What do an axe murderer, a satire, and Love Actually have in common? Romance and comedy.
Now if this isn’t your favorite genre, I can understand. Rom coms generally reek of third-wave feminism; meaning they often lack intersectionality, center on cisgendered thin white women, and reinforce the common American myth that we need romantic love to achieve happiness – BUT if you turn down your woke Twitter brain for a short hour and a half or so and embrace the complexities of love written in the story lines, rom coms and you will get on just fine. I mean, I’m woke as hell and it’s one of my favorite genres (don’t drag me”>.
In our latest episode of The Best Ever, editor Gerilyn talks about “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” graphic designer Cara discusses her one exception to the rom com genre – The Princess Bride (hater”> – while I talk about one of the best movies of all time, regardless of genre, Love Actually.
While Cara calls out the “sappy stuff” in most romantic comedies, and Gerilyn talks about her love of true crime and goofy people, I fully embrace the genre… because I love myself (side eye”>, and because Hugh Grant was an essential part of aiding in my unrealistic expectations of love – think “About a Boy,” “Notting Hill,” “Bridget Jones Diary,” the list goes on.
So whether you’re going through a breakup, a make-up, having a girls’ night in, or a bottle-of-wine-to-yourself kinda night and just want a little break from the world, a romantic comedy is often my choice to let my mind rest and just enjoy something that makes me feel warm and mushy. Watching a rom com probably will not solve your problems, but it will give you about 2 hours of worry-free laughs, maybe some tears, and a whole lot of unrealistic expectations of love. And in this economy, in this 2018, who couldn’t use a little extra love – unless your Cara.
