Yes, We’re Currently Experiencing The Great Rom-Com Revival

I genuinely believe that the world would be a much sadder place if it weren’t for the existence of the classic rom-com. Yes, they’re cheesy and unrealistic and have left us with standards that are probably impossible to reach, but I don’t care. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a rom-com stan. Every Friday night was spent perusing the aisles in Xtra-Vision of both new and old releases in the hope of finding a romantic comedy to completely obsess over – and yes, I had a 100% success rate. 

Now, it pretty much goes without saying that rom-coms were at the peak of their popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s, but by the mid-2000s the genre saw a remarkable shift. The old-school formula of casting actors in a predictable storyline was beginning to lose its appeal among moviegoers as well as production studios. So, any new movie that came after that began to majorly flop at the box office despite doing everything they had done before.

As well as the predictability aspect, it might also have had something to do with the writers. The likes of Nora Ephron, Garry Marshall and Nancy Meyers were no longer creating new stories for us hopeless romantics to enjoy. And while many tried to follow in their footsteps, the truth is, no one could quite deliver like those aforementioned. Leading ladies like Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock also began exploring other genres leaving a gaping hole in the rom-com world. But surely, there was more to it than just the writer and actors involved?

The reality is that many factors played into the decline of the rom-com. Firstly, Hollywood began to realise that big-budget blockbusters and franchises such as Avatar, Star Wars, and The Avengers made a lot more money than mid-budget films. Studios decided to invest their money into these big-budget movies rather than the beloved rom-com. With this, came the collapse of the mid-budget film – the home of the romantic comedy. Before blockbusters were big, it was mid-budget films all the way. In fact, it was Hollywood’s bread and butter.

Whilst rom-coms were the main casualty of this shift, comedies soon followed suit. With cinemas becoming increasingly more expensive, film-goers no longer wanted to spend their well-earned money on perhaps what Hollywood and film critics deemed as mediocre movies. Instead, they opted to wait for its DVD release or in recent years, for it to land on a streaming service.

With little money being invested into the rom-com, the likes of Hallmark and even Netflix began churning out predictable and cheesy movies. You know the one, a successful business woman leaves her big city job to return home and falls in love with the local inn owner. Now, don’t get me wrong, while I do enjoy these movies from time to time, it would be nice to have something with a bit more substance to it. Suddenly, the rom-com began to lose the status that it worked so hard to gain all those years before. It was either trying too hard or not trying hard enough.

But then something remarkable happened. A shift in the earth’s plates. Following some pretty successful releases over the past year, it seems as though the film industry is finally gearing itself up for a rom-com revival, and I am here for it. I first got the realisation after watching Netflix’s Love at First Sight last September and oh, the tingles I had! It was classic rom-com territory but also beautifully modern. Boy meets girl at airport, they form an undeniable connection and well…you can probably guess what happened from there.

 

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It felt like a warm hug and I was excited to see what movies were to follow. Next came Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s Anyone But You (If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend you do!). The press surrounding the actors built up the hype long before the release, and the fanfare meant it felt like the 2000s all over again. A movie that actually went to theatres rather than straight-to-streaming, it will hopefully signify a shift and a rom-com revival. 

With a charming mix of witty remarks and a romance story framed by the classic “fake-dating” trope, Anyone But You had everything an OG rom-com could have asked for. With the movie’s creative storyline and humour, as well as its instant box office success, I have no doubt, that us hopeless romantics can expect similar movies in the year to come and while a lot has changed since the early 2000s, these two films alone, have proved that the beloved rom-com still has a place among studios and our hearts. 

Having started 2024 off on a high, there are plenty of new rom-coms to look forward to as the year goes on. Here’s what I’m most excited about.

The Idea of You

My most highly anticipated rom-com to come, with queen Anne Hathaway at the helm. Based on the Robinne Lee novel of the same name, Anne plays Solène, a single mother who begins a relationship with the lead singer of a boy band, played by Nicholas Galitzine, after meeting at Coachella… how romantic!

Which Brings Me To You

No stranger to the world of teen romances, Lucy Hale and Nat Wolff star as two jaded singles who meet and find love at a mutual friend’s wedding. Now this is what you call a rom-com! After almost hooking up, the pair agree to exchange candid confessions about their pasts to see if this could be the real thing. Please say it is!

A Cuban’s Girls Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

Although not much is yet known about this upcoming film, I have high hopes. The film, which is an adaptation of the hit novel of the same name by Laura Taylor Namey, stars Maia Reficco and Kit Connor. The story follows a young girl who leaves her job at her grandmother’s Miami bakery to spend the summer working with her aunt in London. Yep, I’m hooked.

This article first appeared in the March/April issue of STELLAR

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• rom coms