Dearest Romantic Comedies,
As a romantic myself, you have never failed me. From the backgrounds of each character, the meet-cutes, the drama or the end, I will always say with confidence that I never have been bored. The characters are always flawed and realistic with issues that can happen to anyone, and as flawed as they are, they are always loveable and admirable. I find comfort in your books and movies and feel a sense of serendipity once I’m done, already searching for the next thing to indulge on.
Through both laughter and tears I am completely entranced in your world. The second I hit play or open the first page, I am no longer myself but rather a witness to what is yet to unravel. I’ve realized through your stories that love is not something that falls in one’s lap, but rather a journey that works as long as both parties participate. Even if the characters don’t seem like a perfect fit, there is just something about their polar opposites attracting that is so binge-worthy. The love stories that I enjoy are ones that can happen to anyone, as long as you are in the right place at the wrong time.
It doesn’t matter if they started as strangers, friends or enemies. It’s the noticeable turning point that has me hooked. It’s the point where the friends aren’t acting as any normal friends do. It’s when the two who swore they hated each other find out that they really don’t. It’s when they’re in the middle of fighting over something that isn’t worth fighting about, when the guy yells his affection and admiration for her and they both take a moment to realize: they aren’t fighting out of hate.
As cheesy as you may be, as cliché as your stories are, they resonate with me; for example, when Kevin helps Jane realize that she doesn’t need to put everyone before herself in “27 Dresses” (2008). Another rom-com trope I loved was when Jenna realizes that she’s loved Matt the entire time in “13 Going on 30” (2004), or when Harriet and Wyn demanded time apart only to realize they needed nothing else but each other in the book “Happy Place” by Emily Henry.
Funnily enough, I am actually doing a “rom-com-athon” with a few of my friends from home. We watch one movie each week and talk about it, almost like a book club but with movies. It’s fun to be able to be in contact with my friends from home while also enjoying the most loved romantic comedies that we’ve always wanted to watch anyways. So far, we only watched six movies out of 30, so we do have some time to go.
Rom-coms are stories that people like me dream of experiencing. Even with the heartbreak and the feeling that the world wants them apart, the love they have makes it all worth it. Watching each couple dance in the rain, carrying a boombox over their heads or finding love-letters in their mailboxes makes it absolutely lovely to watch each minute or flip each page, and I can’t wait to start a new one.
Sincerely,
Jill Cervantes