💌 Why romantic comedies bring me joy
Five romantic comedies I recommend, and two I definitely don’t
You know when your friend recommends a film or a tv show (that does sound genuinely interesting) and you say you’ll “pop it on your list” but you never do?
And when you’re actually on the couch, flicking through streaming channels, wondering what to watch, you forget about that list and choose the movie or tv show you have seen a thousand times before?
No? Yes? Just me?
This is a habit of mine. I love my creature comforts and those are romantic comedies.
Kia ora, my name is Mandy and I’m the News Editor at Re: News. For someone like me, who grew up on a healthy diet of television and the internet, I love romantic comedies and have watched my fair share of them.
I’ve never thought about it super deeply but with the release of Anyone But You, a 2023 rom com starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, the topic of romantic comedies has resurfaced, creating discussions about whether the genre is dead or if movie studios will decide to bring them back.
It’s not like they have completely disappeared - there is a churn of them from Lifetime and Hallmark but those are, let’s politely say, not the same quality or tier of the blockbuster romantic comedies of the ‘90s and 2000s.
Other movies have emerged that fall under the romantic comedy genre and do well. The actors have chemistry, the dialogue and plot is strong - but it’s rooted in more realistic elements of what dating and love is like, for example I Want You Back and Someone Great.
There’s a whole lot of other reasons too - how romantic comedies aren’t taken seriously, how movie studios don’t invest in them and when they do make them, they don’t lean into the things that make them great: cheesiness, earnestness and being a tad unrealistic.
But let’s be honest with ourselves, nothing can compete with the feelings we associate with watching those films. Even if we’ve seen it 1000 times before, that nostalgia hit is consistently strong.
Sure, we’ve become more conscious of these movies as a reflection of their time (a time that I wouldn’t quite say was inclusive), but that nostalgia is hard to give up.
But not everything should be about romantic love
While for a lot of us it’s about nostalgia, a lot of younger audiences are tired of being exposed to media that almost always touches on the topic of romantic love.
An annual UCLA report from 2023 found that viewers aged between 10 and 24 want to watch more content that is about platonic connections, see less sex on screen and they weren’t into tropes that make up a lot of romantic comedies, like when male-female friends fall in love.
“Some people can just be friends,” said a teenager who was surveyed.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve found myself drawn to books and shows that focus on different types of love, particularly platonic love.
In one sitting I watched Everything I Know About Love (based on the book by Dolly Alderton), which is about the messy, fun and complicated moments that make up your 20s and the power of female friendship.
I’ve also been reading the book series Before the Coffee Gets Cold which shows all different types of love - romantic, familial, platonic - in heartbreaking, beautiful and considerate ways.
At Re: News, we decided to celebrate love this week in a deliberate but quiet way. I do think it’s fair to say that a lot of us love stories about love and navigating the feelings that come with it, whether it’s a tale of mirrored hearts or a song on unrequited feelings or an intense dissection of a friendship breakdown.
Because really, it’s all about connection and who doesn’t want that? (Actually I know a few people who don’t, but that’s beside the point). Anyway, I’m definitely here for it.
Anyway, here are some of romantic comedies I recommend:
There’s lots of romantic comedies I’d recommend and some of these are my favourites while others, I’m just bringing to your attention.
Baggage Claim (2013): This was a really fun watch. It’s got a lot of your typical tropes and one critic called it “ultra-tacky” which makes me like it even more.
Sabrina (1954): Featuring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, it’s got some big names. The music is great, the comedic moments aren’t cheesy but hit the mark but I also think it’s an aesthetic time capsule. What’s not to love about a woman who has loved a man all her life, and when he finally reciprocates, his older brother throws a bit of a spanner in the works?
Resort to Love (2021): Oh who doesn’t enjoy a romantic comedy where the location plays a big role? A nice one to pop on when you’re feeling summery and casual. Christina Milian plays Erica, a singer who gets a job at a resort without knowing that her ex-fiancé is getting married there.
Ever After (1998): Lots of people have tried to remake Cinderella but this is the one to watch. The main character has moxie and doesn’t need to be saved, in fact, she’s often saving other people. Absolutely beautiful. A Drew Barrymore special.
Never Been Kissed (1999): Okay, hear me out - I know the entire plot is very questionable. But this is what I think of when I think of a romantic comedy. Josie Geller (another Drew Barrymore special) is a copy editor who gets assigned to go undercover as a high school student. As a journalist, this is truly outrageous (and this movie is not the reason I got into journalism FYI) but this film is gold.
I’m doing you a favour, DO NOT WATCH THESE!!
There are a lot of bad romcoms but these are the two I would advise you to steer away from.
Valentine’s Day (2010): We need to put an end to these convoluted, multiple storyline movies with a thousand characters that somehow connect. Having high-profile actors does not make a movie good, especially when there’s too much going on.
That’s Amor (2022): The only good thing to emerge out of this is that my partner was inspired to make Crema Catalana and it was tasty. Other than that, I would not recommend it.
Moving on….
While I will never watch those last two movies again and would highly recommend people not to as well, I do love stories about love so I commend them for their effort.
(But also who cares what I think,watch what you want to watch and like what you like. It’s your life!).
Re: News recommendations
These are not paid recommendations - they’re just things we like, including stuff we’ve enjoyed watching from our whānau at TVNZ 💗
Love Island: All Stars on TVNZ+
And in the absence of new romantic comedies, but also being a huge fan of reality tv, I’ve found that Love Island has quenched my thirst for romantic comedy.
When a contestant from Love Island Games was going to be in TVNZ’s Auckland office, I jumped at the chance to get a picture taken.
Love Island is a cultural phenomenon, influencing fashion trends and slang. It can lead to some serious discourse around race, gender, heterosexuality, friendship, and what’s socially considered acceptable behaviour.
It takes a while to get to know who is who and their personalities but once the parasocial relationships are cemented, you’ll find yourself tuning in every day.
Love Island is 1000% my type on paper.
Dating While Asian on TVNZ+
Maybe I am biassed since I was the supervising producer for this series but in the spirit of love, we really can’t go past Dating While Asian. This series focuses on the love lives of five Pan-Asian New Zealanders. They tell their love stories on their own terms - from situationships and mediocre hookups to breakups and complicated emotional needs. This Re: News series was made with the support of NZ on Air.
Pāua wontons
Making pāua wontons is so fun - and so delicious. I made these for the Lunar New Year. The recipe we followed was ‘Fat Freddy’s Drop Kiss Da Cook Episode 3’ (the only thing we did differently was we bought the pāua already minced). But as Dobie Blaze said: “The video is the recipe, from the ocean to the plate, and I wanted to capture what we usually do when it comes to having a party. Dive, mince, fold, cook, and eat.”
“You can’t buy happiness but you can buy fish and chips!” is what their sign says. Too true. Fish and chips will never be the same for me after eating at Kai Kart on Rakiura/Stewart Island. The people who run Kai Kart cook all their food to a level of golden perfection that others can only dream of reaching. If you ever get the opportunity to go to Rakiura/Stewart Island, you should take it. And if you get the opportunity to eat here, then you should do that too. Battered cod and battered mussels taste especially good after a three-day walk.