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The Problematic Movie Romances We Secretly Love

The Problematic Movie Romances We Secretly Love

The Spill

March 27, 202648m 41s

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Show Notes

We’ve spent the week spiralling over the Suddenly 30 reboot, and it’s led us down a rabbit hole of our favourite romcoms with problematic premises, that we love wholeheartedly nonetheless. It turns out "romance" in the 90s and early 2000s was often just a crime set to a peppy soundtrack, and we're here to admit it.

We're unpacking the supposed romantic "grand gestures" and breaking down the gap between what we want in real life and what we find "hot" on film, from the sex work of Pretty Woman to to why the teacher-student plot in Never Been Kissed still stops us in our tracks.

Plus, we have thoughts on the 2026 "Whimsy Drought." We’re unpacking why modern movies feel too polished and why we’re self-medicating with the messy, high-stakes lying of movies like How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. It’s a deep dive into the absolute classics that might just save you from a boring weekend.

Love binge-watching TV? The Spill has launched Watch Party — spoiler-filled episode deep dives into the shows everyone’s talking about. Find the feed on Apple or Spotify.
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CREDITSHosts: Laura Brodnik & Bree Player Executive Producer: Monisha IswaranAudio Producer: Scott Stronach

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Topics

Suddenly 30 reboot13 Going on 30Netflix 202650 First DatesHow to Lose a Guy in 10 DaysPretty WomanJawbreaker movieCrazy Rich Asians27 DressesNever Been KissedWaitress MusicalDrew BarrymoreAdam SandlerKate Hudsonproblematic romcoms90s movies2000s nostalgiared flagsLaura BrodnikEm VernemMamamiaThe Spillpop culture debriefentertainment newsgroup chat vibesTikTok aestheticsMain Character Energywhimsyromance tropesromcom reboots