Isn’t It Romantic Review

Isnt+It+Romantic+Review

Darya Navid, Humor Section Editor

After seeing trailer after trailer for the Valentine’s Day movie, “Isn’t It Romantic?” I entered the theater with high hopes for the rom-com to end all rom-coms. However when I left I was more than disappointed. Although the movie delivered on some funny moments and the overall message of loving thy self, the movie as a whole was quite bland.

Rebel Wilson is best known for her role as “Fat Amy” in the popular Pitch Perfect franchise, and has since then started in several comedies, executing each role with the right amount of sass, drollness and spunk. This movie was no different.

Natalie, played by Wilson, is a pessimistic architect in New York City with a particular hatred of romantic comedies who is trying hard to get noticed at her job. However, Natalie is more likely to be getting coffee for people than receive any credit for the hard work she puts into her subpar job or life. Things take an unexpected turn after she accidentally knocks herself unconscious trying to escape a mugging. Waking up in a hospital to the sight of a hot doctor, Natalie realizes her life has just gone from subpar to extremely strange. The cynical-about-love Natalie suddenly finds herself living inside of a PG-13 Romantic Comedy, and the worst part: she is the leading lady.

Director Todd Strauss-Schulson transports his audience in to an unrealistically perfect world to fall in love in. The always-sunny New York with cupcake cars everywhere and someone falling in love around every turn brings to life every trope we have ever had of the setting of a rom-com. Furthermore, screenwriters Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox and Katherine Silberman are able to take this experience one comical step further, putting a humorous twist on the 80s and 90s rom-com cliches that we all know and love.

I found the the movie’s comical look on all the rom-com cliches and Natalie’s constant pessimistic comments on her current situation made the movie a particular hit for a Valentine’s movie. The movie as a whole, however, was rather bland in the comedy aspect. Except for a few well placed one-liners, and how Wilson overall carried her character, the movie’s funny factor was rather lacking. I also found that the other characters, though completely fitting with the tropes they were meant to play, lacked in any true substance.

Though the movie has its moments, however, in my opinion this movie did not receive more than two out of five stars overall.