Rom-Com – Page 9 – Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare

“The Sure Thing”

By Brett_G on October 30, 2022

8.2

Shout-out to a Twitter mutual for this recommendation! She must have known I have a soft spot for “type A meets an endearing, yet maddening type B, and they learn balance from each other while hurtling towards a happily ever after” films.

John Cusack at the height of his charm and powers. Daphne Zuniga playing the perfect better half that is charmed just enough by his shenanigans that she overlooks the annoyance while an unlikely bond forms. Thank your deity of choice she didn’t fall for the total square. Walter’s heeding of John Keating’s advice from “Dead Poet’s Society” pays off in the end… Carpe diem, indeed!

The advice, delivered as only the legendary Robin Williams could: “Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do.”

Well worth hunting down a DVD copy on Amazon!

Rom-Com

“Bros”

By Brett_G on October 9, 2022October 9, 2022

7.9

The marketing really did this movie dirty. It’s so much more than the trailers portray. Hopefully a future cult classic in the making.

It’s been a LONG time since I’ve laughed this hard this often in a movie in a theater. Despite the runtime being. A little long for the rom-com genre, the cast fill it with love and laughs, which is all you can ask for.

At first, I was afraid this film was going to settle for surface. Lacking any sort of true exploration of new territory and just hit par until the credits rolled. Luckily, I was proven wrong again and again, as the film turns some expectations on their head while delivering on the Disney must do’s of a romantic comedy better than most everything outside of Netflix.

Peacock Rom-Com

“Meet Cute”

By Brett_G on October 9, 2022

8.2

So… Pete Davidson is really growing on me, gang. He’s got some serious acting chops here, and the chemistry between these two really makes this bonkers premise work. I’m as surprised as anyone.

This starts off cute, turns very dark, and ends with a nice warmth to it… much more depth than I anticipated from a tight hour and a half streaming rom-com. The lesson here is also timeless, and perfectly executed.

It hit me much harder in the feels than I ever expected. Almost on par with Facebook memories coming in hot with the morning gif punches lately. If you’ve ever had one of those magical moments in life that serve as a reminder of why we’re all here… this one will resonate with you. But then it goes the extra step, diving into why these moments mean so much to us. They’re messy. They’re one of a kind. To attempt to recreate them would be to ruin the magic…

Rom-Com

“One Last Thing”

By Brett_G on August 29, 2022

6.7

Props to this kid for not wasting his wish. Shoot for the stars.

Much better than expected. Only dragged and meandered a bit in the middle. The beginning has me hooked and they landed the plane beautifully, if unexpectedly. I did not see the ending coming quite the way it did. Of course he dies, but the way it all plays out was one of my finer “I’m going to hell for laughing at this” moments of my 29 years.

A surprisingly heartfelt tale of broken people coming together to help each other in a time of need. We all have a gift to share, it’s often about finding the right person to give to that’s the tricky part.

Comedy Rom-Com

“Mack & Rita”

By Brett_G on August 12, 2022

7.6

I will watch anything with Elizabeth Lail starring in it. This now extends to Diane Keaton. Both do a fantastic job of bringing their respective Mack or Rita to life on the big screen.

I’d be remised if I didn’t admit that this plot wouldn’t work as well if it was a guy who becomes old and then hooks up with the neighbor half his age, but this film successfully skates the thin ice to the other side of the pond to deliver a powerful message about appreciating ourselves for who we are, and to be confident in taking our place in the world.

The tug of war between youth and wisdom, and each generation looking at each other thinking the other has it made were on full display. It reminded me of a recent episode of “The Adam and Dr. Drew Show” podcast where they discussed the evolution of what is deemed valuable by society. All in all, an entertaining rom-com of sorts with a “bridesmaids” or “book club” style comedy mixed in.