What’s Missing From the Modern Rom-Com Is the Rom

Historically, the romantic comedy genre has remained at the margins of any critical importance within the canon of film history. It’s part of the film canon but doesn’t hold the same crucial weight as many other genres. This is likely because rom-coms have been arbitrarily labeled as “chick-flicks,” indicative of their mainly female audience. It’s why the genre gets unfairly lumped and judged for its simplicity and formulaic nature. There’s also the correlation of it being a “women’s genre” and, therefore, inferior to the rest of cinema, but that’s another piece altogether. Despite the perception of rom-coms by scholars and critics, the genre is perhaps one of the most consistently present in an audience’s taste. It’s a prominent fixture in our culture and therefore continuously cycles through the cinematic landscape. 

With every rom-com era comes a new stylistic set of dimensions that follow them. Our current restructuring of the genre is perhaps one of the most frustrating to witness. Will Gluck’s Anyone But You, starring Euphoria alum and rising star Sydney Sweeney and Top Gun: Maverick heartthrob Glen Powell is a commercial hit, grossing over $100 million worldwide. But the film itself lacks all the hallmarks of traditional rom-coms. It’s hard to live up to the genius of Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, and the charm of the Old Hollywood screwball comedy. And yet, there’s a reason the formulaic nature of these films works so well. These modern new rom-coms don’t seem to take note, to their own detriment. 

Films like Anyone But You, Ghosted, and Love Again lack the humanity and romance of older rom-coms. Films like When Harry Met Sally and Notting Hill feel more like love stories than comedies with a sprinkle of romance. Behind some of the most iconic rom-coms was always the couple, not the comedic bits. Many modern rom-coms opt out of romance in favor of the “bits” that take you out of the love story half the time. With Anyone But You, some of the most memorable moments hinged directly on the sexual innuendos said as opposed to feeling sexy. The dialogue was clunky and awkward. Powell and Sweeney, while beautiful and conventionally attractive, had the chemistry of two estranged siblings as opposed to two people who wanted to tear each other’s clothes off. The same could be said for Ana de Armas and Chris Evans in Ghosted, whose entire premise feels like an AI-generated script. 

The rom-com is far more complex, and sticking two conventionally gorgeous actors with no chemistry in front of a camera is not even close to what makes these films work. It’s about the unlikely pairings whose physical features, while still relevant in the aesthetic nature of the film industry, don’t always scream Instagram filter. It’s about the chemistry. Couples like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks; Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts; Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey; and Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. There are many more actors with terrific chemistry together who absolutely sell the romantic aspect of the rom-com. The other half of the equation is the wonderful scripts of writers like Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers who gave us lines that transcend time. Everyone remembers the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally. Or Ryan’s tear-eyed “I wish it was you so badly” to Hanks at the end of You’ve Got Mail. It’s about the occurrences of everyday people who meet in often strange circumstances. And despite their differences or impediments, they meld their hearts in the most idealistic way. 

The closest we’ve gotten to emblematic old-school rom-coms is Raine Allen-Miller’s Rye Lane. Starring Vivian Oparah and David Jonsson, Rye Lane is a perfect concoction of old school rom-com feeling in a refreshingly modern package. The city of London isn’t just the backdrop for the love story. London plays the role of the third character, much like it did in Notting Hill, and New York City did in You’ve Got Mail. The leads look and feel like everyday people with very mundane issues to resolve while falling in love. They have a chemistry that makes you smile throughout the entire film. It gives that warm feeling of hope that a rom-com should inspire by the end of a film. Maybe, just maybe, you too can meet your soulmate outside of a restaurant, laundromat, post office, or even next door. What modern rom-coms get wrong is that two hot people do not a rom-com make. A good script, chemistry, and a lot of heart is usually all it takes. 

(featured image: Sony Pictures)