The fairly standard formula of the usual romantic comedy usually includes the following elements: two shockingly attractive people meet and can't stand each other, perhaps because of an amusing misunderstanding.
After they fight, throw insults and/or blunt objects at each other, they actually find out that wow, this guy/she is actually cute.
They go on a date, maybe two, and then another problem pops up like a mess at work, the unexpected arrival of a mythical (but evil) ex, or even a supernatural twist.
But soon they come to their senses, realize that their true love conquers all, sometimes kiss in the pouring rain (and to hell with the angina), and live happily and richly to this very day, with the closing credits playing in the background of a sweet ballad.
In honor of Tu Bab, we decided to break the routine and recommend five alternative romantic comedies, ones that go beyond the standard boundaries of the genre and try to do something a little different. We hope you like it, just keep in mind that the choices are completely subjective.
Summer of Love and Disappointment: "500 Days with Summer" (2009)
You will not find a parade of leading romantic comedies - alternative or standard - without "500 Days with Summer" (and if you do find such a parade, whoever wrote it is wrong).
This modest production, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, grossed almost ten times the meager budget in which it was produced (about seven million dollars), and became a real cultural phenomenon.
The plot is presented in a non-linear way, and describes a 500-day relationship between Tom the obsessive romantic-lite (Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Dechnell), a free spirit who is not necessarily interested in eternal true love.
A real cultural phenomenon.
"500 days with Summer",
After quite a few ups and downs spanning about a year and a half (including an unforgettable flash mob scene with a cartoon bird à la Disney), the film comes to an end in the way that banal romantic comedies usually do a U-turn: Tom and Summer...no, we won't reveal the The twist for those who haven't seen it, but it was just said that summer ends and gives way to autumn, and the counting of days starts again.
Don't waste time: "Palm Springs" (2020)
The surprising "Palm Springs", with Andy Samberg and Christine Miliotti in the lead roles, came out about two years ago and won quite a few awards, along with breaking viewing records on the Hulu streaming service, where it was launched.
This sci-fi romantic comedy takes the time loop trick—where some character wakes up every day to the exact same day, and gets endless opportunities to try different things that might make someone fall in love with her—and reboots it.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are actually today.
"Palm Springs",
This time it's two characters who are caught in a loop: Samberg and Miliotti play Niles and Sarah, complete strangers who meet at a wedding that takes place in the resort town in California, and find themselves in a time loop - together.
They fall in love, enjoy life and don't worry about anything as if there is no tomorrow, because tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are actually today.
But is one of them hiding a secret from the other that could destroy everything?
And what will happen when this cyclical celebration ends and becomes a kind of temporary prison?
You will probably be surprised.
The Ex-Girlfriend Club: "Sure, Maybe" (2008)
Ryan Reynolds is Will, the father of 10-year-old Mia (Abigail Breslin), who is in the process of divorcing his wife and the mother of his daughter, Sarah (Elizabeth Banks).
Despite the separation, Mia wants to know how her parents met, and Will tells her (and the viewers) his romantic history in flashbacks where he replaces the names of the three loves of his life with fake names, so that Mia can guess which one is her real mother.
There is no love in the world like a father's love.
"Sure, maybe,"
While a formulaic romantic comedy won't break up the family unit and certainly won't allow Mia to grow up as a child of divorced parents, "Sure, Maybe" conveys the message that the main love story here belongs to Will and Mia, the father and daughter.
Still want some romance?
No problem, she also exists in this charming and special film, which takes the genre formulas and turns them on their head.
Also starring: Rachel Weisz and Ayala Fisher.
Anti-romantic: "His Side, Her Side" (2006)
No less a painful drama than a romantic comedy, "His Side, Her Side" with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, deals more with the breakup of Brooke and Gary, and less with their desperate attempts to restore the shaky relationship, which may have been doomed from the start.
Both are right but also guilty, and although both may also love, there are things that just don't add up...or do they?
And who even determined what exactly "getting along" is?
Who determined what it is to "get along"?
"his side her side",
There are those who define this cinematic work as an "anti-romantic comedy", and it is possible that not everyone will want to watch it specifically on Tu Bab. On the other hand (and this film, as mentioned, does not lack sides), maybe Valentine's Day is
exactly
the right time to watch it, And maybe we'll have to face the fact that a breakup isn't always a bad thing?
For nostalgia: "
Two of a Kind
" (1983)
It is likely that if not for the death of Olivia Newton-John, this film would not have been included in the article.
And yet, it's still a decidedly unconventional crime-fantasy-romantic comedy that reunited Newton-John and John Travolta on the screen for the first time since they starred together in "Grease."
Offbeat romantic-fantasy-crime-comedy.
"Two of a Kind",
The plot is puzzling: God is tired of what is happening on Earth, so he wants to flood the world with another flood.
Four angels try to convince him to give the human race one last chance, and he agrees.
Add to that a failed inventor (Travolta), who owes money to the mafia and decides to rob a bank and a cunning bank clerk (Newton-John), who won't let some failed inventor rob her easily: a love story that develops between them and even glimpses of the devil, and you get a film that, although it didn't crush the box office, but his soundtrack is actually considered a great success.
Newton-John performs four songs from it, including the duet "Take a Chance" with Travolta.
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