A Love Letter to Rom-Coms

Cheesy, predictable, and unrealistic. These are derogatory words that some people may use to describe romantic comedies, commonly known as romcoms. 

So why is it that we continue to watch and rewatch the romcoms of the 90s and 00s? What is it about them that makes them so enticing?

I continue to come back to the same romcoms over and over because they feel like home. I know what will happen and it’s comforting. I know that eventually, there’s hope for my characters, because they will end up together and all will be right. 

I adore listening to the witty banter, such as in Sweet Home Alabama, as the heroine is incessantly teased by a handsome suitor. 

I think the big, dramatic gestures, like those of 10 Things I Hate About You, are thoughtful and show how much the love interest cares.

Romcoms embody the element of society that is entirely necessary for it to function: love. They provide the viewer with hope in their own happily ever afters. ‘If this absolute mess of a person can find love, then certainly I can too!’ 

Romantic comedies have always existed in some form. Countless classics revolve around the concept of romantic relationships (I’m looking at you, Jane Austen). William Shakespeare helped set up the romantic comedy structure in Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Some of the earliest motion pictures, like those starring Katherine Hepburn, are romcoms. Our society loves love.

The best romcoms aren’t simply about romantic relationships, however; they also include friendships and family dynamics. Mamma Mia and My Big Fat Greek Wedding are perfect specimens of this concept. Community is a huge part of romcoms, because love is all around you, even when you don’t yet realize it yourself. 

These movies inspire emotion within us. Tears, blushes, smiles, and laughs are just some of the feelings that watching romcoms can cause. They show us what human beings who love are capable of. 

For example, enemies to lovers romcoms show that even the deepest of dislikes and even hatreds can be overcome by the incredible power of love. Pride and Prejudice exhibits this through Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s tempestuous relationship.

Why do I watch You’ve Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping over and over and over? Why did I push through and finish ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ even though I hated almost everything about it? 

I believe it has to do with who I watch these with. 

For the former question, these are classic movies that I watch annually with my mom. They hold countless memories, laughs, and inside jokes that I cherish and savor each time we rewatch our favorites. 

However, regarding the latter question, I believe that I watched that dreadful show to feel part of something. I went to watch parties and delightfully hated it in the presence of my friends who loved it. I enjoyed debating people about the show, and the feeling of being in the know. 

So I propose that a major part of why we adore romcoms is because of other people – which means that the question loops right back around to the answer of love. 

Love is why we cringe and cheese and blush through awkward scenes. Love is why we rewatch romcoms, even knowing how they’ll end. Love is why we continue to hope and dream about our own happy endings as we feel joy for these fictional characters that have found theirs.

I am a silly little love lover, and if that makes me cheesy, predictable, and unrealistic, then so be it, because I have hope and happiness.

Convincing you to watch my favorite romcoms based on the lessons I learned from them:

• 10 Things I Hate About You taught me to never lower my standards.
• You’ve Got Mail reminds me not to settle for what’s easy, but to pursue the hope of what could be. 
• While You Were Sleeping showed me that sometimes falling in love with someone includes falling in love with their family. 
• The Summer I Turned Pretty made me concerned for the modern romcom industry, and convinced me to never fall in love with brothers.
• Legally Blonde taught me many things. The bend and snap for one. Another, to pursue your dreams, and love just might find you on the way. 
• Sweet Home Alabama explains that sometimes love is right back home where you left it.
• Notting Hill proves that love looks past fame and flaws and cuts straight to the heart.
• La La Land made me sob, and yet I’ve watched it 4 times to date. Though love may have easy and hard seasons, it will persevere. 
• 27 Dresses teaches me to never lose hope in my own fairytale ending. 
• Tangled and Frozen showed me that I should never give up on love.
• Mamma Mia taught me the lyrics of basically every ABBA song.
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding made me fall in love with the heroine’s family and community (and made me wish I was Greek).
• Pride and Prejudice feels like the epitome of true love to me.