Rom Com Weekly

This Christmas week, my friend Vivian returns to the podcast to chat about the Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman holiday rom-com, While You Were Sleeping (1995).

While this wholesome movie is a highly rewatchable and beloved one for me, this movie fell a bit flat for Vivian. We wonder what makes a rom-com a good rom-com, how the theme of family is equally as important as the romance is in this film, Viv helps me realize how much I need to curate a specific Rom Com Weekly Spotify playlist, and we each reveal the one place we want to travel to - our "Florence." 

"Forgiveness, is more than saying sorry." This week, my brother Michael joins me as we rewatch and chat about the Ryan Reynolds and Amy Smart film, Just Friends (2005).

While we both admit this isn’t necessarily a Christmas themed movie, we agree that the movie delivers on the laughs. We talk about the theme of the friend zone and how it's extremely relatable, how heartbreak can be a great motivator, and we essentially laugh our way through as we recall our favorite nuggets and one-liners from the film (disclaimer: there is spontaneous singing that occurs in this episode.) 

This week, my friend Evelyn returns to the podcast as we rewatch and dive into Nancy Meyers' cozy holiday rom-com, The Holiday (2006).

Evelyn humors me as I gush about my love for Jude Law as Graham - similar to Graham, "I'm a major weepah!!," we talk about solo traveling and discovering one's self-worth, whether Jack Black really belongs in this film, and I once again reiterate my plea to Nancy Meyers.

"I'd have to say April 25th - because it's not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket!" This week, my friend Valerie returns to the podcast as we rewatch and discuss the Sandra Bullock film, Miss Congeniality (2000).

This episode is basically a Sandy B love fest - she's perfect as the goofy and lovable Gracie Lou Freebush. We share our ideas of a "perfect date," we note that this movie is pretty light on the romance, and Val shares her adoration for the Miss USA pageant.

"I want you to want to do the dishes!" This week, my husband Frank returns to the podcast to discuss the Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn film, The Break-Up (2006).

We dive a bit deeper into what we think makes a relationship succeed and what it means to be emotionally available. We talk about communication and the importance of finding oneself. Frank reveals his kinship with socially awkward characters and I confess that I don't think this movie delivers that many laughs.

This week, my friend Rosanna joins me as we discuss the 2001 film, Heartbreakers.

Despite the fact that the main characters are low-key sociopaths, we talk about moms and daughters and heartbreak. I take note of how people handle heartbreak differently, Rosanna shares her love for espionage, and we discuss how much nostalgia adds weight in our love for films and music.

This week, my friend Lucy returns to the podcast as we rewatch and discuss the Gwyneth Paltrow film, Shakespeare in Love.

We talk about this film being a moment in time (Gwyneth, the '90s, that pink dress), we gush over Dame Judi Dench (who won the Oscar for this role, with only six minutes of on screen time!), I once again am confronted by my lack of Shakespeare knowledge, and despite the fact that this film won 7 Academy Awards, we question this film's popularity and rewatchability factor.

This week, my friend Vivian returns to the podcast to discuss the Julia Roberts classic, My Best Friend's Wedding.

We go down memory lane as we reminisce about this formative rom-com from our youth. Despite the realization that Julianne is a troublesome character, we talk about how amazing the cast is, we share our go-to karaoke songs, Viv doubles down on her love for the soundtrack, and I wonder if anyone actually makes marriage pacts.

"This is not a love story. This is a story about love." This week, my friend Justin returns to the podcast to talk about the Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel film, (500) Days of Summer.

We get up close and personal as we contemplate this introspective film. We discuss expectations vs. reality in love and heartbreak, I attempt to break down the concept of the 'manic pixie dream girl,' and Justin wonders how rom-coms have shaped us in how we approach and look at love. 

This week, my friend Ming joins me as we rewatch Ali Wong and Randall Park's film, Always Be My Maybe.

A rom-com with two Asian American leads! We get into how much we appreciate and relate to seeing a depiction of average, everyday Asian Americans on screen, Ming shares that he and Marcus are practically the same person, and we dive into our complicated feelings surrounding the term, "elevated Asian cuisine."