My parents have always fed me a steady diet of ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s movies. Whether it was action, adventure or horror (if I could actually watch it), I loved them all – especially Sixteen Candles – and everything in between.
Speaking of everything in between, my favorite genre has to be the rom-com. How can you beat “Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner” from Dirty Dancing? Or Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) climbing the fire escape for Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) at the end of Pretty Woman, even though he’s terrified of heights? Ronnie (Patrick Dempsey) riding off into the sunset with Cindy Mancini (Amanda Peterson) in Can’t Buy Me Love? Hands down, the best movies are from that genre.
Although rom-coms can be cheesy and predictable, I will still be more than happy to hit play – accompanied by a blanket and one of my cats. There’s just something about those old classic love stories that never gets old.
What’s troubling today is Hollywood movies don’t seem to have the same spark and joie de vivre they used to. The rom-coms of the past were just good, period. Sadly, I can’t say the same about them today.
The only movie I’ll exclude from this claim is Anyone but You. It came out in the winter of 2023 and brought back everything that makes a rom-com great: co-star chemistry, humor (which, hopefully, you’d expect from a rom-com), and a dash of drama.
Having this witty movie come out after what felt like a century of nothing gave everyone a little excitement. Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney running around Australia, trying to avoid each other and secretly falling in love, was quite entertaining.
Point being? We all love these movies, and I want more. Rom-coms aren’t about the deep complexities of life–they’re dumb and comical, and that’s the point! Name one rom-com where you couldn’t predict the ending. Name one that didn’t have the classic happily-ever-after. You can’t!
Lately, though, I feel like the genre has lost some of its sparkle. Maybe it’s because too many movies are trying to be “edgy” or “groundbreaking,” when what we really want is that familiar formula that’s still fun and charming.
It’s not that we need a complete remake of the classics, but a fresh take on that old-school rom-com magic. Now that would be something.
Clearly, I’m very passionate about these movies. But classics are classics for a reason. Hollywood, please bring back your rom-com magic!
