Isn’t It Romantic does something that is truly amazing in that it is perfect for those viewers who are not fans of rom-coms on any level. It also will charm the pants off of rom-com fanatics, especially those who feel they have seen it all. Interesting trick, isn’t it?
Rebel Wilson stars as Natalie, a woman who has not had much romance in her life and frankly—as we learn from a choice flashback at the beginning of the film, could be blamed on her mother’s oddly timed statement about how her daughter is “no Julia Roberts.” In other words, those dreams achieved in those pesky rom-coms are for other people, not Natalie. She has lived her life with that subconsciously and consciously hanging over her head. As such, she has found success in life professionally, but personally, she is alone and doesn’t necessarily think that there’s anything wrong with that. There isn’t, but according to Hollywood … every one of us should have a significant other at the least and at the most we should be breaking out into wickedly choreographed dance numbers in the streets belting out our favorite romantic (and still danceable) hits.
In a dramatic move that is brilliant, screenwriters Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox and Katie Silberman have crafted a character in her assistant who happens to adore all things rom-com (and even has been known to watch one while at work!).
How one gets from Natalie scoffing at all things rom-com to her living inside a rom-com (and firmly being aware of that fact) occurs in a somewhat predictable means, she hits her head and awakes with this altered state. That same plot device was recently used in another home video release, What Men Want with Taraji P. Henson. The thing is with Isn’t it Romantic, is everything that is utilized, story-wise, feels very meta and like we are all in on the joke. In What Men Want, it feels forced and sadly desperate. Is it fair to compare these two movies? No, and that is largely due to the fact that everything about Isn’t it Romantic is light-hearted, good natured and wholeheartedly enjoyable on every level. This is a film that is equally as smart as it is sassy.
Wilson is sublime and is the perfect individual to bring this tongue-in-cheek salute/lampoon of all-things rom-com to life. She is us, at least most of us. Not everyone enjoys the entity that is the rom-com, but we can at least appreciate that when ones are done right, there is nothing quite like it in the entertainment business. Wilson and the rest of her cast (which are awesome and pitch perfect in their roles) do everything they can to elevate their film and do so in the most extraordinary of ways.
So anyway, Natalie bumps her head and awakes in this colorful and sonically succulent world that is clearly not the one she knew. Yet, she’s stuck here, and she knows all-too well that she must learn something, or do something, in order for this “curse” to be broken and allow her to return to her regularly scheduled life. But in the process, we all know as the viewer, that she will learn something and surprise, surprise, she might even find love in the process and surprise, surprise, it might be right under her nose.
The ensemble for Isn’t it Romantic is sensational, from Liam Hemsworth (who shows some comedic chops that we never knew he had, which considering how funny his brother Chris is, should not be as surprising in hindsight) to Adam Devine (those Pitch Perfect films) and Priyanka Chopra. There are dance sequences, waking up in bed “the morning after” moments and other assorted rom-com tropes that get the get-up in this film and they are done so well that something fascinating occurs. Even though these moments are meant to make fun or at least make light of the rom-com, what they wind up doing is celebrating the subgenre of film in a way that has this movie itself becoming a great addition to that milieu.
This is an interesting home video release in that it is one of those movies that honestly could live without any bevy of bonus features. The film itself speaks for itself and clearly producers and filmmakers behind the home video release believed that too as there are merely two features added. I Wanna Dance! is a terrific look at the making of the karaoke dance number that provides some priceless insight into how that scene came to be. For anyone curious how every other moment of the film came together, I Wanna Dance! gives you all you need to know. The approach that director Todd Strauss-Schulson tackled that scene should provide all the information needed to see how he took to making every other moment in the movie. Lastly, there are some deleted scenes that are interesting enough, but one can see why they were cut from this charming, extremely self-aware and highly entertaining film.
Film Grade: B
Bonus Features: B