Anatomy of a Rom Com

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  • Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
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    Anyone But You was supposed to revive the rom com, but it's missing something. This video breaks down the components of the Hollywood romantic comedy, and what gives it that magical quality!
    Thumbnail by Hannah Raine
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    SOURCES:
    Yohana Desta, “Maybe Nancy Meyers Doesn’t Want You to Stop Focusing on Her Beautiful Movie Kitchens” Vanity Fair (2019).
    James J. Dowd and Nicole R. Pallotta, “The End of Romance: The Demystification of Love in the Postmodern Age” Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 43, No. 4 (Winter, 2000).
    Nora Ephron, “Moving On, A Love Story” The New Yorker (2006).
    Megan Feeney, “The Plight of the Rom-Com in the Post-Romantic Era” Cinéaste, Vol. 47 (4) (2022).
    Helen Fielding, Independent Columns (1995).
    bridgetarchive....
    Hadley Freeman, “Nancy Meyers: ‘I don’t see a lot of movies about complicated women … I think it’s gotten worse’” The Guardian (2015).
    Roberta Garrett, “Female Fantasy and Post-Feminist Politics in Nora Ephron’s Screenplays” Journal of Screenwriting, vol. 3 (2) (2012).
    Brian Henderson, “Romantic Comedy Today: Semi-Tough or Impossible?” Film Quarterly , Summer, 1978, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Summer, 1978).
    Benjamin Lee, “Anyone But You review - slick but soulless romantic comedy” The Guardian (2023).
    Paula Marantz Cohen, “What Have Clothes Got to Do with It? Romantic Comedy and the Female Gaze” Southwest Review , 2010, Vol. 95, No. 1/2 (2010).
    Adrian Martin, “In the Mood For (Something Like) Love: The Situation of the Rom-Com Today” Cinéaste , Winter 2013, Vol. 39, No. 1 (2013).
    Nancy Meyers, “Life Isn’t Like the Movies (Even if You Write the Movies)” The New York Times (2020).
    Doris Milberg, The Art of the Screwball Comedy: Madcap Entertainment from the 1930s to Today, McFarland (2013).
    Rachel Syme, “The Nora Ephron We Forgot”, New Yorker (2022).
    Stephanie Zacharek, “Notting Hill” , Salon (1999).

Комментарии • 1 тыс.

  • @BroeyDeschanel
    @BroeyDeschanel  5 месяцев назад +366

    okayyyy tell me your favourite rom com! (and why)

    • @MarkyMatey
      @MarkyMatey 5 месяцев назад +52

      500 Days of Summer, I found it very relatable

    • @alisonjane7068
      @alisonjane7068 5 месяцев назад +43

      hmm prob four weddings and a funeral. can't articulate exactly why. i'm panicking lol

    • @utkarshed
      @utkarshed 5 месяцев назад +15

      Does Metropolitan count as a romcom? If yes, that.

    • @utkarshed
      @utkarshed 5 месяцев назад +9

      Reason for Metropolitan being the way its wit is infused into an ennui that feels very 90s and very particular yet, in every moment, like something I've felt.

    • @jessiedevore3523
      @jessiedevore3523 5 месяцев назад +5

      ​@passion4flowers I was coming to say that. It's also based on "Taming of the Shrew" its just much easier to follow 😄 and still funny

  • @timothyduke1628
    @timothyduke1628 5 месяцев назад +4242

    When I look at the cinematography of When Harry Met Sally I think “warm cozy rom com”, and when I look at Anyone But You I think it looks like a Capital One comercial

    • @fernandatezeli
      @fernandatezeli 5 месяцев назад +156

      thats such a deal-breaker for me to get to actually like a movie. sure, anyone but you was pretty entertaining, but it just wasn't captivating, and certainly didn't make me wanna be a part of it (unlike when harry met sally)

    • @brittanyjeffery2696
      @brittanyjeffery2696 5 месяцев назад +188

      digital, bad color grade, cheaply and quickly made (netflix model), boring, creepy director focused on hot cast instead of exploring a relationship, low emphasis on distinct stye, partly because of overbearing studio influence

    • @lavinder11
      @lavinder11 5 месяцев назад +6

      ​@@brittanyjeffery2696So basically, the visuals.

    • @dunnowy123
      @dunnowy123 5 месяцев назад +32

      This is spot on, too clean, too bright.

    • @deedreamerify
      @deedreamerify 5 месяцев назад +24

      You just helped me identify the feeling I got from the Anyone But You trailer! It felt something like a goofy spy movie+credit card commercial to me

  • @sadicalradness6927
    @sadicalradness6927 5 месяцев назад +3043

    “It doesn’t feel like two people falling in love, it feels like Chad and Stacy from your hs got together because they’re the hottest people in the room” THIS EXACTLY. Romcoms are not about the girlies that hop from relationship to relationship okay, they are about hot messes ONLY

    • @BetterWithBob
      @BetterWithBob 5 месяцев назад +139

      Exactly. The comedy doesn't work if the woman isn't allowed to be funny too.

    • @madnessarcade7447
      @madnessarcade7447 4 месяца назад +1

      They wanted to do something different ig

    • @en2336
      @en2336 2 месяца назад +1

      @@madnessarcade7447 well they did it badly.

  • @somewhereonlyweknow2814
    @somewhereonlyweknow2814 5 месяцев назад +602

    This is the hill I am willing to die on: WE NEED TO BRING BACK “OLDER” PROTAGONISTS!!! Enough with the teenagers and early 20s nonsense, I beg. Bring back the 30+/40+ protagonists!! It’s more mature, more charming, more charismatic, more romantic, more “warm and fuzzy and cozy”.

    • @user-uf5mv1vm5o
      @user-uf5mv1vm5o 3 месяца назад +19

      It's basic story telling I would say, why would we care about a 20 something finding love when in actuallity we'd rather say "don't settle, discover yourself first" (espacially since most recent younger love interests are really toxic) but in later years you usually have an accomplished woman with traumas and backstories and despair of thinking that love doesn't really exist and that maybe she should have lowered her expectations. I think it sends a better message than "that guy who's obsessed with and borderline possessive and violent is probably the lvoe of your life".

    • @jorgeelpandulce
      @jorgeelpandulce 3 месяца назад +3

      You my friend would love Jackie Brown

    • @lukeperkins1024
      @lukeperkins1024 3 месяца назад +3

      Yeah, I would even feel like people in their 20’s would also relate to older protagonists too, like how a kid would relate more to a teen/adult, rather than someone their own age because it’s who they aspire to be.

    • @trblessed1020
      @trblessed1020 Месяц назад +1

      Yasssssssssss!!! Like a more grounded take on love where both of you know your boundaries kinda and deal breakers kinda lol

  • @Mel-jr5cz
    @Mel-jr5cz 5 месяцев назад +2365

    "rom-coms sell the fantasy that men will fall in love with your personality"
    I'm just-- how could you...? I just... Give me a minute
    Like, i know that happens all the time in real life but hearing it put so bluntly when you haven't personally experienced something like that??? I need-- I need to sit...

    • @scythermantis
      @scythermantis 5 месяцев назад +69

      I am just a random guy here passing through... do you think that the 70% or so of men who are very lonely and lack self-esteem and charisma would also refuse a girl who earnestly sought a romantic relationship with them? Because I really doubt that.
      I will just say that in this day and age, we ought to be pursuing equality, and that means that girls have a lot more power than they realise at times. Go and take a chance initiating a conversation with guys, and try to be open to different experiences you might not normally consider... that is what I would give as advice (I also say this to guys of course)...
      I mean, maybe even consider dating a guy shorter than you!

    • @stxrstrxckmxteo515
      @stxrstrxckmxteo515 5 месяцев назад +14

      @@scythermantis!!! ty for this, I’m a gay man but I do see what you are talking about.

    • @en2336
      @en2336 5 месяцев назад

      ladies, if you are young DO NOT LISTEN to this!! I USED to be the girl who asked out every guy I liked. and what happened is that every guy would always say yes (sometimes we were already friends so they knew my personality, sometimes strangers I had a passing interaction with) EVEN THOUGH they did not like me romantically because they wanted ANYONE to fill their loneliness, sexual desires, and do chores like cooking for them. I was cute * enough * for them to put the bare minimum into, or even worse tell me lies about our future and how much they cared about me only to leave when my support helped them build up their life enough that they felt confident enough to chase after another person/another life. Of course the guy who takes initiative can be a bad guy and I've had those experiences too. I guess what I'm really saying is make sure you *really* know that this guy has the emotional intelligence and empathy to say no before asking him out. rejection is protection...
      which brings me to my next point, IF I was older and knew what I wanted I wouldn't have put up with that mistreatment. I would have known that "work" in a relationship should feel like tending to a garden, not being in the trenches of war with explosions around you. I would have had the courage to quickly end it when I was taken advantage of physically and financially. so I would only take this advice if you are an OLDER WOMAN and have developed the self love and intuition to know how you want to be treated and believe their actions, not just words. @@scythermantis​

    • @leftenantthunder
      @leftenantthunder 5 месяцев назад

      Women purusue all the time, they just dont pursue average men. If you've ever been around a hot male friend its wild to see how girls behave around em@@scythermantis

    • @spacebar9733
      @spacebar9733 5 месяцев назад

      @@scythermantis do we want to be in relationships with those kinds of guys? Why don’t we deserve confident, well dressed, clean partners like ourselves? It’s honestly the bare minimum.
      When you give an insecure guy a chance they try to humble you. There's so many statistics and video essays about it. We don’t owe men anything. I will happily stay single if it means not having my mental health depleted. And men are lonely because they don’t respect themselves or others. It’s a choice, however much that hurts to hear. I don’t mind asking a guy out, but a good guy is few and far between.
      You come at this thinking all women are desperate to be with a man, but anyone who should be in a relationship is not desperate. Desperate people are settlers, taking what they can get: crumbs.

  • @mcphersontape
    @mcphersontape 5 месяцев назад +1049

    Glenn Powell in Set It Up felt more of a traditional Rom Com than Anyone But You. That pizza scene hit different.

    • @Emma-tf9jg
      @Emma-tf9jg 5 месяцев назад +85

      YES who knew pizza could be sentimental and sexy

    • @jessicalukram74
      @jessicalukram74 5 месяцев назад +29

      I love that scene

    • @Imyourcherryybomb
      @Imyourcherryybomb 5 месяцев назад +80

      I also think one of the reasons why there was so much hype for Anyone But You was because of Gelnn being in Set It Up and ppl loving his performance. Sad that Anyone But You is not as good.

    • @madison51307
      @madison51307 5 месяцев назад +26

      I love that movie and regularly quote that scene.

    • @shayyosheia
      @shayyosheia 5 месяцев назад +71

      Set it Up also expressed the characters desires/ what was missing from their lives and each piece of dialogue/Interaction added layers of development and character. I cannot recall any moments in which anyone but you felt....charming.

  • @unlinedwork
    @unlinedwork 5 месяцев назад +1160

    Bridget Jones wasn't supposed to be fat. She was supposed to be the average British woman's size at the time who didn't have a weight problem, but struggled with gaining and losing the same 20-ish pounds depending on her mood and how successful she perceived herself. That's why it was so upsetting when the girl Daniel was cheating with made a dig about her weight. She was in a good place, she didn't feel bad about her weight, and then she's blindsided by these two "perfect" people making her feel like she wouldn't ever be good enough. Daniel's apology wasn't that he was sorry, it was like "well what do you expect?" The turning point of the movie was that she would stop obsessing about her supposed flaws, and expect better for herself.

    • @liv97497
      @liv97497 5 месяцев назад +120

      Yes yes yes! This is also made so obvious in the book because on the chapters she's doing good, she stops obsessively keeping track of her weight. They do this in the movie narration too, but people keep forgetting it for some reason.

    • @avajanzen5877
      @avajanzen5877 5 месяцев назад +26

      thank you yes!!! i thought it was obvious but i guess i just find it very relatable as someone who gets concerned about my weight when i feel like i have no control. its a very realistic aspect of such a real character

    • @AW-uv3cb
      @AW-uv3cb Месяц назад +3

      It was also made explicit by the text (don't remember whether it was in book 1 or 2): at one party when she finally achieves her goal weight and she's so proud of herself, her friends keep asking if she's okay and feeling well, because she looks sickly. Ie. the target weight she set for herself is too strict.

  • @gidiess7880
    @gidiess7880 5 месяцев назад +610

    The thing I love about When Harry Met Sally the most is that they were friends first. That's the way their romance worked, because it was built on a really solid foundation of friendship. You see them spending a lot of time together and through that falling in love. That's something I think a lot of rom-coms that followed lost. People meet and fall in love instantly and those relationships to me feel like they have a real lack of depth and connection. Also When Harry Met Sally is so smartly written and the chemistry between the two leads is off the charts ❤

    • @LittleMissLion
      @LittleMissLion 5 месяцев назад +2

      Suuuuch a good point.

    • @trblessed1020
      @trblessed1020 Месяц назад

      Yes!! I watch this movie every year around the holidays

  • @norsegodoflove
    @norsegodoflove 5 месяцев назад +610

    the chemistry section is exactly why i think people are campaigning for a rom com between ayo edebiri and paul mescal, beside the obvious ayo is irish jokes

    • @valeriarossini543
      @valeriarossini543 5 месяцев назад +27

      I wasn't aware people were campaigning for that, but pleaseee that would be the best thing ever

    • @i_al_ss
      @i_al_ss 5 месяцев назад +4

      YES YES YES

    • @aishambengue3024
      @aishambengue3024 5 месяцев назад +16

      YES!!! THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN !!! Also, I need either sudcarmy for the bear to be Canon or for Jeremy Allan White and Ayo Edebiri to be in a Roscommon cause they also have chemistry!!

    • @victoriajulian3974
      @victoriajulian3974 4 месяца назад +8

      @@aishambengue3024 TOO MUCH CHEMISTRY its like every scene they're together someone is about to kiss the other.

  • @jaywhangmakes
    @jaywhangmakes 5 месяцев назад +1685

    Man, the sequel to Anatomy of a Fall came out really fast.

    • @erin9707
      @erin9707 5 месяцев назад +80

      where’s the dog tho?

    • @BroeyDeschanel
      @BroeyDeschanel  5 месяцев назад +282

      @@erin9707 me, I'm the dog!

    • @Stuie299
      @Stuie299 5 месяцев назад +16

      Well, I guess its better than waiting 65 years like we did after Anatomy of Murder.

    • @AshutoshBackupD
      @AshutoshBackupD 5 месяцев назад +1

      Lol

    • @Skittenmeow
      @Skittenmeow 5 месяцев назад

      😂😅damn completely forgot that there were more films in this series​@@Stuie299

  • @oracl3ofdelphi
    @oracl3ofdelphi 5 месяцев назад +366

    tbh my big fat Greek wedding is a romcom that didn’t follow the Sam meets Harry rule and I love it sm. There’s no forced proximity, they like each other from the start and are working on being together even though Toulas family is conservative. The family doesn’t feel like background characters, they have their own life’s and personality, while also keeping a balance of not being the focus of the movie. Ian is literally the perfect romcom man imo. He was always respectful and interested in learning about Toulas culture and open about her chaotic family. (Also I loved the casting for Toula because yes even tho Greeks are white, often times in Hollywood they get represented as pale, blonde and blue eyed. Which there are Greeks who look like that, but still it was nice to see someone who looked like the women I grew up with being the main character) there’s also a Turkish romcom that I absolutely adore, “Olanlar Oldu” if you have access to the movie I’d highly recommend it, though it’s more funny and endearing if you know Turkish culture and language.
    Romcoms today are so much based on the enemies to lovers trope with the forced proximity. No chemistry, everything about the characters to the dialogue to the background feels sterile and lifeless. Like it was said in the video, modern romcoms are based on relatability and not the characters and their stories.

    • @spacebar9733
      @spacebar9733 5 месяцев назад +24

      That movie was so amazing I knew from a young age it wasn’t to much to want a guy as respectful as Ian is. I would say ahead of its time but I think it was just underrated.

    • @AW-uv3cb
      @AW-uv3cb 5 месяцев назад +4

      I have to say that I never thought of MBFGW as a rom-com, precisely because the question wasn't whether Ian and Toula end up together (they clearly are going to) - the question was whether her family can accept Ian and whether Toula can embrace the culture she comes from while maintaining her independence. The centre of the story was Toula's relation to her family, not her romance with Ian, which was just a catalyser. To me, it was just a "com", or a "culture com", if you will. And a fantastic one at that! I'm from Poland, and not an immigrant here, and my family is strewn around the country and not as close-knit as Toula's, but so many family behaviours and dynamics were recognisable to me on such a deep level! It's a fantastic movie with so much soul to it!

    • @sarahingreen9734
      @sarahingreen9734 4 месяца назад +1

      I kept thinking about this film throughout the video. That is also one of my favorites.

  • @cherry97girl
    @cherry97girl 5 месяцев назад +325

    I think my favourite Rom Com is probably 10 things I hate about you, I don’t cry every time I watch it but that Karaoke scene on the football field is iconic and the speech! It’s a great Shakespeare re-telling and I love how smart and bitchy Kat is, it reminds me of being 17.
    Plus seeing a baby Joseph Gordon Levitt is fun

    • @LittleMissLion
      @LittleMissLion 5 месяцев назад +24

      Yet another one with clever writing and a good backstory lending motivation to the characters. Its soooo wonderful.

    • @BetterWithBob
      @BetterWithBob 4 месяца назад +8

      I only saw it for the first time a couple of years ago and I was amazed at just how good it was. I could guess the formula but I didn't care because it was done so well. I normally hate a 'liar revealed' scene but that one was genuinely devastating

    • @saigie3908
      @saigie3908 4 месяца назад +1

      Best ROM Com!!!

    • @LimeyLassen
      @LimeyLassen 2 месяца назад +1

      This is a good point against her "the characters need to be older" argument

  • @gabriellewrren
    @gabriellewrren 5 месяцев назад +201

    I think the reason I have been so drawn to KDramas in the last couple of years is because the embody this late 80s/90s tension that I have been missing! They know how to build the story and the background characters to really ruin you emotionally. It's never just about romance!

    • @gbbs9
      @gbbs9 4 месяца назад +30

      Thissss! I wish someone would talk about the rise in global popularity of Kdrama compared the to decline of Hollywood rom com. It’s not totally apples and oranges, and I think kdrama is delivering that heartfelt funny romance story that Hollywood gave up.

    • @baby.yogurt
      @baby.yogurt 4 месяца назад +5

      this but with telenovelas

    • @greeshmaann2620
      @greeshmaann2620 2 месяца назад +1

      yess!! completely agreed

    • @zesty6781
      @zesty6781 2 месяца назад

      Do you have any recs plz?

  • @Dm34421
    @Dm34421 5 месяцев назад +845

    Anyone but You was missing spirit and chemistry. It lacked worldbuilding or relatability. We don’t know anything about Bea besides she’s a law school dropout.
    The characters didn’t have notable personalities or motivations.

    • @firstlast9846
      @firstlast9846 5 месяцев назад +35

      I absolutely hated the jokes and dialogue - it was atrocious. That ‘Gata’ dude was trash even tho I know he’s a good actor.. it’s probably down to the 0 chemistry

    • @roadrollerdio565
      @roadrollerdio565 5 месяцев назад +63

      "Chad and Stacy from high school" falling in love was such an accurate description 😭

    • @anteyehero
      @anteyehero 5 месяцев назад +10

      Yes! I wanted to like it so much since I like both of the leads’ body of work, but man all of the conflict and arcs in the movie were soooooo thin.

    • @emilyroll7370
      @emilyroll7370 5 месяцев назад +2

      Ironically watched this movie for the first time last night and thought the same thing

    • @MissWeirdBug
      @MissWeirdBug 5 месяцев назад +14

      THANK YOU! I don't get the hype around that movie, can't understand the "OH MY GOD, IT WAS AWESOME!" in social media. I went with my best friend, looking for a good time, and I was deeply disappointed. The chemistry Powell and Sweeney had in interviews was nowhere to be found, and the "jokes" were the dumbest I've seen in YEARS in a production with this kind of clout and production values. I was MAD AS HELL.

  • @originaozz
    @originaozz 5 месяцев назад +200

    When Harry Met Sally is exactly the kind of relatable, but ideal romance. More than a lover, it's the partner who truly SEE you in all forms that makes you say "This is what I want my relationship to be". Their relationship will always make me feel hopeful. Another enchanting romcom for me was Chungking Romance.

    • @jianyuyj2016
      @jianyuyj2016 5 месяцев назад

      You meant chungking express?😂

  • @bk83082
    @bk83082 5 месяцев назад +1098

    Wow. Sounds like someone can't just be happy for two disgusting gargoyles like Glenn and Sydney finding each other and defying the odds that they would likely die alone. Sad.

    • @AugustRx
      @AugustRx 5 месяцев назад +25

      One of them is gonna die alone
      unless there's a sequel with grampa glenn

    • @egperez31
      @egperez31 4 месяца назад +13

      Right?! And after their characters dealt with so much adversity, struggling against issues like finances and racial inequity to find themselves and fall in love with themselves before they could truly develop a beautiful, fleshed-out romance with one another.

    • @tananario23
      @tananario23 3 месяца назад +1

      Sounds like someone is 12.

    • @shish420
      @shish420 Месяц назад +2

      @@tananario23 not understanding the obvious sarcasm and irony of the comment makes you the 12 year old sweet cheeks.

  • @melm4251
    @melm4251 5 месяцев назад +421

    i'm a mid 30s mature age student at uni and i think one of my lecturers overheard me saying how much i'm in love with him last week. never been a fan of romcoms but i think my time has arrived

    • @sunsetlollypops437
      @sunsetlollypops437 5 месяцев назад +9

      awwww

    • @someonenotsomeone8450
      @someonenotsomeone8450 5 месяцев назад +19

      You gotta give an update if anything happens

    • @spacebar9733
      @spacebar9733 5 месяцев назад +9

      That is so cute lol best of luck

    • @availanila
      @availanila 5 месяцев назад +4

      🎉🎉❤❤ Godspeed!!

    • @AW-uv3cb
      @AW-uv3cb 5 месяцев назад +8

      Here's hoping for a happy ending for you! What a story that would be!

  • @utkarshed
    @utkarshed 5 месяцев назад +395

    Far more than Anyone But You, it's Rye Lane that gives me hope for romcoms. Yes, it's much smaller, but it has more of a chance at exciting budding creatives into making the next great romcoms.

    • @amani7760
      @amani7760 5 месяцев назад +55

      Rye Lane is so lovely, I wish more people knew about it!

    • @madison51307
      @madison51307 5 месяцев назад +26

      I love Rye Lane. It was my favorite movie of last year. It’s creative and funny and has Colin Firth! What more could you want?

    • @rochellerodriguez6431
      @rochellerodriguez6431 5 месяцев назад +14

      So glad that someone mentioned Rye Lane!

    • @iLikeBovril
      @iLikeBovril 5 месяцев назад +17

      I Love Rye Lane! I loved that it showed a side of London that you never see in Richard Curtis films but was equally charming -and that for once the manic pixie dream girl character wasn't a skinny white girl with a fringe

    • @lilboiqueen
      @lilboiqueen 5 месяцев назад +7

      YESSS youre so based for this!!

  • @sadicalradness6927
    @sadicalradness6927 5 месяцев назад +302

    It’s interesting that romcoms aren’t having the same resurgence as romance novels are

    • @spacebar9733
      @spacebar9733 5 месяцев назад +64

      Romance novels are self published a lot of the time and many avid readers are disappointed with the current romance novels we've been getting from what I’ve seen :/ many readers are easily pleased which is fine of course but it doesn’t mean the book isn’t bad.

  • @sadicalradness6927
    @sadicalradness6927 5 месяцев назад +285

    16:01 Everything, from the costumes to the set, is also super neutral and white except for some cool colours here and there. Her clothes are all mostly white and light blue. His are darker but also blue. They ‘four quadrant’-ed all the specificity out of the characters to make it just two generic hot people that you could theoretically project yourself on to. But blandness is not relatable, specificity, even if it is not *your* specificity, is relatable.

    • @pettingzoojustice9686
      @pettingzoojustice9686 5 месяцев назад +5

      My favorite comment in awhile

    • @saramoreira9847
      @saramoreira9847 5 месяцев назад +24

      The overabundance of neutrals is probably a by product of how the mainststream of decoration and with the quiet luxury trend, fashion too, have become weirdly allergic to colour.

    • @lisafenzi9739
      @lisafenzi9739 5 месяцев назад +13

      @@saramoreira9847 also probably because they didn't bother with any sort of production design and all of the budget went towards shooting in Australia tbh

  • @nightingalenef1764
    @nightingalenef1764 5 месяцев назад +62

    When you explained: language is at the heart of romance, I swear to God I had an epiphany. The more recent romcoms are not good because they are 'dumb'. The intellectual work done in the background is missing!

  • @YeguaGualichera
    @YeguaGualichera 5 месяцев назад +137

    Fave romcoms: "How to lose a guy in 10 days" because Kate Hudson is brilliant in it, and "The Holiday", BUT ONLY the storyline about Kate Winslet and Jack Black.

    • @Emma-tf9jg
      @Emma-tf9jg 5 месяцев назад +20

      AGREED i do not care at all about jude law and cameron diaz but LOVE winslet and black in it

    • @lila.sorelli
      @lila.sorelli 5 месяцев назад +13

      I watch The Holiday every year (and sometimes before december). Jack Black is my favorite in it. I wish he did more romance movies ;-;

    • @LittleMissLion
      @LittleMissLion 5 месяцев назад +5

      Agreed on both. I don't think either are my fave of all time, but I rewatch them a fair bit. They are comfortable and easy for me to watch. Especially when I'm tired and just need to feel good about life when life is so goddamn difficult.
      I rewatched How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days last night, actually. It was wonderful. I also often phase out for the Cameron Diaz storyline in The Holiday. The moments with his kids are sweet, though, mainly because the little actresses are frankly wonderful.

    • @riverkoenig9673
      @riverkoenig9673 4 месяца назад +7

      SAMEEE i think that Jude Law and Cameron Diaz were....nice......but Jack Black and Kate Winslet really swept me away.

    • @beccs9669
      @beccs9669 4 месяца назад

      My top 2 as well!! I feel seen

  • @BetterWithBob
    @BetterWithBob 5 месяцев назад +232

    One romcom I think is highly underrated as one is actually Nancy Meyers's first film The Parent Trap
    Now it starts out as a child centric comedy about twin sisters swapping lives to get to know their respective parents better, but in that classic Nancy Meyers way, it shifts to instead shed a light on the parents' lives, why they didn't work out, and why they are now better suited to each other. The divorce was because they were extremely young when they got together - 23 for Elizabeth and 24 for Nick - and their communication problems led to them falling apart when they didn't need to. Now both in their late 30s, they've had time to think about what they loved about each other, and can communicate their issues, first being able to talk to each other like civil functioning adults before they can reconcile
    What's interesting about their characters is that both of them had great, fulfilling lives after divorcing, both achieving their dream careers and both having a great relationship with their respective daughter, as well as their hired help being like family to them - but neither of them ever remarried or had another relationship because without that love, their lives are incomplete. The movie also shines a light on Nick with the evil fiancée Meredith - she's an attractive vamp ten years his junior, considered way out of his league, and on paper the ideal status symbol for a shallow guy. But Meredith is a laundry list of red flags, not just being a gold digger, but how she treats Chessie like a skivvy to be summoned with a bell and intimidates an 11-year-old when she gets savvy to her plan. And when Nick discovers the ultimate deal breaker of all - making him choose between her and his daughters - he kicks her to the curb in an instant. Who does he choose? The older (still only late 30s but definitely not 26) single mother who the audience has seen get so drunk she makes a spectacle of herself in front of him and messed up royally in the past, but still carried a torch for her. Granted we the audience saw more of her as a mess than Nick did but that just allows us to feel like we know her
    The stakes are also suitably high for the reconciliation - their daughters obviously having to be separated, a custody arrangement that would be all sorts of awkward, one parent possibly having to give up their respective daughter completely and even Martin and Chessie not getting the chance to be together. The movie's universe spells it out for the two that ignoring their feelings and not taking that risk would have all sorts of consequences, so that when Nick and Hallie fly all the way out to London to surprise Elizabeth and Annie...that's my Hannah tears moment lol

    • @rosanah.9089
      @rosanah.9089 5 месяцев назад +16

      i never realized it is actually a romcom!! maybe that’s where my love for the genre comes from, i watched it so much as a kid hahaha

    • @BetterWithBob
      @BetterWithBob 5 месяцев назад +7

      @@rosanah.9089 yeah I suppose it's half a romcom and half a kids' comedy lol

    • @jsmountain
      @jsmountain 5 месяцев назад +20

      Oh, the first half structurally mirrors a romcom, except the romance is instead a sisterly relationship between Hallie and Annie. They meet, they hate each other, hijinks ensue, they are forced together (in this case, in the isolation cabin as punishment), they actually get to know each other and end up loving each other. The love in question is just sisterly instead of romantic.

    • @BetterWithBob
      @BetterWithBob 5 месяцев назад +3

      @@jsmountain ooh that is an excellent point 😀

    • @spacebar9733
      @spacebar9733 5 месяцев назад +3

      To me it’s like two movies in one.

  • @shotishoti9447
    @shotishoti9447 5 месяцев назад +41

    Whenever I watch Bridget Jones's Diary, I just go into a love spiral every time. Sometimes when I feel too “single” (for lack of a better word) I rewatch it and be reminded of how sweet to just fall in love. Rom-com’s deserved more praise and accolades than ppl give it credit for (i.e, award shows) and although this trope can be overdone and a little distasteful, when it’s done rightly, it can instantly be a classic film.

  • @pandas4evr123197
    @pandas4evr123197 5 месяцев назад +699

    Billy Crystal is very attractive in When Harry Met Sally, and I'm sick of pretending he isn't

    • @emmabennett7699
      @emmabennett7699 5 месяцев назад +145

      i think the more you look at him the more attractive he becomes. also the expressiveness in his eyes. If anyone looked at me the way he did Sally i'd be putty in his hands.

    • @karl_franks
      @karl_franks 5 месяцев назад +98

      my one possibly unpopular opinion is he looked better with the beard, I couldn't believe when Sally said she preferred without

    • @R0SE727
      @R0SE727 5 месяцев назад +27

      @@karl_franksI agree! I get what shaving it in the movie is meant to represent, but I just think he looks better with it

    • @veronicamaine3813
      @veronicamaine3813 5 месяцев назад +4

      Agree to disagree

    • @vanessaswayze1456
      @vanessaswayze1456 5 месяцев назад +8

      THANK YOU! he is so handsome and loveable

  • @bboi1489
    @bboi1489 5 месяцев назад +233

    I love to see a film reviewer who compares and contrasts and doesn't chalk all their distastes to the vague explanation of "bad writing".

    • @jennapecor1865
      @jennapecor1865 5 месяцев назад +1

      Bad writing is the foundation for why movies stink.

    • @bboi1489
      @bboi1489 5 месяцев назад +7

      @K.C-2049 "Because the character writing is shallow and all feel fake!"
      OK, but what is "shallow writing", and what defines a "real character"? If you were speaking to the writer and said, "I don't like how bad the writing is, the setting is off, and the motivations are wrong" and bugged off, the writer wouldn't know what to fix because you didn't tell them *why* their writing is bad, what was off about the setting, and why the motivations feel wrong. That's like if a cop pulled you over, gave you a ticket, and drove off without telling you what you did.

    • @KillahMate
      @KillahMate 5 месяцев назад +4

      Note that Broey is an essayist not a reviewer. This kind of in-depth analysis is suitable for a long-form essay of the kind we're watching here, it's not the best way to write a review - those are supposed to be short, and for good reason.

    • @bboi1489
      @bboi1489 5 месяцев назад +5

      @KillahMate Essayist is the word I was looking for. Her "reviews" are a lot more constructed, with proper intros, thesis, and conclusions. Much better than the unprofessional rants all over social media.

  • @madison51307
    @madison51307 5 месяцев назад +58

    Rye Lane and the Big Sick we’re some of my favorite romcoms of the past decade (I also loved set it up). I think part of the problem is that these movies often don’t get the wide theatrical release and get pushed to streaming with little promotion. We also really need more queer rom coms (aka not just best friend roles).

  • @acousticmonkey2209
    @acousticmonkey2209 5 месяцев назад +34

    I love "When Harry Met Sally". It's just the perfect movie. For me, the end speech of makes me happy for the simple line, "It's because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." Just dialogue gold. You also see them change based on each others opinions. She tells him to start dating again, which he does, while at one point Harry says to her, "You should wear skirts more. You look good in skirts." In the next scene she's wearing a skirt. It's not for him, but his opinion matters to her.
    And finally, the "Pecan Pie" conversation was unscripted. You can see Meg Ryan look over to Rob Reiner offscreen in a sort of panic so their chemistry was real.

  • @asnab140
    @asnab140 2 месяца назад +6

    "These movies offer the FANTASY That men will fall in love with your personality'' BEST HEART BRAKINGLY true statement ever

  • @rhymeswithpicard8202
    @rhymeswithpicard8202 5 месяцев назад +46

    annie hall was not the only romcom made in the new hollywood era. what’s up doc, harold and maude, the heartbreak kid. there’s tons of them.

  • @chrisparkes
    @chrisparkes 5 месяцев назад +50

    I’ve always loved My Best Friends Wedding: I love Julia’s effervescence, Paul Hogan’s ability to juggle camp and sincerity, its inversion of rom com tropes (what if the other girl was the protagonist?), and its message that love might mean that you have to accept you won’t get what you want.

    • @gbbs9
      @gbbs9 4 месяца назад +1

      Love my best friends wedding!

    • @Mrs.Currie
      @Mrs.Currie 3 месяца назад +3

      I love that movie. The scene where he surprises her with a hug before leaving on his honeymoon...😢

  • @kohhna
    @kohhna 5 месяцев назад +98

    Anyone seen Rye Lane? Best rom-com of the last year, I think it definitely has all the qualities outlined above in spades.

    • @cutegamesclub
      @cutegamesclub 5 месяцев назад +6

      Checking it out thanks to this recommendation! It looks totally up my alley.

    • @christianwise637
      @christianwise637 4 месяца назад +6

      It's also probably one of the most visually interesting examples of the genre that I've seen, I love the way they depicted the implosions of the main characters' previous relationships, it was so creative

    • @Ciarra2423
      @Ciarra2423 4 месяца назад +1

      LOVE rye lane

    • @ThemermaidPearl
      @ThemermaidPearl 3 месяца назад +4

      It's the absolute best and I'm surprised it got overlooked in her description rebooting romcoms

  • @iaaiaa6118
    @iaaiaa6118 5 месяцев назад +39

    My favorite Rom-Com from the last years is Dash & Lily. It's a Netflix Mini-Series, but you can watch it in one sitting. Dash & Lily is a christmas-teenie romance, very predictable and a bit cliche. But it makes you actually care for the characters; I like the setting and costume and I think it has good writing.

    • @iaaiaa6118
      @iaaiaa6118 5 месяцев назад +3

      Also, I recently watched When Harry Met Sally for the first time. You are right: It's not nostalgia, it's genuinely a good movie.

    • @JaveriaYousuf
      @JaveriaYousuf 3 месяца назад

      omg YESSSS, DASH AND LILY WAS SO GOOD!!

  • @a.e.kieren7955
    @a.e.kieren7955 5 месяцев назад +60

    i think also worth mentioning that although the rom-com genre was very white, J.Lo was one of the biggest romcom queens and she is latina

  • @meimeirkgk
    @meimeirkgk 5 месяцев назад +41

    this is why you’ve got mail has remained one of my all time favourite films forever . The dialogue is perfect it’s everything

    • @morgansimpson315
      @morgansimpson315 4 месяца назад +2

      Check out Shop Around the Corner. It’s the original story with Jimmy Stewart. Both are great.

  • @kbarteaux9807
    @kbarteaux9807 5 месяцев назад +58

    Set it Up did more for romcoms than Anyone But You and its not even close.

  • @chloeconnor
    @chloeconnor 5 месяцев назад +15

    i know it’s not mentioned but last year i watched while you were sleeping, & it truly think it is up there with some of the best romcoms, and for me, it was truly the chemistry, the writing, and even the feel of the film, that made it for me, and it makes me miss that era of romcoms! I also feel like the new romcoms don’t do tropes as we nowadays and truly for me, that can make or break it

  • @R0SE727
    @R0SE727 5 месяцев назад +30

    Tbh you’re so right that the best rom coms are also about The Vibes combined with impeccable writing. Vibes make it sound like something kinda ephemeral or superficial, so I get why Nancy Meyers would take issue w/ the “everyone has a beautiful kitchen” comments abt her movies, but really, to me, “vibes” are about attention to detail. Treating a rom-com like any art deserves to be treated. I always thought the wardrobes in WHMs were so cozy and stylish, and that rly is the movie that tricked me into thinking I would like New York. The curation of the atmosphere in The Holiday is part of why I love it (and Jack black!). The friends in 4 weddings & notting hill are my favorite parts of those movies! And Carrie Fisher is so underrated in WHMS. The ensembles feel like they have real lives. Nora Ephron & Rob Reiner I remember anecdotes abt them being particularly dedicated to that level of precision. Reiner of course, a lot of the material from the movie came from real convos w Billy crystal, so there’s a combination of improv and intentionality. The 4 phone call scene from my memory was one of the hardest scenes they had to shoot & was shot like dozens of times, maybe more. Same can be said w Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan in the coffee shop in you’ve got Mail. Ephron really pushed them to get that scene right, I think Hanks has even said that’s one of the hardest scenes he had to do.

    • @alanadoueihi1438
      @alanadoueihi1438 2 месяца назад +3

      the attention to detail aspect is so true. I watched When Harry meets Sally for the first time recently and the set design is impeccable. You can take two screenshots of these two characters apartments and you know so much about them. I hate how clinical and boring set design is now

  • @janahollstein6654
    @janahollstein6654 5 месяцев назад +62

    See all of this is why it was Red White & Royal Blue that ACTUALLY revived the romcom - chemistry through the roof, not white, not heterosexual, the vibes are clear, rooms and costumes reflect the characters, the family and friends are lovable and given importance, the banter is immaculate

  • @fangal12
    @fangal12 5 месяцев назад +38

    The two black romantic comedies you listed are more like dramadies. My favorite black led romantic comedies are Boomerang and Brown Sugar

  • @VenusAD
    @VenusAD 5 месяцев назад +44

    Loved this video, but kinda shocked it didn't mention "Always Be My Maybe", which really brought back the formula, did quite well on Netflix, and absolutely nailed the final confession/get back together speech.
    But loved the attention given to 27 Dresses, which is one of my all time favorites.
    Also some of these comments make me think a lot of people arent clear on what a romcom entrails...(no offense y'all, but the romance genre has rules! Otherwise it's just a love story)

    • @mkg72892
      @mkg72892 5 месяцев назад +6

      I fucking love Always Be My Maybe😭

    • @zeekifyable
      @zeekifyable 4 месяца назад +1

      "what a romcom entrails" oh my! 😬

  • @Garrett1240
    @Garrett1240 5 месяцев назад +167

    Does “the worst person in the world” count as a rom-com? If so, then that’s my favorite of the genre by a country mile.

    • @RyanKochFilms
      @RyanKochFilms 5 месяцев назад +3

      Same af compadre

    • @tatehildyard5332
      @tatehildyard5332 4 месяца назад

      A more conventional one that I’m surprised didn’t get more love, Ticket to Paradise. Yeah, it can be read as a tax shelter vacation movie but you don’t get to see George Clooney or Julia Roberts on screen that often anymore and they take the bare minimum that’s asked of them, and go as far with it as they can. It felt like the perfectly mediocre movie Anyone But You was trying to be and fell short of.

  • @catcipriano8224
    @catcipriano8224 5 месяцев назад +23

    I'm so glad you talked about Bridge Jones Diary, that movie is so funny and romantic in a non cliché way I love it so much 😭

  • @AthynVixen
    @AthynVixen 5 месяцев назад +75

    The Annie Hall themed outfit - top class

  • @DuncanNortier
    @DuncanNortier 5 месяцев назад +21

    As to your friend crying and not knowing why, I teared up just with the visuals in this essay.

  • @pinkattics9708
    @pinkattics9708 5 месяцев назад +19

    Best romcoms of the last five-ish years are Palm Springs and Plus One, hands down. And if you want a non-white, non straight 2000s romcom you all have GOT to check out Saving Face

    • @StepCat
      @StepCat 3 месяца назад

      yes both of them are really great!

  • @UrbanistExploringCities
    @UrbanistExploringCities 5 месяцев назад +12

    I’m deeply grateful for you making this video essay. Rom-Coms is one of my favorite movie genres, especially in a world where most films are too serious and moody. Rom-Coms bring much needed lightness to the world 🙏
    When Harry Met Sally should be considered as one of the greatest films ever made.

  • @paulomiranda6505
    @paulomiranda6505 5 месяцев назад +199

    I just miss the prestige rom-com like When Harry Met Sally and Moonstruck

    • @paulomiranda6505
      @paulomiranda6505 5 месяцев назад +22

      @tonimashdane33498 I love Punch Drunk Love, but it's like from 2002. I would love to see one reflecting today

    • @wildoranges
      @wildoranges 5 месяцев назад +7

      highly recommend Saving Face if you haven't seen it.

    • @cassiusdhami9215
      @cassiusdhami9215 5 месяцев назад

      Try "If You Were the Last".

    • @hanautomo4980
      @hanautomo4980 5 месяцев назад +4

      MOONSTRUCK MENTION 🙌 one of my fave movies ever

    • @tatehildyard5332
      @tatehildyard5332 4 месяца назад +1

      Ticket to Paradise aimed very low but succeeded. 2 solid stars that have solid chemistry and they clearly put effort into making the relationship between the 2 divorcees relatable.

  • @robinknight2251
    @robinknight2251 5 месяцев назад +28

    Deliver Us from Eva is essentially a POC modern adaptation of Taming of The Shrew. 2003 If you've never seen it, it's a fun watch. LL Cool J links his lips like a million times. 😂

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 5 месяцев назад +424

    “Insufferably Heterosexual”. I love that term 😂

    • @jennapecor1865
      @jennapecor1865 5 месяцев назад +7

      That’s a phrase these writers would use too, which is why any heterosexual relationship they write in a movie sucks, because they inherently hate anything that is societally deemed “normal.” Love that term all you want, but the incessant bitterness behind it is one of the reason Hollywood writers today can’t write a good movie if their lives depended on it.

    • @PokhrajRoy.
      @PokhrajRoy. 5 месяцев назад +26

      @@jennapecor1865 So, according to you, anything that’s non-white, non-heteronormative and subverting social structures is not societally deemed ‘normal’?

    • @walli7754
      @walli7754 5 месяцев назад

      ​​@@jennapecor1865what have you been smoking and can i please have some

    • @Ahn-Dray-Uh_Priestley
      @Ahn-Dray-Uh_Priestley 5 месяцев назад

      ​@@PokhrajRoy. How COULD it be normal, if it's "subverting social structures"? Y'all wokies wanna be the power, the victims, the mainstream, and the rebels so damned badly, and that's just NOT how that works, bubi.

  • @KUREHA3D
    @KUREHA3D 5 месяцев назад +9

    this is easily one of my most favorite videos i've ever watched. its super rare that i feel the need to come back and rewatch a video within the same day i watched it for the very first time. i thought your analysis was extremely thorough and passionate. i could tell you're a true rom-com fan!! at the same time you opened my eyes to things i hadnt even realized. i agree with almost everything you said. thank you again for sharing your art with us!!

  • @whatever32
    @whatever32 5 месяцев назад +69

    There could honestly be an entire video about why modern movies insist on having the cinematography so slick and shiny, why the leads must always be perfectly coiffed and manicured, and why the set dressing is always so sparse and clinical. I hate it so much, it’s distracting - not just in romcoms. Watch any genre prior to the 2010s, and unless the themes/script specifically call for a minimalist/empty aesthetic, there’s gonna be clutter. People are gonna look rumpled, their boots and cars have a little scuffing and dirt on them. You hit the nail on the head describing Anyone But You as having a “commercial” look, it’s as if these films are perfectly curated ads for a type of lifestyle, as opposed to telling us about the characters through the way they have their hair/clothes/living spaces. It really takes me out of a story every time because I’ll be looking at a set thinking, “nobody lives like this! Do they live in a showhome? Did they just get their clothes TODAY???”
    For example, the other week I watched No Hard Feelings. In one of the first scenes a character arrives with a tow truck - this character is working class, in a seaside community, and clearly does this towing job for a living, he’s busy. So where’s the rust? Where’s the mud on the truck, where’s the salt corrosion from the sea?! Why does it look SHINY like it rolled right out of a showroom 5 minutes before the scene? It BOTHERS MEEEEEE
    I don’t know what the reason is either. Not sure you can point to budget constraints, since a lot of movies where this is a problem are actually higher in budget than their equivalent would have been in the 90s. Is it just lack of care and investment into the art departments? Are the sets being made with cgi?!? I have to know 😅

    • @33afterM
      @33afterM 5 месяцев назад +10

      It's Hallmarkification. They all look like Hallmark movies now.

    • @elijahalbiston
      @elijahalbiston 5 месяцев назад +1

      I mean, Christopher Nolan is the only great director I can think of who has films looking like that... but it feels like a trademark and intentional touch. Which means its probably just studios making everything clean so the movie flies out

    • @elijahalbiston
      @elijahalbiston 5 месяцев назад

      @tonimashdane33498 I'm talking about how Nolan seems to intentionally have some of his films look very clean, almost a scientifically sterile look. Think Inception, the Dark Knight, Tenet, Dunkirk, Interstellar.
      This is the internet, man. I'm 18. I know several of the directors you've listed but haven't had enough time in life to get into their filmography yet.

    • @roadrollerdio565
      @roadrollerdio565 4 месяца назад +2

      This is so true! I think of it as "the Netflix look" since it shows up on TV and films, though not just on Netflix. Maybe a cinematographer might have a clearer idea of what's off about the lighting and camera techniques? Makes the films feel corporate and unintentionally so.
      I recently re-watched _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ and there's a glowy softness to the images which helps cultivate the right atmosphere for a romcom. The rooms and houses have character. The world feels lived in.
      (Just to be clear, I'm not talking about Nolan or Villeneuve or Michael Mann who might intentionally go for the cold blue look or a polished look to complement the tone of the movie and personality of the characters sometimes - their films still look beautiful in a bleak rugged fashion and they always have a purpose. Films like Heat, Tenet, Inception, Arrival, TDK, Dunkirk, etc.)

    • @roadrollerdio565
      @roadrollerdio565 4 месяца назад

      @tonimashdane33498 Bro there's no need to be arrogant. Pls watch the video. Broey isn't talking about directors like Glazer, Scorsese, Nolan, the Coens, etc but about a recent movie called Anyone But You. This channel also talks about specific filmmakers quite often as well as genres overall (for example Greta Gerwig). Idk if you're just trying to troll, but I'll try to take this on good faith and explain.
      And the OP of this comment is talking about the cinematography in similar movies to ABY, which can often be seen on streaming. They never conflated precise visuals with polish - in fact, they point out that "polished" backgrounds in a setting that calls for the opposite, where it should be dirty based on character or location information, shows a lack of precision or thought in the storytelling.
      For example, Rian Johnson is a precise filmmaker. In Knives Out, Chris Evans' character wears beautiful expensive sweaters but with rips in them to show he's rich and careless. That's attention to detail. That's the precision that the filmmaking in Anyone But You is sorely lacking.

  • @autumntaylor2533
    @autumntaylor2533 5 месяцев назад +312

    I simply cannot watch two blonde people fall in love

  • @laurynanthony9193
    @laurynanthony9193 5 месяцев назад +37

    A video defending melodramas and THEN one on romcoms not much later?! We're living the dream

  • @PinkPopcast
    @PinkPopcast 5 месяцев назад +6

    Your video essays are so well researched and so chill and always do a fantastic job establishing and discussing the promised topic. I love vibing to your videos and sharing them with whoever will watch!
    - Rizzo

  • @grmgt
    @grmgt 5 месяцев назад +14

    A rom com that i really like but it's often overlooked is Imagine Me & You. It holds up surprisingly well given its queer themes!

  • @ikarabout
    @ikarabout 5 месяцев назад +7

    I'm in minute 1, and I just gotta say, the dialogue of "who's afraid of virginia woolf?" from minute 1 to minute done is the most mesmerizing performance of words i have watched. 131 minutes straight of spoken madness and emotion

  • @davidgoeller5843
    @davidgoeller5843 5 месяцев назад +22

    I'm sure the roots go back deeper but it feels to me like the wonderful It Happened One Night (which I spotted a clip of in this) really set the template of meet-cute gone-wrong followed by their begrudging warming up to each other. It holds up quite well, it's one of the few Capra movies I actually like.

    • @rebeccag8589
      @rebeccag8589 5 месяцев назад +6

      You're right- it's widely considered to be the first rom-com! I really like this film too.

    • @NotJustBriana
      @NotJustBriana 5 месяцев назад

      Yeah, when she said WHMS established the enemies-to-lovers trope I was like, "lol what"

  • @rachelhopkins8373
    @rachelhopkins8373 5 месяцев назад +14

    You should watch Plus One! It came out in 2019 and I feel like no one talks about it but it’s so good!!! The characters feel super real and you find yourself desperately wanting them to work things out.

  • @mateuspyluchmann
    @mateuspyluchmann 5 месяцев назад +7

    Thank you VERY MUCH! I saw "Anyone but you" yesterday and was left with the same "what's missing?" feeling you described. And thanks for the list of movies that I'm going to (re)watch in order to revive this genre in my heart 💜

  • @charlottemoore5043
    @charlottemoore5043 5 месяцев назад +7

    Bridget Jones's Diary is S-tier and I love seeing you break down what makes it so special

  • @PoetryAndTofu
    @PoetryAndTofu 5 месяцев назад +10

    I'm so glad you made this. I'm one of the only people in my group that loves this genre and you've perfectly laid out why.
    The incredible Jessica James is one from 2017 that got the formula right in my opinion and Definitely Maybe is probably my favorite of them all. But you've named some all time greats throughout the vid as well. Love this.

  • @hollywooddarling
    @hollywooddarling 5 месяцев назад +37

    YES 27 DRESSES IS SO UNDERRATED! I GENUINELY LOVE 27 DRESSES AS WELL. The conflict and stakes in 27 Dresses are well fleshed out, and the relationship with the sister is so complex yet real. The scene where Tess finds out her sister has cut up the dress and called it ugly is so insane and rage inducing. Also Judy Greer as Tess's best friend is such a real one.
    I too did not enjoy Anyone But You. The world didn't feel lived in, there was no colour or texture or us even knowing what they did in the lives of these characters---- in 27 Dresses for example, we know about Tess's job, which department Judy Greer is in, how they take their drinks, Tess's obsession with her filofax. Everything in Anyone But You was glossy and pretty and shiny but incredibly generic. There were no stakes, and I genuinely didn't know why I should root for this couple. I've watched very very flawed and silly romantic comedis and dramas/melodramas (especially Asian ones where I know the writing is incredibly over the top) and yet they still sell me on it because they give me something to root for with the couple. An inherent sincerity, or chemistry, or charm. I like Sydney Sweeney a lot but I agree I don't think she has the comedic chops for a romantic comedy.

    • @saramoreira9847
      @saramoreira9847 5 месяцев назад +2

      The cutting up the dress scene in 27 dresses basically spawned my own version of my Roman Empire, heirlooms and their very unique and specific beauty and craftmanship. Also reminds me always of how some people handle those heirlooms (regardless of their monetary value) with complete disregard for the feelings and opinions of the other members of the family. To mess up an heirloom that might have deep emotional significance to your family members without consulting them is the hallmark of selfishness and self-importance.

  • @anncantdance6276
    @anncantdance6276 5 месяцев назад +24

    honestly, my favorite rom com within the last 5 years has to be Rye Lane

  • @Torus2112
    @Torus2112 5 месяцев назад +20

    Crazy Rich Asians also follows a particular formula taken from actual East Asian relationship movies that developed there as a result of certain cultural particularities, so funnily enough it represents the romantic comedy as a genre spreading to a different culture, then returning with fresh ideas to reinvigorate itself in the context where it originated, having been transmitted by an Asian American creator familiar with both contexts.

    • @rachelarnold8839
      @rachelarnold8839 5 месяцев назад +1

      I loved Crazy Rich Asians, just a really fun movie

  • @grmgt
    @grmgt 5 месяцев назад +6

    7:16 Ok so Hannah sitting in a dark room about to cry caught me off guard lol. She is always so lively on the pod that seeing her sad was jarring!

  • @AwakeintheAM
    @AwakeintheAM 5 месяцев назад +6

    You really are such an inspiration. Not only is your insight and criticism brilliant, but your writing too. This is such a phenomenally written script!! I always get so excited for your videos and treat these like an event, and When Harry Met Sally is my favorite movie so this is truly a gift :,)

  • @Caiiiiiiiiii
    @Caiiiiiiiiii 5 месяцев назад +65

    “A woman who is 30 or older”…. and fatigued
    I guess I’m entering my rom-com era 💅

    • @mkg72892
      @mkg72892 5 месяцев назад +2

      Same👏🏽

    • @LittleMissLion
      @LittleMissLion 5 месяцев назад +4

      I am wishing for the most wonderful meet-cute to be directly in your future! I am kinda in the same boat. I am partnered, but we were both raised in a cult and we have been dating other people as a way to experience life we never got the option to experience.
      Last week, a lovely man showed my his plentiful chilli patch and then we kissed. It was rom com. So, so sweet.

  • @xenon787
    @xenon787 5 месяцев назад +7

    I'm a huge fan of When Harry Met Sally - thanks for all the further watching suggestions. Also, your outfit for this video is iconic.

  • @BetterWithBob
    @BetterWithBob 5 месяцев назад +18

    Me thinking how much I love Susan two seconds before Broey's "I love her" pops up in the captions 🤣

  • @angel-ke9vs
    @angel-ke9vs 5 месяцев назад +8

    My favourite rom-com is the Korean 2001 classic My Sassy Girl it tells the typical rom-com story in the wrong order it's so crazy but well-balanced it's funny, melodramatic and romantic. Second is Brown Sugar it's mature, and charming and the music is great; Queen Latifa is everything in that movie.

  • @gabrielleduplessis7388
    @gabrielleduplessis7388 5 месяцев назад +13

    I hate that the one scene that gets recognition from harry met sally is the stupid fake orgasm scene.
    There are so many great scenes and witty dialogue that is more deserving to be remembered.
    What made many rom coms great is despite the tropes, there was chemistry between the actors, smart and witty dialogue, and certain elements that separate them from another.

  • @GracePalmatary
    @GracePalmatary 5 месяцев назад +23

    I’m a simple girl, I see When Harry Met Sally, I click

  • @lucymills4735
    @lucymills4735 4 месяца назад +2

    I know these videos take so much more effort than it seems. You manage to be creative and well-articulated while including the context and background needed! I'm always frustrated at video essays that seem scrapped together and aren't thoughtfully produced. I'm always so impressed by you!!

  • @skylarsiben5323
    @skylarsiben5323 5 месяцев назад +5

    Thank you so much for this video! I’ve been working on a script for a while based on Much Ado - the same Shakespeare play Anyone But You was based off of, except mine takes place in college Greek Life, with Bea being an activist morally opposed to the system. When the Sydney Sweeney movie came out and did so well financially, I almost quit mine, but feeling similarly about that script’s failings and having a deep love for rom coms pushed me to keep going with it. I just took multiple pages of notes on this video to help with my next draft so I wanted to say THANK YOU! The research and obvious thought and care you put into these videos means more than you may realize and definitely helped inspire me today!

  • @hollykent979
    @hollykent979 5 месяцев назад +12

    i think it’s hilarious that they say rom coms set women’s standards for love too high… as if we shouldn’t have high standards…

    • @Mrs.Currie
      @Mrs.Currie 3 месяца назад

      Well, if a woman is waiting for her life to resemble a rom com, then her standards are too high, I'd say. These rom coms end like Disney fairy tales....happily ever after once they finally get together, but we don't see what happened 10 or 15 years later.

  • @mcnooj82
    @mcnooj82 4 месяца назад +5

    I found Villeneuve’s comments about cinema and dialogue to be kinda ironic, because I found a LOT of DunePart1 to feel less ‘cinema’ and more ‘prestige streaming’ once I tried (unsuccessfully) to rewatch it outside of an IMAX theater
    To this date, I have yet to successfully rewatch Part1

  • @CheyenneLin
    @CheyenneLin 5 месяцев назад +7

    Beautifully said! Rom coms are nothing without good writers

  • @pocphotocompany
    @pocphotocompany 5 месяцев назад +13

    Amélie. I feel that it's a very hopeful film in disguised as a rom com. I don't think the creators of this film would every categorize their film as a rom com. The look of the film is beautiful(the color) The humor is subtle and endearing. When I saw the famous When Harry Met Sally, "I'll have what she's having," scene. I thought it was ridiculous. Of course it's a rom com movie and they need funny lines-I just thought Sally's character would never do that. Love your Annie Hall look

  • @AstridPerellon
    @AstridPerellon 5 дней назад

    Loved your Annie Hall outfit! I used to love Woody Allen movies as a teenager and later in my 20's I became Nancy Meyer's fan. Now I just enjoy stories instead of genres and authors❤

  • @hardeggz
    @hardeggz 4 месяца назад +3

    YES the KITCHENS! the love story in you've got mail is rancid, but the vibessss. the neighborhood, the costuming, the side characters are so fun. its not as strong as harry met sally but its so charming. the environment reinforces the characters!

  • @eileenguy9478
    @eileenguy9478 5 месяцев назад +8

    Among all of my favourite romcoms the only ones i can think of right now thats non-bollywood are Thirst by Park Chan-wook and 10 Things I Hate About You, Bringing Up Baby, Some Like It Hot, It Happened One Night (the godmother of all filmic romcoms) and But I'm A Cheerleader. My favourite Bollwyood romcoms thag i recommend everyone checks out at least once in their lifetime are Rangeela (one of the most and best 90s films ever made), Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Chupke Chupke, Padosan (featuring one of the most iconic slapstick sequences/music videos in all of cinema imo), Jab We Met, Hasee Toh Phasee and Band Baaja Baarat. Although romantic and romcom genre films (and even other forms of entertainment like books) dont have the connotation of being for women only in India, so many of these have male protagonists and are sometimes catering specifically to a male-centric demographic. India also never really saw a massive decline in romcoms, as aspects of the romcom are present in a majority of our films even when they themselves aren't specifically of that genre (like RRR, an action film, which also has a romcom section between Bheem and a nice white lady). I initially found it a bit difficult to fully like western takes on genres like romcom and musicals because they were more obviously formulaic and showy (made a big deal out of their genre as a gimmick) rather than the more naturalistic way in which Indian films integrate musical sequences and romcom-isms. But ive grown to like them as well

    • @eileenguy9478
      @eileenguy9478 5 месяцев назад

      @tonimashdane33498 i haven't watched most of his films yet including Cyborg but I think I'll agree once I do!

  • @bluesunflowers
    @bluesunflowers 5 месяцев назад +7

    i think this is why i am enjoying korean romance dramas because they hit most of the points you raised, while they are tropey, it's cute, cringe, funny and it makes me cry in the end.

  • @fridabocanegra3259
    @fridabocanegra3259 5 месяцев назад +3

    I can't believe you didn't mention Set it up! 😭 It is a modern rom-com and does the confession speech perfectly

  • @esock2001
    @esock2001 5 месяцев назад +20

    Babe wake up Broey dropped

  • @nunisnowden
    @nunisnowden 5 месяцев назад +7

    You are, genuinely, so good at what you do.

  • @Secret413
    @Secret413 5 месяцев назад +6

    Set It Up on Netflix is also a great romance that hits most of what you mentioned of a good Romantic/Comedy.

  • @ForeverFashionGirl21
    @ForeverFashionGirl21 5 месяцев назад +5

    Just watched Anyone but You and I think I was just excited something like that existed but it was kinda vanilla. Great analysis. My favorite romcoms are the Proposal, Confessions of a Shopaholic and 50 First Dates

  • @erich623
    @erich623 5 месяцев назад +4

    You're rocking the Annie Hall look!

  • @roadrollerdio565
    @roadrollerdio565 5 месяцев назад +34

    All the points on writing... yes YES! To see Anyone But You, "pulling" from the hilariously witty Much Ado duo whose banter is *peak* screwball comedy, and giving us the bland Bea and Ben instead was rather disappointing. Their dialogue _should_ be funny, sharp, tense, teasing, sexy and a little sad because of their history together! Also, Beatrice in the play is written to have _many_ more "romcom heroine qualities" - being an *older* single woman, cynical in love yet cheerful and optimistic in life and having had a failed past relationship where she felt betrayed (by Benedick).
    I didnt understand why in ABY Bea was described as the _younger_ sister of the Hero-equivalent Halle, while in Much Ado About Nothing, it was _significant_ to their characters that Beatrice is the elder of the two! She is the experienced one whose younger more innocent cousin, Hero, is experiencing love uncynically for the first time with a young guy who's come to their house!
    Benedick and Beatrice also have the deep emotional character moments Broey talks about, together at the wedding of Hero, and Claudio, young friend of Benedick, where Claudio slanders Hero in public. Beatrice defends Hero's honour and gives a resonant speech about being a woman in this world, and Benedick is the only one to side with the women and listen to her. As they admit their feelings for each other in such a dark moment, she tells him to kill Claudio and he accepts, even though they're friends and he's spent the whole play arguing with her. He listens to her rage. Ultimately, underneath all that sparring, the two truly respect each other and there is a deep love.
    ABY lacks that level of serious emotional climax because there is no real Hero/Claudio plot or indeed a functional replacement for that dramatic storyline. This again ties into Broey's point on Halley being underwritten af... and pretty much every side character in the movie.
    Just to be clear, I'm happy ABY exists and made a lot of money, because maybe now Hollywood will spend the money to produce a well-written romantic comedy script. Meanwhile, the Kenneth Branagh 90s Shakespeare adaptation starring him and Emma Thompson as Benedick and Beatrice will be on repeat in my house. That and Philadelphia Story for proper chemistry via banter!

    • @alanadoueihi1438
      @alanadoueihi1438 2 месяца назад +2

      it's so much more disappointing when you find out this movie is based on Much Ado because of how much sharper and funnier and darker the play is. Totally agree and its especially sad cause Beatrice and Benedick have such good personalities that are so easily adaptable for a modern context.

  • @Emma-tf9jg
    @Emma-tf9jg 5 месяцев назад +2

    i’m just beaming this whole video!!! my favorite movie in the whole world is whms and my fave genre is rom coms so this feels tailor made. a good rom com is special and hard to do, and you’ve captured the elements perfectly

  • @rutherford690
    @rutherford690 5 месяцев назад +21

    I'm honestly baffled when I hear people say that romcoms died in the 2010s because there are several from that decade that I love and that I think hit the same marks that Broey says When Harry Met Sally and Bridget Jones do:
    -Sleeping with Other People (which follows the formula of When Harry Met Sally)
    -Set it up
    -Always Be My Maybe (which also follows WHMS formula)
    -Plus One

    • @karolineCPH
      @karolineCPH 5 месяцев назад +2

      I love Sleeping With Other People! No pun intended 😅 The main characters have such good chemistry, and I was genuinely devastated in every scene where Lainey interacted with or talked about her ex (Adam Scott). The main love story was great, but I think the strength of the movie was the way it showed how heartbreaking it is to love someone who doesn't love you back.

    • @nightingalenef1764
      @nightingalenef1764 5 месяцев назад +1

      Thank you so much. Didn't know two of them. Def. gonna look them up

  • @daphne6545
    @daphne6545 5 месяцев назад +3

    This is such a good essay! really good points made.
    A recent movie I liked, although not a RomCom more of a Teen Com, was Prom Pact, it does tick most of the points you've made in the video. There’s a good base of personality on the main characters, a good enough script, there's the "stake", and even a speech, yet it doesn't fall on a so obvious cliche by de end... oh and a great 80s soundtrack!
    so I recommend it to anyone looking for a new fun movie

  • @jaimeandresmenesespico7572
    @jaimeandresmenesespico7572 3 месяца назад +2

    This is best video-essay on RUclips, with every argument i was like yesssss, that's exactly rightttt

  • @anteyehero
    @anteyehero 5 месяцев назад +13

    Fave romcom is usually dependent on why I’m seeking them out in the moment. The ones I go back to the most are probably notting hill (I basically watched that one and Greek Wedding on a loop in 2020; it just makes me less anxious for some reason) and wedding singer. It’s weird that wedding singer works for me because Sandler is the furthest thing from a “romantic lead” that I can think of, but I love the chemistry between Robbie and Julia. Because I like people singing to Drew Barrymore and I like Hugh Grant playing a washed up weirdo, I also like music and lyrics a lot.
    There’s a lot of good favorites being mentioned in the comments here. It’s getting some attention but Plus One convinced me to go consume most everything Maya Erskine has done. I’m partial to the opposites attract kind of conflict in romcoms, and so think Set It Up (a better vehicle for G. Powell than ABY) and the Hating Game are pretty fun movies.
    I also like what I can only call “British sensibility” romcoms and I return to those often. I’ve mentioned Notting Hill already, but Fever Pitch (starring Colin Firth not Jimmy Fallon) is great on that front. Same with Man Up (Simon Pegg and Lake Bell), and Imagine Me and You (Lena Headey).
    And there’s the ones I watch just because I find everyone attractive in them. These aren’t great romcoms, but I can’t help but love them just because I love looking at the people in them. The Hating Game fits in this list as well as the ‘opposites attract’ list. Mentioned in the video is 27 Dresses, and I love that one. But in that list of movies where I’m just attracted to EVERYone is The Proposal; Definitely, Maybe; How to Lose A Guy; and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Common through lines of Ryan and Matthew are self evident.
    Honorable mentions are the teen romcoms SexAppeal and The Half of It. I’m not sure they really count as romcoms due to their endings, but they hit a lot of the same beats. Each does something I won’t spoil with the “Big Romantic Gesture” that I really liked, and tries teach their protagonists a lesson about growth, hurt, and love in a way that was sweet without being contrived (or so I thought).
    And lastly a more recent-ish one that really, really surprised me is Marry Me with Owen W and Jennifer L. It’s a very similar dynamic to Notting Hill, and I genuinely loved it. Highly recommend for something fun.
    Whew.

    • @maytabangin5349
      @maytabangin5349 5 месяцев назад +2

      I loved Plus One! It’s so underrated, but hopefully it being on Netflix will get it more attention.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. 5 месяцев назад +45

    Nora Ephron the genius that you are. Her and Nancy Meyers tied in first place.

  • @spacemanjames855
    @spacemanjames855 5 месяцев назад +3

    The picture you use for rehash is one of the most beautiful things I have seen

  • @stitchedwithcolor
    @stitchedwithcolor 5 месяцев назад +4

    Thank you for this. It continues to bother me the way that we tend to sweep away any shortcomings of action flicks by saying they're just suppose to be a little escapist fun and goddamn it, can't we just have fun?--but can't extend the same grace to romcoms, perhaps because the fantasies they're fulfilling aren't masc-coded power fantasies. And i think that a lot of the legitimate criticisms of the romcom genre could also apply to action flicks as well.
    Also, just gonna say, i find the whole concept of a favorite anything unnecessarily confining, but if you haven't seen the 1970's film The Goodbye Girl, i highly recommend it. Neil Simon was a MASTER of sparkling, witty dialogue, and Richard Dreyfuss is a classic example of why a romantic lead need not be classically handsome to be alluring.

  • @talm8871
    @talm8871 23 дня назад

    i havent been able to sit through a video essay in years, and i absolutely loved this one. and u just convinced me to watch when harry met sally

  • @may.k_me
    @may.k_me 5 месяцев назад +30

    Great video as always. I found myself nodding along continuously only to interject with loud exclamations of "Exactly!".
    I feel like a better more recent romcom was actually Netflix's Set It Up. In that movie, we at least saw the leads connect and understood why they would end up liking each other by the end of it.
    Unfortunately Anyone But You fell flat because there was no build up, no connection between the main two characters and it was hard to care about anything that happened to or around them.

    • @RoryBecktar
      @RoryBecktar 5 месяцев назад +4

      Yes! I was wondering if anyone would mention it as an example of a good rom com with glen powell in it.

    • @Emma-tf9jg
      @Emma-tf9jg 5 месяцев назад +1

      i know!! the two main characters had WAY more chemistry

    • @shotinsarajevo
      @shotinsarajevo 5 месяцев назад +2

      Set It Up also really plays off Glen Powell's looks as the douchiest guy in the room, and uses it to their advantage.