Romantic Comedies for Dummies

Over the holidays last year I subjected myself to a little experiment. The premise was simple, over a 30-day period I watched one romantic comedy a day to see its effect on my physical and psychological wellbeing. It was kind of like ‘Super Size Me’. By day 7 I had gained 9.5 pounds (though this might’ve also been my diet), and not long after I had started displaying symptoms of fatigue and nausea. Mood swings were a regular occurrence. I was obsessed.

I was morphing into a brand new person, I didn’t know who I was anymore. By the time the experiment was over, I came back into the real world with a brand new hyper-romanticized outlook on the world. I was Jerry Maguire and the world was my oyster. I was Carrie Bradshaw and Vancouver was the new Manhattan, and it didn’t take long before life knocked me back on my knees. It was a depressing but necessary realization.

Life is not Love Actually the movie, but it sure is nice to take a getaway once in a while. I did the experiment so you wouldn’t have to, so without further ado, below are a few of my favourite rom coms from the experiment:

Rom Com for the Rom Com Fanatic:

Bridget Jones’s Baby

The first Bridget Jones’s movie has solidified itself in the rom com hall of fame as a worthy contender. We all have to admit that it’s screwball essence and delightfully English charm is hard to deny. Even the coldest of hards are softened by Bridget’s “every day” struggles. Ten years later, Hollywood has blessed us with a third instalment that nobody asked for. Bridget is back and she’s funnier, clumsier, and this time, she’s carrying a baby! With twice the heart and twice the relationship drama, Bridget Jones’s Baby proves that the third time’s the charm.

 

Rom Com for Moving On:

(500) Days of Summer

Nothing quite captures the beginning and end of a relationship than the changing of the seasons, and (500) Days of Summer does just that. Step into the vulnerable relationship between Tom Hansen and Summer Finn, two coworkers at a greeting card company, as they navigate their brand new relationship over the course of a year, discovering the treacherous waters and skeleton’s in the closet. It’s unique non-linear narrative takes you through the ups and downs of love, and how days that feel like you could burst into a musical number can also turn south quick. (500) Days of Summer is a worthy movie experience just for the sheer originality of it all.

 

Rom Com for the Family:

About Time

Written by Richard Curtis, the godfather of all modern romance and the man who brought you Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary. About Time is a movie that disguises itself as a rom com, but in its core it is a movie about family, a father and son relationship that is shaken when the son, Tim, finds out on his 21st birthday that he can time travel. Take a step through time and learn the benefits (and consequences) of Tim’s new found powers, and learn that getting a girlfriend with superpowers might not be as easy as you think!

 

Rom Com for the Tragically Broken Individual:

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of Pat Solitano, a man with bipolar disorder, who forms an unlikely friendship with a depressed widow named Tiffany. This crazy offbeat comedy is fitting for our trying times, it’s about finding connection in the face of lunacy, and finding the humor in adversity.

 

Rom Com for the Nihilist:

End of the F**king World

While we’re on the topic of lunacy, let’s take it up a notch with the new Netflix Original “End of the F**king World”. This black comedy series is about Tom, a self diagnosed psychopath, who embarks on a road trip with a troubled but moody teenage girl, Alyssa. All the while trying to subside his urges to kill her! It’s the thrill of ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ with the charm of ‘Harold & Maude’, and an example that falling in love can sometimes feel like The End of the F**king World.

 

Rom Com If You Hate Yourself & the World & Life is Pointless & Nothing Matters Because We’re All Going to Die Anyway:

My Girl

If you just hate everything else around you (I get that and I welcome it, live your truth!) I might just have the perfect movie for you. Without spoiling anything lets just say My Girl takes the cake for SADDEST ROM COM EVER MADE, and if you’re a masochist like myself and want to break your heart into a GAZILLION PIECES then by all means plunge into the depths of pain and heartbreak and be reminded of why you’re always tired because life is meaningless.