RAVE: The Return of the Rom-Com

As I have mentioned before, I (proudly) am an 80's child. I grew up in a time when Rom-Coms (romantic comedies, for those of you who live under rocks) ruled TV and movie land... In a time where Meg Ryan owned our hearts and we laughed and cried through films such as Can't Buy Me Love, When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, Arthur and Moonstruck graced our screens.

In recent years, I fear the Rom-Com appeared to have lost its way... We have seen some shockers in recent years, such as America's Sweethearts, Maid in Manhattan, Down with Love, Along Came Polly, The Break Up and dare I even mention License to Wed!

Don't get me wrong, not all rom-coms since the 80's and early 90's have been terrible, but the sheer number of ones that should never made it to a public viewing is alarming considering how good the genre used to be.

But in saying that, I really have to give credit where credit is due and I finally think the movie industry has rediscovered the rom-com genre and brought it back to its former glory. We are only in August so far for 2009, and already we have seen a number of fantastic rom-coms on the big screen. I've just seen The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler and it was quite simply one of the best rom-com movies I have seen in ages. Check out my review if you are interested.

So far this year we have also seen He's Just Not That Into You, The Proposal, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Last Chance Harvey.

He's Just Not That Into You is a great, although slightly busy, movie. I have read the book and I was amazed at how well they were able to pull it together to make the movie. It has a stellar cast, and will make you laugh and cry, a sign of a trully good rom-com. I don't think this movie is for everyone, but the majority of you will love it. I'm not sure this is a DVD I will buy to add to my collection, but it is definitely one I will happily watch again.



The Proposal stars Ryan Reynold (serious drool factor, can't believe he married Scarlett Johansson!) and a latter day Queen of the rom-com genre, Sandra Bullock. I was really suprised at how funny this movie was! I never expected anything less from Ryan Reynolds - I am a huge fan from his Van Wilder days and he started to show his rom-com potential in Definitely Maybe, but I was unprepared for the hilarity of the on-screen chemistry he had with Sandra Bullock. I also had no idea she could be so funny!! I mean Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice were ok, but it was cheap laughs as opposed to real wit, so I was bowled over by this movie. I actually originally saw this movie at a preview screening the weekend before it opened, but I loved it so much, I took another friend to see it again opening night. This is definitely a movie I will be pre-ordering and I already have a space for it on the shelf with my DVD collection.



Confessions of a Shopaholic primarily stars Bruno's better half, Isla Fisher. It's a rather funny movie, of which I can see a lot of myself in if I am honest! Although it is a tad predictable in rom-com terms, the comedy element is well done and it is a thoroughly enjoyable fim. I think I'll need to watch it again on DVD before I decide it I will buy it, unless I can find it in a discount bin at JB Hi-Fi, but it is defintely worth watching!



Ghosts of Girlfriends Past stars Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. While I am not truly a fan of Jennifer Garner in this movie, the film itself is clever, witty and has all the hallmarks of a great rom-com. It is a tounge and cheek rip-off of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' where the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future have become the ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Present and Future to help stop playboy McConaughey missing out on true love. A lovely film and again, one that I will be pre-ordering and adding to my eclectic DVD collection.



Last Chance Harvey stars Emma Thomson and Dustin Hoffman. While this movie I believe would be far more appealing to my mother than me, I did find it a delightful movie to help reassure us that love is possible for us all, at any age... From an acting perspective, this is a stellar movie, but I do think there is more romance than comedy in this rom-com. Probably not one for my DVD collection, but definitely something I will rent and watch with mum at some stage.



All in all, I think that 2009 is shaping up to be fantastic year for the return of what I had previously though to be a rather tired genre. I have been pleasantly suprised and hope to see far more high calibre rom-com movies in coming months.