Isn’t It Romantic might’ve been relevant ten years ago. Today, it feels extremely dated.
From a young age, Natalie (Rebel Wilson) was taught that what’s shown in rom-coms is an unattainable fantasy. After a blow to the head, she wakes up and finds the world around her changed. Her co-worker and friend Whitney (Betty Gilpin) is now her rival, her neighbor Donny (Brandon Scott) is now a loud gay stereotype, the rude client who wouldn’t pay attention to her, Blake (Liam Hemsworth) now finds her beguiling. Everyone’s handsome and beautiful, the world is full of clichés. With the help of her seemingly unchanged friend Josh (Adam Devine) Natalie hopes to escape this rom-com world.
What was the last romantic comedy you saw? I don’t mean Little Italy or Love Jacked I mean a big production people besides me bought tickets for. Probably Crazy Rich Asians (which is wonderful and absent of clichés). Before that? I couldn’t tell ya. The rom-com genre has largely disappeared. Pictures don’t end with slow-motion runs towards the airport or a wedding being interrupted by the woman who just realized her best friend is the love of her life. This putsIsn’t It Romantic in a weird spot. It’s essentially making fun of things that people kinda remember but haven’t seen in a long time.
I say making fun of, which implies laughter but if there’s one thing this film isn’t, it’s funny. There are a couple of mildly amusing comedic observations but not enough for 89 minutes’ worth. Part of the problem comes from the premise. Making fun of romantic comedies means you’re poking fun at something which isn’t taking itself seriously in the first place. I’ll also question the central premise. Natalie wakes up with a big apartment, in a world where crime doesn’t exist, and where every handsome man is attracted to her. Why does she want to return to reality? It’s like if Harry Potter got his letter from Hogwarts and purposely tried to get himself expelled from wizard school so he could return to his crappy, normal life.
Fans of the Pitch Perfect series will be amused by a couple of musical numbers shoe-horned in and Rebel Wilson has good chemistry with her co-star Adam Devine. I’ll also praise the soundtrack, which is dead-on. Otherwise, there’s little to enjoy.
If you’re worried Isn’t It Romantic will ruin rom-coms for you, it won’t, as it proceeds to indulge in the same basic clichés it makes fun of and really, is poking fun at films which were problematic and unrealistic in the first place. The good ones still hold up. I just don’t know how much you’ll like a comedy that isn’t funny. (Theatrical version on the big screen, February 16, 2019)