. I also may be the only one who likes Just Go With It lol. Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler have great chemistry.

The trailer for 2 Hearts seemed a little corny for me, it also looks very predictable but I could be wrong.

I wish I liked Love, Simon more than I did. I couldn't get past how terrible his friends were.

I saw Palm Springs recently and really loved it, very funny and just flat out interesting.

Edited June 18, 2021 by blugirlami21

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I really enjoyed both Love Simon and Palm Springs.  

[jazzygem]

On 6/17/2021 at 10:52 AM, Scarlett45 said:

I’m the rare person who really liked Blended. The premise was different and all of the kids were charming. Add in Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and it was fun!

I really like Blended and The Wedding Singer. . Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore are great together. Although, I haven't seen 50 First Dates because the premise just doesn't appeal to me.

[Spartan Girl]

On 6/17/2021 at 10:52 AM, Scarlett45 said:

I’m the rare person who really liked Blended. The premise was different and all of the kids were charming. Add in Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and it was fun!

Yeah I have a soft spot for Blended too. Wedding Singer is still better by a mile, but Adam Sandler’s character came off better than ones he’s played in other movies like, oh say, Just Go With It. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

8 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah I have a soft spot for Blended too. Wedding Singer is still better by a mile, but Adam Sandler’s character came off better than ones he’s played in other movies like, oh say, Just Go With It. 

Yeah the odd thing is that I love both Sandler and Aniston very much, but their movies together are a big FAIL for me!

[twoods]

6 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yeah the odd thing is that I love both Sandler and Aniston very much, but their movies together are a big FAIL for me!

I didn’t mind their mystery movie on Netflix probably because I had low expectations going in and was entertained.

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 minutes ago, twoods said:

I didn’t mind their mystery movie on Netflix probably because I had low expectations going in and was entertained.

Yeah it seems to be kind of popular.  I believe they are currently making the sequel.  I'm the opposite, I was anticipating it like crazy!  I was really let down.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 4/29/2019 at 10:01 PM, IWantCandy71 said:

"It Happened One Night" is incredibly dated, but I LOVE it. Gable and Colbert, ordinary newspaperman and hoity toity heiress "on the run", so to speak. It really is a classic.

This is a very old post but I read that this is thought of as the first romantic comedy.

[IWantCandy71]

11 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

This is a very old post but I read that this is thought of as the first romantic comedy.

Yes !

The first screwball comedy, and the film that started any "love on the run" type movies.

If you've never seen it, totally worth a watch.

Claudette Colbert is brilliant in this !

Shout out to Gable as well. Lol

Edited June 19, 2021 by IWantCandy71

[Ms Blue Jay]

17 minutes ago, IWantCandy71 said:

Yes !

The first screwball comedy, and the film that started any "love on the run" type movies.

If you've never seen it, totally worth a watch.

Claudette Colbert is brilliant in this !

Shout out to Gable as well. Lol

Definitely on my list!!  Thank you

[Ms Blue Jay]

Thanks for everyone's recommendations for "Lucky 7".  It's cute, fun, easy to watch and I'm really enjoying it.

But boy, this is messy and confusing!!!!  The part at the beginning after she meets the blonde guy Daniel, they meet in the coffee shop and he talks about his wife?  Going on dates, getting a babysitter?  Then he suddenly says that the woman that he was with at the tennis game was a coworker.  This part confused me beyond belief!  I rewound it like 3-5 times and I swear that's what he said.  Something about a wife, and getting a babysitter to go on dates.  It's as if he was married, and yet he's clearly not.  So so so weird.

There were a few other parts like that too that were so confusing.  Anyways lol I'm still having fun.

[Bastet]

On 6/19/2021 at 7:41 AM, IWantCandy71 said:

The first screwball comedy,

That depends on whether you count Bombshell as a screwball or not (and I'm not even sure if I do).

Anyway, many of the exceptions to my general dislike of romantic comedies are screwballs, since they're as much satires of love stories as love stories themselves.  And, despite being made in an even more sexist era, I find there are ways the female characters come off better than today.  Plus there's some wicked social commentary on classism.  And I love the snappy, witty dialogue.

My hands-down favorites are Libeled Lady (Myrna Loy, William Powell, Jean Harlow, and Spencer Tracy [it would have been even better with Clark Gable in Tracy's role as originally planned]) and Bringing Up Baby (Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant).  I'm not sure Holiday, another Hepburn/Grant collaboration, is a true screwball, but it's a terrific film, a real underrated gem.

I also like It Happened One Night, My Man Godfrey, His Girl Friday, Ball of Fire, and The Lady Eve.

And, of course, my favorite couple in all of film are Nick and Nora Charles, of the Thin Man films (not screwballs, detective stories featuring a zany couple with mad chemistry [even after marriage and a baby, and how often does that happen in film?] - and their dog - rather than a lone wolf male detective).

Edited June 20, 2021 by Bastet

[Scarlett45]

This morning I watched Saving Face with a friend- I loved it! Surprised I hadn’t seen it before. 
 

Family dynamics, lesbian romance, Chinese American representation, throw back to 2005 fashions- such fun. 

[IWantCandy71]

On 6/19/2021 at 5:13 PM, Bastet said:

That depends on whether you count Bombshell as a screwball or not (and I'm not even sure if I do).

Anyway, many of the exceptions to my general dislike of romantic comedies are screwballs, since they're as much satires of love stories as love stories themselves.  And, despite being made in an even more sexist era, I find there are ways the female characters come off better than today.  Plus there's some wicked social commentary on classism.  And I love the snappy, witty dialogue.

My hands-down favorites are Libeled Lady (Myrna Loy, William Powell, Jean Harlow, and Spencer Tracy [it would have been even better with Clark Gable in Tracy's role as originally planned]) and Bringing Up Baby (Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant).  I'm not sure Holiday, another Hepburn/Grant collaboration, is a true screwball, but it's a terrific film, a real underrated gem.

I also like It Happened One Night, My Man Godfrey, His Girl Friday, Ball of Fire, and The Lady Eve.

And, of course, my favorite couple in all of film are Nick and Nora Charles, of the Thin Man films (not screwballs, detective stories featuring a zany couple with mad chemistry [even after marriage and a baby, and how often does that happen in film?] - and their dog - rather than a lone wolf male detective).

Gotta admit I've never seen Bombshell. Adding it to my list.

Agreed with your points. There are definite satirical elements in It Happened One Night.

And CC/ Ellie is so FIERCE. She wants her man, but you know if she doesn't get him, she's gonna be fine. I LOVE that.

[aradia22]

Quote

I'm not sure Holiday, another Hepburn/Grant collaboration, is a true screwball, but it's a terrific film, a real underrated gem.

It's been a while so I can't confidently discuss all of those movies but I definitely agree that Holiday was a surprising fave for the Hepburn/Grant movies. I remember liking it more than Bringing Up Baby because (to me) it was a better fit for the actors' general screen personas. 

I maintain that if you've seen the animated movie Anastasia, you've seen a good chunk of It Happened One Night. I think what hurts some of those movies for modern viewers is not that they are no longer relevant or funny but that they established the tropes/humor. Though I still like The Shop Around the Corner better than any of the other versions.