I grew up on the romantic comedies worthy of earth shattering cringes. From the blatant racism in Sixteen Candles (courtesy of my father's love of John Hughes) and the idea that a female boss in charge is a bitch (thank you mom), my idea of how women and anyone who isn't a white male in their early thirties to ambiguous forties should be treated when looking for love always seemed bleak. I gobbled up these movies as a teenager with beliefs that one day I would have my own meet-cute. But, this was only true if I was skinny, straight, and just quirky enough to be interesting, but not too much to be weird. In college, rom-coms dropped off for me as they became more about the compromising ideals and values when finding someone to love and someone loving you for those qualities. However with the rise in diversity in movies and shows; the new direction of the genre has given my old love a new flame.
Netflix has been on point lately with its release of romantic comedies. Most recently, To All the Boys I've Loved Before has crushed all expectations in a way that more than covers a complete shake up of the genre of rom-com. While Netflix isn't always on with its movies, this time they've encompassed what everyone needs. With chaotic romantic Lara Jean reading cheesy and (probably) raunchy romance being forced to face all the boys she's loved, the audience can't help but be compelled to love and even identify with her character. Who the hell hasn't been outed before to a crush? Even in all my introversion, I have had mishaps of epic proportions to a crush that may or may not been out of my league. Yet, this isn't the only movie that completely nails this rejuvenation of the genre. In Set It Up, we see two assistants deal with the realistic expectations of millennials in the work force and how a five dollar pizza is ten times more satisfying than a bougie meal with a large price tag. Well rounded characters that serve a purpose and realistic dialogue about growing up plus Lucy Liu - sign me the hell up.
No movie or show is perfect, but no one wants perfection. They want relatable. They want characters that aren't cookie cutter, white picket fence wanting men and women. Because let's be honest, our generation is mostly over that idea. Most in our generation want an affordable apartment with Scandinavian furniture and the ability to order take out without concerns of their bank balance. And we want entertainment that reflects it back in a way that makes us laugh and love; even if (especially if) our lives aren't at the point where we do laugh or even find love.
