Maria and Nikki’s 14 Rom-Coms for the 14th of February

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Maria’s picks: 

Set It Up

    • Set in New York, like most romantic comedies, this one follows the lives of two overworked assistants, Charlie Young played by Glenn Powell, and Harper Moore played by Zoey Deutch. Both of them devote their lives to their bosses in an attempt to fulfill their own careers but when they realize how much they are missing out on life Harper comes up with the idea to set their bosses up on dates. In creative attempts to get their bosses to experience romance, a blossoming friendship forms between Harper and Charlie, and eventually much more becomes of it. For being a Netflix original, this movie does the sarcastic male and quirky female love dynamic perfectly. 
    • Best quote: “You’re not hard to get at all, you’re hard to earn, and that’s so much better.” – Charlie Young 

 

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 

    • Toula Portokalos lives smothered by her Greek family and their pressures to start a family as Toula is 30 and single. One day, as she was working in her family’s restaurant, she meets Ian Miller, a bright school teacher. This small encounter flips a switch in Toula with her new motivation to get a different job and change her appearance. Later, while working again, Ian sees and remembers her from the restaurant and a spark of romance occurs between them. Toula just has to figure out how to break it to her family that he isn’t Greek. One of the most extremely realistic rom-coms to come by with Toula changing herself for her, not for the man, and the hilarious true-to-life family dynamics, this movie needs to be talked about more. 
    • Best quote: “The man is the head, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head any way she wants,” – Maria Portokalos

 

Crazy Rich Asians 

    • Based on the New York Times Best Seller book, Crazy Rich Asians follows the life of Rachel Chu played by Constance Wu as her relationship with her boyfriend, Nick Young played by Henry Golding, is turned upside down when she finds out he is practically Singapore Royalty. Rachel has to deal with feeling out of place among Nicks’ friends, people questioning their relationship as if Rachel is a gold digger, and most importantly, Nicks’ mom played by the iconic Michelle Yeoh. Not only does this movie bring the comedy with actors such as Ken Jeong and Awkwafina, but the movie is also visually stunning showing the amazing beauty of Singapore from the Marina Bay Sands to Gardens by the Bay.
    • Best quote: “It was never my job to make you feel like a man. I can’t make you something you’re not.” – Astrid Leong-Teo

 

27 Dresses 

    • Always the bridesmaid, never the bride…27 times. Jane Nichols played by the gorgeous Katherine Heigl lives the life of personal assistant by day and wedding planner/bridesmaid at night. Secretly in love with her boss, Jane is one who puts everyone’s needs ahead of her own, clearly seen in her helping of planning weddings for her friends and her bending to every need of her boss. Jane’s world gets flipped upside down when her younger sister gains the attraction of Jane’s boss to the point where they get engaged all while handsome reporter, Kevin Doyle, played by James Marsden, tries to insert himself in Jane’s life to write about her crazy bridal experiences. The ending of this movie has to be one of the most iconic things in rom-com history when all the people Jane was a bridesmaid for, returned for her wedding. All 27 of them lined up in the gaudy dresses Jane once wore for their special day. 
    • Best quote: “Love is patient, love is kind, love means slowly losing your mind.” – Kevin Doyle 

 

She’s the Man

    • Viola Johnson is a soccer star who decides to take the chance to play with a challenging team by taking her twin brother’s place at his new boarding school. Things grow complicated for Viola as she tries to keep up the charade of playing a man while falling for her roommate Duke. Duke is also falling for Olivia, who has fallen for Viola as her brother, Sebastian, and Viola has to avoid Sebastian’s ex-girlfriend who thinks Viola is him. The movie is loosely based on Shakespeare’s play Twelfth Night with a more modern teen twist, and the one-liners that come from this movie are hilariously sassy. 
    • Best quote: “And when my eyes are closed, I see you for what you truly are, which is ugly.” – Viola Johnson 

 

She’s all that

    • He’s All That is a disgraceful sequel to this movie. Popular jock Zach Siler needs to build back up his reputation after his jerk cheerleader girlfriend Taylor Vaughan breaks up with him. His friends bet on him to turn one unsuspecting girl into prom queen in only 6 weeks and that unlucky contestant is Laney Boggs. Laney is artsy, nerdy and despises all things to do with the popular kids, so she questions Zach’s attempts to befriend her. They eventually become friends which leads to more than friends, until it all comes crashing down when Laney finds out she was just a bet. 
    • Best quote: “To everyone here who matters, you’re vapor, you’re spam, a waste of perfectly good yearbook space, and nothing’s ever gonna change that.” – Taylor Vaughan 

 

The Proposal 

    • Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in a rom-com say less. When big league CEO Margret Tate is about to get deported, she lies that she is engaged to her assistant, Andrew Paxton. Although Andrew loathes being Margret’s assistant, he agrees to go along with the plan if Margret agrees to promote him. In order to fool the green card agent Marget and Andrew travel to Andrew’s grand family home in Alaska and they spend the weekend together learning more about each other and spending time together as well as actually starting to fall for each other. 
    • Best quote: “What am I allergic to?” – Margaret Tate  “Pine nuts, and the full spectrum of human emotions.” – Andrew Paxton 

Nikki’s picks: 

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 

  • Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is testing out all the ways you can lose a guy in just 10 days for a new article. Ben Barry (Matthew McConaughey) made a bet claiming that he can make any girl fall in love with him in just 10 days. When these two start dating, what could go wrong? With the classic setting of New York City and a fun & humorous storyline, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days has all the elements you could ask for in a rom-com. This feel-good movie never fails to make you laugh and is truly the perfect rom-com in my mind. 
  • Best quote ~ 

“Oh, you are already falling in love with me.” -Ben Barry

“I’m going to make you wish you were dead.” -Andie Anderson

 

He’s Just Not That Into you

  • If I had to describe this movie in one word, it’d be relatable. Gigi Phillips has never had the best luck with love or relationships, and doesn’t quite know what she’s doing wrong. She eventually meets Alex at a bar, who teaches her how to navigate dating and how to know if ‘he’s just not that into you’. Following a couple different storylines, this movie highlights several situations girls can find themselves in with men, as well as the common faux pas made in relationships. With an all-star cast including Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, and Scarlet Johansson, this movie is an all-around masterpiece.  
  • Best quote: “And the rule is this: if a guy doesn’t call you, he doesn’t wanna call you. So trust me when I say if a guy is treating you like he doesn’t give a sh*t, he genuinely doesn’t give a sh*t.” -Alex 

 

10 Things I Hate About You

  • Cameron James wants to go on a date with Bianca Stratford more than anything. Unfortunately, Bianca is forbidden to date until her short-tempered older sister, Kat, gets a boyfriend. In an effort to get Kat a boyfriend, ‘bad boy’ Patrick Verona is paid to ask her out. But as Patrick and Kat spend more and more time together, their connection starts to feel more than just transactional. This movie is a 90s classic, full of good vibes and sarcastic one-liners. And with Heath Ledger singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, what more could you want? 
  • Best quote: “I hate the way you talk to me and the way you cut your hair. I hate the way you drive my car. I hate it when you stare; I hate your big dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind. I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme. I hate the way you’re always right. I hate it when you lie. I hate it when you make me laugh, even worse when you make me cry. I hate it when you’re not around. And the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all” -Kat Stratford (sonnet) 

 

Two Weeks Notice 

  • Harvard lawyer Lucy Kelson (Sandra Bullock) works for billionaire George Wade (Hugh Grant)– all the time. From writing a speech to deciding what tie to wear, George asks for Lucy’s opinion on virtually everything. Deciding that this job was too demanding, Lucy gives George her two weeks notice, much to his disapproval. However, as Lucy and George search for her replacement, Lucy starts to reevaluate her friendship with George and ponders how she may truly feel about him. With the perfect mix of comedy and romance, this is just another one of Hugh Grant’s unbeatable rom-coms and you simply cannot go wrong with this movie. 
  • Best quote: “Even though I’ve said cruel things and driven her away, she’s become the voice in my head. And I can’t seem to drown her out. I don’t want to drown her out.” -George Wade

 

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

  • Lara Jean Covey has never been good with sharing her feelings; instead, she writes about them. She’s crafted 5 different love letters to the crushes she’s had throughout her life. These letters are tucked safely away in her closet, until one day, they aren’t. After finding out that her younger sister has mailed all of these letters out, Lara Jean is left to deal with the aftermath– specifically with Peter Kavinsky. In an effort to make other people jealous at school, Peter and Lara Jean strike up a deal to be in a fake relationship with one another. But as fake relationships progress, it’s hard to decipher which feelings are fake anymore. The outgoing guy & shy girl dynamic highlighted in this high school coming-of-age story is well-done and there is not a dull moment in this movie. 
  • Best quote: 

“I’m tired of being second best or fake best.” -Lara Jean Covey

“God, you were never second best.” -Peter Kavinsky

 

The D.U.F.F

  • When Bianca finds out people at school refer to her as the D.U.F.F (designated ugly fat friend) within her friend group, she is humiliated. In an effort to reinvent her image, she asks Wesley, an arrogant jock, for his help. As Bianca goes through many humbling experiences and Wesley continues to help ‘reinvent’ her, a friendship eventually forms between the two opposites. Bianca isn’t afraid to speak her mind to anyone, especially Wesley. Although humorous and definitely a little cringey, this movie ultimately highlights the importance of discarding labels and feeling confident in your own skin.
  • Best quote:

“Your sense of humor needs some work, then. Most girls find my jokes charming.” -Wesley

 “Those girls must have IQs low enough to trip over.” -Bianca

 

Notting Hill 

  • William Thacker is the owner of a quaint local London bookstore, and Anna Scott is a famous American actress. When these two cross paths not once but twice, it’s like fate brought them together. They continue to get to know each other, but of course, difficulties start to arise with one being an A-list celebrity. In this rom-com starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, they show love really can go against all odds. 
  • Best quote: “I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” -Anna Scott