Isn't It Romantic

Isn't It Romantic

Starring Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Liam Hemsworth, Priyanka Chopra

Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson

The Story:
Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is a single woman living in a dingy New York City apartment, working as an architect at a company that all but forgets she exists.  Her best friend Josh (Adam DeVine) harbors not-so-secret feelings for her, but she's totally oblivious to the fact and despises romantic comedies that her assistant Whitney (Betty Gilpin) plays all day.  She goes on a tirade about how romantic comedies are totally nonsensical, and follow the same desperate pattern, and when she's mugged on the subway, she bangs her head and awakens in an elegant hospital room and finds that she's been transported to her own romantic comedy - that's PG-13!

In this world, New York City is beautifully landscaped and built, her apartment is luxurious and lavish, and her next-door-neighbor Donny (Brandon Scott Jones) is now her gay BFF.  She gains the attraction of wealthy and beautiful Blake (Liam Hemsworth), and is valued and appreciated at her job, yet to Natalie this is her worst nightmare, and she must find a way to get back to her own world before she totally looses her mind.

The Synopsis:
Comedies to me have always been my least liked genre, mostly due to the fact that they follow the same predictable path.  There's nothing new being offered to the genre, and while they're fun for the moment, they're rarely ones I like to revisit.  Romantic comedies in particular always tend to follow the same tropes, and that's what actually drew me to "Isn't It Romantic" - because it fearlessly and wonderfully obviously picked apart every single trope imaginable and managed to not just make fun of itself, but actually provide a decent romantic comedy in its own right, led by the always outrageous and beautifully humorous Rebel Wilson.

Director Todd Strauss-Schulson is no stranger to directing films that pokes fun at their own genre, as he also dabbled in the horror genre with the wonderful "The Final Girls," and once again he manages to make fun of the type of film he's directing while also giving it its own identity and heart.  It's not an easy balance to both insult and lift up your own film, that he manages to maintain the balance throughout.  It's interesting to note that he watched almost a hundred romantic comedies, and manages to poke fun at all of them in this film in a way that doesn't come across as mean, but rather as insightful and leaves you several times thinking, "I've seen this before."

For this story, we focus on young Natalie, who's single, forgotten, and most importantly doesn't believe in love, or romantic comedies.  At a young age, she was told by her mother that love isn't real, and rom-coms tell a false narrative of what the world is really like, and she's allowed that to sour her to obvious love standing right in front of her.  All that changes when she's knocked out, and wakes up in her own nightmare - a PG-13 romantic comedy (we find out it's PG-13 because every time she curses, another noise is heard which blocks it out, and she hilariously screams out that she's stuck in a romantic comedy, and it's*%*%(# PG-13), and she realizes she needs to learn some sort of lesson in order to make it back to her own world - a lesson that's not as cut-and-dry as you'd expect.

Rebel Wilson has been an actress on the big screen for some time now, but this is surprisingly her first leading role, and she absolutely nails it.  There's obvious comparisons between this film and last year's comedy "I Feel Pretty" starring Amy Schumer, but this one is easily more hilarious and heartfelt, due to Wilson's excellent use of deadpan humor and obvious vulnerability that she uses to her complete advantage.  While anyone would literally die to be in their own romantic comedy, she would literally die to get out of it, and it's hilarious to see her struggle through events that others only dream of (such as calling 911 when she finds her apartment has grown longer and all her old stuff has been replaced with new, expensive stuff).  She's an actress you can't help but root for, and although we all know how it'll all end up (after all, it does follow the rom-com pattern to the end), it's an enjoyable ride throughout.

Equally enjoyable are the supporting cast that Wilson surrounds herself with, especially Adam DeVine as Natalie's co-worker and best friend Josh, whom gets unintentionally friendzoned by Natalie time and time again.  The two have worked in several films before, and their on-screen chemistry is all the more strengthened due to their familiarity with each other.  Liam Hemsworth plays Blake, a snobby client in Natalie's original world who becomes smitten with her in her rom-com world, and he gives a fantastic comedic performance where you'll be telling everyone how beguiling they are.  Priyanka Chopra plays a yoga ambassador (which, as Natalie correctly notes repeatedly, isn't actually a real thing) who falls for Josh in Natalie's rom-com world after he saves her from choking, and is an absolute hoot to watch.  Yet the scene stealer is easily Brandon Scott Jones, who plays Natalie's BFF gay friend Donny who, as Natalie notes, sets gay rights back a hundred years.  He is given some of the best one-liners in the film, and is basically Natalie's gay genie in her rom-com world, appearing at random to offer his own unique brand of advice.  It's a dream cast, and everyone delivers their A-game.

Equally the script is fantastic in how it manages to make fun of yet show appreciation to the romantic comedy subgenre.  We all know Natalie will endure all the tropes in her rom-com world, and the film  never misses a beat in delivering them - be it showing New York City in a beautifully rendered state, or having her first kiss in the rain, to playing "A Thousand Miles" or having Natalie sing "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" on karaoke night, there's nary a rom-com trope that's left on the cutting room floor, and the audience will find themselves on the floor themselves rolling in laughter.

The Summary:
"Isn't It Romantic" manages to poke fun at the rom-com subgenre but also delivers a moving, thoughtful story thanks to the impeccable comedic talents of Rebel Wilson and company, and much like the cupcakes and sweets that line the New York City streets, you'll find yourself on a sugar high after it ends.

The Score: A