Taylor Watches Rom-Coms Vol. 13: British Edition
The good, the bad, and the beautiful (because there's never any ugly in these movies)
Happy Valentine's Day!
As of this publishing, I'm currently in London. The present me, who's typing this, who starts packing tomorrow, can hardly believe it. I guess dreams really do come true!
And that's what this column is. A roundup of movies where dreams about love come true, in and around London. What can I say, I'm not only a sucker for a good theme, but a good segue…
Let's begin!
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
Over the course of five social occasions, a committed bachelor must consider the notion that he may have discovered love.
Long before I had a Letterboxd, Four Weddings and a Funeral has been on my mental watchlist for as long as I can remember. It's the movie that gave rom-com writer extraordinaire Richard Curtis not a proverbial blank check, but a very literal blank check.
I grew up in a Love Actually, Notting Hill, and About Time-obsessed household, so I've seen those movies more times than I can count. And they are truly fantastic (even if in the worst way *cough cough* Notting Hill). There's a reason he's on the Mount Rushmore of this genre along with our Queen Nancy Meyers.
And for those looking for where it all started, you simply have to watch Four Weddings. Curtis' genius is so clear from the get-go. I won't spoil what is undoubtedly the most impactful scene in the movie, but I'll just say there is a monologue so beautiful that you know that was the exact moment that blank check was written. I'll be thinking about it for a while.
If you're still not sold, I'll leave you with this: Hugh Grant is the sexiest he ever was, and would go on to be, in this. I mean, he is CRIMINALLY sexy. It's cruel, really.
Austenland (2013)
Obsessed with the BBC production of "Pride and Prejudice", a woman travels to a Jane Austen theme park in search for her perfect gentleman.
What a gem!
Filled with the common tropes we have grown to know and love from Austen, there is no shortage of chemistry and yearning in this fun little film. What's more, it's actually funny!
Keri Russell is an adorable and clever hopeless romantic, JJ Feild does his best Mr. Darcy, and to top it all off, Jennifer Coolidge is...Jennifer Coolidge! Which I am an absolute sucker for.
After just one watch, I know this is going to be a new comfort film. And if you're looking for a double feature, I'll give Richard Curtis an additional shout-out and suggest you pair this with Bridget Jones's Diary, which we all know and love, even if it is highly problematic these days...
What's Love Got to Do with It? (2023)
Two childhood friends now in their thirties must decide whether to follow their heads or their hearts once the man decides to follow his parents' advice and enter into an arranged marriage in Pakistan.
Where are my bad movie lovers at?
I'm not going to sit here and lie to you and suggest this movie is really any good. Lily James plays an "award-winning" documentarian who pretty clearly sucks at her job. I cheered when she finally got a tripod at the end of the film. I'd seriously get motion sickness watching anything she made!
But...don't we all just like to watch a bad movie sometimes? I know I do!
Where this movie redeems itself is in the characters and relationships. Even if she's a shitty director (did I mention she is a truly shit director?), we can empathize with her search for love and the uncertainty of her future without it. Even if Emma Thompson's character is culturally appropriating at all times, we can smile at her boundless love for her friends and the genuine desire to understand their lives and culture. Even if Shazad Latif's character is stereotypical, we can recognize the everyman he plays as people we know in our lives.
Love is hard, messy, and complicated. This gets to the heart of that, regardless of its questionable twists and turns along the way. So if you're anything like me, and you just want to grab a bowl of popcorn and make fun of a bad movie, this is the pick for you!
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.
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