Why 2023 is shaping up as the year of the rom-com
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Rumblings of a romantic-comedy renaissance began in 2022, when films such as The Lost City, Fire Island, Bros, and Ticket To Paradise sparked new interest in a genre that had faded sharply over the last decade. But it turns out that 2022 was just a warm-up for what’s coming in 2023, when a massive slate of high-profile rom-coms is scheduled to arrive in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Jennifer Lopez (who else?) kicked things off in January with Shotgun Wedding. And the month of romantic love, aka February, has already seen films featuring rom-com standard bearer Reese Witherspoon and Alison Brie, among others. The rest of this year will bring even more familiar faces back to the rom-com circuit, including Lily James, Rachael Leigh Cook, Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, and Anne Hathaway. With movie fans again clamoring for the chance to embrace their inner romantic, and stars and studios more than happy to answer the call, here’s a comprehensive rundown of the many rom-coms that are on tap for 2023.
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Your Place Or Mine (February 10)
Your Place Or Mine | Official Trailer | Netflix
Early 2000s rom-com darling Reese Witherspoon reemerged with Netflix’s Your Place Or Mine, which offers a twist on a premise laid out perfectly in Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday. Witherspoon stars opposite Ashton Kutcher as two longtime friends who trade homes for a week. While the swap is planned in search of self-discovery and time away from the pressures of their own lives, our heroes, of course, end up rethinking the whole “just friends” thing. Although they spend most of the film thousands of miles apart, we know where everything’s headed. Just don’t accuse Kutcher of infidelity.
Somebody I Used To Know (February 10)
Somebody I Used to Know - Official Trailer | Prime Video
In her third collaboration with her husband Dave Franco, Alison Brie leads Somebody I Used To Know as a workaholic TV showrunner Ally, who seeks a reprieve from her big city stress with a retreat to her mother’s home in Leavenworth, Washington. There she runs into her ex-boyfriend Sean (Jay Ellis), whose wedding is just around the corner. As the two catch up, they wrestle with old feelings and new connections, in what Brie describes as a rom-com with a heavy dose of “dram.”
At Midnight (February 10)
At Midnight | Official Trailer | Paramount+
Paramount+ also got in on the rom-com action ahead of Valentine’s Day with At Midnight, starring Monica Barbaro and Diego Boneta. The film marks director Jonah Feingold’s second outing, following his 2021 feature Dating & New York. Co-written with Maria Hinojos and Giovanni M. Porta, the Mexico City-set flick follows a developing romance between film star Sophie Wilder (Barbaro) and hotel junior manager Alejandro (Boneta).
What’s Love Got To Do With It? (February 24)
WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? - Official Trailer - Starring Lily James, Emma Thompson, Shazad Latif
Not to be confused with the 1984 Tina Turner hit or the 1993 movie of the same title starring Tina Turner, Shekhar Kapur’s version of What’s Love Got To Do With It? is not related to Tina Turner in any way. Instead, the film starring Lily James tells the story of two childhood friends with vastly different approaches to love and marriage. Zoe (James) finds herself caught up in the depressing cycle of app dating when she decides to document the arranged marriage of longtime friend Kaz (Shazad Latif), upending her previous notions on relationships. Upon its world premiere at TIFF, What’s Love Got To Do With It? took home the festival’s honor for best comedy.
Rye Lane (March 17)
Rye Lane | Official Trailer | Searchlight Pictures UK
Raine Allen-Miller’s debut feature film, Rye Lane, premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival to high praise, drawing comparisons to Richard Linkater’s Before series as well as the visual aesthetic of Wes Anderson. Set in South London, the official description for Rye Lane reads, “Dom and Yas’ paths collide at the least opportune time: when Dom (David Jonsson) is ugly-crying in a toilet stall, steeling himself for an awkward meal with his ex, who cheated on him with his best friend. Nursing her own breakup wounds, freewheeling Yas decides to jump headfirst into the fray to lessen the sting as Dom’s date. What follows is a day of impulsive and joyous mayhem, as these two 20-something Londoners roam Peckham through karaoke bars and playgrounds, all the while inching toward the possibility of opening their hearts again.”
A Tourist’s Guide To Love (April 27)
She’s All That star Rachael Leigh Cook leads another rom-com with Netflix’s A Tourist’s Guide To Love. Cook stars in the feature as Amanda Riley, a travel executive who takes on an undercover project in Vietnam following a breakup. Seeking to learn more about the country’s tourist industry, Amanda ends up cultivating a romance with her ex-pat tour guide, Sinh Thach (Scott Ly). Supporting cast members include Ben Feldman and the impeccable Missi Pyle.
Love Again (May 12)
LOVE AGAIN - Official Trailer (HD)
Soundtracked by Celine Dion herself, Love Again follows one woman as she rekindles her belief in love following the death of her fiancé. Priyanka Chopra Jonas leads Love Again as Mira Ray, who works through her late fiancé’s death by sending heartfelt messages to his old phone number. However, when the number is reassigned to the work phone of journalist Rob (Sam Heughan), the writer becomes enamored with her unexpected confessionals. Dion (in her first film role) comes to Rob’s rescue, helping him track down Mira and doling out advice on love.
A Family Affair (November 17)
Nicole Kidman, Joey King, and Zac Efron team up for the Netflix rom-com A Family Affair. When Kidman’s character kicks off an unexpected romance with a younger man (played by Efron), complications arise after it’s revealed he happens to be her daughter’s (King) former A-list boss. What unfolds is a story about “love, sex, and identity” directed by Richard LaGravenese.
What Happens Later
Bleecker Street 2023
Meg Ryan last appeared on screen in 2015 with the drama Ithaca, and now the former Nora Ephron regular is directing and starring in her own offering, What Happens Later. Ryan will star in the airport-set feature opposite the dreamy David Duchovny, who’s somehow never held the lead role in a rom-com. The official description for the film reads, “Willa and Bill are ex-lovers that will see each other for the first time in years when they both find themselves snowed in, in-transit, at an airport overnight.” No release date has been shared just yet, but production studio Bleecker Street teased the feature while showcasing its 2023 slate.
Red, White, And Royal Blue
One of the most anticipated romance adaptations comes in the form of Red, White, And Royal Blue, based on the 2019 novel penned by Casey McQuiston. Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine court diplomacy and eventually each other in the queer rom-com about a budding romance between a fictional First Son of the United States and a British prince. After an altercation, the two must lay down their rivalry in a truce. What starts as a pretend friendship predictably turns into a secret romance. Also, Uma Thurman plays the U.S. president (one can dream, right?).
Sitting In Bars With Cake
Writer Audrey Shulman is bringing her life to the screen with Sitting In Bars With Cake, based on her blog and book of the same name. Yara Shahidi will play the fictionalized version of Shulman, who lures men into bars through baked goods. The official description of the film reads, “A quiet young woman who is unlucky in love and discovers an unlikely guy magnet when she bakes a cake for her best friend’s birthday and brings it to a bar, only to be swarmed by men. She believes it’s a fluke, but her friend convinces her to commit to a year of baking cakes and bringing them to bars, with the goal of finding true love.”
Upgraded
Hot off the heels of the teen rom-com hit, Do Revenge, Camila Mendes is saddling up for another lead role in Upgraded. Written by Christine Lenig, Justin Matthews and Luke Roberts, the globe-trotting feature follows art intern Ana, who has flown from New York to London on a last-minute work trip for her boss. On the plane, she meets William (Archie Renaux), and they spark up an instant connection.
Sweethearts
From Dollface creator Jordan Weiss comes an all-too-familiar story about breaking off a waning relationship with a high school sweetheart. Kiernan Shipka and Nico Hiraga lead Sweethearts as two college freshmen who return home for Thanksgiving break tasked with ending their respective relationships. Referred to as the dreaded “Turkey Dump,” the two must face the music the day before the holiday festivities, known as “Drunksgiving.”
Which Brings Me To You
Pretty Little Liars alum Lucy Hale is reunited with The Hating Game director Peter Hutchings for his newest film. Which Brings Me To You follows “Jane (Hale), a freelance journalist, and Will (Wolf), a photographer, who are immediately drawn to each other at a mutual friend’s wedding. After the pair sneak off to hook up in the coat room, all signs point to an empty one-night stand. Instead, over the next 24 hours, they share stories of their most embarrassing sexual encounters, first loves, heartbreak and whirlwind romances, discovering each other through heartwarming, hilarious and sometimes tragic tales.” The film started production back in September 2022 and is slated for an international release.
The Idea Of You
Anne Hathaway is going to get boy band fever in the adaptation of The Idea Of You, based on the 2017 novel from Robinne Lee (which may or may not be a glorified Harry Styles fan-fiction). The film will be helmed by The Big Sick director Michael Showalter, with Red, White, And Royal Blue’s Nicholas Galitzine playing the dream August Moon lead singer, Hayes Campbell. Forty-year-old divorcee and certified MILF Sophie has a run-in with Hayes while taking her daughter to Coachella, kicking off a salacious romance.
The Perfect Find
Netflix continues to lead rom-com productions with The Perfect Find, starring Gabrielle Union. Based on the novel by Tia Williams, Union leads The Perfect Find as a woman staring down her biological clock, a high-stakes career in beauty journalism, and a fraught relationship with her boss. The ante is upped when she finds herself entangled with her boss’ son, Eric (Keith Powers), who works at her company as a videographer.
Loveboat, Taipei
Pitched as Crazy Rich Asians meets La La Land, Ashley Liao (Fresh Off The Boat) stars in Loveboat, Taipei as Ever, who is sent away by her parents for an immersion program in her home country. Enter Ross Butler and Nico Hiraga, who play two very different suitors in pursuit of Ever, turning her trip into a summer of romance. From the producers of Netflix’s To All The Boys I Loved Before series, the film is directed by Taiwanese-American director Arvin Chen.
Any Other Night
Community star Gillian Jacobs will star opposite Marwan Kenzari in the Berlin-set rom-com Any Other Night. The lovebirds meet amidst a transit strike when cab driver Max (Kenzari) picks up a freshly dumped Maggie (Jacobs), setting off an all-night ride and winding trip through the German city.
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