Admit it, we all have those guilty pleasures, those romantic
comedies that we enjoy but would hate to admit that we enjoy them. I’ve watched
plenty and while I enjoyed them I honestly can’t single one out as something
I’d watch repeatedly but I do know if one were on and I was in the mood I’d
have no problem watching it. So isn’t it about time someone took the genre and
made just a little fun of it? They have with ISN’T IT ROMANTIC.
Rebel Wilson (of PITCH PERFECT fame) stars as Natalie, an
architect at a small but hectic firm where she’s treated like a second class
citizen. When she arrives at work people hand her their trash, have her to
their jobs and basically walk all over her. Overweight and fueled by self-doubt
she doesn’t show what potential she has. Friend and co-worker Josh (Adam
Devine) is always telling her she’s better than she realizes but she doesn’t
believe him.
Natalie also has another co-worker who sings her praises,
Whitney (Betty Gilpin). Whitney spends her days at work streaming romantic
comedies instead of working. She and Natalie get into a discussion about rom
coms where Natalie tells her all of the unrealistic things that take place in
them and how they are far too fantasy filled. No one would ever have a life
like one of those movies.
One afternoon after a particularly bad day she’s mugged on
the subway and hits her head on a girder at the station knocking herself out.
When she wakes, the entire world has changed. She wakes in a hospital where her
doctor is a hunk and flirts with her. She leaves in something the staff through
together from the lost and found that has her dressed to the nines. She bumps
into millionaire Blake (Liam Hemsworth), the client she was ignored by the
previous day, who hits on her. And everywhere she looks the world is bright and
sunshiny with flowers along every street and happy people all around.
Things get even stranger when she gets to her apartment to
find it a spacious townhouse instead of a small flat, her dog obeying her
commands and her neighbor suddenly gone from grass dealer to flamboyant gay
best friend. It seems that every cliché from every rom com she’s ever seen, all
of those things she discussed with Whitney, have come true.
One would think that with all of this going on she would be
happy, that all of her dreams would have come true. But there is something
deeper inside of her than all the flashy items around her can’t fulfill. The
sexy boyfriend, the great job, the nice place, the hot clothes, she realizes
how fake they are. When Josh is about to marry the woman of his dreams Natalie
begins to realize that Josh was there for her all the time. But is it too late?
And can she get her old life back? Does she want to?
The movie plays fast and loose with the romantic comedies we
all grew up with, in particular those that starred Julia Roberts. From PRETTY
WOMAN to MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING and more we see the various themes and scenes
from those films turned on their ears to hilarious fashion here. Not only that,
since all the movies were no higher than a PG-13 certain situations end up in
PG-13 styled results. Another nice joke that I won’t spoil with details.
Wilson has done a great job of making a niche for herself in
films. Where most female leads are all played by near models rather than
actresses that look like everyday people she provides laughs, a certain amount
of charm and honestly an attractiveness that is atypical. On top of that while
watching her you find yourself rooting for her character in every films I’ve
seen with her so far. In addition to that her comedic chops lend themselves to
all sorts of humor from quick witted line to physical comedy in the same scene.
The supporting cast is equally up to the job her with Devine
getting the chance to show that he’s more than just a one note performer. He’s
played jerks in so many movies you would expect that here but instead he’s the
caring friend and he does it well. Hemsworth is nice but given little more to
do than look like a hunk and Gilpin shows her range by going from best friend
to competitive office rival after the bump on the head. She handles both with
ease.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this film and really
didn’t expect much. What I got though was a movie that had me laughing out loud
at parts, rooting for Wilson’s character and having a blast at the expense of
those rom coms of the past. My guess is you’ll have a lot of fun with this one
as well.
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