Rom Coms To Add To Your Watchlist
In the world of rom-com, we are all familiar with the go to titles for when we want a nice and familiar story. So, we go and watch Bridget Jones for the one hundredth time. Or Sixteen Candles, and imagine what it would have been like if our teenage years were that magical and that our school crush liked us back, but that did not happen did it Sharon?!. Truth is, some movies just do not get old and watching them over and over again does not get boring, not for me at least. Finding new good rom-coms has become a little difficult in my opinion, and I am often disappointed by watching an overly predictable story. Although I expect there to be tropes and stereotypes in the genre, there is always a desire to see something slightly more “original.” There is no issue about seeing a familiar story again; however, it is about how it is told that can make a difference. When Love, Guaranteed, came out earlier this year, I watched immediately. I reminded myself that I must not compare it to the charm and love I felt when watching She’s All That for the first time. It is a different film after all. I love both Rachael and Damon, it is not their fault, they are wonderful but the script was just not that great. So, there I was, left somewhat frustrated with the struggle of finding brilliant rom-coms, ones that celebrate good writing and talent and ones that you learn something about yourself and relationships. I admit, it is a challenging genre to get perfectly right and sometimes the clichés are going to come after you whether you want to or not.
But, not all is bleak, thankfully I have found little gems during lockdown. Here in the UK, we are not as blessed with as many streaming services as in the states, so I am sure you have a lot more streaming content to choose from.
Just before I get into my little list, I use JustWatch to see where I can stream titles I like. It is a little faster than going on all my platforms and searching for the film or TV. I hope that you find JustWatch a useful tool (please ensure it is set to your territory).
So without further ado here are my recent rom com finds:
Everybody Loves Somebody (2017), directed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
Clara is successful doctor. An invitation to a wedding in Mexico leads her to asking her cute co-worker to join her and pretend to be her boyfriend.
Plus One (2019) - directed by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer
Two friends and way too many weddings to go to. Ben and Alice agree to be each other’s plus one for these weddings as the thought of going alone seems too cruel and painful.
Blind Date (2015)- directed by Clovis Cornillac
This charming French film takes the notion of Blind Date to another level.
There is of course so much more to watch - this is just a taster of some not so obvious rom coms to watch. Below are a few TV shows/ Films at the top of my to-watch-list:
Someone, Somewhere (2019)
La Belle Époque (2019)
How Ruin Christmas: The Wedding (2020)
Bridgeton (2020)
The Half of It (2020)
Happy watching!
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