Tuesday, 23 March 2021

Isn’t it Romantic (2019), directed by Todd Strauss-Schulman

Talented architect Natalie lacks self-confidence and self-esteem, rendering herself almost invisible at work. Totally rejecting the tropes of romantic comedies, she also excludes any possibility of love or any kind of happy ending for herself. When she is mugged and knocked unconscious, Natalie wakes to find herself in a utopian version of her life in New York and her worst nightmare – a romantic comedy. How can she escape it? Rebel Wilson is very funny as Natalie and she is ably supported by Adam Devine, Liam Hemsworth, Betty Gilpin and Priyanka Chopra. There is a nice underlying message about loving yourself before worrying about finding love with anyone else. The film has a lot of fun poking at the extremes of the genre like waking fully made-up, breaking into song, stopping weddings and stereotypical gay best friends. While enjoyable and at times laugh-out-loud funny, the film ends up succumbing to its own tropes by reinforcing that people should stay in their own lanes and insisting on a trademark happy ending.

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