Rom-coms are what you need.
I’m of the opinion that there’s a good reason why this pumpkin-soaked season is nicknamed Meg Ryan Fall rather than Fall in the Movies, and Reese Witherspoon agrees. As we see both romantic comedies and Oscar contenders coming out this fall, Witherspoon offers her thoughts on what she thinks viewers will want to revisit.
Witherspoon herself has had a significant impact on the world of romantic comedies: from a role in the TV series “Legally Blonde” to roles in many other romantic comedies with such stars as Mark Ruffalo and Chris Pine. During a conversation about her production company with THR, she explained her attitude to romcoms:
”When someone says things like that, I say, “Call Ted Sarandos, or Scott Stuber, or Bob Chapek… anyone who runs these studios with a streaming service.” Show me the numbers! I believe that people have watched more Nancy Meyers movies over and over and over and over again than they have seen the author’s film. You watch the author’s movie once. I think you’re going to see a new dimension of engagement, namely, “How many times do people watch this?” What is the repeated number of views? I’ve watched some of my favorite romantic comedies and Nora Ephron movies over and over again. Repeatability is an important factor in terms of library value.”
As a fan of both, I can personally admit that I’ve watched “When Harry Met Sally” more times than any Quinten Tarantino or Christopher Nolan movie. I also think it’s worth mentioning that, like these two aforementioned directors, directors like Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron are extremely experienced and enthusiastic. Films such as “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Father of the Bride” are also considered classics, they are very much loved and reviewed by fans. Witherspoon’s business partner Lauren Neustadter mentioned something along the same lines in the same interview, saying:
”There was a really interesting moment that started with Zoey Deutsch’s Netflix movie “Install This.” Reese watched it, liked it, and tweeted something like, “Where are all the romcoms?” The reaction on Twitter was very intense. …Romantic comedies are feel—good movies, and this is the moment in the world when people turn to these streaming platforms to find content that makes them feel good.”
She’s right, Netflix romcoms are incredibly popular, and viewers love them. This summer, for example, movies like Purple Hearts made fans tweet their emotional responses, as well as watch and review the movie, people like this type of content. There are also Netflix romcoms like “To All the Guys I Used to Love” that ended up on the list of the best romcoms of all time.
It’s clear that romcoms have an audience, and Witherspoon has made that clear. To get a romantic comedy fix, you can check the movie schedule for 2022 to find out about upcoming releases, or use a Netflix subscription to come back and watch the classics.
