You might love them or loathe them, but rom-coms are one of the biggest movie genres amongst women. If you were a teen in the 80’s, your first introduction to rom-coms might have been the John Hughes classics; Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles and She’s Having a Baby. In the 90’s we were introduced to Pretty Woman, Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sleepless in Seattle and who could forget Bridget Jones’ Diary, The Holiday and Love Actually in the 2000’s.
Most rom-coms tend to follow the same plot line…girl meets boy, light-hearted and humorous plot line with relationship obstacles continue throughout, following with a happy ever after ending. Isn’t It Romantic starring Rebel Wilson (currently screening on Netflix) is a parody of romantic comedies and the cliches portrayed.
Rebel Wilson’s character Natalie is taught from a young age from her mother (Jennifer Saunders) that people like her don’t get the happy ever after (only if a man needs a visa). She goes through life believing that romance is not real and is oblivious to affections from her co-worker Josh (Adam Devine). Natalie is a New York architect which at times is hard to comprehend given the frivolous roles Wilson usually takes on. However, if you can see past the awkward roles she portrays in the past, the protagonist in this movie is like a breath of fresh air for Wilson.
Natalie’s work colleagues don’t take her seriously and will often find them asking her to do the mundane work her juniors are employed to do. One night after work she is mugged in the subway banging her head and knocked herself unconscious. She wakes in the hospital where everything looks like it belongs in a William Sonoma store with gorgeous doctors to match. Something is not right and Natalie soon realises she is trapped in her very own romantic comedy complete with rom-com clichés.
All of a sudden she has a gay best friend (Brandon Scott Jones), an ever so stylish apartment, a fabulous career where she is well regarded and a gorgeous male suitor (Liam Hemsworth). The only thing that is the same is her co-worker Josh until he meets the girl of his dreams (Priyanka Chopra) in a park where he has to administer the heimlich maneuver. Is it now too late for Natalie to realise her perfect man was under her nose all along?
Isn’t It Romantic sets out to prove that rom-coms are cliched filled with the usual trope; Gay BFF, a work rival, a fashion montage, a female rival vying for the attention of your true love, gorgeous locations, a love rat, the voice-over of the protagonist, an out of the blue flash mob and a running scene at the end. There is a big nod to ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ with certain scenes being replicated throughout proving the rom-com cliché theory.
With a suitable soundtrack to match, Isn’t It Romantic delivers a sweet storyline for any romantic at heart. Liam Hemsworth does tend to overact the Australian accent and the character a little but it doesn’t distract from the storyline of trying to prove the theory that real life is not a romantic comedy filled with typical rom-com cliches. We can however, wish it was, for the duration we are immersed in any romantic comedy film.
If you like a bit of light hearted romantic fluff…Isn’t It Romantic will give you a giggle or two.
Isn’t it Romantic is now available to stream on Netflix
