Isn't it Romantic
PC: imdb.com
Nicflix
I’ve reviewed a few rom-coms since starting this column but never have I had the pleasure to review a rom-com within a rom-com … Romception? From annoyingly adorable meet-cutes and relationship montages to crazy drama and over-the-top apologies, rom-coms are some of the best movies out there and definitely one of the biggest and most successful movie genres. The problem is, they set an unrealistic standard for real-life relationships.
“Isn’t It Romantic” capitalizes on the predictability of rom-coms and turns it on its head. Rebel Wilson plays Natalie—a young woman raised to resist the illusions of love—who finds herself trapped in a PG-13 romantic comedy. The best part is, out of all the characters—Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra and Adam Devine—she’s the only one that’s completely aware of it!
I was kinda getting “17 Again” vibes while she figured out why she was in there and how to get back to reality, but in “Isn’t It Romantic,” instead of a spirit-guide, she has a gay best friend that somehow appears every time she needs a pep talk. Natalie uses her ironically large database of rom-com knowledge as she goes through the story pointing out the flaws, inconsistencies and unrealistic aspects of her new reality while simultaneously fulfilling all the romantic comedy cliches.
How good can a fully realized and self-aware romantic comedy really be? Pretty dang good. The script was hilarious and the cliches were dialed WAY up which contrasted Natalie’s cynical sarcasm perfectly. There were flash-mob-like musical numbers, magical first dates, insane drama and so much more—all made better by the main character being so over it and rolling her eyes the entire time.
There’s always some sort of lesson in these movies, right? Someone learns to let go of his or her past or they recognize love was in front of them the whole time—or they realize they’re in love with their assistant and marry them to keep from being deported to Canada. You know, the important lessons in life. If you haven’t caught this by now, this isn’t your typical rom-com so the message is a little different than usual. Will the cynic be brainwashed by the perfection of a rom-com world? Or will everything she feared about love prove true? There’s no way to know until you watch it yourself!
I try not to put any spoilers in my articles so people can come talk about it with me after they watch the movies. Hint, hint: Come talk to me!
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Movie Guy
Nicholas Morrison is a senior studying graphic design.