By Sarah Patriarca
Picture this: it’s 2006 and you just finished watching She’s the Man for the 4th time this month, because why not? It’s got all you need – Amanda Bynes’ hilarious comedy and Channing Tatum’s smoldering looks. All is good in the world.
As the years go on, you start to realize that the demand for rom-coms and their releases are slowly taking a decline. In the beginning, I never understood what the reasoning for this was. Why would they get rid of something that made everyone feel all mushy inside? Although it took me a while, I actually realized why rom-coms were being phased out before seeing them make a recent comeback.
Romantic comedies can be problematic, especially when they fail to represent people of different races, genders, sexualities, and other identities. Three romantic comedies that strive to overcome this, however, are To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Love, Simon, and Sierra Burgess is a Loser. Although these films can be considered unrealistic and still leave room to learn, they are steps ahead of the rom-coms we grew up with. And anyway, whoever said that rom coms were realistic to begin with?
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is about a girl, Lara Jean, who writes five letters to five different crushes and must cope when all of them are sent out. First and foremost, what I loved about this movie was that the relationship between the two main characters is interracial without fetishizing the relationship. Lara Jean Covey is mixed Asian-American while Peter Kivinsky is white. Throughout the film there are subtle nods to Lara Jean’s Korean background, such as the scene when she and Peter discuss Korean yogurt. Peter tries the yogurt and gives a positive reaction that is accepting of Lara Jean’s culture. This subtle hint at culture was something that rom-coms back in 2000s and even the 1980s where it all started, were lacking.
The second reason why I think this film was so popular among our generation is because it allowed the younger audience to relate on a technological level. Social media, technology use and reputation were all big components of the film. Peter and Lara Jean have to keep up their fake relationship through social media. There is one scene in the film where Peter argues that Lara Jean has to post more photos of them together in order to prove to others that they are together.
However, there was one moment that struck me the most, proving how powerful social media can be when trying to hurt others reputations. This happens to Lara Jean when an Instagram account suggests that Lara Jean has had a sexual encounter with Peter, which isn’t true. This movie just goes to show how social media is a big part of our lives for both good and bad reasons. This movie was amazing, and I would totally recommend!
Love, Simon
Love, Simon is a movie about Simon, a high schooler who enters an online relationship with another boy. I feel like this movie has changed the game for all rom-coms. Not only does it acknowledge and emphasize the LGBTQ+ community, but it also helps those that do not understand gain insight. This movie has the best of both worlds, shedding light on the fear of coming out to one’s family and friends and also showing those families the appropriate way to respond and react to when a child is coming out. My main issue, however, is that it took Hollywood this long to come out with a rom-com for the LGBTQ+ community. We live in a world where being gay has become a norm in society and we are taught that love is love no matter what gender someone is.
Another thing that I thought they did really well with this movie is the exact moment that Simon’s father finds out he is gay. As an audience we can see the raw emotion and struggles that comes from both sides of the relationship, Simon wanting to be accepted and loved by his dad, and his father feeling horrible for not helping and knowing all this time. I think this movie is very informative and something that can help those who do not understand learn about the LGBTQ+ community. This film is definitely a must see!
Sierra Burgess is a Loser
Sierra Burgess is a Loser is a movie about a girl that catfishes a boy because she is uncomfortable with her appearance. With the help of the bully at school, she attempts to make the boy fall in love with her. This rom-com was one that presented itself well in the trailer, but once you actually watched the movie it became a problematic mess.
I had really high expectations for this movie, especially after watching Noah Centineo’s role as Peter Kivinsky in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. I must say the movie was not all bad, it has its moments. I particularly liked that the main protagonist broke stereotypes of being skinny, or trying to make a physical transformation half way through the film because they did not like the way they looked. As a matter of fact, the majority of the film did not succumb to typical stereotypes of high school students.
For instance, the class bully was very pretty, but not at all mean. In the beginning she was rude to Sierra, but as the plot thickened, the audience came to understand the reason why she was the way she was and also showcased her willingness to change her attitude to those around her. I believe in earlier rom-coms, this concept was never really shown and always left us hating the bully. For me, this movie was more so about the blossoming relationship between the protagonist and the bully.
Even though those are some pretty convincing points, there was so much wrong with this film. Let’s start with the fact that Sierra literally catfishes Jamey, the boy she has a crush on, in order to gain his affection instead of just telling him the truth. The steps that she takes in the process of trying to get Jamey to like her are just not right.
She also pretends to be deaf instead of confronting Jamey and telling him that it’s her. This may be seen as offensive to the Deaf community. Moreover, the first kiss shared by Jamey and Sierra is not considered consensual. After making her bully go on a date with Jamey in order to keep up with her charade, Sierra covers Jamey’s eyes and kisses him, leaving him thinking it was her bully.
Not many viewers made a big deal about this because it was supposed to be seen as cute and funny. However, if the roles were reversed and it had been a man doing this to a woman, it would not have gone under the radar as easily. Watch Sierra Burgess is a Loser if you are intrigued by the its problematic tendencies, but this film is an okay miss!
Romantic comedies of this generation are becoming more popular by the minute. Although some can be problematic, there is still value to watching these. Everyone loves a good romance that is equally funny. What do you think?