Crazy Rich Asians (2018) Director: Jon M. Chu Screenwriters: Peter Chiarelli, Adele Lim Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Remy Hii, Nico Santos Five years ago today, as the much-anticipated adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s New York Times bestseller Crazy Rich Asians packed cinemas everywhere, Karen K. Ho at Time Magazine announced that this film was ‘going to change Hollywood.’ Her proclamation may sound bold, but as the first American release featuring an all-Asian cast since ..read more

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) Director: Nora Ephron Screenwriters: Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch Starring: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell, Rob Reiner, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson One of the most tried and true tropes of the romantic comedy is the meet cute. It’s that pivotal moment when the two leads meet for the first time, usually under humorous or unconventional circumstances, sparking the development of their romantic relationship. Maybe they fall instantly, maybe their love needs time to grow, but one thing is always true: this encounter is the beg ..read more

Romantic comedies are a promise between the filmmaker and the audience. There are certain beats the film must follow: a meet-cute, a swoonworthy first kiss, an argument, a deep soul-searching montage set to an indie pop song, and an inevitable reconciliation that blends into a happily ever after. It’s easy to call the genre stale, given the fact that audiences know how these movies will end before they even begin. Of course, there are films that add a new, lively spin to the romantic comedy (newly-released Fresh is an example), but there’s comfort in watching a movie where there are no unexpec ..read more

Romantic comedies are meant to be fun, carefree films about romance, but their over-adherence to traditional gender roles and narrative style can interfere with a given film’s overall enjoyability. The mundanity of a rom-com is a frequent feature of the genre’s discourse, and is an important component of how we evaluate the films. While some may only be mundane retreads created to churn out money, all of the films set to be covered in this Movie List essentially cater to the construction of white heteronormativity in American society. Whether you’re tired of watching the same old boring stuff ..read more

This article was written exclusively for The Film Magazine by Libby Briggs. The Wedding Planner (2001) Director: Adam Shankman Screenwriters: Pamela Falk & Michael Ellis Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Justin Chambers It’s a classic – woman has the perfect job and the perfect life, but nobody to share it with. How on earth could she be truly happy? Nobody has any doubt the wedding planner will find her wedding, but it’s all about the journey, right? And with some very sketchy dates, questionable marriage ethics, and a granite penis, it’s ..read more

I have a question for you Rachel McAdams: where is your agency? And, why do you have such a thing for time-travellers? You’ve played the time-traveller’s lover three times (four if you count Marvel’s Doctor Strange, which for the purposes of this I do not). What does it all mean? Are you trying to tell us something, or are you desperately trying to carve out this role as your own niche? For those who don’t know, Rachel Mcadams is a versatile actor. She often plays strong women who are not to be messed with, like Regina George in Mean Girls. The issue is that some 12% of her over ..read more

Netflix has an ever-increasing amount of content aimed at many different audiences, but one genre the streaming giant seems to be particularly fond of is romance. When looking online for Romance movies to watch, Netflix seems to be the go-to destination, but there’s a noticeable disparity between what critics and audiences thought of these films. The obvious question is; why? What is it about these movies, and the approach of their viewers, that causes a difference in reception?  The following article will look at five films that have been carefully curated according to audience size ..read more

Set It Up (2018) Director: Claire Scanlon Screenwriter: Katie Silberman Starring: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs If there’s one thing that audiences from the 2010s seem to have had enough of in the world of cinema, it’s rom-coms. A genre that once enticed the talents of critically and financially successful actors and directors alike is now almost super-glued to the bottom of the barrel, producing tiresome productions that are either bordering on offensive or vastly unfunny, the likes of which we either role our eyes at or dismiss entirely ahead of ever seeing. And those stars ..read more

Working Girl (1988) Director: Mike Nichols Writer: Kevin Wade Starring: Melanie Griffiths, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Olympia Dukakis Working Girl proves that a simple plot can be transformed with a star-studded cast, and reminds us that rom-coms can be a backdrop to an empowering female narrative. Down on her luck Tess McGill (Griffiths) is struggling to find success in a man’s world when, in just 48 hours, she transforms from unemployed Staten Island singleton to a Wall Street wonder thanks to her feisty new female boss Karen ..read more

Rubbeldiekatz (2011) Woman In LoveDirector: Detlev Buck Cast: Matthias Schweighöfer, Alexandra Maria Lara, Detlev Buck, Maximilian Brückner, Denis Moschitto, Max von Thun, Max Giermann, Sunnyi Melles, Susanne Bormann, Milan Peschel, Joachim Meyerhoff, Katharina Marie Schubert, Palina Rojinski, Guido Maria Kretschme. Plot: The young struggling actor Alexander Honk finds it very hard to make ends meet, living with his two brothers and his friend Jan in an apartment in Berlin, while he is trying to find the right part that will boost his acting career. The story is set in Berlin as we meet the yo ..read more