Like most people, I have seen my fair share of rom-coms in my life. I grew up dancing with my sisters to the Mamma Mia! soundtrack in our living room and begrudgingly watching The Proposal with my family (before I found an appreciation for it on my own terms). I have made my way through many of the iconic rom-coms of the late nineties and early aughts – and as any rom-com aficionado knows, this is the golden age of the genre. With some of my favorite movies premiering during this time, I can’t help but wonder what made this era of movie making so amazing.
Was it the combination of a great soundtrack and Y2K fashion that we all love so much? Maybe we love watching meet-cutes happen in real life, away from the terror that is known as the smartphone? Or is it the performances from the Greats of rom-coms past? Iconic actors like Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, and Kate Hudson (just to name a few) were booked and busy during their prime.
10 things I hate about you/Buena Vista pictures
After doing lots of soul searching – and a Covid quarantine over winter break that forced me to watch as many movies as possible – I have come to a realization about why we love rom-coms so much. Some of the most popular ones from this era have all one thing in common: they’re modern retellings of classic literature. The most famous example of this is Clueless, which is a very loose interpretation of Emma by Jane Austen. One of my favorite movies of all time, 10 Things I Hate About You, is based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew; She’s the Man (which is arguably Amanda Bynes’s best movie) is based on Twelfth Night; Easy A is a very meta adaptation of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
There’s even a whole genre of rom-coms based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, which is essentially the “makeover” movie. Think She’s All That, Pretty Woman, The DUFF, The Princess Diaries, and even iconic Audrey Hepburn movies like My Fair Lady and Funny Face.
The Princess Diaries/Buena Vista Pictures
While good rom-coms are not exclusively based on classic literature, these tried and true stories are easily rewatchable in any format. They can transform based on their audience, from a campy teen romance to critically acclaimed films. Sure, modern rom-coms have the potential to be good or even great – I, for one, am obsessed with Plus One, starring my favorite nepo baby Jack Quaid – but most often, they tend to miss the mark.
I refuse to hear the argument that this is an unoriginal way to make movies because of the countless iterations that have already been made. In speaking with BBC Radio 4, Martin Scorsese said that he liked archetypes in movies, but that relying too heavily on them misses out on the “intimacy of character.” I agree that reducing a movie down to only “boy meets girl” takes away nuance and isn’t exactly good storytelling, which is why I think this genre of rom-com is so perfect. It allows for new, fresh takes on already classic stories. If the 2000s were able to produce twenty different movies with the same core plot, there’s no logical reason why Hollywood can’t continue doing this.
I wholeheartedly believe that Big Streaming Service sucks all the life out of things that used to be fun. When their audiences are solely limited to whoever pays for said streaming service, movies aren’t given the opportunity to become cult classics like their predecessors. Recent rom-coms have performed so well at the box offices, thereby proving that audiences love to see movies in theaters. While it is nice to be able to stream a movie in a post-Covid world, movie theaters are so essential to the film industry as a whole.
Anyone But You/Sony Pictures Releasing
Anyone But You, arguably this decade’s most highly anticipated rom-com, is loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare, with nods to original play throughout the movie. Starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, their characters pretend to be a couple in order to keep peace at a destination wedding. Combined with a (most likely PR stunt) cheating scandal, it made over $200 million dollars at the box office, making it “the highest-grossing live-action Shakespeare adaptation in film history” according to Collider. Since it was directed by a rom-com icon Will Gluck (see also: Easy A and Friends With Benefits), it has that star quality that will inspire a new generation of modern romance movies. While it does come with its own issues, namely the quality of their acting, I think it’s exactly what makes this movie so great – it’s the kind of campy rom-com that you can’t decide if you love or hate, yet you end up sitting through the whole thing anyways.
In doing research for this article – which for me meant binge watching movies in the name of “science” – I came across one called Fire Island. Set on the historically queer Fire Island outside of New York City, this movie is a gay interpretation of Pride and Prejudice and it was life-changing for me. While I am biased to the 2005 Pride and Prejudice, this version comes into a close second place. In Fire Island, a group of queer men (or rather, the Bennet sisters) make their way to Long Island for their annual vacation and drama ensues as they navigate romance and hookups in the queer community. Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang respectively star as Elizabeth and Jane, with Margaret Cho as the groups’ adoptive lesbian mom standing in for the Bennet parents. It has its funny moments as the group stumbles their way through parties and clubs, but it also has its emotional scenes as Noah (Booster) and Howie (Yang) struggle with the intersectionality of being Asian and queer. Fire Island has everything a rom-com fan could ask for: a great soundtrack with features from MUNA and Icona Pop, interesting wardrobe choices, love interests to die for, and a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fire Island/Searchlight Pictures
In order to get a better grasp of the modern rom-com landscape, I set out on a sort of pseudo-ethnography (I can’t help it, I’m an anthropology student) to find out which movies people liked the best. I requested movies released after 2010 and I was overwhelmingly given the same 6 options, save for a niche pick here and there. The winner by far was Set It Up, followed by Plus One, Crazy Rich Asians, Palm Springs, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Sleeping With Other People. As great as all of these movies are in their own right, it is shocking there’s so few modern rom-coms that are consistently enjoyable. Audiences have been subject to carelessly made movies with the sole purpose of becoming blockbusters, so we have to fall back on the ones we know are reliable.
Our winner, Set It Up, is a rare modern rom-com that still has a dedicated fan base despite its release in 2018, almost 6 years ago. In this Netflix original, two assistants try to set their bosses up together, while accidentally ending up in a romance of their own. Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell have undeniable chemistry as the stars, and the tension between them throughout the movie is insane. Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, and Pete Davidson round out the cast, making Set It Up feel like a true, hearty ensemble movie.
Set It Up/Netflix
Since there’s not nearly enough modern adaptations of classic literature, I have come up with a few options for Hollywood to make into movies – and I expect a cut of the check when they become hits.
Number 1: The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatized retelling of the events of the Salem Witch Trial, written as an allegory for McCarthyism in American politics in the late 40s. Yes, I have seen the 1996 version with Winona Ryder (shoutout to my junior year English class) but I refute this being the only acceptable movie version. Simply imagine how amazing a DeuxMoi-esque retelling of The Crucible would be, nods to communism and all.
Number 2: The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an early work of feminist literature about repressed sexuality and femininity in turn-of-the-century Louisiana. Maybe this is a little insensitive to the subject matter, but I desperately need Nicholas Sparks on board to produce a movie adaptation. Inspired by the likes of The Notebook and A Walk to Remember, it will inevitably end in heartbreak as Edna Pontellier walks herself into the ocean.
Number 3: Hamlet by William Shakespeare tells the story of the titular Prince of Denmark as he tries to get revenge on his uncle for killing the King and taking his throne. Ethan Hawke did star in Hamlet in 2000, however this adaptation’s script was faithful to the original play. I long for a version that is ironic to the highest degree, in true Shakespearean nature.
Sydney White/Universal Pictures
I concede that this kind of adaptation isn’t a foolproof way to make movies – as evidenced by ones like Sydney White, a sorority version of Snow White – but it is a formula that has gifted the world so many cult classics. With many of today’s rom-coms falling short of expectations, audiences deserve the cheesiest movies of all of our dreams. Adaptations of classic literature are easily rewatchable and just straight up good movies. Hopefully Hollywood can take notes on movies like Anyone But You and Fire Island on how to revive this beloved genre.