Isn't It Romantic

When romantic comedies work well with their simplified ingredients, that simplicity can make something that could have been bland instead pretty unforgettable. But if they have too much on their plate or when the wrong pieces are prioritized over the main arc or couple, the emotional investment can not only be lacking but the entire film can unfortunately hold you hostage longer than it needs to. Last year didn't do me any favors with Crazy Rich Asians falling into the latter category. This brings us to Isn't It Romantic, a romantic comedy direct by Todd Strauss-Schulson (The Final Girls) and co-written by Dana Fox (How to be Single) and Katie Silbeman. The marketing campaign made this intriguing to me by showing a little bit of its self-aware premise. It was released the day before Valentines Day and received positive critical reception but didn't seem to catch that much social media buzz. I went into the auditorium ready to give it a chance to see what it can bring to the genre and left it very surprised by the charming experience.

What's it about? The story follows a woman who, after getting bumped on the head from a physical altercation, finds herself in a reality where the environment becomes a PG-13 romantic comedy. The best way to describe this would be how Scream satirized its own genre while still fulfilling the cliches here. After about 10-15 minutes of observing the real-life aspects of the protagonist as she calls out every stereotype of rom-coms as fantasy, it leans into much more polished New York that's abundant of love and catchy dance numbers with pop songs. The tone is delightfully cheery as the protagonist maneuvers her way through a predictable piece of storytelling. The comedy behind this approach mostly works and the best aspect about this is the message at the end, which was very touching and not mentioned that often within the genre.

How's Rebel Wilson? As the lead protagonist here, Rebel certainly fares better here compared to some of the other movies people have seen with her (at least for my liking). While she unfortunately continues the curse of going through physical humor (mainly using her weight for outrageous crashes or slips), thankfully that aspect is only shoved in that first 10-15 minutes and isn't really brought up afterwards. The script she's working with is a benefit where it doesn't necessarily over stays its welcome but kinda recognizes the type of jokes that she sorta thrives with. Her chemistry with the rest of the cast is definitely fun to watch and her efforts feel rather genuine in attempting to hopefully move past her rough patch in the Pitch Perfect sequels of being lazy and bad.

How's the rest of the cast? In regards to the supporting cast, they are worth paying attention to based on their respective deliveries. The main highlights out of them are Blake (Liam Hemsworth) and Josh (Adam Devine) with regards to the story focus. The former embraces the humorous side of things (similar to his brother Chris in the Marvel films in a more toned down but charming style) who's made fun of a little as a "CW level hottie". The latter is great at delivering a genuine portrayal that shuffles between reacting to some said by Rebel Wilson and being a calming hopeful romantic. Honorable mentions go to Donny (Brandon Scott Jones), Whitney (Betty Gilpin), and Natalie's mother (Jennifer Saunders) for utilizing their somewhat limited screen time to shine with their respective performances in a delightful execution.

Overall Consensus: Isn't it Romantic is enjoyable experience that's strengthened by satirizing its genre, charismatic acting, fun dance numbers, an endearing message, and a good script. ⭑⭑⭑3/4🎟* Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes PG-13
*: Only with a group of friends or a possible date night. Otherwise💻

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You want to see someone call out romantic comedies for their fantasy elements. You like or dislike this kind of genre. You are looking for a cheerful crowd pleasing film for a group of friends or date night. You like catchy dance sequences.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You hate catchy dance sequences. You hate physical humor being used with characters considered overweight.