Romantic Comedies

[Irlandesa]

I just found Laggies (otherwise known as Say When) on Netflix.  I don't know how long it has been there but it's a movie starring Keira Knightley and Sam Rockwell.  (Since I think both have charisma, it was a promising start for me.)  Jeff Garlin, Ellie Kemper, Chloe Grace Moretz and a few other people I recognized from TV appeared in the movie as well.

The premise is kind of out there in that Keira plays a woman, Megan, who is feeling kind of lost with her life.  Her boyfriend suddenly wants to get engaged, she hangs with her friends from high school and she doesn't know what to do with her life.  Circumstances lead her to meeting Chloe Grace Moretz's teen character, Annika.  They form a connection after Megan buys her alcohol and when Megan decides she needs to take a break from her life, she lies and tells everyone she's going to a conference.  Instead, she gets Annika to sneak her into her house where she plans to hide out for the week.

That's where Sam Rockwell's character comes in.  He's Annika's single dad and figures things out pretty quickly.  He eventually agrees to let Megan stay and they bond. 

So if you're looking for something, even if Keira's character is too old to be doing what she's doing, I recommend it.

[festivus]

I watched two yesterday that I had never seen before. First up: Win a Date With Tad Hamilton. As much as I like Topher Grace, I just couldn't get into this movie, I didn't care if the two bland main characters got together or not. I also felt like it was one of those "but the nice guy deserves to get the girl" tropes. I ended up actually thinking that Tad Hamilton was the best thing about the movie. At the end I hope he did go back to Hollywood with a new outlook on his life. I also liked the bartender character.

2nd: Music & Lyrics. I love both Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and although this wasn't either one's best romcom, they were still both their adorable selves and I enjoyed the movie. It also reminded me that I really need to get to watching Santa Clarita Diet already.

[memememe76]

Loved Music & Lyrics. Pop! Goes My Heart should have WON an Oscar for Best Song. How it didn't even get nominated...

[JustaPerson]

OMG the music video though. It's incredible.

[Browncoat]

Music and Lyrics is all kinds of cheesy awesomeness!  I have an irrational love for that move (and the song)!

[andromeda331]

20 hours ago, festivus said:

I watched two yesterday that I had never seen before. First up: Win a Date With Tad Hamilton. As much as I like Topher Grace, I just couldn't get into this movie, I didn't care if the two bland main characters got together or not. I also felt like it was one of those "but the nice guy deserves to get the girl" tropes. I ended up actually thinking that Tad Hamilton was the best thing about the movie. At the end I hope he did go back to Hollywood with a new outlook on his life. I also liked the bartender character.

2nd: Music & Lyrics. I love both Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and although this wasn't either one's best romcom, they were still both their adorable selves and I enjoyed the movie. It also reminded me that I really need to get to watching Santa Clarita Diet already.

Tad Hamilton was my favorite part of the movie. 

[VCRTracking]

I agree with JGL.

[Luckylyn]

1 hour ago, VCRTracking said:

I agree with JGL.

There’s a scene in the movie when Summer lets her guard down around him and starts confiding in him and instead of really listening to her in his mind he’s mentally giving himself a pat on the back for finally getting closer to her.  I feel like that moment sums up why eventually she dumps him.  Ultimately for him the relationship is about him and his love for his image of her.  He doesn’t put in the effort to really see her for herself.  They are both flawed, and I don’t think either is a villain.  They simply aren’t the one for eachother.

[cpcathy]

That's why I like 500 Days of Summer, it's not black and white. They are both complicated and make mistakes. I tend to hate Summer but then remember that I have to see her point of view. Tom is a sympathetic character so perhaps we automatically side with him.

My favorite scene is the Reality vs. Expectations.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

My favorite scene is the Reality vs. Expectations.

I like that scene, too. The end of it is just...oh, man.

And agreed on sympathizing with both people. Yes, it might be easier for some to sympathize with Tom throughout, for the reasons you note, but I also get where Summer's coming from, too, wanting to keep things casual and not wanting to make it more than it is. I think one of the interesting things about the movie is seeing how moments that may seem like the sign of a relationship getting serious to one person can be just plain ol' hanging out to another. And I like the reminder that just because you have things in common that doesn't mean you're automatically meant to be together. It can be a great starting point, yes, but it's not a guarantee. 

[Spartan Girl]

I agree that Tom projected a lot on Summer, but that doesn't make him a bad guy. He didn't do it on purpose, even if he was thoughtless at times.

And I still hate Summer for the reality vs expectations sequence. She could have been a but more clearer at that wedding that she was seeing someone else. I mean, come on, you run into your ex at a wedding, you share a seemingly romantic dance and she invites you to a party -- anyone would get their hopes up in Tom's place. Plus, Summer's catty, "Tom could be a great architect if he wanted to be" crack was so uncalled for.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Trini]

4 hours ago, cpcathy said:

. I tend to hate Summer but then remember that I have to see her point of view.

My problem with the film is that Summer barely gets a point of view -- which I think is the point, or a deliberate choice of the filmmakers.

[NutMeg]

Yes, I've been thinking of a lot of films and series, and realising that if things were told from the antagonist point of view, I would agree with them, but the way they're told is supposed to make us by default side with the protagonist, and we often do, even when in reality we'd have more sympathy for the "antagonist" (for lack of a better word, it's not always really an antagonist). 

Edited August 10, 2018 by NutMeg
add missing h

[Ms Blue Jay]

Music & Lyrics fans, you guys helped me rediscover that movie and I liked it a lot better the second time.

Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep did a delightful Q&A for Reddit AMA to promote Florence Foster Jenkins.

Here's an awesome answer about that movie from Hugh.

The entire Q&A is great, of course, I link it here.  

 

 

Hugh Grant has said some hilarious things about his rom-com co-stars including Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Renee Zellweger, etc.  I really do think he is friends with Sandra (their commentary on Two Weeks Notice DVD is so cute), and he's worked many times with Emma Thompson, but the rest are questionable.

https://www.today.com/popculture/everybody-hates-hugh-hugh-grant-dishes-female-co-stars-who-t87386

Edited August 12, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

Came back to say that I agree with some other posters here - I enjoyed "I Feel Pretty" more than I thought I would.  I didn't think I would like that one, based on the trailers.  For me it was above average.

A lesser known movie from this year, I assume, is "Half Magic".  Heather Graham directed it.  The 3 stars are Heather, Angela Kinsey (from The Office) and Stephanie Beatriz (from Brooklyn 99).  It kind of has a Wiccan angle to it, but it plays exactly like one of those very easy to watch romcoms from the early 2000s that starred like, Cameron Diaz.  It was a very, very easy watch.  It's not the best movie, but I'd recommend it enough for people who like this sort of thing.  

Edited August 13, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[tennisgurl]

On 8/9/2018 at 4:07 PM, NutMeg said:

Yes, I've been thinking of a lot of films and series, and realising that if things were told from the antagonist point of view, I would agree with them, but the way they're told is supposed to make us by default side with the protagonist, and we often do, even when in reality we'd have more sympathy for the "antagonist" (for lack of a better word, it's not always really an antagonist). 

That reminds me a lot of My Best Friends Wedding, and why I think its such an interesting movie. The movie is essentially told from the perspective of the asshole third part of the love triangle trying to mess with the sweet heroine for their own selfish desires...who thinks that SHE is the hero of the story. Because Julianne is the protagonist, we kind of start off rooting for her, just because we spend the most time with her, but as the movie goes on, we realize that she was the villain the whole time, and even she realizes that this was never her love story, and has to come to terms with that and make amends. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I just watched "The Rewrite".  It stars Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei and it's directed by Marc Lawrence (same guy who did Two Weeks Notice, Music & Lyrics, and - unfortunately - Did You Hear About the Morgans? - he also WROTE Miss Congeniality - damn!)  I honestly didn't even want to like this one, but I ended up liking it!

I also watched "Only You" (1994). Ugh!!  It really pissed me off.  Manipulative as hell.  But the Italian scenery porn was to die for, and Bonnie Hunt's storyline was awesome.  But ugh!!  The plot upset me.

Edited August 13, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Irlandesa]

8 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I also watched "Only You" (1994). Ugh!!  It really pissed me off.  Manipulative as hell.  But the Italian scenery porn was to die for, and Bonnie Hunt's storyline was awesome.  But ugh!!  The plot upset me.

Amazing scenery.  And the movie that made me wonder what a RDJ and Bonnie Hunt-starring romcom would look like.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Okay I watched "Bounce" (I'm on a huge movie binge obviously) and..... don't hit me!  I really enjoyed myself!  My first time ever watching this.  I think this is to be described more as a romantic drama more than a romantic comedy, but damn!  I really liked it!  The soundtrack was incredible.  It's from the year 2000 and it was a bunch of female indie singers and man the soundtrack was so good.  I just have to straight up admit I'm a Gwyneth fan.... she was very charming here.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

Guys, "Crazy Rich Asians" is a perfect romantic comedy.  I cried so much.  Try it out!  I definitely rate this one a 5/5.

Others I've seen recently

Keeping the Faith - 3.5 - Decent, but much too long.  It could have used some editing; didn't need to be 2 hours!

'Til There Was You - 3.5 - I know this wasn't treated kindly at the time (1997) but I really enjoyed the first half.  Sarah Jessica Parker turns in a great performance.  I want to find this on DVD but it's very hard!  

Nine Months - 3.5 - This was so much better than I remembered!  I thought it was more like a 2 or a 2.5 movie.  But it's not that bad!  The ending gets kind of crazy but the leadup is really not so bad.  Hugh Grant hates his performance in this one, but he's still as cute as he always was.

Beauty and the Briefcase - 3 - LOL.  Um....... Hahaha.  This is the only thread I'd feel safe enough to confess I watched this.  It's exactly what you'd expect from the trailer and description!

The Out of Towners (1999 version) - 4 - I felt like I had to see it because Marc Lawrence wrote it and I love almost everything he's done!  It was really cute.  Rapid fire pace, a lot of jokes and gags.

Hello My Name is Doris - 3 - I did NOT love this one. I found it way overhyped.  Critics seemed to love it but I thought it was just okay....it was weird, but not in the way I liked.

Edited August 20, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Shannon L.]

My daughter and I watched Love, Simon last night.  I really enjoyed it.  She has been part of the theater productions in high school since the beginning, so we got a good laugh over the drama teacher.  I was really impressed with the actor who played Simon.  His reaction to being publicly outed had me tearing up.  I've also always liked Jennifer Garner.  I thought it looked good when I saw the trailer and it didn't disappoint.

[truthaboutluv]

Has anyone else seen The Kissing Booth on Netflix? Cliffs notes version, girl and guy are best friend but girl falls for best friend's older brother, despite their pact to never date the other's sibling (except girl has no sibling so it's basically the rule to not date her best friend's brother). It was the most popular original teen movie on Netflix for a minute and all the rage on social media, until To All The Boys I've Loved Before premiered last week and has been killing. Okay, so straight up, I hated this movie so much and I'm not even sure where to even begin with the many reasons I hated it. 

Well first there was the creepy, co-dependent relationship between the girl and her best friend, then there was the slut shaming on his part when he finds out about her and his brother, then there was the creepy and toxic relationship between her and the older brother, complete with his territorial attitude towards her before they were even a couple that I think we were supposed to think was cute. Then there was the older brother/love interest's anger management issues that's only just touched upon but we're never given any indication that he'll actually try to get help. I think we're supposed to think, based on one line he said that he'll magically be better because of the love of the main character.

The main character was annoying as fuck for most of the movie - between the constant hair looking like it just got out of a shower and is uncombed and mouth hanging open "doh" faces. It took me multiple tries to even watch the full movie because I kept turning it off in the first five to ten minutes or so because I found the main character and the whole writing, acting, etc. so bad. I mean this is an example of something that made me roll my eyes so hard. So on the first day of school, where they wear uniform, main character's pants are too tight and tear while putting them on. She has no other uniform but her school skirt from the previous year, before she had a growth spurt. So she puts that on, despite the skirt being so short, her panties are literally showing.

Of course as soon as she gets to school, guys are cat calling, girls are laughing and at first she can't imagine what they're reacting to and then realizes it's her and of course gets the dumb, doh face and seems so confused and embarrassed. Like you wore a skirt so short your ass and panties were showing but yes, shocker that the other kids are reacting to that. Obviously this was meant to be cute and adorable and make us see the main character as so adorably bumbling (and proof of how awful this film was, I keep saying main character because I don't remember her name at all) and instead it just made me roll my eyes at the sheer stupidity of the movie. 

After all that, ultimately, what made this movie not work for me, especially because it was a romantic comedy and a teen one at that, is that I did not care for the love interest at all. The actor certainly has a gorgeous chest but I actually did not find him good looking, the troubled/anger management/emo thing was not pulled off well enough for me and I didn't find him charming at all. And the relationship between him and the main character seemed more about sex than anything else which would have been fine if I thought they had this amazing chemistry but I didn't. They just seemed to bang each other a lot but that didn't mean I saw chemistry. 

To compare this movie to To All The Boys I've Loved Before, that film worked so much better for me because one, I really liked Lara Jean and appreciated the writing not insulting my intelligence by trying too hard to make her this "adorably bumbling" caricature but two, and more importantly, I loved Peter, the love interest. Peter is the kind of love interest you need for a teen romantic comedy - charming, sweet, affable. For these movies to work, the audience needs to have a crush on the love interest themselves. I did not have a crush on the love interest in The Kissing Booth. I frankly didn't care about him at all or the main character for that matter. 

Edited August 22, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[paulvdb]

I agree with most of your complaints about The Kissing Booth. There was one thing I did like about it. In many of these movies at least one of the best friends would have been in love with the other. So I was worried that the best friend brother would be in love with the girl and that would cause problems between them when she started dating the older brother. So I was happy when that wasn't the case. Unfortunately that happiness didn't last long because his reaction was still problematic as you already mentioned in your post.

[truthaboutluv]

13 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

In many of these movies at least one of the best friends would have been in love with the other. So I was worried that the best friend brother would be in love with the girl and that would cause problems between them when she started dating the older brother. So I was happy when that wasn't the case.

Yes, I will completely co-sign you on this. I was very happy that cliche was avoided and that in fact they gave him a nice girlfriend of his own. But yeah, it just added to the over the top-ness of his reaction to the girl dating his brother and why I called their friendship weirdly co-dependent.

[amaranta]

On ‎8‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 10:29 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Peter is the kind of love interest you need for a teen romantic comedy - charming, sweet, affable. For these movies to work, the audience needs to have a crush on the love interest themselves. I did not have a crush on the love interest in The Kissing Booth. I frankly didn't care about him at all or the main character for that matter. 

I see your point and To All The Boys I've Loved Before even had a small meta moment from that perspective - "Hello! Jake Ryan!"  

I've watched four Netflix Rom Coms this summer (don't judge) and there's one I've yet to see mentioned: Candy Jar.  I think after Boys, I liked this one the most. Then Set It Up and last, The Kissing Booth.

I'm liking this Netflix trend, releasing original romantic comedies, and I hope they keep it up. I'm a total sucker for the genre.

[VCRTracking]

On 8/22/2018 at 7:29 AM, truthaboutluv said:

To compare this movie to To All The Boys I've Loved Before, that film worked so much better for me because one, I really liked Lara Jean and appreciated the writing not insulting my intelligence by trying too hard to make her this "adorably bumbling" caricature but two, and more importantly, I loved Peter, the love interest. Peter is the kind of love interest you need for a teen romantic comedy - charming, sweet, affable. For these movies to work, the audience needs to have a crush on the love interest themselves. I did not have a crush on the love interest in The Kissing Booth. I frankly didn't care about him at all or the main character for that matter. 

 

2 hours ago, amaranta said:

I see your point and To All The Boys I've Loved Before even had a small meta moment from that perspective - "Hello! Jake Ryan!"

Also, chemistry is vital in romcoms. I have to want to like seeing this couple together. They should bring out the best in each other.

Edited August 26, 2018 by VCRTracking

[twoods]

Yes, the chemistry between the leads was off the charts in To All the Boys... It seems as if they are really close in real life (that super cute screenshot on her phone of them cuddling and sleeping together was actually them taking a nap during a shooting break). I also really enjoyed Candy Jar, but felt that the ending was too uprupt and needed more. 

Netflix has a few teen romcoms coming out soon (two with Noah Centineo, everyone’s new boyfriend after To All the Boys). I’m glad they are giving us the romcom fix we desperately need!

[Scarlett45]

Yeah I’m watching The Kissing Booth & I don’t care for it. The older brother/love interest is such a douche. He has a nice body don’t get me wrong but damn he annoys me. 

[methodwriter85]

It kind of weirds me out how many times they come up with reasons for Joey King's character to be in her bras/showing off her panties in the movie. I mean, I get it, she's a sexually active teenager in the movie, but it's like...when she's wearing the brother's jersey and it barely covers her...it's like, "Really? Like, the jersey worn by a 6'4" football player can't quite cover the panties of the 5'1" girl wearing it? Seriously? Is the jersey supposed to be 80's pec skimmers or something?"

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

"Really? Like, the jersey worn by a 6'4" football player can't quite cover the panties of the 5'1" girl wearing it? Seriously? Is the jersey supposed to be 80's pec skimmers or something?"

lmao... Yeah I've seen many comment on this at other boards. How it seemed like whoever directed the film was really obsessed with the actress' ass because they sure found a lot of ways to show it. If it wasn't the ridiculous first day of school nonsense, there was like you mentioned that scene after she wakes up in the brother's bed, there were multiple shots of her lounging in her bed with just a tiny shirt and panties on, etc. It really did come across as gratuitous at one point. 

By the way, I have since learned that this movie is based on a teen book, just like To All The Boys I've Loved Before but more importantly that the author wrote it at 15. I am a bit torn learning this because on one hand I thought, "well that explains the juvenile idea of romance and how clunky and ridiculous this story was a times" but then it also disturbed me that a teenage girl thinks a guy controlling a girl's life by telling people they can't date her is supposed to be cute, not to mention how no one calls out the slut shaming behavior of the best friend when he finds out.  And not to be a hypocrite but I'm also a bit uncomfortable that a 15 year old wrote such a heavily sexualized story between two teenage characters. 

Edited September 3, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[tribeca]

I agree with all the criticism of kissing booth although there were parts of it I liked.   The lead female was very cute and quirky in a sweet way.  Honestly I would not want my best friend to date my much cooler sister either.  Oh wait that happened and it wasn’t great.  

Kissing Booth was the one romantic movie where I did not root for the couple to get together.    

All the boys I loved before was a very sweet romantic comedy.   The relationship between all the sisters was my favorite part of the movie.   

[HunterHunted]

8 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

By the way, I have since learned that this movie is based on a teen book, just like To All The Boys I've Loved Before but more importantly that the author wrote it at 15. I am a bit torn learning this because on one hand I thought, "well that explains the juvenile idea of romance and how clunky and ridiculous this story was a times" but then it also disturbed me that a teenage girl thinks a guy controlling a girl's life by telling people they can't date her is supposed to be cute, not to mention how no one calls out the slut shaming behavior of the best friend when he finds out.  And not to be a hypocrite but I'm also a bit uncomfortable that a 15 year old wrote such a heavily sexualized story between two teenage characters. 

It was originally a Wattpad story. Wattpad has a lot of teen authors, a lot of fan fiction, and a lot of erotica. It's exactly the kind of place where Master of the Universe, the supremely terrible Twilight fan fiction that would become Fifty Shades of Grey, would be published and shared. That's not to say that everything on Wattpad is garbage or schlock, but there is a hefty proprtion of trash there.

[Scarlett45]

12 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

And not to be a hypocrite but I'm also a bit uncomfortable that a 15 year old wrote such a heavily sexualized story between two teenage characters. 

I’m more comfortable with a teen writing that than an adult. A teen girl thinking about sex and exploring her sexuality via writing is a very tame and safe thing. It’s a fantasy. Teen girls think about sex a lot more than society would have us believe.

Why would an adult be so interested in teen sexuality? Get my drift?....much more skeevy in my mind (or at least the potential for skeevy).

[Irlandesa]

22 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Why would an adult be so interested in teen sexuality? Get my drift?....much more skeevy in my mind (or at least the potential for skeevy).

Adults were teens at one point.  So an adult woman writing about a teen girl's desire for love, sex and acceptance doesn't bother me because I do think some can reach back to that part of their lives and write from an authentic place.  (Some---some of us forget).  It can feel ickier when there's a gender reversal, though.

The Kissing Booth was problematic but I'll share the unpopular opinion that I did think the duo had chemistry.  And sometimes the problematic aspects can detract from me enjoying fiction.  And sometimes I don't even blink an eye.  I didn't even blink an eye here, especially from a teen's perspective in the movie.  Plus, I don't think they did end up together.  They had their thing and then he left.  While there was the possibility it could continue, I thought there was a realistic overlay that it probably wouldn't.

[truthaboutluv]

55 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I’m more comfortable with a teen writing that than an adult. A teen girl thinking about sex and exploring her sexuality via writing is a very tame and safe thing. It’s a fantasy. Teen girls think about sex a lot more than society would have us believe.

I get that and for the record, I wasn't trying to suggest that I would have been more comfortable had an adult written it. Either way I would have been bothered by how overly sexualized I thought the pairing was, considering their age. I just think knowing a 15 year old was the one writing it just made me more uncomfortable but that's just me. At the same time, like I said, knowing she was 15 did help me better accept the juvenile, fan fictiony elements of the story.

 

29 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Plus, I don't think they did end up together.  They had their thing and then he left.  While there was the possibility it could continue, I thought there was a realistic overlay that it probably wouldn't.

I didn't think they ended up together and along with their skipping the cliche of her best friend having feelings for her, it was the one other part of the story that I liked. But yeah, YMMV on the chemistry. And I think that's what made it especially difficult for me to look past the problematic elements of the story. Like shallow as it may be, I do think if I thought they had great chemistry, I'd be more willing to look past the glaring issues. But since the pairing did little for me I couldn't look past his creepy territorial attitude towards her, her inability to wear pants, her very annoying expressions and just annoying character in general, the best friend being a slut shamey dick, the creepy, co-dependent relationship with the best friend, etc. 

[paulvdb]

On 3-9-2018 at 9:13 AM, methodwriter85 said:

Like, the jersey worn by a 6'4" football player can't quite cover the panties of the 5'1" girl wearing it?

That's the tv and movie rule of clothing: when you borrow someone's clothes they will always be the right size even if the other person is significantly bigger or smaller than you. And that scene also showed the rule of towel wearing: when you wear a towel it will stay perfectly in place. It won't come off even if you're rolling around on the floor with a girl.

[twoods]

Reading about that movie is bringing up all the things I hated about it. Why in the world did she wear her super short skirt to school the first day? Couldn’t find shorts to go underneath it, or screw the dress code and wear some regular pants. I couldn’t stand her “I’m so cute but don’t want attention put on me” schtick. The actress also reminded me of Alexis Bledel back when Rory tried to be “cute but nerdy hot” with her breathless baby voice on the later seasons of Gilmore Girls, so I was already put off from the get go. So glad that To All The Boys was such a step up in the right direction.

[raven]

On 6/17/2018 at 1:04 AM, twoods said:

Taye Diggs is still hot, and Lucy Liu is gorgeous. 

They both really, really are.

I watched Set it Up the other day; enjoyed it and laughed more than I thought it would.   Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell were cute together too.

I don't watch a lot of rom-coms but was in the mood for one so I checked out this thread for some ideas. 

You all are providing an important public service :)

[methodwriter85]

Edited September 11, 2018 by methodwriter85

[Ms Blue Jay]

I loved Crazy Rich Asians as much, if not even more, the second time.  I cried for like 15 minutes AGAIN.  Not only did I love it but I very honestly think it's one of the greatest movies I've EVER seen.  Really.

I watched Set it Up again and I can just admit I really really liked this movie.  It's not on CRA level but few movies are.  But it is adorable and I love it.

I saw TATBILB, I have some issues with it that I don't want to get into, so I'll just say Peter Kavinsky is adorable and I love him.  (the actor is 22 so I feel okay saying that.  LOL.)

I watched Holidaze - 2013 movie with Jennie Garth.  This is a good Christmas one.  I was surprised.  It's ABC Family.  Better than I expected.  On the other hand, 12 Dates of Christmas starring Mark Paul Gosselaar was a disappointment.  

Destination Wedding starring Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder was horrible.  I wouldn't recommend it.

I was on a huge Claire Forlani kick.  Meet Joe Black was really cute and surprised/confused the heck out of me, I'll definitely be watching that again.  (Warning, I'm sure most everyone knows, it's 3 hours and sooooooo doesn't need to be.  Which is why it took me 20 years to see it.)  Mallrats, I liked this as much as I remembered I did, but god do I hATE the gross out humour of it, it really taints it.  Boys and Girls was just average, but I didn't mind it.  

The Oranges starring Leighton Meester was a bit above average.  I was surprised that I enjoyed it.  It was actually a romantic movie.  Paris Can Wait is just some nice travel porn.  I wouldn't exactly say it was worth it.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[raven]

Crazy Rich Asians is getting so much buzz, I may go see it in the theater.  I have to really be in the mood for a romantic comedy though.  The wardrobe alone looks to die for, Michelle Yeoh can do no wrong and Henry Golding is too cute for words.

I watched Table 19 the other day not really knowing what it was about.  It was not bad, sort of a rom-com with other elements mashed in.  It did have funny parts and was warm-hearted so I do recommend it, unless you can't stand Anna Kendrick.

[methodwriter85]

On 8/19/2018 at 10:09 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Guys, "Crazy Rich Asians" is a perfect romantic comedy.  I cried so much.  Try it out!  I definitely rate this one a 5/5.

It really is. I watched it a second time, and it held up very well. The scene where Rachel and Nick are mouthing "I love you" to each other as "Can't Help Falling in Love With You" plays during the wedding scene is just perfect. Absolute perfect romance scene.

I liked Table 19, although I think it was more of a "these disparate group of people get together" vibe than a true romantic comedy. The "All Through the Night" dance scene was just lovely.

[methodwriter85]

I really enjoyed Juliet Naked, which stars Rose Bryne as an English woman who embarks on a surprise romance with a former grunge era musician played by Ethan Hawke. It was well-balanced and just an enjoyable watch. It was also cool to see all the photos of 1990's era Ethan Hawke, who really was one gorgeous guy.

It's Nick Hornby, so you know what to expect and I wasn't disappointed.

Edited September 30, 2018 by methodwriter85

[aradia22]

Quote

I watched Table 19 the other day not really knowing what it was about.  It was not bad, sort of a rom-com with other elements mashed in.  It did have funny parts and was warm-hearted so I do recommend it, unless you can't stand Anna Kendrick.

I remember seeing that trailer. Where did you find it? Or did you buy/rent it?

I watched The Wedding Plan tonight. It's an Israeli production. You can find it on Amazon with English subtitles. Not knowing Hebrew, I think the subtitles seem decent. There are just a few moments when I wonder if they're totally accurate because the movie is subtle in a way where word choice matters. But anyway, I read a review of this when it first came out but I didn't track it down until now. I really loved it. It almost benefits from a second viewing because you can watch the actors more and the subtitles less. The acting is quite good. Very naturalistic for a rom-com. It's not quite an indie movie but it doesn't have a wacky American sensibility. If you're familiar with these movies, I'd say it's like Muriel's Wedding crossed with Always Worthy. The main character visits a matchmaker to get married. 

Spoiler

She finds a groom but he leaves her before they actually get married. Undeterred she goes ahead with the original plan...

Then she commits to the wedding date, dress, venue, etc. But without a groom, trusting that God will find her a husband. The movie is both very religious and yet not. It questions faith and arguably you could rewrite the conceit without changing too much... you'd just have to find an equally compelling reason for her to carry through with this plan. As for the comedy part, it's not a laugh riot but the main character is smart and funny. It's not really an American style of humor. It's somewhere between snarky and awkward and witty but not in the way those things are usually portrayed in American movies. 

Now I'm going to talk about the guys which involves spoilers. If you have any intention of watching the movie, and I highly recommend it, don't read this until after you've seen it. I think one flaw of the movie is there's a lot of misdirection as to which guy she'll end up with. Also, because the acting is more subtle you're not always sold on what the characters are feeling.

Spoiler

I could have predicted this without all the misdirection but the guy she ends up with turns out to be the First Guy. Literally. Shimi is the first man we see in the movie, well, at least in person. And they do have some flirty interactions but he tells the protagonist, Michal, that he's married the first time they talk and then he disappears from a big chunk of the movie when she's mad at him. So it's hard to end the movie being like... true love! Though I can definitely see it. He stood out as being one of the more handsome possible suitors. He's got a strong George Clooney vibe with a bit of John Stamos. That won't make sense if you just see a picture of the actor but it might if you watch the movie. I get it particularly when he smiles and he gets those crinkles around the eyes. Anyway, the movie ends in a weird place where it's implied that he really likes her but there's also the religious component of his first wife having different values while Michal is VERY religious and when the movie ends I think they're celebrating shabbat but while she smiles at him, she doesn't look... thrilled in the final shot. Again, it's confusing and I'm not sure if we're supposed to read any doubt or if she's just not the most demonstrative, broad actress.

The reason I compare it to Always Worthy is because the other big subplot is this famous singer named Yoss. He was like a lot of Jude Law with a little Dan Stevens (like the other guy, it's not going to make sense if you just see a picture). It's like every movie with the fantasy guy. She sees his music video in the waiting room at the matchmaker (the same place she first sees Shimi). I'm relatively sure he's her ringtone. When she goes on a kind of pilgrimage, he randomly talks to her through the wall. After talking for a few minutes he's charmed enough that he chases her back home to Jerusalem and offers to marry her. But she thinks it's a cruel joke and he's not serious. It feels like he was but he leaves and later she gives it one more chance, going to one of his concerts. But even though he's still friendly, he's now firmly beyond her reach for some reason. He was the most likely red herring and if they'd wanted to go full fantasy she would have ended up with him. But it was interesting that he was never revealed to be a jerk. Which is normally the way you reject the fantasy guy if the heroine doesn't end up with him. 

The third most likely guy is the last guy she goes out with. She's weird (depressed from earlier events and very honest) on their date but he still finds her compelling and calls her up to ask for a second date days later. But he won't be back for a week and her deadline is two days so she rejects him. It was a distant possibility that she would forget the wedding and take a chance on this guy or that he would come back in another fantasy twist. But I didn't love him. He kept subtly negging her and being weird himself.

There was a fourth guy who was not that likely but an early brief red herring. They were laughing and it seemed like he was charmed and he proposed after 2 hours. But it turned out he was crazy and did that with everyone but her willingness to accept confused him. 

There were other guys and other drama happening but those were the big ones. 

While I do like movies that end up being about finding yourself or the importance of female relationships (whether familiar or friendships) I did like that this movie didn't cop out and it was really about getting married. There needs to be some variety. She did have strong female ties. She had a good relationship with her sister and her best friend Feigi (though Feigi's own story was shortchanged. She was very much a supportive fat friend and they only hinted at her own issues finding a guy.) There's a whole thing that happens with her other roommate Ziva but it's not a big deal. It's not one of those movies where she gets into a big fight with her main female friend in the second or third act because the movie needs conflict. Ziva's thing is like a side plot to just make her feel worse at a low point in the movie. 

I'd say this is a movie you should check out if you want something more thoughtful that still ticks the boxes of handsome guys (well, depending on your taste) and lots of charm and banter and flirting. There's no making out or sexytimes (for obvious reasons... they're Orthodox Jews) but the humor is amusing and like the best rom-coms, it has things to say about love and plays with conventions of the genre. It gets at the societal pain of being unmarried, the exhaustion with dating, and some big questions about love and trust and faith. I'm not sure the answers are satisfying but I do think it opens up an interesting discussion.

[Luckylyn]

@aradia22 I just saw The Wedding Plan last weekend on Amazon Video and really enjoyed it.  I liked that although she was determined to get married she wasn’t so desperate to change who she was to try to fit some mold to find a guy.   On her dates, she asked pointed questions and her answers to her suitors’ questions were surprisingly straightforward and honest.   It was clear that although marriage was vitally important to her she wasn’t going to marry just anyone who proposed.   The culture she grew up in makes marriage a huge deal and there’s a lot a pressure to find someone before you are percieved to be passed by.   There’s this vibe that a woman’s life is not complete unless she finds a partner, and I appreciated her struggle because it was clear how sick she was of the search for someone.  Her tying her search for a groom to her religious belief was an interesting element to the story.  It added an extra level of pressure, and I kept think of when the Rabi asked her about what would happen to her faith if there was no groom. The movie managed to be really suspensful, and I was really unsure how it would all turn out for her.

The director of The Wedding Plan made another film I love titled Fill the Void where a woman is pressured by her family to marry her brother in law after her sister dies inorder to make sure the grandson stays close to the family.  The ending is interestingly ambiguous in that you aren’t sure if she’s okay with her choice or not.   I will say the chemistry between the lead and her brother in law is amazing.  I was really torn about what she should do because her mother was pressuring her so much on the one hand and on the other there really did seem to be a genuine spark between her and the brother in law.  This movie really showcases how much pressure the women have on them to get married in their culture but still the women aren’t powerless. It’s clear that despite the pressure on her she can refuse.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Luckylyn

[Scarlett45]

@aradia22 it’s included on Amazon Prime- I’ll watch today and report back!

I enjoyed the movie. I like watching foreign films to learn about other cultures. I thought Michal was a relatable character. The various men she meets in her quest to marry were very attractive (eye candy is good in romantic comedies), and I found myself rooting for her along the way. 

@Luckylyn I too could sense her pain regarding being single but still wanting to be true to herself. 

Wh I didn’t really understand was why her first fiancé ended things (I know, I know but then we’d have no movie); given their cultural expectations around marriage, he wouldn’t expect to be in love with her before they said “I do”, while you wanted attraction, compatible personalities and life goals with your spouse (or potential spouse) “love” was something that was to come later after building a life together. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Scarlett45
After movie thoughts

[aradia22]

Quote

 I liked that although she was determined to get married she wasn’t so desperate to change who she was to try to fit some mold to find a guy.   On her dates, she asked pointed questions and her answers to her suitors’ questions were surprisingly straightforward and honest.   It was clear that although marriage was vitally important to her she wasn’t going to marry just anyone who proposed.   The culture she grew up in makes marriage a huge deal and there’s a lot a pressure to find someone before you are percieved to be passed by.   There’s this vibe that a woman’s life is not complete unless she finds a partner, and I appreciated her struggle because it was clear how sick she was of the search for someone.  

Yes. She was a great character. I also liked how she presented herself on her dates. And I appreciated the psychic anxiety of wanting to be married in that culture. It's not just about being lonely and wanting love. There are differences between married and unmarried women. You can't have people over to your house in the same way. You have to be invited over for shabbat. 

As for marrying anyone who proposed

Spoiler

I think that's part of the reason her rejection of Yoss was confusing. I mean, I get it. He's a musician. He lives a bit of a rock star life with touring and he's not going to settle down... even if it appears his fanbase is mostly teenage girls so he's not probably not going to cheat on you. But she was so certain that he wasn't serious. And in movie logic, we had no reason to think she wasn't being led to him. She met him at a tomb that was a pilgrimage site. He traveled to see her. He was willing to get married. There's no reason to think God wasn't finally sending her the man she was supposed to be with. And she did like him. 

Quote

Wh I didn’t really understand was why her first fiancé ended things (I know, I know but then we’d have no movie); given their cultural expectations around marriage, he wouldn’t expect to be in love with her before they said “I do”, while you wanted attraction, compatible personalities and life goals with your spouse (or potential spouse) “love” was something that was to come later after building a life together. 

I don't think it's full on Fiddler on the Roof or (insert another movie with arranged marriages and love coming later). I think we were supposed to understand that Gidi wasn't that into her and they would have been deeply unhappy together. There was no potential for love to grow. He only wanted to get married because he was already 36 and she was a good enough choice. She was quiet and subdued with him... until they argued. He didn't seem to appreciate any of the quirks about her that charmed the other guys. And based on who he ended up with, he was clearly into a different look. Whereas 

Spoiler

Shimi was always attracted to her. He always found her funny and charming and amusing. And he developed a respect for her religious fervor. I'm still not sure they were in love at the end of the movie but I do think we were supposed to see the attraction and admiration and respect as a strong foundation for them loving each other and being good spouses.  

[Luckylyn]

@aradia22 My theory for why she 

Spoiler

Rejected Yoss was because he had made that comment about how he was marrying her because he didn’t want anyone else to marry her.   It’s almost like she’s a prize he’s out to win.  Then what happens after the wedding and he’s got the prize?  Plus, I think she was concerned that the whole rock star thing was going to be to big a challenge, and she wanted a simplier life.   I can see her point, but I was shocked when she refused to marry him.  Like you said there did to be signs leading them together and a genuine attraction on both sides.  I wonder if he scared her because he the whole situation was like this amazing fantasy of a star falling for her, and she couldn’t bring herself to trust it.  I did like Shimi and they had a nice flirty dynamic.  Her fiancé from earlier in the film was so cold to her and seemed annoyed with her.  Gidi was so passive aggressive and she’s so direct. So I could see how she would have been miserable with him.  I think Gidi would have still gone through with wedding until she challenged him about the way he was behaving.  She forced him to be honest and inadvertantly saved herself from a terrible marriage. 

[aradia22]

@Luckylyn I agree with your other points but with this part...

Spoiler

"Rejected Yoss was because he had made that comment about how he was marrying her because he didn’t want anyone else to marry her. "

I think it was more like... he had so much faith in her faith that she would get married that he didn't want to lose his chance to be with her. That is, he believed she would find someone to marry her by her deadline and he wanted it to be him. I don't think we should discount how much he was also swept up in their special meeting and her faith. He was also thinking it was a fairytale/fate. I guess her rejection was enough to break the spell by the second time they saw each other. He knew he'd just been swept up by the fantasy. 

It was also weird structurally to have the Yoss proposal and Shimi proposal be so similar. I guess there was also "I won't look at your face" guy but that was different. The power was on his side and we quickly learned he wasn't serious. But with Yoss and Shimi we had the same dynamic of these two earnest men and her being incredibly skeptical. It would have been different if she was skeptical with Yoss and then overjoyed with Shimi but she basically had the same reaction until he was just like, I'm going to talk to the rabbi and then she was happy she was getting married and could tell her family and friends. I do think a key difference is that Shimi didn't give up (following the advice he gave her earlier in the movie) and Yoss walked out after she kept pushing him. And also Shimi reaffirmed her faith in a way I don't remember Yoss doing. It wasn't the most romantic of proposals but even though they both said they were serious, Shimi said the things about caring, respect, etc. 

[Scarlett45]

@aradia22 & @Luckylyn thanks for the feed back. 

I can agree that being Yoss’ wife, wife of a pop star would’ve made her incredibly unhappy, and she knew that about herself. When Shimi proposed she was very much in SHOCK, I’m glad because he was very handsome and they had a nice flirty chemistry the entire movie.

I did enjoy seeing Deaf representation on screen, I don’t know the stats on the Deaf community in Israel, but it made sense that the psychiatrist would want to meet hearing women as well just from a numbers point of view. Michal admitting she only agreed to meet him because she was desperate made me happy he didn’t indulge her. I wonder if her friend did marry the Japanese guy.