To love or loathe rom-coms? For me they are my personal favourite genre of film.
As we enter Valentine’s season, often light-hearted films, are often referred to as ‘cheesy’, ‘boring’ or straight up predictable - however I suggest this is what makes them classic.
The storyline is often predictable - will they end up together? But it is the possibility that they might not which leaves us hanging on although ultimately, we know that they will. A nod to classics such as 90’s 10 Things I Hate About You (my personal favourite), a comedic enemies to lovers, with Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger taking on the roles of their witty and charismatic characters perfectly. This fits as a great comfort film, nothing too serious and I know I’ll always be entertained - plus the soundtrack is also great.
Maybe an outsider choice however, Chad Michael Murray as Austin Ames in A Cinderella Story will always come to mind for me. Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World playing in the background of the football game, in which Austin chooses the Sam and the drought ends on their first kiss was peak cinematography to me growing up. The film which is witty - mostly down to the starring of Jennifer Coolidge - gave that typical American 2000’s romance.
We cannot forget some of the ultimate classic rom-coms such as Dirty Dancing which has provided us with one of the best film soundtracks and some of the most iconic scenes. The soundtrack and cast play the part, comedic actors in films such as There’s Something About Mary and Wedding Crashers make the film. Alternatively, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, offers a science blended romance outside of the stereotypical rom-com but allows us to feel for characters because of the connection and how they are portrayed.
For me, 90’s and 2000’s rom-coms will always be the best and recent releases just aren't meeting the requirements to go down as a classic film. Despite this, the recent release Anyone But You did not disappoint me on the big screen. The intertwining of Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten gave me extra enjoyment. However, I believe it had a great balance of comedy with romance and Sydney Sweeney and Glenn Powell brought back a nostalgic atmosphere.
It’s me, I’m the Grinch. I’m not a huge fan of rom-coms. No I don’t have horns or hate the concept of fun, I just find it’s a genre where the cheesiness strays away too often from the sweet and sincere towards an artificial soup of clichés. And who decided Hugh Grant was the pinnacle of romantic desire?
No seriously, a genuine gripe of mine about the genre is how much Hugh Grant has entwined himself in it, especially in the UK where Richard Curtis seems to have a monopoly on any film where two characters both laugh and kiss in the 90 minute runtime. His posh charm is funny at times but the ‘charming upper class bachelor is nice, then a scoundrel, then nice again’ routine wears thin after a while.
This formula isn’t exclusive to Hugh Grant who is, to his credit, a good actor and I’m sure a lovely guy. In fact the genre seems to repeat the same 3 or 4 formulas almost exclusively. Perhaps it’s the clumsy, dorky guy or girl who crushes on a popular opposite only to realise it’s their equally dorky friend that they truly love. Or a riff on enemies to lovers where two hot people who despise one another are forced to spend time together and develop feelings along the way.
Some rom-coms hide their true nature. 2019’s Yesterday (hello again Richard Curtis) holds a special place in my heart as a film seemingly about a struggling musician bringing back The Beatles after an event leaves any knowledge of them wiped off the face of the Earth. I was interested, and the bits exploring this, as well as the different music industry environment that exists today, were actually interesting. Unfortunately our main character Jack Malik, played wonderfully by Himesh Patel, has a nightmare of a romantic subplot with Lily James’ Ellie, a teacher who has literally been following Jack around in a loving daze for a decade without acknowledgement.
Now I’m not saying anyone is entitled to any feelings from another person, but Ellie is ridiculously generous to Jack who is awful to her, despite Lily James being out of literally everybody’s league. Of course after she comes to her senses, Jack, now a worldwide superstar, launches a concert where he confesses his feelings to her… in front of her new boyfriend… whom she promptly ditches… True Love eh?
I don’t really hate rom-coms, they’re fun when they’re fresh. About Time (bloody Richard Curtis AGAIN) is one of my favourite comfort films, there’s joy to be had in this genre. But too often they’re seen as a slam dunk, easy script to churn out for profit. I enjoy good rom-coms, let's have some more.
And no more Hugh Grant.