A while ago, I was watching a bunch of romantic comedies I had never seen before. I made a list and reviewed each of them (see the post HERE). Lately, I’ve been watching some more and thought I should write some more reviews since I’m building up quite a pile.
Here’s the list in alphabetical order:
Blended
Single mom Lauren and single dad Jim do NOT hit it off on a blind date and swear to never see each other again. However, unbeknownst to each other, they end up purchasing one half of the same vacation to Africa. They and their children are forced to share in a blended family experience.
I’ll admit, I’ve watched this one a couple times already, but I didn’t get a chance to put it on my last list. I was kind of surprised by how much I liked this one. I’ve liked the other Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandlar films, so I guess I shouldn’t have been (they have great chemistry). There’s a very natural progression in their romance here and it feels so sweet and authentic. You can actually feel them falling for each other. That’s what I love most about this film. I love the relationships between the parents and kids too. You can see all the kids’s personalities, how they are with their parents, and what they need in their life (aka a mother or father figure).
Yes, there are some weird moments and a couple raunchy jokes, but nothing too crazy. There’s some pretty funny lines that, I think with a few more viewings, could become pretty quotable. 9/10.
Geek Charming
Dylan Schoenfield and Josh Rosen are on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to popularity. Their worlds collide when Josh decides to do his film project on Dylan’s life as an inside look on popularity, and Dylan sees it as a great opportunity to boost her Blossom Queen campaign. However, can they tolerate each other long enough to finish the film?
This one is a Disney Channel Original Movie... and one outside of my generation. Now, the thing about DCOMs is that... a lot of them really suck; the acting is terrible, the plot is convoluted and not at all thought-out, the characters are unlikable, the morals are shoved in your face, and everything is WAY over the top and SUPER cheesy. So, most are either really boring and lame or just flat-out awful. (Obviously, there are a few exceptions. Some are total classics!)
This one... is an exception. I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, it was still pretty cheesy and had that Disney feel to it, but it kind of felt like a real “grown up” sort of rom-com. It had all the classic tropes-- the polar opposite personalities, the hating each other at the beginning, etc. It also wasn’t afraid of portraying real emotional problems (and the acting was actually pretty good). I thought it was sweet and fun. Plus, apparently the two lead actors were dating in real life which would explain their excellent chemistry. 8/10
Life As We Know It
The only thing Holly and Messer have in common is their dislike of one another and their love for their god-daughter, Sophie. When tragedy strikes and they suddenly find themselves as the caretakers for Sophie, they must put aside their differences for the sake of the baby.
This one was interesting. It had such an outrageous situation: first, both the parents died, and second... why were two people who weren’t married or co-habitating given guardianship over their baby in the will? The movie tried explaining the reasoning (several times), but it still seemed a little silly to me. Also, third, why wouldn’t the parents ask them permission before putting it in their will? “Hey, in the case we should both die, would you mind looking after our child?” Kind of a conversation you might want to have so it’s not sprung on them!
Anyways, my suspension of disbelief out of the way... I thought it was sort of cute. I was glad it established a love and relationship with the baby before they became guardians so we could see how much they already cared about her. I was pretty invested in Holly and Messer’s relationship too. They weren’t constantly bickering over stupid things (which can get annoying in these types of movies) and only fought over serious stuff. It was nice to watch their growing friendship as they bonded over raising a child.
It also wasn’t too afraid of shying away from some heavy emotional stuff. Granted, it could’ve gone further, but since it was a romantic comedy and not drama, I’ll let it slide.
There was some random weird stuff, the most obvious being the child services worker who... I don’t even know. She just felt super out of place and had all these weird comments and rules. Like, she didn’t want Holly and Messer to get into a relationship? Why? Wouldn’t that be better for the baby to have her “parents” together?
Well, there was a lot in this movie that didn’t make sense, but the overall feel of the movie was good and I was pretty invested in it. 7/10.
Set It Up
Harper works for a high profile sports journal editor. Charlie works for a major venture capitalist. Both assistants are majorly over-worked and under-appreciated. By happenstance, they meet each other and devise a plan to get their bosses to fall in love so that they might get some time off.
Well, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film since it was a Netflix original. I will say, it was pretty enjoyable. It probably could’ve gone way more ridiculous, like gotten more comedic with its situations. The two assistants are completely running their bosses lives so they convolute it to make them fall in love. That’s a set up for some great comedy. There are a couple moments in the beginning that are good (the baseball scene in particular was pretty funny). However, most of the film relies on the two assistants messaging back and forth desperately telling each other about how to woo each other’s bosses. I guess the comedy is in the close calls and manipulation?
Anyways, I did like it. I was kind of hoping for something more interesting between the bosses, but it was fine. The relationship between the assistants was what was really interesting (which, I guess, is as it should be). They were a lot of fun and had lots of sweet moments. The progression of their relationship didn’t feel rushed at all and I appreciate that they didn’t randomly kiss or “hook up” and then regret it in the middle of the movie as lots of rom-coms do. I’m glad they let the suspense and tension grow between them until the end. The two actors also had great chemistry. I was totally rooting for them. 8/10.
Warm Bodies
In an apocalyptic world where a plague has tarnished most of the human race, turning them into zombies, one zombie named R saves a living girl from his fellow zombie brothers. Instead of eating her, R protects her and helps her return home. As they embark on their journey, a bond forms between them and R re-learns what it’s like to be human.
I had heard good things about this movie for years, but never bothered to look into it. I think it sort of reminded me of Twilight and I just had no interest in anything like that. (I also think for a while, I even thought it was vampires and not zombies.) What eventually changed my mind was watching the trailer and I realized it wasn’t some stupid, mushy teen drama love story. It actually looked like a compelling story about what it meant to be human and to love... and that’s exactly what it is.
I actually REALLY liked this movie. It was clever and interesting how most of the perspective was from a zombie’s point of view (which you really don’t ever see in zombie flicks). Most of the comedy came from that. R’s inner dialogue is hilarious!
It might’ve been a little cheesy at the end with its message, but overall it was really well done. The Romeo and Juliet parallels can either be annoying or funny. I personally found them funny. My one major criticism is that some of the special effects were pretty subpar. They were like something you'd expect to see in a TV movie which is unfortunate for something with such a good story and characters. Overall, though, it was all great! 9/10.
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