Romantic comedy movies (rom-coms) have been a well-liked genre for decades, but the golden age of the rom-com genre was in the ‘90s-’00s with blockbusters like The Notebook and When Harry Met Sally… No romcoms in recent years have seemed to measure up to the greatness of the hit movies from that golden age.
One of the few well-received rom-coms of the 2020s is the trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. The trilogy centers on a teenage girl, Lara Jean-Covey, who arranges to fake-date a guy at her school, Peter Kavinsky, so that they can make the individuals that they actually have feelings for jealous. Accidentally, the faux-couple develops real feelings for each other. While the story seems cute on paper, many viewers were frustrated by a twist in the second film, where it’s revealed that the boy had initially been waiting for his ex at the place where Jean-Covey found him and confessed her feelings.
Although the characters eventually reconcile, this detail left some fans less satisfied with the quality of the romance. Moments like this highlight an issue where some modern rom-coms have more unfortunately realistic details, whereas traditionally, they’re supposed to bring comfort through their impractical and dreamy story lines.
“When watching a rom-com, you know what you’re getting, so it’s comfortable to go there and just enjoy it,” GLHS English teacher (and rom-com fanatic) Anna Montgomery said.
Another challenge for the rom-com genre is that fewer studios want to produce romantic movies because they aren’t as popular among audiences as they once were. Instead, people are more interested in movies from other genres.
“A lot of people are into horror movies right now, and those are really popular, so that’s why not a lot of people are into romance,” GLHS junior Lila Lovell said.
Most producers don’t want to make rom-coms because they could make much more money off of another genre. Big-budget action franchises, such as the Marvel franchise and the recent Avatar films, have taken over the movie industry; their profitability is a lot more remarkable than that of rom-coms.
“What can be marketed off a rom-com? Maybe you have a book tie-in if it’s based on a book, so you can sell them, but studios aren’t making that money. You’re not going to have action figures as you do for superhero movies; the marketing is limited. They’re looking for what they can make the most money off of,” Montgomery said.
In the future, romance movies may have the potential to make a comeback, especially if they try to emulate the Amazon Prime series The Summer I Turned Pretty. The Summer I Turned Pretty follows a girl who spends every summer at an East Coast beach house with her and her mom’s best friend’s family. Over the years, she develops unrequited love for her mom’s best friend’s son. One summer, feelings change when he begins to see her in a different light. Eventually, his brother also begins to take a liking to her, which causes a conflict between the two families.
The show ran from 2022 until 2025, obtaining more and more fans throughout its runtime and becoming a well-praised (and memeable) series. Although the show can be frustrating at times, fans were content with a great balance of romance, comedy, and drama. It brought back good, old-fashioned rom-com cheesiness that makes you giggle and kick your feet, and intense drama that makes you scream into your pillow. With the gut-wrenching and stomach-fluttering feelings that it bestows upon audiences, The Summer I Turned Pretty could possibly mark a turning point for the rom-com genre.
