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America Wants a Rom-Com Bailout


The romantic comedy was as soon as a tentpole of Hollywood. The style outlined A-list careers, gained awards for studios, and made piles of money. Then someday, rom-coms appeared a factor of the previous, and their relative absence from theaters has been an open thriller for the higher a part of a decade. What killed the romantic comedy? Did studios or audiences abandon the style first? Did streaming tv do it in—or simply rework it into one thing new?

However whereas the rom-com’s demise may be perpetually debated, its future stays unwritten. What may be performed to convey the style again?

The week of Valentine’s Day introduced a uncommon crop of two rom-coms: the glitzy throwback Marry Me and the indie-inflected I Need You Again. Each films supply one thing to suggest them (particularly the always-great Jennifer Lopez’s magnetic efficiency), however additionally they served to remind audiences of what they’d misplaced.

On an episode of The Atlantic’s tradition podcast The Overview, David Sims, Hannah Giorgis, and Sophie Gilbert talk about the state of the rom-com and what may be performed to resurrect it. (Maybe casting male leads extra for chemistry than comedy?) Hearken to their dialog right here:

Subscribe to The Overview: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Pocket Casts


The next transcript has been edited for size and readability.

David Sims: We’ve spent the week ruminating on romantic comedies as a result of, in honor of Valentine’s Day, there are a few new films out about grown adults falling in love!

There’s Marry Me with Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, which is in theaters and on Peacock. After which there’s I Need You Again with Charlie Day and Jenny Slate, which is on Amazon. Are you guys, like me, a fan of the romantic comedy and possibly a little bit nostalgic for the times after they used to actually get churned out by Hollywood?

Hannah Giorgis: Completely. I believe that was the best period in cinema, if I could.

Sims: The golden age of the rom-com being the publish–When Harry Met Sally rom-coms of the ’90s and 2000s, proper? Clearly, Hollywood has made romantic films, screwball comedies, and movies about love since time immemorial.

Giorgis: Proper. Julia Roberts. Hugh Grant. Richard Gere. That period.

Sophie Gilbert: Sure, and there’s plenty of controversy over the query of: Have they died? Are they actually useless? Are they alive on Netflix? And, for me, I believe that golden period skilled its final rites round in regards to the time of Bride Wars.

Sims: Sure. Bride Wars is, after all, the 2009 movie with Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson that’s, I agree, an ideal instance of an end-stage rom-com. That’s the last-gasp period.

Gilbert: Proper: a time of flicks with Gerard Butler being imply to ladies.

Sims: That’s a little bit mini-boom, proper. And with Katherine Heigl as the ultimate star whose whole profession, for just a few years, was rom-coms. Submit–Knocked Up, there was 27 Attire, The Ugly Fact, Killers, Life As We Know It. She was there on the demise rattle round Bride Wars, the place critics on the time thought: That is warmed over. They’ve been pushing this on us for 20-plus years, and we’re sick of it.

Everybody type of booed that period as not so good as what had come earlier than. However now I want I had three of these a yr, as a substitute of the possibly one we get. I want Hollywood nonetheless relied on the $20 to $30 million film about some individuals who ought to kiss.

Giorgis: (Laughs.)

Sims: And, largely, rom-coms have been shunted to streaming or tv, as with a lot of Hollywood stuff that’s not huge-budget. Now it’s simply TV, which is increasing and increasing with all these streaming corporations.

Giorgis: Which is nice—however generally I need 94 minutes wrapped up with a pleasant bow on the finish!

Sims: Proper. I need a metropolis! I need you to take me on a tour of no matter metropolis it’s. I need some landmarks, some good eating places possibly.

Gilbert: Some type of cute indie retailer.

Sims: Yeah, one in every of them works in a tchotchke retailer, or at an area paper, possibly.

Gilbert: I’ve been pondering rather a lot about rom-coms not too long ago. I’ll confess: I liked Marry Me. I didn’t like I Need You Again in any respect. And I believe it’s for a similar motive I actually received into watching formulaic TV at first of the pandemic. We’ve talked about consolation TV earlier than. There’s something, in these unsure occasions, deeply satisfying about watching an episode of Frasier, as an example. You understand what’s going to occur. Somebody’s going to do one thing pompous. There’s going to be some type of misunderstanding. And so forth.

A rom-com is similar. There are just a few exceptions, the place the folks you suppose are going to get collectively don’t—however for probably the most half, you realize what’s going to occur. And there’s a deep consolation and safety within the system. You may belief it. You gained’t be brokenhearted on the finish. And there’s one thing pretty about that.

Sims: Completely. There’s all the time the second-act motive for why the 2 folks can’t get collectively, like: “I can’t imagine you informed me you have been a baker, and actually, you’re a blacksmith.”

Giorgis: (Laughs.)

Sims: “I’m by no means going to recover from…” no matter it’s.

Gilbert: “We must always break up as a result of I don’t match.”

Sims: Which is what occurs in Marry Me. So let’s discuss Marry Me. It’s primarily based on a graphic novel with the essential premise of: What if a pop star married a random particular person within the crowd who’s holding an indication that claims, MARRY ME? It stars Jennifer Lopez as Kat Valdez, a well-liked singer about to have her fourth marriage, this time to a scorching younger star performed by the Colombian singer Maluma. I received the trace of some gentle, affectionate J.Lo satire right here. J.Lo has been married 3 times herself—with just a few high-profile relationships on prime of these three marriages. So there’s a little bit little bit of self-aware Is J.Lo ever going to determine it out? layered onto this character.

Giorgis: Yeah, J.Lo’s heard the discuss for years and years and is like: “Okay, I’m conscious of this. It’s not nice. And likewise, I’m going to have a little bit enjoyable on this film.”

Sims: Should you attempt to describe the plot of Marry Me, you actually sound such as you’ve been hit within the head.

Giorgis: (Laughs.)

So she’s going to marry Maluma’s character on stage at a live performance. In the meantime, Owen Wilson—a divorced-dad middle-school math instructor—has been dragged to the live performance by his pal performed by Sarah Silverman. She has an indication that claims MARRY ME. She arms it to him, after which when Kat Valdez finds out her fiancé cheated on her, she calls off the wedding, invitations Owen Wilson on stage, and kisses him.

Gilbert: And marries him! It’s preposterous, however that’s positive. It didn’t hassle me. You must meet the film the place it’s, and that is the place it’s.

Sims: After which she decides to a minimum of associate with it for some time, and for some motive he’s not like, “No, give me $2 million, and I’ll by no means converse once more,” which is what I might do.

Giorgis: I believe that’s what the supervisor thought that was going to occur, however I really like a superb fake-relationship trope. I don’t know that I really like this film, despite the fact that I can forgive rather a lot. For me, I simply didn’t really feel like J.Lo and Owen Wilson had a shred of chemistry.

Sims: That is the difficulty. I can’t disagree. Wilson and J.Lo had positive pal chemistry, however not an enormous spark.

Gilbert: The film is 90 % carried by J.Lo, 5 % by Sarah Silverman, and 5 % by youngsters doing math.

Giorgis: (Laughs.)

Gilbert: Owen Wilson could be very candy. He’s very charming. He simply felt basically miscast to me. And I’ve the identical concern with Charlie Day in I Need You Again.

Giorgis: Yeah, precisely.

Gilbert: If we’re going to revive the rom-com, which is basically a female-oriented style, possibly we are able to suppose a little bit extra about what ladies need?

Sims: I agree with you, Sophie. It’s positive to convey again a rom-com, however they want sexual chemistry. I have to imagine these two really wish to kiss, not simply wish to be friends.

Gilbert: The rom-com is such a bizarre style. It’s all the time been belittled as a result of it’s supposedly focused at ladies. And so nobody takes it severely. However then it was type of reclaimed by bro filmmakers; Seth Rogen managed to cling on to his profession as a rom-com star, at the same time as Katherine Heigl misplaced hers. I simply suppose we want to consider what the rom-com does and who it’s for. And that doesn’t imply that there can’t be sharp, well-done variations on the style—however on the finish of the day, you wish to see two cute folks falling in love. That’s what it’s about.

Sims: And I do really feel like each of those films we loved to some extent, however largely what we get pleasure from about them are the reminiscences they provoke of different nice experiences.

Giorgis: It’s not probably the most glowing endorsement.

Sims: The factor with Marry Me was: I used to be type of out of it within the center, after which when she’s going to Peoria to go to the maths live performance and J.Lo is simply turning on the allure, I used to be like: Okay, I’m positive with this.

Giorgis: I do love the trope of a flowery metropolis particular person going to the small hometown of the opposite particular person.

Sims: Yeah. I really like J.Lo. Any time Jennifer Lopez is in a movie like Out of Sight or Hustlers, she can rise to the event. She’s all the time good if she will get that shot. However she will additionally drag some silliness to a reasonably satisfying place.

Gilbert: One of many causes she’s so spectacular on this style, particularly enjoying a model of herself in Marry Me—is that she is such a spectacular diva. Probably the most attractive, non-aging, superb performer. She sucks all the eye within the room into only a vortex of charisma and hotness. However on the similar time, you completely purchase it when she’s like, “Oh, I simply wish to stay with this good math instructor.”

Sims: (Laughs.) Did you guys see her on the Tremendous Bowl with Ben Affleck?

Giorgis: God bless them. They actually have been giving us what movie star is all about.

Sims: I agree. And also you virtually want Ben Affleck was on this. I really feel impolite to Owen Wilson. I wish to help him.

Giorgis: I wish to see him in a rom-com, simply not this one.

Gilbert: Why do we predict that male stars of Ben Affleck’s caliber don’t do rom-coms? One of many highlights in current rom-coms for me was Keanu Reeves in All the time Be My Possibly. And he’s not the star, however he has a spectacular function. So why are these large male film stars not doing rom-coms when they need to be?

Sims: I believe as a result of the style was dying out after they have been developing and it grew to become too junky, proper? As a lot as I really like plenty of 2000s rom-coms, the style was not as cool anymore.

Gilbert: However you’re getting a star of J.Lo’s caliber, and then you definately’re matching her with Wilson… like, it nonetheless speaks to one thing deeply unequal in Hollywood.

Sims: I don’t wish to be impolite about Owen Wilson. I really help him, however I think about he was not No. 1 on the listing of individuals they referred to as to forged this film. Like, how do you get to Owen Wilson? They’re an odd pairing, energy-wise. Age-wise, they’re an applicable pair.

Giorgis: However there’s loads of folks in that age bracket who may have been on this.

Sims: Is that the repair? Will we simply have to forged scorching dudes once more? Do we want a expertise infusion, with Matt Damon or Brad Pitt or whoever? It may be like a bailout program: All of you A-listers have gotten to make one rom-com proper now simply to fireplace up the style.

Gilbert: To shore up the trade.

Giorgis: (Laughs.)

Sims: Let’s discuss I Need You Again. It’s streaming on Amazon. Charlie Day and Jenny Slate play two not too long ago dumped 30-somethings. They meet and plot Strangers on a Prepare–fashion to interrupt up [the new relationships of] one another’s exes. It’s an unforgivable hour and 51 minutes lengthy. My greatest downside with the film is the size.

Giorgis: Particularly the final 5 minutes, truthfully.

Sims: However yeah; you’ve received Charlie Day and Jenny Slate. Gina Rodriguez breaks up with Charlie Day as a result of they’re in a rut. And Jenny Slate will get dumped by Scott Eastwood—who’s actually attempting, God bless him—as a result of she’s immature or no matter.

Gilbert: Yeah, they usually meet within the stairwell crying.

Sims: Proper; they work in the identical nameless workplace constructing within the nameless city they stay in. Which is Atlanta, not that this film actually cares. They usually devise a plan to interrupt up [the exes’] new relationships. That’s the plot. Manny Jacinto’s in it, being very good-looking.

Giorgis: He’s a delight.

Gilbert: It’s a part of a brand new mini-subgenre of rom-coms, the place you would like the protagonist would get along with another person as a substitute of the individual that they finally do. And I actually needed Jenny Slate to finish up with Manny Jacinto. I believed they’d be a superb pair. I’m additionally pondering of Happiest Season, the place you really need Kristen Stewart to finish up with Aubrey Plaza after they’ve that enjoyable night time out.

Sims: That was unforgivable in Happiest Season—a film that had some charms, however you actually don’t suppose these two [lead characters] ought to be collectively. They don’t appear completely satisfied in any respect.

Giorgis: Proper? Particularly when there’s this different particular person there.

Gilbert: It simply felt like there was nothing in I Need You Again that wasn’t a cliche or a reheated piece of an previous sitcom to me. Jenny Slate’s already been in a extremely nice, quirky rom-com with Apparent Youngster, which was improbable. And it was one other factor the place I didn’t really need them to get collectively. I don’t suppose that they had any chemistry. I wasn’t compelled by them getting again with their companions, both.

Sims: So what can we do in regards to the rom-com, guys? Are rumors of its demise exaggerated? I really feel like all of us type of agree that there was a boomlet that has light now.

Giorgis: Yeah—or TV has taken up what we used to need from these movies. The second season of Love Life is ideal. Nice TV. But it surely’s fairly exceptional to me how a lot better Jessica Williams is in that than she was in The Unbelievable Jessica James. That was tough to observe. Watching was a second once I was like: Yeah, the rom-coms are actually gone.

Gilbert: That was bizarre casting, too, as a result of didn’t it pair her with Chris O’Dowd? Completely pretty man. Nice with Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids. However I don’t learn about that.

Sims: There’s one thing about these streamer films the place you watch them they usually go down okay, however they don’t stick in the identical means. And is it simply because we watch them whereas we’re our telephone? Is it the basic streamer grievance? Or is it simply that they’re, like, a little bit generic-feeling, a little bit algorithmic?

Giorgis: I believe it’s that, and likewise the factor that we have been speaking about earlier. We don’t have the rom-com male lead—the rom-com hunk—in the identical means anymore. They aren’t male stars in these roles who’re tremendous compelling. Even when they’re not like Brad Pitt, there’s simply not that lots of these. And those we have now are like a William Jackson Harper—who’s nice on TV, however we don’t have him in I Need You Again.

Gilbert: Yeah, and Marry Me was actually attention-grabbing, as a result of—as you mentioned in your overview, David—it felt extra like an old-school rom-com than anything in a very long time. We’re used to those barely dejected, quirky issues like Palm Springs. These small-scale issues with TV stars.

However Marry Me is big. The manufacturing. The spectacle. It’ll stick in my reminiscence greater than plenty of different movies of this style recently. Do you guys know that rom-coms have been accused for a very long time of giving ladies unrealistic requirements about love?

Sims: Like, that some good man will come sweep you off your toes?

Gilbert: Yeah, like ladies have been anticipating males to be too good and too loving. And in order that was nice, as a result of then rom-coms went away and we simply received porn as a substitute. (Laughs.) So issues are wanting good for us!

Sims: (Laughs.)

Gilbert: I’ll take the rom-coms again. We want stars with extra charisma and extra chemistry. I believe we should always have greater expectations, and possibly males ought to rise to satisfy them. That’s my Valentine’s Day treatise.

Giorgis: I’ll signal that petition.

Sims: There’s plenty of different genres that Hollywood ignores, however this appears like the simplest [to revive]. There’s a expertise pool of good-looking younger actors and actresses. There’s a straightforward system to observe. Come on! Simply give me three or 4 of those a yr. I don’t ask a lot. You’re making 4 Marvel films a yr. And I watch them! I benefit from the Marvel films. I’m not in opposition to them. They only value a lot cash. You may make 4 of those. Come on! Why hasn’t Oscar Isaac performed a rom-com? Why is he busy enjoying Moon Knight? I don’t know easy methods to save the rom-com or cinema, however I will likely be right here championing it.

Gilbert: I imply, you’ve had my treatise. It’s this or porn, folks.

Giorgis: (Laughs.) Unbelievable tagline.

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