Isn’t It Romantic

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

If you’re looking for something smart, funny and ironically predictable Isn’t It Romantic is the film for you. A subversion of the typical romantic comedy that explores the formulaic nature of the genre through a refreshingly meta lens, Isn’t It Romantic gives the audience sweetness without the saccharine.

Architect Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is in the midst of an existential crisis. What should be an impressive career has been reduced to her performing scut work and coffee runs, her love life is barren (or so she thinks) and her assistant/best friend is more interested in watching movies than assisting. Natalie, like the rest of us, carries deep emotional scars from her childhood. From a young age her mother had conditioned her to believe that “women like them” were not destined for love or a happy ending. This dismal outlook on life forced Natalie to put blinders on, jading her into believing she wasn’t worthy of positive attention. This follows Natalie through her life, both awake and otherwise, and is a driving force of revelation and devastation. Natalie’s anti-love outlook on life is best exemplified through her visceral disdain for romantic comedies, something she is not afraid to express – even for hours on end.

The equation up until this point is simple, anticipated. The cute and quirky best friend (Betty Gilpin). The adorable and endlessly endearing work friend who just can’t stop staring at our heroine (Adam Devine). An incorrigible but obnoxiously gorgeous billionaire (Liam Hemsworth). And, of course, the charismatic and out of this world beautiful yoga ambassador (Priyanka Chopra). Just when you think you know how to piece together the pieces of the plot…Natalie is mugged and knocked unconscious in the subway. When she awakens everything is a little too perfect. Her doctor (Tom Ellis) is just a little too handsome and a little too into her. Her IV slides out of her arm pain-free when she decides to flee. Men on the street can’t take their eyes off of her.

Our architect recognizes the signs. Despite her hatred of rom-coms, she has vested knowledge in them and quickly recognizes that she is lucidly-dreaming herself an alternate reality. Hijinks ensue as she hypothesizes that she must reach the end of the rom-com in order to awaken back in her actual reality, but things don’t always go as planned. Natalie explores the anti-feminist undertones of most romantic comedies (female vs. female), the lies told to us about love from another making us whole and the truths that can only be told when there’s nothing left to lose.

Both of Natalie’s worlds are full of interesting characters, but none so intriguing as Natalie herself who presents much more depth than your typical romantic leading lady. Natalie is smart, but unable to recognize this within herself. Natalie is beautiful but can’t see beyond the images she’s fed by media or one billboard in particular. Natalie is loved, but she can’t hear the declarations over her own self-deprecating monologues. This amalgamation of flaws and complexity is what brings Isn’t It Romantic to life.

Isn’t It Romantic is the perfect palate cleanser for a world bombarded with negativity and sadness and is certainly worth a watch. Couples, friends and lone wolves will all take something from this film – and that something will more than likely be laughter, hope and a rejuvenated appreciation for this “guilty-pleasure” genre.