I've been on a romcom binge lately, for better or for worse. I would eventually like to see all the best picture nominees (2/10 right now :/ ), but for now I am content to bundle up in a blanket and get lost in a sappy romance. Here are quick reviews of the last two romcoms I watched!
You've Got Mail (1998)
This is a cozy little 90's bookstore romance. I really disliked it. Tom Hanks plays Joe Fox of the fictionalized Fox Books, a big box retailer akin to Barnes & Noble. His counterpart in Meg Ryan plays Kathleen Kelly, the owner of an independent bookstore across the street from a brand new Fox Books location. Kelly knows and despises Fox in the real world as a ruthless business mogul but online, unbeknownst to her, is best friends with him on AOL. Hijinks ensue.
Beyond it's very cozy 90's romcom dressing, this movie posits that the folding of independent stores and locations into the pockets of larger businesses is not only good, it's inevitable progress and should be celebrated. And on top of that, the people buying up the neighborhood are nice guys actually. You should like them. A message I found gross as a first time viewer in the hell year 2026. There is a scene that I can't get out of my head of a very dejected Kelly wandering the newly opened Fox Books after shuttering her store. A bleak picture of the future, a gleeful celebration of venture capital and big business. I give it one star.
People We Meet on Vacation (2026)
Based on a book of the same name, this is a romance starring Emily Bader as the free-spirited travel writer Poppy, and Tom Blyth (from that new Hunger Games movie I haven't seen) as the more aloof and uptight insurance agent ( i think?? god I already forgot what he does) Alex. There are a lot of very cute scenes, the inevitable fight, and the cathartic finale where the two finally get together for real this time.
Watching this right after You've Got Mail was a fascinating contrast. The glossy Netflix sheen does People absolutely no favors, as it often looks like vomit. Everything lives in this uncanny valley of movie polish where even dirt and sweat must be carefully and so obviously applied to enhance the artificial sexiness of it's stars. It's a movie that has the feel of an airport lounge. The cold corporate plot of You've Got Mail would be more at home in this sterile environment. As a result, despite the fun chemistry of the main characters and the straightforward plotting, People We Meet on Vacation ends up feeling significantly less cozy than the movie about a big business putting a cute independent store out of business. I give it two stars, but only because they are really cute together.
That's it! Sleepless in Seattle (from the same director of You've Got Mail!) is next on my list, but I've been binging Sex and the City these past few days so I'll get to that when I get to it. Thanks for reading!
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