Each one of the movies was awful in its own unique way, yet they all shared a certain aesthetic. Namely, they all centered on unlikable people doing unlikable things to be together in an unlikable fashion. Not a single movie held my interest for the entire length of its run. Not a single one shocked or surprised me in any way and for nearly 12 hours of alleged comedy I laughed out-loud twice. And I’m pretty sure one of the belly laughs was largely the fault of the multiple mimosas Lo and I had over brunch.

Rather than boring the ass off all of you by describing each dull movie and its tired sack of clichés, I’d like to discuss some of the really disturbing trends I saw in the genre as a whole. Namely, that the vast majority of romantic comedies are watered-down rip offs of The Taming of the Shrew designed to show the witless courtships of total tools. Also, that these films hark back in truly disturbing fashion to some apocryphal lost era when it was actually empowering for a woman to leave her highly-paid and fulfilling job, particularly if the puffed-up moron of her dreams demands it. And finally, that the alleged charm of established romantic comedy actors has obviated the need for them to show any desirable qualities or share any chemistry with their costars.

One final warning: in order to discuss the above trends, I will have to outline the plots of most of these movies. If you haven't seen each film and for some odd reason feel it would add to the value of your time on this planet to do so, consider this your spoiler warning.

Next Page