Rom-coms are so back. You heard me right. Romantic comedies are back and better than ever. You might be wondering what’s fueling this resurgence, and to that I have a simple answer: book to movie adaptations. Recently, a number of famous books have been made into popular cinema: “Reminders of Him,” the new hit HBO series “Heated Rivalry,” and my personal favorite, “People We Meet on Vacation.” Originally written by critically acclaimed romance author Emily Henry, “People We Meet on Vacation” was adapted by Netflix and has quickly become first on Netflix’s trending charts. After my extensive research (scrolling through Rotten Tomatoes reviews) many of its viewers credit its rapid ascendence to two qualities: its wonderfully faithful adaptation, and the fact that it includes all the rom com staples (kisses in the rain, pop song needle drops, and long confessions of a forbidden love). “People We Meet on Vacation” follows Poppy and Alex and the friendship they maintain through an annual vacation. Some of my personal favorite parts of the film include the beautiful picturesque scenery as the pair travel around the world, hilarious one liners from Poppy, and the chemistry between the two actors.
If you aren’t a fan of the genre like I am, maybe you are unfamiliar with the decline of romantic comedies in the past couple of years. The “peak” of this genre of cinema hit around the early 2000s where us rom-com lovers were blessed with iconic films like “John Tucker Must Die” and “Love Actually.” Us rom-com fanatics have remained in limbo these past couple of years as major film studies have produced a series of misses characterized by cheugy dialogue and poor acting. At the same time, there have been a few recent exceptions, generally following the same guidelines. Some examples include “Crazy Rich Asians,” “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The one common pattern–you guessed it! They were all books first. So reader, what I’m getting is– the film industry isn’t lazy because it’s reusing stories. In fact, I think it’s brilliant, because popular romance books already have the thoughtful, well established plot lines that recent movies have struggled to deliver.
While this genre goes overlooked for its natural goofy nature and predictability, to me rom-coms are a cornerstone of girlhood. I’ve spent many a night cuddled up under a blanket with my mom and sister, cheesing at our TV as Kate Hudson in “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” turns around in her yellow dress looking at Matthew McConaughey. This is not a unique experience. At the end of the day, rom-coms give all of us romantics hope that happy endings do exist.
