Time Sep

(Jeff_L) #1

TimeOf Rev iews


ROMANTIC COMEDIES GET A BAD
rap. It’s never been the most pro-
gressive genre—how many times
have we watched a hero save the
damsel or a high-powered execu-
tive lirt with his secretary? And
the odds are stacked against the
rom-com: box-oice grosses are
down; audiences are increasingly
wrestling with traditional gen-
der dynamics; and there’s a per-
sistent belief in Hollywood that
women the genre’s target demo
will enthusiastically go see super-
hero movies but men have to be
dragged kicking and screaming to
romantic comedies.
And yet slowly but surely the
rom-com is making a comeback.
And the ilm industry is starting
to get it right. A few of this sum-
mer’s most enjoyable movies—the
Nick Hornby adaptationJuliet
Naked; the box-oice smash Crazy
Rich Asians; and the sleeper Net-

lix hitSet It Up—attempt to re-
solve the tension between what
we emotionally need and what
we intellectually know is best.
All three movies refocus on what
women want—beyond a man—
and celebrate equal partnerships.

ROM-COMS ARE TYPICALLYthe
playground of 20-somethings
butJuliet Naked doesn’t shy away
from the problems that come with
growing up. Ethan Hawke’s aging
musician Tucker Crowe is a mess
juggling a handful of exes and
even more children. Crowe’s hap-
lessness might have been charm-
ing in his 20s but at this stage his
love interest Annie (Rose Byrne)
is contemplating having a baby
on her own and is wary of getting
mixed up with a man-child.
Set It Upsimilarly presents fe-
male protagonists with modern
priorities. Two personal assistants

MOVIES

Three splashy summer ilms
refresh the romantic comedy
By Eliana Dockterman

‹.HOORJJ1$&R SET IT UP: NETFLIX

BIG DAYS


ARE RIPE


WITH


POTENTIAL


BIG FOOD


FOR


BIG DAYS

Free download pdf