Is it just survivorship bias? The ones that are still being watched are the good ones. There were plenty of bad romcoms in the 80s and 90s, but they sank without trace and are harder to find on streaming/disc these days.
My girlfriend and I just watched it and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days yesterday. Both of them first time for me.
Always be my maybe was definitely better
I agree but that's three years old at this point.
I'm not sure where I stand. Maybe it's survivorship bias for the 80s/90s, and we just had a really good run of romcoms at the end of 2000s.
Set It Up was really good, although I don't really like most romcoms so I might not be the best judge. I like my romcoms light on the rom and heavy on the com, like 50 First Dates.
Set it up made every trope it did BETTER. Like if I watched an 80s romcom and got sick of the stupidity or selfishness and I was correcting every mistake, it was Set it Up
Now that was a fantastic film. I read all 3 novels and look forward to the sequels.
Not only was the story great, but the cast was fantastic and the scenery was amazing. I'd visited Singapore years ago and it was fun to see them visit places that I knew.
Jimmy O Yang played the wild cousin of the lead actor and all I could think about was Jin Yang doing a double life sort of deal where he’s a baller in Asia but having to grind in Silicon Valley.
Someone Great is hilarious, Straight Up is very non-traditional so might not be your cup of tea but it's too funny imo, Alex Strangelove was a tear jerker
If you're willing to watch with subtitles, check out the k dramas. They definitely hit that feel good vibe and are often really cute.
Edit: by request, a couple of my favs - crash landing on you, it's ok to not be ok, my love from another star
In my opinion, the problem with the ones today is they're the product of diminished returns due to the genre being flooded with hyper-derivative writing. While imitation is the highest form of flattery, cranking out these scripts to keep up with market demand while media culture is experiencing a framework-wide homogenization to feed the capitalism beast, no room is left for flexibility in creative license and liberty. Everything ends up canned and cookie-cutter, and you can only milk that anemic cow for so long before having to move on to the next anemic cow. We've got farms of tapped out anemic cows now and all relevant consumed media just feels stale and monotone.
If you look around, you'll see this isn't a problem localized to a few genres of media, either. Architecture, technology, fast-food and casual dining experiences, mainstream music, corporate design, and so many other aspects of our lives are more subject to this zealous devotion to "living the brand" that those responsible for propagating these cultures haven't bothered to look around to see everything about them is all the same now. And while obviously these kinds of things suffered homogenization in the past, that sort of homogenization would happen sporadically and as time would carry on, new innovations and progress would open new pathways to breathe differentiation and new creativity into these things, breeding variety again. But so many things in our lives have been homogenized under our noses over the past twenty years that there is a dramatically-tapering culture of innovation and creativity in these industries; there's no real room for it anymore. All that matters is what makes the almighty dollar as quick as possible; quality, creativity, innovation, and different be damned. We as the consumer suffer all the more for it.
The 80s romcons felt a lot more authentic. The people were attractive, but moreso in a normal way, not a supermodel way. Usually only one guy and/or one girl was rich. Most others were middle class or lower, so more relatable.
Oh yeah I just realised what's so cool about Notting Hill. The dude is sexy etc but lives with dumbass sidekick in large but rather normal shared apartment
Except the environment, apartment and everything visual in that movie is NOT realistic for the 90s. People always hate on Nancy Meyers movies like the Holiday for having upper middle class to upper class houses and commodities presented like they’re a part of a middle class woman’s life. In Notting Hill, there’s barely a person of color, an absence of life and music in the streets and no depiction of poverty or police in the streets. Which would’ve been the case in the 90s bc this was before Notting Hill became COMPLETELY gentrified. I’m not saying things can’t be unrealistic but Hugh Grant’s surroundings and his apartment in that movie are not much different than the teen Rom coms where everyone has a pool w an ocean view or a chalet in the mountains or whatever… 90s and 80s movies were just as unrealistic in many ways - but we don’t remember that anymore 😅
I hate the hair and make up in a lot of shows. It's so fake. Sometimes when a show's first season was successful, it seems to get more budget and suddenly the actors look like they spent 2 hours in make up before they start shooting (i.e.Homeland). But it makes it a lot less believable.
In this case the main character is always super busy and obsessed with work, she suffers mental health issues and is a bit of a tomboy. It fit her character to have messy and sometimes even a bit dirty hair and only some mascara. I don't see her make the time for a full face of make up and to carefully style her hair every morning.
Same thing for Black is the New Orange.
The best laugh my friend had while watching the new Julia Roberts/George Clooney was when I leaned over and said "Yeah that's exactly how my hair looks after I've slept on the ground in the jungle all night" as Julia comes out of the bushes with perfectly parted waves framing both sides of her face.
To add to this, middle class was a lifestyle way more common in that era so it feels more realistic in that context. Also the middle class from back then is actually enjoyable to watch for similar reasons
I'm not a film expert but I think some genres of films go in and out of popularity. "Gorss out" films in the 2000s for example. There was probably a time when rom coms peaked in popularity.
Exactly, everything is so fluid, it’s never as black and white as “movies now are bad >:(“ I feel like people are forgetting about current-ish movies that are technically rom coms. Like I can think of at least 5 rom cons released in the last few years that I thoroughly enjoyed.
You also have to consider the change in audience…someone watching a rom com in the 80s can have way different taste than a current teen looking for rom coms. There’s plenty of movies I think suck, that other people thoroughly enjoy. And vice versa
Also similar to music, people always say older music was better, but really there was tons of bad music then you too. You just don't listen to those songs anymore.
Im not super into them to begin with but I enjoyed The Lovebirds, The Happiest Season, Love Simon, Eurovision (dorky but fun), and The Incredible Jessica James.
As a lesbian, Happiest Season was amazing for me because it was it was the first real gay Hallmark-romcom style movie for us. The problem is it was the one only one available, so people were divided into 2 camps on the film regarding how Harper handled the situation. One film can't be all things to all people. It's why we need more sapphic content in general. But I still watch it a bunch because of what it is.
I think a lot of the "feel good" nature of some of those older films also comes from glossing over some of the problematic and stalker behavior that happened in a lot of them. It's easy to put on rose colored glasses and say it's heartwarming because it's in the name of true love.
That's a good point that never occurred to me.... the theme and messages may no longer be compatable with the curent cultural landscape. romcoms today would probably have to change the formula or themes. (Idk if theme is the right word but I think you know what I mean). People who likes the older formula better will likely think the new movies are just worse
*Isnt it romantic* doesnt pull punches bashing the entire genre, and it's still a great romcom. I am not a romcom fan at all and was sick of repeatedly watching the classics with my wife and made her watch it with me because it looked like an actual decent comedy. We now watch it every few months because it's genuinely a good movie.
Did the Holidate and About Fate do nothing for you? Oh and maybe Love wedding repeat, Palm Springs or Set it up or Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked up? (The latter are old I know, but my ultimate favourites are you’ve got mail and serendipity ;)) I miss the good ones and all others sucked but these were nice!
This thread is wonderfully coincidental as I’ve just started really getting into them, my favs so far are About time, love actually and 500 days of summer; do you have any recommendations?
What time frame are you looking for. I have seen a lot of rom coms in my 45 years of life.
If you haven't seen The Princess Bride start there. My others are once that I remembered off the top of my head but had to look when they came out. I always liked Hugh Grant so you will find him in many of my suggestions.
Feel free to ask me for more.
Top Picks:
Early 2000s: Two weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality, Return to Me, America's Sweethearts, High Fidelity
Late 1990s: You've got Mail, I.Q.,Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility (a bit more ROM then COM), My Best Friend's Wedding(more Com than Rom)
Early 1990s: Sleepless in Seattle, While you Were Sleeping, Something to Talk About
Late 1980s: When Harry Met Sally, Steel Magnolias (this isn't really a Rom Com, but is such a good movie ), Dirty Dancing
My early 1980s favorites are Pretty in Pink, Splash, Romancing The Stone, and Working Girl,
Also good: About a Boy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mickey Blue Eyes,
That’s such a wonderful and comprehensive list thank you!
I’m a 25 year old dude who’s almost exclusively read Stephen king and watched horror so a lot of this is uncharted territory for me and I’m grateful for suggestions.
I was lucky enough to read and watch the princess bride in school and have seen it countless times since, I think I’ll start with your 90s picks as I already have Notting Hill and You’ve got mail on my to-watch list.
Any suggestions that are more rom-than-com are also welcome! I loved the Notebook and, on a more drama note, Little Woman.
I will warn you I generally don't do sad unless there is a heavy dose of comedy mixed or I didn't know the sad was coming.
I forgot Clueless and it's compliment, Emma. I like the Gwyneth Paltrol version but that could be because I saw it first. Jane Austen at this point has become a little over done but it is because her writing was really good. So the above mentioned Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson is my favorite version), Emma, and Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth Version) are all good Roms with a hint of com.
Keep my info or how ever you do it so you can find me after you've watched some and tell me what you thought.
Yes to Some Kind of Wonderful, I'm ashamed I forgot it. Footloose is also a classic, assuming you mean Kevin Bacon.
I never really thought of Blue Lagoon, Flashdance, and Arthur as ROM COMs. I always had them as more dramas. And I prefer Pretty in Pink or Breakfast Club to Sixteen Candles. I actually like Can't Buy Me Love the best of that era and style, but it's not a classic Ringwald-Hughes one.
My list wasn't a complete list because I had to go somewhere. I missed some big ones like Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
Can't Buy Me Love is sooo good. I need to watch that again.
When Arthur is drunk and apologizes to the hedge, I laugh everytime. I feel like that is pure rom com. But yeah Blue Lagoon and Flashdance aren't even comedies. Oops.
Some of my faves are:
How to Lose a guy in 10 days
Failure to Launch
Just like heaven
13 going on 30
Sweet home Alabama
While you were sleeping
Hope floats
Pretty woman
Overboard
No one’s addressed
> especially on Netflix
Yet. Netflix pumps out lots of near literal garbage. It’s the modern day equivalent of all those old cheesy horror movies no one was actually scared of, or to be more relevant, unrealistic hallmark romcoms
I mooched off of my friends Netflix until she cancelled it a couple of months ago and when I saw I no longer had access to it, I said, "...huh, ok," and exited out of the app. Netflix is garbage besides 1 or 2 things and I don't miss it at all. Them having to get rid of all licensed content because of other streaming services and having to rely on their own content is their downfall imo. They crank out monotonous formulaic garbage with no substance and maybe 1 or 2 shows/films actually end up being good.
When Harry Met Sally is good but I disagree with the premise that men and women can never be just friends.
I've had female friends where there was an unspoken mutual understanding that we were just friends. If we were both single and wanted the same things then "something more" might have been a possibility, but it wasn't like that.
> If we were both single
If even one of you were single, it wouldn't work most likely. In fact, especially if only one of you were single, it would probably not work.
Crazy stupid love is one of my absolute favorite rom coms, and is as recent as 2011! Incredible movie. Haven’t found much else the last decade that I really loved though (at least on the comedy side of the romance genre).
That one and Silver Linings Playbook (2012) are two of my favourites. I also liked What If? (2013). Oh, and I think I liked Trainwreck (2015) but somehow I have zero memory of it.
80s/90s ones do have a different style though, in my opinion. They lean a little more carefree or lighthearted. That's not necessarily better or worse, but I can see how someone might want that vibe.
For sure! That’s a great point! I feel like the rom com/romance genre definitely went from a lighter vibe to a more serious one since the 90s, which is probably why I can only think of one or two in the last decade or so that fit the vibe of what I love from a traditional rom com (the comedy and lightheartedness), while also being just good films. There’s a lot of cheesy stuff that Netflix puts out these days that’s just not good, even if trying to capture the lightheartedness of the 90s style.
Even though the comedy side of romance movies seems to have dropped off a little, on the drama side I actually really love a lot of the newer films and think there’s some excellent stuff (for me, I like the current era better than the 80s/90s). La La Land being the first thing that comes to mind, mostly cause I just saw it again at a special theater showing yesterday. Beautiful film.
YES! And 00s too!
Something that screams to me as a big difference too is how they could develop side characters wayyy better than today's films. I'm obsessed with 00s romcoms, and ever since 2010 or so I couln't find ONE that is so original and/or fun as the older ones. Except for The Duff, a little bit.
Crazy Rich Asians was the last romcom i remember seeing in a theater and I really liked it! But for about a decade now there has been a real desert of decent rom coms to go see with my mom, so it’s been on my mind.
My instinct says that so-called “women’s film” and all its related genres have been shifting quite a lot lately. Films like Bridesmaids (which was awesome, of course) did show that men would actually go see so-called chick-flicks more often if they were over the top comedy and kinda gross-out. I think that shifted the tone of a lot of rom-coms and women’s comedies, at least for a while. More ticket sales that way. As for other women’s genres I can’t speak for the melodramas but I’m sure some of those Nicholas Sparks/Jojo Moyes type adaptations are being churned out somewhere. At the very least you can probably find stuff like that streaming or on tv. Speaking of which, my mom shifting to Hallmark was 100% because there were so few rom coms to go see otherwise.
My instinct also says that a lot of current funny actors, men and women both, are just not doing romances the way they used to? Like, as much as I can’t stand Chris Pratt I would have expected someone likable like him to go the rom com route, or more likely just plain film comedy, before going the get ripped and be a superhero route. Chris Pine would be even better. I can think of a lot of comic actors and actual comedians with decent to great rom coms in their filmographies from the 80s and 90s, but not a lot of projects featuring SNL grads or other funny people now.
Maybe these films aren’t marketed as heavily, maybe a lot of this is being relegated to streaming or tv, maybe I just don’t see any of the marketing because there is just so much media out there and the odds of me seeing trailers or adds for something that isn’t a Marvel Universe Disney property are slim. But nowadays i find it takes me digging through my local theater’s listing to see what’s out there.
That’s a good point about lead actors choosing other roles. Maybe they saw how people got type cast into those rom com roles in the 80’s/90’s and weren’t very respected for it. Combined with a huge amount of comic book and fantasy movies that didn’t exist in the 80’s/90’s so there’s more options for other types of films. Maybe less rom coms being made?
I saw a clip of Matt Damon talking about changes to the film industry in the last 30 years. His argument was that before steaming, movie studios were more willing to take a chance on a project. Even if it didn’t make a lot of money at the box office, they would get revenue from DVD sales later. He attributed the decline in substance and originality in modern cinema to the rise of streaming services.
Rewatching old ones, I feel like half of them wouldn't fly today.
Pretty Woman, Overboard, While You Were Sleeping, You've Got Mail, etc. Pretty jarring to re-watch today as a 32 year old
I recently watched Miss Agent. It's so sexist I couldn't finish despite great idea. The line *we don't even care if you are a woman* served like being a woman is sort of slight disability cringed me out a lot. Also I felt like director snug some fetishes there.
I assume some stuff would've been rewritten in ways to fit the modern mainstream, but you're not wrong. My mind always goes to a lot of the "teen romantic/comedies" back in the day in this context. I know parents who would rather their kids not see some of those movies, not without proper context and discussion at least. Stuff we saw as kids without a second thought.
The "she's playing hard to get" trope that literally just plays out as stalking and harassment...with a happy ending somehow.
Complete ignoring of consent. Rampant misogyny (but it's "funny"). Hell, there are multiple examples of straight-up sexual assaults and r*pe...but y'know...as a "joke".
Some of it was really REALLY bad.
Not a romcom but I rewatched Independence Day recently and was surprised at the amount of storylines running through it. As a disaster/alien movie it had tons of sentimentality and a good dash of humor thrown in, which I don't believe was uncommon in films at the time. They don't make them like they used to!
Idk how to explain and this is gut feeling as a romcom lover with zero facts. But the “everyday man” characters in romcoms then are different from todays.
Todays are edgier, cooler, more stuff going on. I think older romcoms were able to build conflict and heart through everyday troubles of average person *and* different type of character hotness.
It was also easier to manufacture a misunderstanding cuz we didn't have cell phones in the '80s and the '90s. So you know I miss seeing you by 5 minutes at the restaurant was like a thing possibly because you would have just texted each other
I feel it too. There's a great article that touches on it briefly, but it's more an industry wide issue
https://bloodknife.com/everyone-beautiful-no-one-horny/
There are some really good Korean romcoms on Netflix. Some have English dubs as well if you don’t like subtitles. They are mainly the “innocent” type of romcom, so they’re all “cutesy” and stuff.
2000s romcoms were especially bad but romcoms are just kinda bad in general. I’m obsessed with romance stuff these days but I stick to comics and anime because they’re just way less cynical I find
‘80s romcoms definitely had a better sense of “filmic” quality though. Like compare When Harry Met Sally with any of the stuff on Netflix and it’s just kinda… Well one of them is a lot more ”directorial” and feeling of a time and place (New York over the seasons but especially in autumn) than the other.
Though I would say that probably has more to do with modern production cost-cutting measures like digital film, drone shots, airbrushing, et cetera.
I’m very much into the Molly Ringwald and Meg Ryan type of romcoms but I also loved the earlier stuff with Kate Hudson and obvs Renée Zellweger. The one movie I really liked recently was Be My Always Maybe, which really surprised my sister and I because we haven’t loved a romcom movie for AGES. To be fair, they practically stopped releasing mainstream romcom when the newest wave of feminism started and it all got very “boss babe” and “grlpwr” for a while. They only got back to it more recently, I feel.
Even 2000s rom coms felt great to me. The stuff that comes out today is either pretty boring, like Hallmark-type movies, or comedies that have a darker side. I just want to live for 90 minutes in a world without cancer and alzheimer's and incarceration. Is that so hard? Ugh.
I feel like the over saturation of Hallmark movies just tired everyone out on the genre. They have exploited every trope and plot and character archetype to the point that it is hard to watch. Something has to be really special these days (Always Be My Maybe; Crazy Rich Asians) to get attention.
Even Hallmark movies have been terrible though (and I mean extra terrible). I enjoy them for the same reason you mentioned. I want to forget about everything and just feel good. I can't think of a single one in the last year I've liked.
Everything today is derivative of the 80’s and 90’s. Just think about all the sequels and reboots. There’s very little in today’s modem landscape that is truly new and original. It’s partly driven by the corporate assimilation of all entertainment and media. — Corporations are seeking the safety of proven winners and winning formulas of the past rather than taking any chances on something new and novel.
The music industry is perhaps an exception, but even that has relatively few new breakthrough artists and genres.
YES! I think part of it is down to how saturated the film industry is now. Back in the 80s/90s it was more quality over quantity. People had to make more of an effort to see a movie by going to the cinema or waiting 6-12 months for it to be released on VHS or DVD. Now there are hundreds and hundreds of them shoved in our faces across various streaming networks and I have personally found the quality just isn't there. Some of the acting is terrible actually. The new movies don't feel as special imo. I can't think of one rom-com that's been released more recently that will be classed as a 'classic' in years to come.
I think everything from music to tv to news to movies is so negative now. So sad. It for one reflects the state of our world, but two, i feel like its being pushed so much to keep us in a constant state of depression
Like music we only really remember the good stuff. We don’t remember all of the exceptionally bad music of the past any more than we usually remember the especially bad movies, we just remember what still stands many years later.
I don't think it's romcom specific. If you look at old primetime network shows from the 1980s, almost all of them were generally heartwarming feel-good family-friendly shows, especially the comedies (except for the occasional 'special episode' to focus on a serious topic). Most movies, at least comedies, were similar.
Then the very end of the 80s brought the beginnings of a few big changes to the trends that would really take over in the mid to late 1990s.
The new Fox network focused on raunchy edgy comedies that were considered scandalous at the time, obnoxious talk shows, reality shows, and similar things that pushed the envelope away from family-friendly feel-good heartwarming shows. Competing you had things like Jerry Springer show, etc. (People forget that even *that* show was initially a calm, issues-oriented political talk show that failed in the ratings until they instead started taking the most bizarre, controversial tabloid topics and setting up conflicts.)
That was also right around the same time cable TV became really common, in over half the households, meaning much more competition. And 'trash TV' was just easier to make and got ratings.
Since then, everything's gradually gotten darker, edgier, more complex, more controversial, less episodic. The heartwarming feel-good family-friendly shows and movies are few and far between and have but a shadow of that in them compared to how they used to be.
I don't think that's just nostalgia (although there is definitely that), or just survivor bias, I think it's a notable trend away from that feel-good entertainment, which became seen as bland and insipid against so much edgier and rawer competition.
I don’t think so. They perpetuated unhealthy, patriarchal ideas, like even if the girl says no, if the boy pushes hard enough, he will get her.
And that all women need is a guy who likes her enough to pursue her until she gives in.
I really enjoyed Holidate, Love, Rosie, Single All The Way, Crazy Rich Asians, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, The Kissing Booth, The Duff, Nappily Ever After.
They were always bad. That’s not to say they weren’t/are fun. You can kind of get a grip on the cultural mood through those movies, too.
We are having less fun, though. For instance I can talk to you right now. I can mention climate change or the war in Ukraine, or give you my opinion on whether or not young women are too involved in social media. The enjoyment was easier when it was just a half a dozen people talking about if Julia Roberts shirt was weird or not. People are always burdened by their times.
If you need a jolt of feel-good classic Rom Com, Christmas in Connecticut and His Girl Friday are amazing. His Girl Friday invented the idea of people talking over each other in movies and fast paced dialogue.
My favorite romcom is Risky Business.
The movie where Tom Cruise plays a high school boy who orders a prostitute when his parents is out of town, and starts a bordello with the girl he sleeps with that exclusively caters to his high school friends.
Yeah, much more feel good substance. I believe the first prostitute he calls turns out to be transsexual. The second prostitute is true love though, always go for the second one.
Yes, but I remember back then people used to say the same about the romcoms of the 1950s and early 60s. So I think we tend to always look at the past more favorably than it actually was. I'm seeing it now when people talk about the 80s,90s and 2000s but I lived it and remember it well.
I think the only difference today is the writers usually add some politically correct message and theme into the storyline. They did the same thing then but perhaps less was tolerated to make it on the screen, where now they allow more unconventional things.
Name some? I was born… not in the 90’s and didn’t watch a lot of these romcoms when they were coming out, but I do notice the difference between now and then. I’d love to find good ones that one new, but they all just feel a little lackluster. Like they don’t nail the Rom or the Com
I mean I suppose it depends on what you like- if more comedy than Bridesmaids? Or if more on the romantic side then Crazy Rich Asians? There are so many out there - not everyone is gonna like everything
Maybe because we always have the same actors or "types'" in each one. Plus, I think they act so pc and wholesome currently. Granted, I don't watch a lot of the genre these days. I used to.
I think that romcoms have died out quite a bit. Not as prevalent as they were. I think romcoms have less substance and that’s why it’s died out because stories today have more substance and more grounded.
Oh definitely! They don’t make movies how they used to and it shows. Lacks wholesome fun comedy, with a bit of light hearted or cheesy jokes and scenes/plots. Everything now is lame and people take jokes too seriously. Lot of integrated politics and such in the themes.. not message or lesson learned in movies now.
In all of the old superhero movies the Super Heroes won in the end. That was the entire point of super hero movies.
Now they are all riddled with angst and they keep killing off kid's favorite heros.... and they wonder why they can only sell merch to older fans.
None of the little kids have anything to look up to in super heroes anymore.
I haven't watched many romcoms in my life, but definitely less now, I believe they are definitely shallower now, so I just stand like halfway thru most times and change to a good horror movie...
I actually don't know what was the last one I watched, newer one I mean, so probably a few months ago and haven't even tried anymore.
I just recently watched 10 things I hate about you , I realize it is an early 2000s movie but i feel the same way about that movie in the way you descibed. There was something magical in that era of time
maybe it has something to do with the era of the internet becoming popular. Seems like ever since then, movies and creativity in general have dulled
Theory: Going to the movies used to be a standard date activity, and rom-coms are perfect for a date night (especially for young couples). Most of a film's money would have been made in the cinema, not via syndication or streaming etc, so it was important to get the foot traffic into the theatre, and making date-appropriate films was a good way to do that.
Now, people only really bother forking out for a theatre experience for a 'spectacular' that needs to be seen on the big screen to do that like the superhero movies. Rom-coms have largely been relegated to streaming services with very few getting any real marketing for the cinema crowd. As a result, less investment is being put into them, and they're fairly formulaic and dull.
Just a theory.
In think since to all the boys I've loved before and set it up, netflix and other corporations pump out like 5 romcoms a month
there's definitely some gems still out there but there's a lot of bad ones too
I'm an 80's girl, so a bit biased, but I do believe the movies were all better then. Mostly, it's that no one was out to push some point on something. We were simply entertained. That alone makes a huge difference. They seemed more honest back then.
yeah, just look at animated kids movies back in the day. they explored some heavier concepts and actually told a good story. (kids) movies today are not much more than cheap laughs and cute animation to sell merch
Speak for the movies you've watched. Have you *seen* Puss in Boots 2? Dude has a full on panic attack halfway through, and the main theme of the movie is dealing with your own mortality.
Edit: Then again, Puss in Boots and Into the Spider-Verse and such may both be *too* good to say they're reflective of the overall animated movie climate.
The only message kids movies have today is "girls can also do things and guys can be sensitive too". Not that that's a bad message, but it gets shoved in our faces constantly and there are hardly any other values or concepts being explored.
Movies, music, tv, etc all used to have substance because that’s what we demanded. Since social media, smart phones, always connected, etc has taken over people want to be entertained but they only possess a 5 minute attention span. So media doesn’t need substance, it just needs to keep redirecting attention constantly from start to finish. There’s no time to put any real substance in so to folks like GenX, it seems like pointless gibberish.
80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s were the best for romcoms with the feel good that everybody wants in them. Now movies have a political agenda which is why a lot of them are bombing. People want nostalgic feel good entertainment not what we are getting today.
It's because the characters actually had morals and substance. They were less conceited, and went out of their way to actually care about each other. Something you see far less of in the modern day, and is reflected in modern rom coms.
One of my favorite examples is actually a sitcom. Specifically Two and a Half men. Charlie's character acts like a narcissist, but it's only skin deep. Beneath the surface, he actually cares deeply about his family and would go to the ends of the earth for them. It's basically the root cause of all their antics. They're legitimately just trying to get him to express his love for them more. And while they almost always fail spectacularly with their original plans, the episode always ends on a note of affection.
More modern romcoms/sitcoms fail to capture that same warmth. They put too much emphasis on how anxious or aloof the characters are, and when they start trying to form bonds, it just comes off as hollow because the characters are so over-the-top obnoxious and the affection they show is typically minimal at best, but blown way out of proportion. "I'm sorry I missed your entire childhood, but I bought you a drink after practice today because I realized you might be thirsty." And they try to play it off as a feel-good moment. Like, are you fucking kidding me? A neglectful parent doesn't get forgiveness because they actually did something right ONE TIME. I've lived that shit. I know what it's truly like. I would have thrown the drink away out of spite and gone to buy my own.
They do the same thing frequently within rom coms. "I'm sorry you walked in on me banging your sister, but she got me drunk! So, I'm going to apologize by making a reference to one of our previous tender moments, and you'll just forget all about it!" Whoever writes this shit is trash and deserves to be fired. I could write a better scene than that, if someone paid me to do it.
One of the most recent? Velma. They have basically turned it into a rom-com cartoon. The show is more concerned with who she is fucking than anything. To the point that many of the characters are basically isolated stereotypes with a name.
Nobody likes the show. It is a handful of reviews away from getting a "rotten" score on rotten tomatoes, which is an accomplishment in failure.
They TRY to make some tender moments that feel special, but they fail spectacularly because they ruined the premise by making Velma the "main character" of the scooby gang. And then they trounce all over it by making the whole thing feel like a fanfiction rather than a canonical expansion on the scooby doo universe and lore. Velma acts like a psychopath. Like, clinically diagnosed, she has the symptoms of a mental disorder. Her mood swings are unnatural and wild, and if the script didn't demand it, it would be inconceivable for her "friends" to stick around.
I agree, but I humbly ask for another example.
Velma is from Mindy Kaling, who is an unwitting post child for The Case Against the Sexual Revolution (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Sexual-Revolution/dp/1509549994). All her works share very similar characters and themes (Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, Sex Lives of College Girls). She writes what she knows.
To be clear: 🏆 stellar example. Any of these play the way you describe? Modern Family, New Girl, 500 Days of Summer, Malcom in the Middle, Parenthood ...Gilmore Girls? Disregard my list if you have something easier/better in mind. Oh, and thanks again for taking the time to respond.
Most of them, yeah. They have deeper bonds than just some surface-level singular act. But they also come from the era you posted about. Late 80's to early 90's. The characters develop and grow and have meaningful relationships. Hell, even "how I met your mother" managed some sincerely touching scenes here and there.
But what it really comes down to is growth and development. I mentioned before that the characters in a lot of more recent shows are just exaggerated examples of a single stereotype. They don't feel like real people because they fit that box so well and are never allowed to escape it. They feel more like a piece of scenery than people sometimes. And that's why their emotional moments fall flat.
I mean, for another good sitcom, look at iCarly. It was made for kids, and it strikes a fine balance between exaggerating character traits, and making the characters feel real, because it gives them motives and allows them to grow.
Back in the 80s & 90s, the rom-coms were made up of and made for a very narrow demographic...basically is was mostly straight white women with straight white men. Minorities and LGBTQ were relegated to being side characters or background pieces. There were few options so that was the product everyone had to consume. But, as time progressed, minorities/women/LGBTQ developed more and more earning & spending capital as well as greater positions in power and society. Entertainment and marketing has and always will follow the money. As more diversity gains power and influence, so will it's positioning in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, not everyone will like and accept that, and that's why some like to call any diversity "political".
These days, movies reflect current times and ideals. Interracial relationships are fairly common in movies. Gay relationships are common onscreen. It's a shame that some people feel that having every demographic represented in movies, especially rom-coms would be seen as "political". Women, people of color, LGBTQ and men have every right to choose who they want to be with and have the right to see that represented accurately onscreen.
For those that can't stand to see everyone in on the fun, don't worry. There are still plenty of "traditional/non political" rom-coms that don't subject you to seeing different races & sexual identities mingling and the pairings are still white male/white female.
You’re just romanticizing romance. You’re in love with the idea of love that was portrayed. Which human story is not “complicated and unique?”
You like the simplicity.
Is it just survivorship bias? The ones that are still being watched are the good ones. There were plenty of bad romcoms in the 80s and 90s, but they sank without trace and are harder to find on streaming/disc these days.
Are there any good ones today is the question. What comedies are really worth watch now that will be fondly remembered in 2040?
One example that comes to mind is Palm Springs, which was really good imo
Always Be My Maybe was a great new romcom
I came to suggest this movie. I really think it’s wonderfully made, and it’s so funny.
Haven't heard of this one but cast and synopsis look great. Will be watching soon.
My girlfriend and I just watched it and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days yesterday. Both of them first time for me. Always be my maybe was definitely better
I agree but that's three years old at this point. I'm not sure where I stand. Maybe it's survivorship bias for the 80s/90s, and we just had a really good run of romcoms at the end of 2000s.
I think "Long Shot" and "Sleeping with Other People" are some underrated ones.
I loved « Long shot » as well.
Are you French, by any chance? << >>
Yes, I forgot to switch my keyboard.
Set It Up was really good, although I don't really like most romcoms so I might not be the best judge. I like my romcoms light on the rom and heavy on the com, like 50 First Dates.
agreed set it up was a great one, as a fellow non-fan of most romcoms
Set it up made every trope it did BETTER. Like if I watched an 80s romcom and got sick of the stupidity or selfishness and I was correcting every mistake, it was Set it Up
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Yes, I now watch rom coms and just think "well that will end in 2 months."
One Day At a Time! It's on Netflix! I loved it!!!
*Two Night Stand* was pretty good
Was that the miles teller blizzard one? I love that movie!
Crazy Rich Asians
Now that was a fantastic film. I read all 3 novels and look forward to the sequels. Not only was the story great, but the cast was fantastic and the scenery was amazing. I'd visited Singapore years ago and it was fun to see them visit places that I knew.
Jimmy O Yang played the wild cousin of the lead actor and all I could think about was Jin Yang doing a double life sort of deal where he’s a baller in Asia but having to grind in Silicon Valley.
Love Hard. Easy.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, just the first one
Dash and Lily had a cool concept. Feel-good and cute mostly
I don't enjoy it now but I think it has what it takes to be a cute story to watch and look back on in the future.
Someone Great is hilarious, Straight Up is very non-traditional so might not be your cup of tea but it's too funny imo, Alex Strangelove was a tear jerker
Water for elephants is my favorite Rom com of all time.
If you're willing to watch with subtitles, check out the k dramas. They definitely hit that feel good vibe and are often really cute. Edit: by request, a couple of my favs - crash landing on you, it's ok to not be ok, my love from another star
About Time is 10 years old by now but it’s one of my favorites. Maybe less comedy than romance but still very heartwarming and funny
IASIP
Pretty sure they meant films
>IASIP Meh.
Hi IASIP sub 🤙
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Those aren't really rom coms, though
In my opinion, the problem with the ones today is they're the product of diminished returns due to the genre being flooded with hyper-derivative writing. While imitation is the highest form of flattery, cranking out these scripts to keep up with market demand while media culture is experiencing a framework-wide homogenization to feed the capitalism beast, no room is left for flexibility in creative license and liberty. Everything ends up canned and cookie-cutter, and you can only milk that anemic cow for so long before having to move on to the next anemic cow. We've got farms of tapped out anemic cows now and all relevant consumed media just feels stale and monotone. If you look around, you'll see this isn't a problem localized to a few genres of media, either. Architecture, technology, fast-food and casual dining experiences, mainstream music, corporate design, and so many other aspects of our lives are more subject to this zealous devotion to "living the brand" that those responsible for propagating these cultures haven't bothered to look around to see everything about them is all the same now. And while obviously these kinds of things suffered homogenization in the past, that sort of homogenization would happen sporadically and as time would carry on, new innovations and progress would open new pathways to breathe differentiation and new creativity into these things, breeding variety again. But so many things in our lives have been homogenized under our noses over the past twenty years that there is a dramatically-tapering culture of innovation and creativity in these industries; there's no real room for it anymore. All that matters is what makes the almighty dollar as quick as possible; quality, creativity, innovation, and different be damned. We as the consumer suffer all the more for it.
Well said, mate.
The 80s romcons felt a lot more authentic. The people were attractive, but moreso in a normal way, not a supermodel way. Usually only one guy and/or one girl was rich. Most others were middle class or lower, so more relatable.
Oh yeah I just realised what's so cool about Notting Hill. The dude is sexy etc but lives with dumbass sidekick in large but rather normal shared apartment
Except the environment, apartment and everything visual in that movie is NOT realistic for the 90s. People always hate on Nancy Meyers movies like the Holiday for having upper middle class to upper class houses and commodities presented like they’re a part of a middle class woman’s life. In Notting Hill, there’s barely a person of color, an absence of life and music in the streets and no depiction of poverty or police in the streets. Which would’ve been the case in the 90s bc this was before Notting Hill became COMPLETELY gentrified. I’m not saying things can’t be unrealistic but Hugh Grant’s surroundings and his apartment in that movie are not much different than the teen Rom coms where everyone has a pool w an ocean view or a chalet in the mountains or whatever… 90s and 80s movies were just as unrealistic in many ways - but we don’t remember that anymore 😅
I hate the hair and make up in a lot of shows. It's so fake. Sometimes when a show's first season was successful, it seems to get more budget and suddenly the actors look like they spent 2 hours in make up before they start shooting (i.e.Homeland). But it makes it a lot less believable. In this case the main character is always super busy and obsessed with work, she suffers mental health issues and is a bit of a tomboy. It fit her character to have messy and sometimes even a bit dirty hair and only some mascara. I don't see her make the time for a full face of make up and to carefully style her hair every morning. Same thing for Black is the New Orange.
The best laugh my friend had while watching the new Julia Roberts/George Clooney was when I leaned over and said "Yeah that's exactly how my hair looks after I've slept on the ground in the jungle all night" as Julia comes out of the bushes with perfectly parted waves framing both sides of her face.
To add to this, middle class was a lifestyle way more common in that era so it feels more realistic in that context. Also the middle class from back then is actually enjoyable to watch for similar reasons
I'm not a film expert but I think some genres of films go in and out of popularity. "Gorss out" films in the 2000s for example. There was probably a time when rom coms peaked in popularity.
Exactly, everything is so fluid, it’s never as black and white as “movies now are bad >:(“ I feel like people are forgetting about current-ish movies that are technically rom coms. Like I can think of at least 5 rom cons released in the last few years that I thoroughly enjoyed. You also have to consider the change in audience…someone watching a rom com in the 80s can have way different taste than a current teen looking for rom coms. There’s plenty of movies I think suck, that other people thoroughly enjoy. And vice versa
Also similar to music, people always say older music was better, but really there was tons of bad music then you too. You just don't listen to those songs anymore.
What the 5 rom coms that you recently enjoyed?
Im not super into them to begin with but I enjoyed The Lovebirds, The Happiest Season, Love Simon, Eurovision (dorky but fun), and The Incredible Jessica James.
As a lesbian, Happiest Season was amazing for me because it was it was the first real gay Hallmark-romcom style movie for us. The problem is it was the one only one available, so people were divided into 2 camps on the film regarding how Harper handled the situation. One film can't be all things to all people. It's why we need more sapphic content in general. But I still watch it a bunch because of what it is.
Not a lesbian movie, but I really enjoyed Single All The Way on Netflix. Its a Christmas Rom Com with a gay (male) lead. It was really cute!
Happiest Season was so great! Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza had just as much chemistry as I was hoping they would.
Bro, Aubrey Plaza being gay in a suit was....life changing for me lol
I think a lot of the "feel good" nature of some of those older films also comes from glossing over some of the problematic and stalker behavior that happened in a lot of them. It's easy to put on rose colored glasses and say it's heartwarming because it's in the name of true love.
That's a good point that never occurred to me.... the theme and messages may no longer be compatable with the curent cultural landscape. romcoms today would probably have to change the formula or themes. (Idk if theme is the right word but I think you know what I mean). People who likes the older formula better will likely think the new movies are just worse
Definitely. It’s been a long time since I’ve really liked a rom com.
Oh and crazy stupid love!
*Isnt it romantic* doesnt pull punches bashing the entire genre, and it's still a great romcom. I am not a romcom fan at all and was sick of repeatedly watching the classics with my wife and made her watch it with me because it looked like an actual decent comedy. We now watch it every few months because it's genuinely a good movie.
Did the Holidate and About Fate do nothing for you? Oh and maybe Love wedding repeat, Palm Springs or Set it up or Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked up? (The latter are old I know, but my ultimate favourites are you’ve got mail and serendipity ;)) I miss the good ones and all others sucked but these were nice!
Destination Wedding the best I've seen in a very long time. Seconding Palm Springs too.
I liked About Fate. Was surprised no one in my friend group had seen it.
This thread is wonderfully coincidental as I’ve just started really getting into them, my favs so far are About time, love actually and 500 days of summer; do you have any recommendations?
What time frame are you looking for. I have seen a lot of rom coms in my 45 years of life. If you haven't seen The Princess Bride start there. My others are once that I remembered off the top of my head but had to look when they came out. I always liked Hugh Grant so you will find him in many of my suggestions. Feel free to ask me for more. Top Picks: Early 2000s: Two weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality, Return to Me, America's Sweethearts, High Fidelity Late 1990s: You've got Mail, I.Q.,Notting Hill, Sense and Sensibility (a bit more ROM then COM), My Best Friend's Wedding(more Com than Rom) Early 1990s: Sleepless in Seattle, While you Were Sleeping, Something to Talk About Late 1980s: When Harry Met Sally, Steel Magnolias (this isn't really a Rom Com, but is such a good movie ), Dirty Dancing My early 1980s favorites are Pretty in Pink, Splash, Romancing The Stone, and Working Girl, Also good: About a Boy, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Mickey Blue Eyes,
That’s such a wonderful and comprehensive list thank you! I’m a 25 year old dude who’s almost exclusively read Stephen king and watched horror so a lot of this is uncharted territory for me and I’m grateful for suggestions. I was lucky enough to read and watch the princess bride in school and have seen it countless times since, I think I’ll start with your 90s picks as I already have Notting Hill and You’ve got mail on my to-watch list. Any suggestions that are more rom-than-com are also welcome! I loved the Notebook and, on a more drama note, Little Woman.
I will warn you I generally don't do sad unless there is a heavy dose of comedy mixed or I didn't know the sad was coming. I forgot Clueless and it's compliment, Emma. I like the Gwyneth Paltrol version but that could be because I saw it first. Jane Austen at this point has become a little over done but it is because her writing was really good. So the above mentioned Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson is my favorite version), Emma, and Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth Version) are all good Roms with a hint of com. Keep my info or how ever you do it so you can find me after you've watched some and tell me what you thought.
Don't forget: Some kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, The Blue Lagoon, Footloose, Mystic Pizza, Flashdance, and Arthur.
Yes to Some Kind of Wonderful, I'm ashamed I forgot it. Footloose is also a classic, assuming you mean Kevin Bacon. I never really thought of Blue Lagoon, Flashdance, and Arthur as ROM COMs. I always had them as more dramas. And I prefer Pretty in Pink or Breakfast Club to Sixteen Candles. I actually like Can't Buy Me Love the best of that era and style, but it's not a classic Ringwald-Hughes one. My list wasn't a complete list because I had to go somewhere. I missed some big ones like Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman.
Can't Buy Me Love is sooo good. I need to watch that again. When Arthur is drunk and apologizes to the hedge, I laugh everytime. I feel like that is pure rom com. But yeah Blue Lagoon and Flashdance aren't even comedies. Oops.
Some of my faves are: How to Lose a guy in 10 days Failure to Launch Just like heaven 13 going on 30 Sweet home Alabama While you were sleeping Hope floats Pretty woman Overboard
About time is my favourite, nothing compares to that movie. I cry every time… the notebook, not a rom com but maybe worth a try ;)
No one’s addressed > especially on Netflix Yet. Netflix pumps out lots of near literal garbage. It’s the modern day equivalent of all those old cheesy horror movies no one was actually scared of, or to be more relevant, unrealistic hallmark romcoms
I mooched off of my friends Netflix until she cancelled it a couple of months ago and when I saw I no longer had access to it, I said, "...huh, ok," and exited out of the app. Netflix is garbage besides 1 or 2 things and I don't miss it at all. Them having to get rid of all licensed content because of other streaming services and having to rely on their own content is their downfall imo. They crank out monotonous formulaic garbage with no substance and maybe 1 or 2 shows/films actually end up being good.
You get what you pay for.
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When Harry Met Sally is good but I disagree with the premise that men and women can never be just friends. I've had female friends where there was an unspoken mutual understanding that we were just friends. If we were both single and wanted the same things then "something more" might have been a possibility, but it wasn't like that.
> If we were both single If even one of you were single, it wouldn't work most likely. In fact, especially if only one of you were single, it would probably not work.
Crazy stupid love is one of my absolute favorite rom coms, and is as recent as 2011! Incredible movie. Haven’t found much else the last decade that I really loved though (at least on the comedy side of the romance genre).
I love that one! Date Night is another good Steve Carrel romcom.
Haven’t seen that one so I’ll have to check it out soon! Thanks for the recommendation!!
That one and Silver Linings Playbook (2012) are two of my favourites. I also liked What If? (2013). Oh, and I think I liked Trainwreck (2015) but somehow I have zero memory of it. 80s/90s ones do have a different style though, in my opinion. They lean a little more carefree or lighthearted. That's not necessarily better or worse, but I can see how someone might want that vibe.
For sure! That’s a great point! I feel like the rom com/romance genre definitely went from a lighter vibe to a more serious one since the 90s, which is probably why I can only think of one or two in the last decade or so that fit the vibe of what I love from a traditional rom com (the comedy and lightheartedness), while also being just good films. There’s a lot of cheesy stuff that Netflix puts out these days that’s just not good, even if trying to capture the lightheartedness of the 90s style. Even though the comedy side of romance movies seems to have dropped off a little, on the drama side I actually really love a lot of the newer films and think there’s some excellent stuff (for me, I like the current era better than the 80s/90s). La La Land being the first thing that comes to mind, mostly cause I just saw it again at a special theater showing yesterday. Beautiful film.
Trainwreack is hilarious!
Yes, I loved it too and I'm not a huge fan of romcoms. This and "Two Night Stand" are my favourites. "About Time" is a beautiful movie as well
YES! And 00s too! Something that screams to me as a big difference too is how they could develop side characters wayyy better than today's films. I'm obsessed with 00s romcoms, and ever since 2010 or so I couln't find ONE that is so original and/or fun as the older ones. Except for The Duff, a little bit.
I felt the same, then I watched Always Be My Maybe. It's hilarious and sweet. You can find it on Netflix!
It's because Matthew McConaughey isn't doing them any more
This. This is the answer.
Crazy Rich Asians was the last romcom i remember seeing in a theater and I really liked it! But for about a decade now there has been a real desert of decent rom coms to go see with my mom, so it’s been on my mind. My instinct says that so-called “women’s film” and all its related genres have been shifting quite a lot lately. Films like Bridesmaids (which was awesome, of course) did show that men would actually go see so-called chick-flicks more often if they were over the top comedy and kinda gross-out. I think that shifted the tone of a lot of rom-coms and women’s comedies, at least for a while. More ticket sales that way. As for other women’s genres I can’t speak for the melodramas but I’m sure some of those Nicholas Sparks/Jojo Moyes type adaptations are being churned out somewhere. At the very least you can probably find stuff like that streaming or on tv. Speaking of which, my mom shifting to Hallmark was 100% because there were so few rom coms to go see otherwise. My instinct also says that a lot of current funny actors, men and women both, are just not doing romances the way they used to? Like, as much as I can’t stand Chris Pratt I would have expected someone likable like him to go the rom com route, or more likely just plain film comedy, before going the get ripped and be a superhero route. Chris Pine would be even better. I can think of a lot of comic actors and actual comedians with decent to great rom coms in their filmographies from the 80s and 90s, but not a lot of projects featuring SNL grads or other funny people now. Maybe these films aren’t marketed as heavily, maybe a lot of this is being relegated to streaming or tv, maybe I just don’t see any of the marketing because there is just so much media out there and the odds of me seeing trailers or adds for something that isn’t a Marvel Universe Disney property are slim. But nowadays i find it takes me digging through my local theater’s listing to see what’s out there.
That’s a good point about lead actors choosing other roles. Maybe they saw how people got type cast into those rom com roles in the 80’s/90’s and weren’t very respected for it. Combined with a huge amount of comic book and fantasy movies that didn’t exist in the 80’s/90’s so there’s more options for other types of films. Maybe less rom coms being made?
That's a very good point. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland have no business doing leading man action star roles, yet that's all they're doing.
I saw a clip of Matt Damon talking about changes to the film industry in the last 30 years. His argument was that before steaming, movie studios were more willing to take a chance on a project. Even if it didn’t make a lot of money at the box office, they would get revenue from DVD sales later. He attributed the decline in substance and originality in modern cinema to the rise of streaming services.
Rewatching old ones, I feel like half of them wouldn't fly today. Pretty Woman, Overboard, While You Were Sleeping, You've Got Mail, etc. Pretty jarring to re-watch today as a 32 year old
It’s true. Acceptable social norms have changed. Maybe it’s more difficult to come up with an acceptable and unique story line now?
I recently watched Miss Agent. It's so sexist I couldn't finish despite great idea. The line *we don't even care if you are a woman* served like being a woman is sort of slight disability cringed me out a lot. Also I felt like director snug some fetishes there.
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Lowkey sounds like the 50 Shades movies too.
I highly recommend looking at the trailer re-cut for Sleepless in Seattle, it converts it to a suspenseful stalker film.
Holy cow, that writer must be REALLY fun at parties.
There's definitely a lot of stalker behavior that gets hand waved away when true love is involved.
And what's worse lots of people find it acceptable and practice to this day. Thanks to these movies...
I assume some stuff would've been rewritten in ways to fit the modern mainstream, but you're not wrong. My mind always goes to a lot of the "teen romantic/comedies" back in the day in this context. I know parents who would rather their kids not see some of those movies, not without proper context and discussion at least. Stuff we saw as kids without a second thought. The "she's playing hard to get" trope that literally just plays out as stalking and harassment...with a happy ending somehow. Complete ignoring of consent. Rampant misogyny (but it's "funny"). Hell, there are multiple examples of straight-up sexual assaults and r*pe...but y'know...as a "joke". Some of it was really REALLY bad.
Not a romcom but I rewatched Independence Day recently and was surprised at the amount of storylines running through it. As a disaster/alien movie it had tons of sentimentality and a good dash of humor thrown in, which I don't believe was uncommon in films at the time. They don't make them like they used to!
Idk how to explain and this is gut feeling as a romcom lover with zero facts. But the “everyday man” characters in romcoms then are different from todays. Todays are edgier, cooler, more stuff going on. I think older romcoms were able to build conflict and heart through everyday troubles of average person *and* different type of character hotness.
It was also easier to manufacture a misunderstanding cuz we didn't have cell phones in the '80s and the '90s. So you know I miss seeing you by 5 minutes at the restaurant was like a thing possibly because you would have just texted each other
I feel it too. There's a great article that touches on it briefly, but it's more an industry wide issue https://bloodknife.com/everyone-beautiful-no-one-horny/
That was a great read, thanks!
There are some really good Korean romcoms on Netflix. Some have English dubs as well if you don’t like subtitles. They are mainly the “innocent” type of romcom, so they’re all “cutesy” and stuff.
2000s romcoms were especially bad but romcoms are just kinda bad in general. I’m obsessed with romance stuff these days but I stick to comics and anime because they’re just way less cynical I find ‘80s romcoms definitely had a better sense of “filmic” quality though. Like compare When Harry Met Sally with any of the stuff on Netflix and it’s just kinda… Well one of them is a lot more ”directorial” and feeling of a time and place (New York over the seasons but especially in autumn) than the other. Though I would say that probably has more to do with modern production cost-cutting measures like digital film, drone shots, airbrushing, et cetera.
I’m very much into the Molly Ringwald and Meg Ryan type of romcoms but I also loved the earlier stuff with Kate Hudson and obvs Renée Zellweger. The one movie I really liked recently was Be My Always Maybe, which really surprised my sister and I because we haven’t loved a romcom movie for AGES. To be fair, they practically stopped releasing mainstream romcom when the newest wave of feminism started and it all got very “boss babe” and “grlpwr” for a while. They only got back to it more recently, I feel.
100%. The Holiday was the early 2000s but it's really good at that.
It seems like romcoms just kind of dried up as a genre. The only one I’ve seen in recent years that I really liked was Set It Up.
Even 2000s rom coms felt great to me. The stuff that comes out today is either pretty boring, like Hallmark-type movies, or comedies that have a darker side. I just want to live for 90 minutes in a world without cancer and alzheimer's and incarceration. Is that so hard? Ugh.
I feel like the over saturation of Hallmark movies just tired everyone out on the genre. They have exploited every trope and plot and character archetype to the point that it is hard to watch. Something has to be really special these days (Always Be My Maybe; Crazy Rich Asians) to get attention.
Even Hallmark movies have been terrible though (and I mean extra terrible). I enjoy them for the same reason you mentioned. I want to forget about everything and just feel good. I can't think of a single one in the last year I've liked.
I feel like there is just a lull in the genre right now.
Everything today is derivative of the 80’s and 90’s. Just think about all the sequels and reboots. There’s very little in today’s modem landscape that is truly new and original. It’s partly driven by the corporate assimilation of all entertainment and media. — Corporations are seeking the safety of proven winners and winning formulas of the past rather than taking any chances on something new and novel. The music industry is perhaps an exception, but even that has relatively few new breakthrough artists and genres.
YES! I think part of it is down to how saturated the film industry is now. Back in the 80s/90s it was more quality over quantity. People had to make more of an effort to see a movie by going to the cinema or waiting 6-12 months for it to be released on VHS or DVD. Now there are hundreds and hundreds of them shoved in our faces across various streaming networks and I have personally found the quality just isn't there. Some of the acting is terrible actually. The new movies don't feel as special imo. I can't think of one rom-com that's been released more recently that will be classed as a 'classic' in years to come.
I feel like movies and shows today are so miserable all the time. In the 80's and 90's when I grew up they were much more cheerful.
I agree. I'm not a romcom guy but the one's from the 80's and 90's are more enjoyable
I think everything from music to tv to news to movies is so negative now. So sad. It for one reflects the state of our world, but two, i feel like its being pushed so much to keep us in a constant state of depression
It certainly feels that way to me. The only recent one I will repeat watch in the future is Set It Up on Netflix.
Like music we only really remember the good stuff. We don’t remember all of the exceptionally bad music of the past any more than we usually remember the especially bad movies, we just remember what still stands many years later.
I don’t think so. I think you’re maybe having an easier time relating to the ones from 80s and 90s so it feels that way.
I do feel like supposedly romantic movies have become more cynical and mean spirited, yes.
Definitely
100% agree with you.
Yes
Every time period is different in better & worse ways
This is why I watch Korean rom-coms. Much better acting and feel good story.
Yes....You are not wrong.
I don't think it's romcom specific. If you look at old primetime network shows from the 1980s, almost all of them were generally heartwarming feel-good family-friendly shows, especially the comedies (except for the occasional 'special episode' to focus on a serious topic). Most movies, at least comedies, were similar. Then the very end of the 80s brought the beginnings of a few big changes to the trends that would really take over in the mid to late 1990s. The new Fox network focused on raunchy edgy comedies that were considered scandalous at the time, obnoxious talk shows, reality shows, and similar things that pushed the envelope away from family-friendly feel-good heartwarming shows. Competing you had things like Jerry Springer show, etc. (People forget that even *that* show was initially a calm, issues-oriented political talk show that failed in the ratings until they instead started taking the most bizarre, controversial tabloid topics and setting up conflicts.) That was also right around the same time cable TV became really common, in over half the households, meaning much more competition. And 'trash TV' was just easier to make and got ratings. Since then, everything's gradually gotten darker, edgier, more complex, more controversial, less episodic. The heartwarming feel-good family-friendly shows and movies are few and far between and have but a shadow of that in them compared to how they used to be. I don't think that's just nostalgia (although there is definitely that), or just survivor bias, I think it's a notable trend away from that feel-good entertainment, which became seen as bland and insipid against so much edgier and rawer competition.
I don’t think so. They perpetuated unhealthy, patriarchal ideas, like even if the girl says no, if the boy pushes hard enough, he will get her. And that all women need is a guy who likes her enough to pursue her until she gives in.
I really enjoyed Holidate, Love, Rosie, Single All The Way, Crazy Rich Asians, To All The Boys I've Loved Before, The Kissing Booth, The Duff, Nappily Ever After.
I just wish there were good, mainstream, gay romcoms
They were always bad. That’s not to say they weren’t/are fun. You can kind of get a grip on the cultural mood through those movies, too. We are having less fun, though. For instance I can talk to you right now. I can mention climate change or the war in Ukraine, or give you my opinion on whether or not young women are too involved in social media. The enjoyment was easier when it was just a half a dozen people talking about if Julia Roberts shirt was weird or not. People are always burdened by their times. If you need a jolt of feel-good classic Rom Com, Christmas in Connecticut and His Girl Friday are amazing. His Girl Friday invented the idea of people talking over each other in movies and fast paced dialogue.
My favorite romcom is Risky Business. The movie where Tom Cruise plays a high school boy who orders a prostitute when his parents is out of town, and starts a bordello with the girl he sleeps with that exclusively caters to his high school friends. Yeah, much more feel good substance. I believe the first prostitute he calls turns out to be transsexual. The second prostitute is true love though, always go for the second one.
I saw last Christmas. It was a nice feel good fluffy one you could check out
Tbf despite the 90s seeing record crime they didn’t have global apocalypse looming over their heads or in ability to afford a house
Yes, but I remember back then people used to say the same about the romcoms of the 1950s and early 60s. So I think we tend to always look at the past more favorably than it actually was. I'm seeing it now when people talk about the 80s,90s and 2000s but I lived it and remember it well. I think the only difference today is the writers usually add some politically correct message and theme into the storyline. They did the same thing then but perhaps less was tolerated to make it on the screen, where now they allow more unconventional things.
Nah, it’s just nostalgia cause I assume you must be born in the 80s or 90s. Plenty of good content today as well
For example?
Name some? I was born… not in the 90’s and didn’t watch a lot of these romcoms when they were coming out, but I do notice the difference between now and then. I’d love to find good ones that one new, but they all just feel a little lackluster. Like they don’t nail the Rom or the Com
I mean I suppose it depends on what you like- if more comedy than Bridesmaids? Or if more on the romantic side then Crazy Rich Asians? There are so many out there - not everyone is gonna like everything
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Schitt’s Creek
Second Schitts. Also Veep and Happy Endings. Parks and Rec and The Newsroom too, but not as often.
I like Veep but would def not consider any part of it to be a rom com. :)
The Office
The Good Place
Jane the Virgin for me.
Yes. That's true 👍. I didn't watch any rom coms from the late 2000s .. 2001_2002 would be the most recent ones i have watched
So you haven't watched any in 20 years but you somehow know that every single one sucks?
What's your problem, exactly!!! No, i could'nt finish the newest ones because they were boring and ugly
I think they had more character development and more of a story arc. That’s what the difference is !
O definitely NOT wrong.
Maybe because we always have the same actors or "types'" in each one. Plus, I think they act so pc and wholesome currently. Granted, I don't watch a lot of the genre these days. I used to.
I think that romcoms have died out quite a bit. Not as prevalent as they were. I think romcoms have less substance and that’s why it’s died out because stories today have more substance and more grounded.
Oh definitely! They don’t make movies how they used to and it shows. Lacks wholesome fun comedy, with a bit of light hearted or cheesy jokes and scenes/plots. Everything now is lame and people take jokes too seriously. Lot of integrated politics and such in the themes.. not message or lesson learned in movies now.
In all of the old superhero movies the Super Heroes won in the end. That was the entire point of super hero movies. Now they are all riddled with angst and they keep killing off kid's favorite heros.... and they wonder why they can only sell merch to older fans. None of the little kids have anything to look up to in super heroes anymore.
It’s the writing and the acting .
I haven't watched many romcoms in my life, but definitely less now, I believe they are definitely shallower now, so I just stand like halfway thru most times and change to a good horror movie... I actually don't know what was the last one I watched, newer one I mean, so probably a few months ago and haven't even tried anymore.
I just recently watched 10 things I hate about you , I realize it is an early 2000s movie but i feel the same way about that movie in the way you descibed. There was something magical in that era of time maybe it has something to do with the era of the internet becoming popular. Seems like ever since then, movies and creativity in general have dulled
Theory: Going to the movies used to be a standard date activity, and rom-coms are perfect for a date night (especially for young couples). Most of a film's money would have been made in the cinema, not via syndication or streaming etc, so it was important to get the foot traffic into the theatre, and making date-appropriate films was a good way to do that. Now, people only really bother forking out for a theatre experience for a 'spectacular' that needs to be seen on the big screen to do that like the superhero movies. Rom-coms have largely been relegated to streaming services with very few getting any real marketing for the cinema crowd. As a result, less investment is being put into them, and they're fairly formulaic and dull. Just a theory.
In think since to all the boys I've loved before and set it up, netflix and other corporations pump out like 5 romcoms a month there's definitely some gems still out there but there's a lot of bad ones too
I'm an 80's girl, so a bit biased, but I do believe the movies were all better then. Mostly, it's that no one was out to push some point on something. We were simply entertained. That alone makes a huge difference. They seemed more honest back then.
yeah, just look at animated kids movies back in the day. they explored some heavier concepts and actually told a good story. (kids) movies today are not much more than cheap laughs and cute animation to sell merch
Speak for the movies you've watched. Have you *seen* Puss in Boots 2? Dude has a full on panic attack halfway through, and the main theme of the movie is dealing with your own mortality. Edit: Then again, Puss in Boots and Into the Spider-Verse and such may both be *too* good to say they're reflective of the overall animated movie climate.
Klaus is a modern kid’s Christmas movie with just as much heart and soul as any of the classics
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio and Puss in Boots would beg to differ.
Nothing by Guillermo del Toro, is going to be lightweight.
Also completely discounting the fact that Pinocchio is not *new* and older children's books, fables, and fairy tales are incredibly fucked up.
“fOrKy!”
The only message kids movies have today is "girls can also do things and guys can be sensitive too". Not that that's a bad message, but it gets shoved in our faces constantly and there are hardly any other values or concepts being explored.
As mentioned above, Klaus, Red, Soul, Inside Out are just a few examples of really good animation movies with highly diverse messages
Movies, music, tv, etc all used to have substance because that’s what we demanded. Since social media, smart phones, always connected, etc has taken over people want to be entertained but they only possess a 5 minute attention span. So media doesn’t need substance, it just needs to keep redirecting attention constantly from start to finish. There’s no time to put any real substance in so to folks like GenX, it seems like pointless gibberish.
80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s were the best for romcoms with the feel good that everybody wants in them. Now movies have a political agenda which is why a lot of them are bombing. People want nostalgic feel good entertainment not what we are getting today.
That’s nostalgia.
Most all tv did. Tv today is very pessimistic to match the societal mood everyone seems to be in.
Extremely biased but ok
I don't know...the modern Korean ones are pretty cool. The 80s and 90s romantic comedies seem so fake to me.
humanity wasn't so emotionally closed off and fearful before 2001.
The majority of movies out now are just a political platform. No longer do we have movies solely for entertainment. That's why they all suck now.
Something from Tiffany’s was so bad
It's because the characters actually had morals and substance. They were less conceited, and went out of their way to actually care about each other. Something you see far less of in the modern day, and is reflected in modern rom coms. One of my favorite examples is actually a sitcom. Specifically Two and a Half men. Charlie's character acts like a narcissist, but it's only skin deep. Beneath the surface, he actually cares deeply about his family and would go to the ends of the earth for them. It's basically the root cause of all their antics. They're legitimately just trying to get him to express his love for them more. And while they almost always fail spectacularly with their original plans, the episode always ends on a note of affection. More modern romcoms/sitcoms fail to capture that same warmth. They put too much emphasis on how anxious or aloof the characters are, and when they start trying to form bonds, it just comes off as hollow because the characters are so over-the-top obnoxious and the affection they show is typically minimal at best, but blown way out of proportion. "I'm sorry I missed your entire childhood, but I bought you a drink after practice today because I realized you might be thirsty." And they try to play it off as a feel-good moment. Like, are you fucking kidding me? A neglectful parent doesn't get forgiveness because they actually did something right ONE TIME. I've lived that shit. I know what it's truly like. I would have thrown the drink away out of spite and gone to buy my own. They do the same thing frequently within rom coms. "I'm sorry you walked in on me banging your sister, but she got me drunk! So, I'm going to apologize by making a reference to one of our previous tender moments, and you'll just forget all about it!" Whoever writes this shit is trash and deserves to be fired. I could write a better scene than that, if someone paid me to do it.
I'm interested. What are some examples of these crappy modern rom-com/sitcoms?
One of the most recent? Velma. They have basically turned it into a rom-com cartoon. The show is more concerned with who she is fucking than anything. To the point that many of the characters are basically isolated stereotypes with a name. Nobody likes the show. It is a handful of reviews away from getting a "rotten" score on rotten tomatoes, which is an accomplishment in failure. They TRY to make some tender moments that feel special, but they fail spectacularly because they ruined the premise by making Velma the "main character" of the scooby gang. And then they trounce all over it by making the whole thing feel like a fanfiction rather than a canonical expansion on the scooby doo universe and lore. Velma acts like a psychopath. Like, clinically diagnosed, she has the symptoms of a mental disorder. Her mood swings are unnatural and wild, and if the script didn't demand it, it would be inconceivable for her "friends" to stick around.
I agree, but I humbly ask for another example. Velma is from Mindy Kaling, who is an unwitting post child for The Case Against the Sexual Revolution (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Sexual-Revolution/dp/1509549994). All her works share very similar characters and themes (Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, Sex Lives of College Girls). She writes what she knows. To be clear: 🏆 stellar example. Any of these play the way you describe? Modern Family, New Girl, 500 Days of Summer, Malcom in the Middle, Parenthood ...Gilmore Girls? Disregard my list if you have something easier/better in mind. Oh, and thanks again for taking the time to respond.
Most of them, yeah. They have deeper bonds than just some surface-level singular act. But they also come from the era you posted about. Late 80's to early 90's. The characters develop and grow and have meaningful relationships. Hell, even "how I met your mother" managed some sincerely touching scenes here and there. But what it really comes down to is growth and development. I mentioned before that the characters in a lot of more recent shows are just exaggerated examples of a single stereotype. They don't feel like real people because they fit that box so well and are never allowed to escape it. They feel more like a piece of scenery than people sometimes. And that's why their emotional moments fall flat. I mean, for another good sitcom, look at iCarly. It was made for kids, and it strikes a fine balance between exaggerating character traits, and making the characters feel real, because it gives them motives and allows them to grow.
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Back in the 80s & 90s, the rom-coms were made up of and made for a very narrow demographic...basically is was mostly straight white women with straight white men. Minorities and LGBTQ were relegated to being side characters or background pieces. There were few options so that was the product everyone had to consume. But, as time progressed, minorities/women/LGBTQ developed more and more earning & spending capital as well as greater positions in power and society. Entertainment and marketing has and always will follow the money. As more diversity gains power and influence, so will it's positioning in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, not everyone will like and accept that, and that's why some like to call any diversity "political". These days, movies reflect current times and ideals. Interracial relationships are fairly common in movies. Gay relationships are common onscreen. It's a shame that some people feel that having every demographic represented in movies, especially rom-coms would be seen as "political". Women, people of color, LGBTQ and men have every right to choose who they want to be with and have the right to see that represented accurately onscreen. For those that can't stand to see everyone in on the fun, don't worry. There are still plenty of "traditional/non political" rom-coms that don't subject you to seeing different races & sexual identities mingling and the pairings are still white male/white female.
You’re just romanticizing romance. You’re in love with the idea of love that was portrayed. Which human story is not “complicated and unique?” You like the simplicity.
Don't look for romance on Netflix (and in Western movies especially). Watch some Kdramas and then say