‘Isn’t It Romantic’ Is A Hilarious But Sweet Skewering of Romcom Tropes [Review]

The opening bars of Roy Orbison‘s “Pretty Woman” create a Pavlovian response for anyone with a romcom habit, immediately unleashing a torrent of warm, fuzzy feelings about Julia Roberts, makeover montages and happy endings. That oh-so-familiar strain of guitar riffs is the first thing we hear in the “Isn’t It Romantic,” a romantic comedy about the false hopes and clichés of romantic comedies. But this rom-com comedy quickly establishes that it wants to twist and target those equally familiar tropes instead of just wrapping them in a warm embrace.

As it does for most of us, the romantic movie habit starts young for 12-year-old Natalie (Alex Kis), who is swooning over the bathtub scene in “Pretty Woman” when we meet her, but her acid-tongued mother (Jennifer Saunders, of course) quickly breaks her of it – and breaks her in general – when she says that that type of love isn’t for girls like them. Fast forward two decades, and a grown-up Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is living in New York City, cynical about romance and life as a whole. She lives in a tiny Queens apartment and works as an architect in a drab Midtown office where she’s mistaken for the assistant, with her coworkers Josh (Adam DeVine) and Whitney (Betty Gilpin) providing emotional support.

After getting knocked out in a subway mugging, she wakes up in a hospital to a different world, one that looks like the clean, colorful one from studio romcoms she knows so well, filled with cupcakes, roses, and a handsome suitor named Blake (Liam Hemsworth). Whitney’s received a bitchy makeover, and Josh is now romancing the formerly out-of-his-league swimsuit model (and yoga ambassador) Isabella (Priyanka Chopra). Natalie tries to adjust to the new world, but her inner realist struggles to acclimate to what seems more like a fantasy than reality.

With a script by Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox and Katie Silberman, “Isn’t It Romantic” demonstrates a clear affection and deep knowledge of romcoms from “The Wedding Singer” to “Sweet Home Alabama,” but this love isn’t blind. It satirizes that distance between on-screen fantasy and off-screen reality, as well as the well-worn elements that populate films in the genre, from the office mean girl to that PG-13 cut to the next morning that doesn’t give viewers— or the characters— the satisfaction of a love scene. But Cardillo, Fox and Silberman’s screenplay also can’t fully escape the romantic comedy genre entirely, and it doesn’t really seem to want to play outside those rules either. Yet, it knows when to lean into our expectations, making for an ultimately satisfying story.

While it does aim for romance, the film leans harder on the “com” part of the familiar equation. “Isn’t It Romantic” is often hilarious, veering between smart and silly, satire and sincerity with a bold energy that frequently works. Director Todd Strauss-Schulson (“The Final Girls,” which skewered the horror genre) generally nails the film’s changes in tone, but there are a few flat moments. There are also some embarrassing technical hiccups, including ADR work that doesn’t feel like it should be in a studio film, but the script and the cast he’s assembled make up for most of the issues.

Wilson sparks, particularly as she fights back against the shiny new world she’s awakened in, and she displays sweet chemistry with DeVine, whom she worked with previously in the “Pitch Perfect” films. It’s Hemsworth that’s a pleasant surprise. Unlike his brother Chris, who has peppered comedic work both in between his blockbusters and within them, Liam Hemsworth has largely done more straight-faced fare in films like the “Hunger Games” series and “Independence Day: Resurgence.” Here’s he’s silly and charming, inducing giggles for more than just his good looks.

For many in its audience, there’s a certain glee and affirmation in watching Wilson on screen, getting top billing in a romantic comedy (though she isn’t the first plus-size actress to do so) and earning the attention of a Hemsworth. But the snickers of the two asshole dudes next to me, saying, “She looks like a linebacker,” mean that there’s still a long way to go for representation of bodies on screen. “Isn’t It Romantic” is both smarter and kinder— and a good deal funnier— than last year’s “I Feel Pretty,” and doesn’t really make Natalie’s appearance or her perception of it the butt of the joke, instead focusing its aim on romcom tropes. Like that 2018 Amy Schumer comedy, there’s still a strong theme of self-acceptance here, but this movie doesn’t arrive at that conclusion at the expense of its heroine or its audience.

That clear affection for its characters and its audience— as well as the genre that inspired it— is what makes “Isn’t It Romantic” such a joy to watch beyond just its (great) jokes. It pokes fun at falling in love on screen, but it’s smart and sweet enough make us fall for it as well. [B]