By Grace Long, Guest Writer
I miss rom-coms. I miss the plots, even if I know exactly what is going to happen before I buy my too-expensive ticket and over-buttered popcorn.
Two attractive people meet cute, get together, break up, overcome obstacles and then get back together. It’s all so predictable — and charming.
Recently, I went to see the new romantic comedy “Anyone But You” starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. I sat there smiling as Powell and Sweeney met cute, got together, broke up… you know the rest.
Halfway through watching this movie, I was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and contentment. This was a stark contrast to the feeling I get when I’m on the edge of my seat watching the newest superhero movie or covering my eyes at every jumpscare in the horror movies I’ve watched … or hidden from in recent years. These movies have dominated the box office recently, and I’ve pondered if I’m actually having a good time when watching them.
However, when I watch all of my favorite romantic comedies, I thoroughly enjoy myself. I know this because I descend into a fit of uncontrollable laughter when Andie and Ben sing a painful duet to “You’re So Vain” in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” and cry when Harry confesses his love to Sally at a New Year’s Eve party in “When Harry Met Sally.” I can’t stop smiling as Kat and Patrick slowly realize they like each other in “10 Things I Hate About You” or when Dorothy tearfully says, “You had me at hello” in “Jerry Maguire.”
I felt this same euphoric, warm feeling watching “Anyone But You,” which surpassed $32.8 million at the box office. I believe this signals that many other movie fans, like myself, yearn for more romantic comedies like the ones that dominated the late 1990s and early 2000s. I adore the unrealistic love standards, cheesy lines, palpable chemistry, petty arguments, and of course, the happy endings.
Romantic comedies are back, and I hope they are here to stay for a long, long time.
PHOTO: Sony
