The Rom Com Rewrite
Lisa and Charles Adrian LOVE rom coms but they have some suggestions. In each episode they choose a film, take it lovingly apart and put it back together better. Warning: This podcast is all spoilers all the time!
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I Want You Back
05/13/2022
I Want You Back
You have to put your own oxygen mask on first, folks. That’s just how it is. I Want You Back Year: 2022 Written by: Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger Director: Jason Orley Stars: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriguez, Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo Show notes: This six-some reel of a film feels simultaneously up-to-date and out of time. And it might just be (for Charles Adrian, at least) too funny? In this episode, we reference the musical Little Shop Of Horrors (first published 1982) ()) and the films Sleepless In Seattle (1993) (), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) () and When Harry Met Sally (1989) () (Sleepless In Seattle is also the subject of our 12th episode, btw). We namecheck Nancy Meyers () and the “Polish guy who used to wake his actors up”, whose name Charles Adrian can’t remember at around the 31 minute mark, is Jerzy Grotowski (). In June, we will be watching the films Plus One (2019) () and The Wedding Year (2019) (). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Stud Life
03/11/2022
Stud Life
It takes all sorts to make the lesbian nation. Thank goodness. Go watch this film! Stud Life Year: 2012 Written by: Campbell Ex Director: Campbell Ex Stars: T’Nia Miller, Kyle Treslove, Robyn Kerr Show notes: In a world where MySpace is still a thing, JJ, Seb and Elle work out their various issues in this British indie that might or might not be a rom com. Don't worry: Lisa and Charles Adrian weigh in. We reference the films Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994) () and Resort To Love (2021) (). (Resort To Love is the subject of the 9th episode of this podcast.) We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Just Wright
02/11/2022
Just Wright
“All I can think is… what a misuse of the wonderful Queen Latifah.” Lisa Findley “Cry emoji, cry emoji, cry emoji.” Charles Adrian Just Wright Year: 2010 Written by: Michael Elliot Director: Sanaa Hamri Stars: Queen Latifah, Common Show notes: We cannot in all conscience recommend this film, although Queen Latifah is wonderful in it. And other people are very good in it too. And it contains one of the best meet cutes we’ve seen. It’s just a mess of a movie (in our opinion; ymmv*) and we are ready to tell you why. We mention the book The Rules, Time-tested Secrets for Capturing the Heart of Mr. Right (1995) (), the films Grease (1978) (), The Bodyguard (1992) () and Last Holiday (2006) (), and the podcast You’re Wrong About (). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening! *ymmv = your mileage may vary, used to mean that people’s tastes and preferences differ and that’s fine.
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Sleepless In Seattle
01/14/2022
Sleepless In Seattle
Lisa and Charles Adrian round off their holiday season with one of the most beloved rom coms ever made. Which, they decide, might not actually be a rom com. This episode was not supposed to be a take down of Sleepless In Seattle but that is what it has turned into. Sorry not sorry. Sleepless In Seattle Year: 1993 Screenplay by: Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch Based on a story by: Jeff Arch Director: Nora Ephron Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O’Donnell Show notes: Straightforwardly plumping for magic over security and for fantasy over reality, Sleepless In Seattle is for sure a film about yearning and it is certainly very funny and beautifully written and well-made, but is it romantic? We prepare to upset literally millions of fans by arguing that this film is not the rom com that it purports to be and that it is, in fact, about a woman who abuses her position as a journalist to stalk a man who is still mourning his dead wife. We mention the films An Affair To Remember (1957) (), Joe Versus The Volcano (1990) (), While You Were Sleeping (1995) (), When Harry Met Sally (1989) (), You’ve Got Mail (1998) () and Fatal Attraction (1987) (). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Single All The Way
12/10/2021
Single All The Way
Lisa and Charles Adrian’s extended Christmas season continues with a Netflix-produced, gay-themed, family-focused rom com. Single All The Way Year: 2021 Written by: Chad Hodge Director: Michael Mayer Stars: Michael Urie, Philemon Chambers Show notes: Is there to be no end to these excellent Christmas rom coms? Spoilers be damned, we loved this gay ass film. We mention the film While You Were Sleeping (1995) (), which was the subject of our previous episode, the TV series Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020) (), which features Jennifer Robertson as Jocelyn Schitt, and the films Dumplin’ (2018) (), Hocus Pocus (1993) () and Sister Act (1992) (), which all star Kathy Najimi. Here is the definition of ‘plant gay’ in the Urban Dictionary: and their definition of ‘guncle’ is here: . Next month we are planning to watch Sleepless In Seattle. We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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While You Were Sleeping
11/12/2021
While You Were Sleeping
While You Were Sleeping This month, Lisa and Charles Adrian give themselves an early Christmas present. While You Were Sleeping Year: 1995 Screenplay by: Daniel G. Sullivan and Fredric Lebow Director: Jon Turtletaub Stars: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher Show notes: While You Were Sleeping is one of Lisa’s favourite films; she has watched it many, many times. Charles Adrian was watching this for, maybe, the third time. It’s a great film. We like it so much. In this episode, we acquit Lucy of the charge of being creepy, investigate the mystery of the missing meet-cute and propose two small changes to raise what is already a perfect rom com to greater perfection. Merry Christmas already. You can watch the trailer for While You Were Sleeping here: Next month we are planning to watch Single All The Way, which is due to be released on Netflix on 2nd December, 2021. We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Resort To Love
10/15/2021
Resort To Love
Surely designed to make you want to go to Mauritius, Lisa and Charles Adrian find that this month’s rom com is a lot more than just an advertising feature. Resort To Love Year: 2021 Screenplay by: Tabi McCartney and Dana Schmalenberg Based on a story by: Tabi McCartney Director: Steven K. Tsuchida Stars: Christina Milian, Jay Pharoah, Sinqua Walls, Christini Pitts Show notes: Resort To Love is a really good rom com. It’s a solidly built, satisfying, funny, well-written, well-acted rom com with a beautiful soundtrack and dreamy locations. But would we pay to see it at the cinema? Maybe. We don’t know. We streamed it on Netflix. And how is it different from the great rom coms of yesteryear? Is it really so different from them? What makes a great rom com anyway? We are not sure. But we have some ideas. Other films mentioned in this episode are: Joe Versus The Volcano (1990) ( – also the subject of episode 8 of this podcast), To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018) ( – also the subject of episode 2 of this podcast), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) ( – also the subject of episode 1 of this podcast), My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) (), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (), Love’s Last Resort (2017) (the synopsis of which is here: ), You’ve Got Mail (1998) (), Sliding Doors (1998) () and Christina Milian’s previous Netflix outing Falling Inn Love (2019) (). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Joe Versus The Volcano
09/10/2021
Joe Versus The Volcano
For this month’s episode, long-time listener first-time caller Liz Bailey joins Lisa and Charles Adrian from Cardiff for a wide-ranging discussion about the first film in the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan cinematic universe. Joe Versus The Volcano Year: 1990 Screenplay by: John Patrick Shanley Director: John Patrick Shanley Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan Show notes: Is this a rom com? In this episode we more or less abandon our search for meet-cutes, obstacles and happy endings in order to zero in on what each of us want from a romantic film that may, like this one, also be very funny. Some of us have also climbed volcanoes in real life. You can find an image of the poster for this film on imdb.com here: Charles Adrian references the artist L. S. Lowry, who you can read about on Wikipedia here: . Liz references filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, who you can read about on Wikipedia here: , and the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long film The Money Pit (1986) (). Also mentioned are the films High Society (1956) (), Twister (1996) (), Jurassic Park (1993) (), Jaws (1975) (), Die Hard (1988) () and She’s All That (1999) (), as well as Jane Austin’s Persuasion ()). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Also, due to circumstances beyond our control, there is some noise of pneumatic drilling intermittently audible in the background of this episode from about 28 minutes in; apologies for that too. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Palm Springs
08/13/2021
Palm Springs
It is August, which is supposed to be summertime in the UK (where we record from), so Lisa and Charles Adrian have picked a sunny rom com for this month’s episode. If you haven’t seen this film, don’t read any further! Don’t listen to this episode yet! Watch the film! Enjoy the surprises! Then come back to read on and listen. You will thank us. Palm Springs Year: 2020 Screenplay by: Andy Siara Based on a story by: Max Barbakow and Andy Siara Director: Max Barbakow Stars: Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, J.K. Simmons Show notes: A reminder that this podcast is all spoilers all the time and this film is so delightful to watch unspoiled that we urge you, if possible, to watch it without knowing anything about it (as we did). We loved this film. We had to work really hard to find anything to fix. We hope you like it as much as we did. The short, spoiler-filled plot summary for this film on imdb.com can be found here: In this episode we reference (and this is, in itself, a HUGE SPOILER) Groundhog Day (1993) (), Russian Doll (which Charles Adrian calls “Russian Dolls”) (2019 – ) (), Love Wedding Repeat (which Charles Adrian calls “that other wedding thing that was on Netflix recently”) (2020) () and The Good Place (2016 – 2020) (). We record these episodes over the internet. Sometimes the audio is not perfect. We apologise for that. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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The Proposal
07/23/2021
The Proposal
In a mini-episode, Lisa reads a brief piece on why The Proposal is one of the unfunniest, cruelest rom coms out there -- not the mild romp it’s meant to be. Year: 2009 Writer: Peter Chiarelli Director: Anne Fletcher Stars: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson Show notes: In this episode, Lisa reads a short essay she wrote back in 2010 about how this movie is heavy-handed where it should be lighthearted, mean-spirited where it should be heartwarming, and dull where it should be lively. Not to mention, it does not understand book publishing at all, and as someone who has worked in book publishing, Lisa took this personally. Lisa references It Happened One Night (1934) () and Bringing Up Baby (1938) (). Our theme music is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (), and this episode was edited by Nakul Pande (). Thank you for listening!
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Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached
06/11/2021
Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached
This month, Lisa and Charles Adrian look into the novel and surprising concept of ‘sex friends’ as it is explored in two films from ten years ago. Friends With Benefits Year: 2011 Screenplay by: Keith Merryman, David A. Newman and Will Gluck Based on a story by: Harley Peyton, Keith Merryman and David A. Newman Director: Will Gluck Stars: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis No Strings Attached Year: 2011 Screenplay by: Elizabeth Meriwether Based on a story by: Michael Samonek and Elizabeth Meriwether Director: Ivan Reitman Stars: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher Show notes: In this episode we take two films about ‘sex friends’ that came out in 2011 – Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached – and we compare and we contrast and we generally fix. Incidentally, another very important link between these two films, at least at time of recording this episode, and which we forgot to mention, is that Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are married to each other. Charles Adrian mentions another two Mila Kunis vehicles, Bad Moms (2016) () and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) (), and he also references an episode of the comedy series Kim’s Convenience (). Lisa talks about the film Up In The Air (2009) (). For anybody who is interested, the Defence Of Marriage Act (known as DOMA) was not struck down by the United States Supreme Court until 2013 () and so cannot be the reason people were only just discovering the concept of ‘sex friends’ in 2011. Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Long Shot
05/14/2021
Long Shot
Lisa and Charles Adrian love June Diane Raphael, Lisa Kudrow and also, to a large extent, the Charlize Theron/Seth Rogen vehicle that is Long Shot. Those are the main take-aways from this episode. Year: 2019 Writers: Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah Based on a story by: Dan Sterling Director: Jonathan Levine Stars: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ravi Patel Show notes: Note: We record these episodes over the internet and the sound quality in this episode is not always perfect. Our apologies. In this episode, we talk a lot about how much we love June Diane Raphael, who has a crucial supporting role in Long Shot as Maggie Millikin, the chief aide to Charlize Theron’s character (Secretary) Charlotte Field. We also talk about how much we love Lisa Kudrow, who has a short and memorable cameo as a pollster. And we get into the nitty-gritty of how we might go about fixing two or three of the small but intensely irritating problems with the film as a whole. Oh, and we do also talk about how much we like this film. We really do like this film. In this episode, Charles Adrian makes a comparison with a climactic scene from Notting Hill (1999) () and Lisa mentions a previous Seth Rogen vehicle Knocked Up (2007) (). Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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Failure To Launch
04/16/2021
Failure To Launch
Lisa and Charles Adrian stumble upon a real fixer-upper in this week’s film, Failure To Launch. Year: 2006 Writers: Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember Director: Tom Dey Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Bartha, Bradley Cooper, Terry Bradshaw, Kathy Bates, Tyrel Jackson Williams Show notes: Note: We record these episodes over the internet and the sound quality in this episode is not always perfect. Our apologies. This time round, we congratulate the filmmakers of Failure To Launch on producing material that could be made into at least three other better films. Which is to say, we really didn’t like this film. We mention cameos from Jessica Stone as Boatyard Woman and a young Patton Oswalt as Techie Guy. This film references The Philadelphia Story (1940) (), so we mention it too, along with its jazz remake High Society (1956) (), and Lisa talks about Hitch (2005) (). Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Artwork is by Lisa Findley. Thank you for listening!
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To All The Boys I've Loved Before
03/12/2021
To All The Boys I've Loved Before
Lisa and Charles Adrian get into the Netflix-produced modern classic To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. Year: 2018 Writer: Sofia Alvarez Based on the novel by: Jenny Han Director: Susan Johnson Stars: Lara Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart, Andrew Bachelor, Trezzo Mahoro, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard, John Corbett Show notes: In this episode we get lost in the weeds of our synopsis, sail through the meet-cute, obstacles and happy ending, and land on the one thing that would make this film better. We mention the TV show Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017), in which Janel Parrish played Mona Vanderwaal. You can read about it here: and watch Charles Adrian talk to Vera Chok about it here: . We also mention the TV shows Golden Girls (1985-1992) (), Bridgerton (2020) () and Never Have I Ever (2020) ()), the film She’s All That (1999) () and the novel that sparked a thousand rom coms: Jane Austin’s Pride And Prejudice (1813) (). In the previous episode of this podcast, we talked about the film 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) (). Music in this episode is by Martin Zaltz Austwick (martinzaltzaustwick.com). Thank you for listening!
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10 Things I Hate About You
02/12/2021
10 Things I Hate About You
Lisa and Charles Adrian kick off The Rom Com Rewrite in time for Valentines Day by talking about the (now) classic rom com 10 Things I Hate About You. Year: 1999 Writers: Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith Director: Gil Junger Stars: Heath Ledger, Julia Styles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Larisa Oleynik (also mentioned in this episode: David Krumholtz, Susan May Pratt and Gabrielle Union) Show notes: In this episode, we give a synopsis of the film 10 Things I Hate About You (and a synopsis of that synopsis because Charles Adrian found the film so difficult to follow), we take you through the meet cute, the obstacles and the happy ending, and then we talk about how we would make it better. You can find a description of the seven major beats of rom com writing here: We mention that the plot of this film is based on The Taming Of The Shrew by William Shakespeare, which you can read a synopsis of here: . We also mention Sleepless In Seattle (a 1993 film that you can read about on imdb here: ), She’s All That (a 1999 film that you can read about on imdb here: ) and Clueless (a 1995 film that you can read about on imdb here: ). The Ellen we mention is Ellen Degeneres; you can read about The Puppy Episode of her sitcom Ellen, in which the character she played came out as a lesbian, on Wikipedia here: . You can find out about Bikini Kill on Wikipedia here: and you can browse a whole selection of the kind of Jared Leto photographs that Kat might have had in her drawer here: Thank you for listening!
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The Rom Com Rewrite feed test
01/31/2021
The Rom Com Rewrite feed test
Searching for Mx Right!
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