30 Days of Rom Coms

First Impressions: I find as I get to the top of the list, I have less to say, so I'll just "Say Anything".  See?  See how bad that is? "Say Anything" is an iconic movie from 1989 with a grand gesture scene has been parodied to death and yet is still as powerful as ever.  Personally I would be very moved to be serenaded by a boom box playing Peter Gabriel in the year 2017.  To even track down a working boom box shows the perfect combination of committed and cute. Personal Reflections: "She's gone. She gave me a pen. I gave her my heart, she gave me a pen." Lloyd Dobler.  He's not a guy, he's a man.  The women in his life ensure that is the case.  He is proof that perfect boyfriend material does not require a high-paying job as a lawyer or more likely plans to pursue some fashion of print media.  Lloyd Dobler is just a decent guy who, like Andie, is going to live his truth and follow his moral compass where ever it takes him.  He...

First Impressions: "Bridget Jones's Diary" is a 200 level course with a prerequisite in Rom-Com 102 which is Jane Austen's contributions to the genre.  Drawing from " Pride and Prejudice" and starring Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Colin Firth, "Bridget Jones's Diary" just works. And not solely because it ends with a song by Van Morrison. Bridget works at 'Pemberley Press" and Colin Firth's character is Mark Darcy.  A surge of triumph for all the Jane Austen fans out there. "Bridget Jones's Diary" shows that sticking to an upbeat soundtrack full of motown classics is the way to go.  Pay heed, "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Personal Reflections: "I like you very much — just as you are" Like "Love Actually" Hugh Grant enjoys relationships with subordinates.  According to some psychologists, women prefer 'alpha males', men in positions of power or control who possess what are...

First Impressions: I don't know how many times I've seen "Pretty in Pink"; it's definitely been fewer than the number of times I've seen "The Breakfast Club" which is in the double-digits. "13 Going On 30" (first on the list) pairs with "Pretty in Pink" in a way I could not have predicted.  "Pretty in Pink" is not a course unto itself like "The Notebook" but is part of a required 200 level course called Intro to Teen Rom-Coms.  "Pretty in Pink" was supposed to end with Duckie and Andie together but was re-written to reflect the preferences of the test audience.  "13 Going On 30" is the original ending to "Pretty in Pink".  Written in 1986, is it the vast head-start in becoming a classic that has "Pretty in Pink" with multiple votes, or is there something to the test audience wisdom that has it near the top of the list? Personal Reflections: "If somebody does...

First Impressions: "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is a well-written multi-story rom-com featuring actors we've seen on the list: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei. "Crazy, Stupid, Love" follows the interconnected formula of "He's Just Not That Into You" and "Love Actually", tackling generational love arcs.  "Crazy, Stupid, Love" is a critical success and has its moments, but as an iconic movie in the top five?  No.  There is one scene that sets this movie apart from the chaff and that is Ryan Gosling's big move.  If not for the "Dirty Dancing" scene, I can't see this movie breaking the top five. When I finished the movie I felt like there should have been some Van Morrison.  I feel like the writers missed a big opportunity not ending the movie with ' Crazy Love' by Van Morrison.  Personal Reflections: "I have loved her even when I hated her... only married couples'll under...

First Impression: "50 First Dates" is a touchstone rom-com because it draws from the genesis of rom-com, "The Notebook".  The videos are basically Noah's notebook as is Lucy's personal journal.  The writers took a fraction of "The Notebook" and created an entirely new movie with as much concentrate as the source.  If Rom-Com 101 were a class, the syllabus would be all about "The Notebook".  "The Notebook" is Chaucer and "50 First Dates" is Shakespeare. As we crack the final five rom-coms of the list, we are in the midsts of movies with multiple votes.  As far as I'm concerned, these are the criterion choices, the ones that speak to us forever with infinite re-watch value.  I am surprised by the Rotten Tomatoes critical review of "50 First Dates" versus the audience score, 44% to 65%.  Audiences watch with their heart and get it where critics seem to see only the deflective 'gross-out humour' ...

First Impressions: Released in 2000, "What Women Want" pre-dates "Mad Men" by 7 years, yet the initial resemblances exist between Nick and Don Draper.  Both are New York ad-men who grew up around the commodification of women: Don Draper in a 'whore house' and Nick in Vegas showgirl back-rooms.  The result is that both are unable to empathize with women although their jobs demand they understand women to sell them products.  I think Don Draper said it better: "What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons."  Personal Reflections: "No games.  Just sports." "What Women Want" is a look at a self-professed bachelor (and misogynist) who through magical intervention is able to hear the thoughts of women.  The transformation turns him into a woman in some ways, sympathetic to them, proffering advice as to how best to deal with the men in his co-workers' lives. Of course, he also uses his ability to read th...

First Impressions: "What Happens in Vegas" in many ways is another formulaic rom-com, except that it incorporates an interesting construct in its plot.  If not for the framework of the prisoner's dilemma simmering beneath a medley of pranks, parties, and therapy sessions, this movie would be completely forgettable and a waste of time. Personal Reflections: "There are days I want to light [my wife] on fire, but I don't because I love her, and it's illegal." "What Happens in Vegas" offers a look at the transactional nature of marriage as well as how arranged marriages can be surprisingly functional, if not better than the alternative.  Joy and Jack are opposites - she's a detail-oriented trader on the stock exchange floor and he is an immature man-child fired from the carpentry company his father runs.  Fueled by alcohol and Vegas, they marry and win $3 million together.  When they try to divorce, the judge sentences them to 6 mont...

First Impressions: Diane Lane made "Under The Tuscan Sun" worth watching. Diversity!  Rather than the usual all-white cast (maybe a token black/gay bff), we have Sandra Oh as Frances' best friend and half of a lesbian couple.  The gay best friend trope is not entirely applicable here since Sandra Oh's character encounters her own drama when her partner leaves her while she is pregnant.  There was also an East Indian waiter.  I think there were Middle Eastern sales people in "The 40 Year Old Virigin". Personal Reflections: "Even though I'm old, my heart still aches." Like "As Good As It Gets", I was confused as to whom Frances would be with by the end of the movie, but unlike "As Good As It Gets", that was the point.  (If this was a murder mystery I would have been disappointed because it's the equivalent of someone you have never seen being the murderer.)  The point is that you don't need to run around cha...

First Impressions: I've always held a special place in my heart for "The Wedding Singer" and this viewing was no exception. I wonder if it's the music.  I saw "Atomic Blonde" and absolutely loved it, though upon leaving the theatre realized the soundtrack played a pivotal role in my rave estimations.  I love stylized violence set to music I like; it was even better than "John Wick".  "Atomic Blonde" was the amuse-bouche I needed to crack the top 10 of this list. Does "The Wedding Singer" remain timeless like "The Notebook" because it was written looking back at a decade that has passed?  Nothing will change in terms of technology and fashion whereas setting something 'now' can make a movie feel dated 10 years down the line from whenever 'now' was - I'm looking at "He's Just Not That Into You" with the MySpace reference.  Hindsight allows gems like, "...Please get out of my...

First Impressions: "There's Something About Mary" is a less heartful Farrelly brother offering than "Shallow Hal", seemingly written as a com with a dash of rom for 13 year old boys. Released in 1998.  The same year as "As Good As It Gets".  What I conclude is that political correctness was unimportant in 1998.  We really are sensitive little snowflakes in 2017. Sarah Silverman as part of the bff entourage <3 Personal Reflections: Mila Kunis is the millenial Cameron Diaz - the cool attractive girl who likes sports and a brewski (brewskie? brewsky?).  "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn has been flitting through my mind since "Friends with Benefits".  In particular, t he passage about the "cool girl" : "You are not dating a woman, you are dating a woman who has watched too many movies written by socially awkward men who'd like to believe that this kind of woman exists and might kiss them." Two m...

First Impressions: Set in the Southern US during the 1940s, "The Notebook" is more of a rom-dram than rom-com with a touch of "Romeo and Juliet".  The acting saves some horribly over-written lines. "The Notebook" lays the foundation for "La La Land". Obviously casting Ryan Gosling is the biggest parallel.  Then there is the old Hollywood aesthetic of "La La Land" which recalls fashions and settings of the 1940s.  In "The Notebook" Noah shares Seb's affinity for jazz.  Noah also pushes Allie to go to Sarah Lawrence in New York to pursue higher education much like how Seb pushes Mia to pursue her one-woman-show.  The main difference is that "The Notebook" has our protagonists die together while in "La La Land" they go their separate ways.  I suppose "La La Land" could be interpreted as an alternate universe thread to "The Notebook"; if Allie had decided to marry Lon instead she ...

First Impressions: Similar to "As Good As It Gets", "Silver Linings Playbook" is a rom-com-dram, or a rom-dramedy?  Whatever it is, it's superbly acted. Within the first ten minutes, "Silver Linings Playbook" nearly mentions its own name: Patrick says, " ...if you stay positive, you have a shot at a silver lining."  I think it annoys me so much because it's like repeating a thesis statement which reminds me that I'm watching a movie and also that the writer is trying to get a specific point across.  I would rather discover the point on my own. Personal Reflections: "You might not of had experienced the shit that I did, but you loved hearing about it, didn't you? You're afraid to be alive, you're afraid to live. You're a conformist. You're a hypocrite. You're a liar. I opened up to you and you judged me!" The honesty between Patrick and Tiffany is what I liked best about this movie.  They...

First Impressions: This was not my first viewing of "Shallow Hal" yet there are so many scenes I don't remember, like this first scene where his father says on his deathbed that life is all about hot young tail. Molly Shannon seems to be a rom-com staple of the early 2000s. Why are inner and outer beauty mutually exclusive?  There wasn't anyone in the movie who was beautiful inside and out.  Personal Reflections: "See! That's what I had with Rosemary! I saw a knockout, I don't care what anybody else saw!" The obvious comparison is "200 Pounds of Beauty".  Rosemary is actually 300 pounds!  In "200 Pounds of Beauty" the main character changes her body where in "Shallow Hal" one man's perception has been changed.  In both we see the stigma weight has for women.  "Shallow Hal" has Rosemary destroy every other chair she sits in, which might seem cruel but is actually necessary for the plot since we...

First Impressions: Finally, some John Cusack!  I should have added "High Fidelity" :-) Sara is a psychologist yet she doesn't seem to think reading too deeply into coincidences may be a symptom from the DSM 5. Molly Shannon as the BFF, once again ("Never Been Kissed" is the other).  She is still the sassy friend who pushes Mr. Good-Enough-For-Right-Now over Mr. Right. Personal Reflections: "It was like in that moment the whole universe existed to bring us together."   "Serendipity", meaning essentially 'happy accident', epitomizes testing predetermination, fate, destiny.  Sara and Jonathan meet and immediately feel a connection, despite the fact that both are in serious committed relationships.  They spend one evening together, then let fate determine whether they will ever meet again.  TWO YEARS later, Jonathan is still scouring bookstores for the copy of " Love In the Time of Cholera" with Sara's number ...

First Impressions: Where to start?  "Pretty Woman" has all the trappings of a rom-com, yet seems to be more. While watching the credits, I noticed the piano piece is credited to Richard Gere as both writer and performer. Originally, "Pretty Woman" was written as a 'dark cautionary tale' about prostitution.  According to Wikipedia , it was re-worked to be a rom-com but some warnings were left in: 1. Kids, pay attention because this is where attending until grade 11 gets you.  At the end Vivian realizes she needs to finish high school if she is to do anything significant with her life.  Stay in school. 2. Dead prostitute in a dumpster.  Still open unsolved. Nod to "My Fair Lady" type stories where someone from a lower class is mentored by someone from higher social standing. If a montage scored with a song by the same name as the movie plays mid-way, should it lose credit? Personal Reflections: "Don't get emotional when you ...

First Impressions: I have to wonder if "The 40 Year Old Virgin" came about from Judd Apatow taking "Never Been Kissed" one step further as well as literally. I like the concept of 'never been kissed' as a way to express never feeling a 'spark' or real connection.  It does raise the question of what it means to have a purely physical relationship outside of a committed relationship.  Imagine your boyfriend or husband discovers some texts on your phone that implicate you in an extra-relationship affair.  He asks, "Have you kissed?"  Even if you had, could you truthfully say, "No" in the sense that it wasn't 'real'? Instead of being part of the popular guy entourage, Dave Franco should have been the Prom King of the entourage. Personal Reflections: "Sometimes kissing losers can be a really fun diversion."   Like "13 Going on 30", main protagonist Josie Geller works in print media.  Drew Bar...

First Impressions: I was both entertained and perplexed.  The movie opens with the main character waiting to open a time capsule after two years.  He then reveals that his parents wished he was a girl.  They dressed him as a girl and treated him like a daughter until he was 7.  He says that he thought his penis would become smaller and smaller until one day it disappeared.  Instead it did just the opposite. I liked the main character, Gyeon-Woo.  He's an engineering major and academics are an important part of his life, which is not something we've seen in rom-coms.  Gyeon-Woo's sassy girl tries to convince him to cut class but he says this is one class he cannot miss.  She puts up her hand to request a break, and talks to the professor who when class resumes insists that Gyeon-Woo spend the day with his girlfriend; she told the professor that she was getting an abortion and Gyeon-Woo was the father (!) "My Sassy Girl" has been remade 7 time...

First Impressions: After the bittersweet ending of "La La Land", the sentimentality of "Love Actually" didn't hit the mark for me as much as if I had seen it after something more lighthearted like, say "Hitch". The Brits give good rom-com.  Much like "He's Just Not That Into You", the characters are interconnected . Post-9/11 a little boy makes it past airport security and is returned to his father without so much as a warning. Rowan Atkinson is always a treat, as is Hugh Grant's hair. Personal Reflections: "Love actually is all around."   I am going to forgive the mention of the title within the first 2 minutes of the movie because it ties in with the opening credits.  I felt like it was a little over-emphasized when it was repeated, then bold, then set in different colors. The treatment of adultery: In "Love Actually", Emma Thompson stays with Alan Rickman despite being made a mockery of.  This...

First Impressions: Ryan Gosling! Ryan Gosling is to Joseph Gordon Levitt as Emma Stone is to Zooey Deschanel.  "La La Land" fetishizes classic Hollywood aesthetic where "500 Days of Summer" bows down to the lords of twee.  Both are sumptuous to watch and end with the love interests parting ways. I can't see how anyone wouldn't be obsessed with jazz after Ryan Gosling's explanation. Personal Reflections: "I'm letting life hit me until it gets tired. Then I'll hit back. It's a classic rope-a-dope." Fate. Both "500 Days of Summer" and "La La Land" are among the most contemporary rom-coms on the list, "La La Land" an academy award winner last year in 2016.  A traffic jam that turns into a song and dance Gap ad has Sebastian and Mia pass for the first time in a less than congenial encounter.  Not to worry, there are two more before they concede to couple-hood, as short-lived as that is. So i...

First Impressions: "Hitch" offers classic rom-com fare in easy bites.  It's the kind of movie you can take a significant washroom break without missing much of the plot. Who is this movie for?  Men?  Women?  I thought men because Hitch offers all sorts of strategies for how to win women.  But as a genre, rom-com is mainly for women.  "He's Just Not That Into You" is undoubtedly for women.  "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is for both.  I'm not sure about "Hitch". Eva Mendes is married to Ryan Gosling. Personal Reflections: "90% of what you say doesn't come out of your mouth." I am not sure how statistically sound many of the figures thrown around are.  I found myself questioning facts like 8 out of 10 women believe that the first kiss tells them about the relationship.  Possibly I am part of the 20%.  If you feel drawn to kiss someone, wouldn't you already be attracted to them and have an idea about the relat...

First Impressions: "He's Just Not That Into You" offers a lazy-susan buffet of interconnected stories strung together with talking-heads and chapter headings.  There's never a dull moment. All-star cast, much like "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", that leaves little room for commercial failure. Refreshing change of scenery: Baltimore!  I found myself pausing often to digest unlike "Forgetting Sarah Marshall".  Based on a book, there is more information to process. Despite its modernity, "He's Just Not That Into You" is a lot less cynical than say, "Friends With Benefits". It's a 'true' rom-com in the spirit of Jane Austen. Scarlett Johansson.  I would have to give my husband carte blanche.  It's Scarlett Johansson.  And she teaches yoga. Personal Reflections: "All I have is my guitar, these chords, and the truth." The main goal in every storyline is marriage.  Supposing your endgame i...

First Impressions: A veritable smorgasboard of some of my favourite comedians: Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Kristen Bell, Jason Segel! "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" is a 4:3 rom:com split. I loved Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime and Aldous' band Infant Sorrow.  Obvious but hilarious parodies of CSI and I'm going to say...U2.  During the trailers Sarah Marshall is featured with Jason Bateman in a CSI-esque show called Animal Instincts in which Sarah Marshall can psychically communicate with animals to solve crimes.  I wish that was a real show.  I also wish I had a huge bowl of cereal.  One of these things I can make a reality this evening. Personal Reflections: "Life's a bitch and where you're going, that's what you'll be." "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" has been carefully crafted as the perfect post-break-up movie.  The first hysterical hour of the film has you forget about your own sorrows because you're ...

First Impressions: Smart dialogue, rapid-fire pop culture references, notable familiar faces including Andy Samburg, Emma Stone, and Woody Harrelson as the token GBF (Gay Best Friend). Most rom-coms seem to happen either in LA or New York; Friends with Benefits had action on both coasts. Personal Reflections: "It's not who you want to spend Friday night with; it's who you want to spend all Saturday with." This is the most recent rom-com to date, released in 2011, which made it seem more relevant.  Friends With Benefits (FWB) is a more modern designation and one that makes sense in our modern world of convenience where within seconds you can get what you want with the right app.  In this case, sex without the time put in to cultivate intimacy, physicality without all the encumbrances associated with a relationship (ie. " ...shut off emotionally like George Clooney" .  I have to admit, I didn't really get this.  George Clooney is a classic stro...