Be Mine, Valentine?

Love is in the air! 

Since it's the month of romance I figured we could pull a repeat of Halloween and do some rankings and reviewing bunched up. This way I get through the movies and they don't need separate posts. 

I have no clue whether it was intentional or subconscious but for some reason, the few movies I have watched so far this month have all been rom-coms, so perhaps this is a sign that I was meant to eventual make this post. 

Let's get to it. Also, 

SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!!! 

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!

1. When Harry Met Sally (1989)

It's an interesting one to start of with for sure as the movie has quite a reputation for itself as a classic rom-com. With it championed by acclaimed writer and rom-com genius herself Nora Ephron, I went into this movie not sure of what to see but expecting good stuff. 

And it delivers, for the most part, that is. I'd describe it as a solid 4/5 rom-com with solid chemistry and writing. Which something I have been asking for since what feels like the beginning of time at this point. 

The problem however, stems from what unfortunately also happens to be the core ideology of the film itself. See, the male lead Harry believes that men and women cannot be friends. And this isn't some revolutionary thinking point no one hasn't heard before. It's a movie set and directed in the 90's and as such not everything is expected to hold water to current thoughts and standards and I'm well aware of that. I am also aware that many people agree with Harry in this circumstance. But I don't. The idea that men and women can never been friends without one person secretly pining for the other one is just a trope and cannot be laid out as a blanket statement for all relationships. And this idea would've been fine if Harry had been eventually proven wrong in the end. But since this is a traditional rom-com and has to follow a formula, he ends up being right. 

Over the course of his 11+ years of friendship with Sally, the female lead, there are moments where he thinks that maybe he was wrong. Only for him to be right in the end, when he ends up with her. Essentially 'proving' that men and women never are just friends. As far as troubling notions for a movie to have, this isn't horrible. But it still leaves a strange, creepy undertone while watching. 

Besides that it a quite delightful film to watch. Meg Ryan is wonderful and lovably charming as always and Billy Crystal was really a unexpected surprise as a male lead in the best way possible. 

I can see why many people hold this film close to their hearts. 

2. Upgraded (2024)

Upgraded in comparison to our previous film was actually released this month on Amazon Prime. Now, people might give Netflix shit for their not-so great catalog of original movies but let's not forget Amazon too. They've been doing better in the past few years but it was rough beginnings there too. 

Starring Camila Mendes (Riverdale) and Archie Renaux (Shadow & Bone), Upgraded is a rom-com that focuses more on the 'com' part and barely at that over the 'rom' aspects of the movie. 

Is the main character a thief? Yes. Is she a liar? Yes. Does she try to steal someone's job? Yes. Does she scam her way into the hearts of her love interest and family? Yes. Does she get rewarded at the end of committing all these horrible actions? Why, yes of course. 

And the only reason I do not complain is because she looked good doing it. That and I didn't really have an reason to feel bad for the other people she was scamming. 

It was an okay 2.5/5 movie. Average, basically. The leads had chemistry when the movie remembered that there was a romance side-plot as well. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it either but it was a fun watch. 

It seems with the revival of the rom-com genre and the industry's second go at it, we're going to be seeing a lot more average rom-coms popping up, which means the arrival of future gems for me tp binge. So huzzah!!!

And last but not least...

3. Leap Year (2010)

I think this time, the biggest fault lies with me for not watching this on the leap day but I got the month I suppose?

Leap day is a movie that follows Amy Adams, the female lead as she travels to Dublin to propose to her boyfriend on the leap day. She does so because it's supposed to be an Irish custom and all. The partner in question here is Adam Scott. This also leads me to believe that before he got cast as Ben Wyatt in Parks and Rec. this man was consistently playing smaller roles and stealing the show doing it. Good for him I say! However he is unfortunately competing with Matthew Goode (male lead) as so...he doesn't end up winning. 

The movie was cute and they had good chemistry even though technically the whole concept of their romance means that she's cheating on her boyfriend but he ends up sucking so...cheating = good? I don't know but it's Matthew Goode in an Irish accent so reason doesn't apply here. 

It's a solid 2000's-2010's rom-com and so it's really fun. The part that bothered me was that she was determined to be the one who proposes in the movie. And both times when the proposing happens, she's not the one doing it. The first time was sprung on her by the sucky boyfriend so fine, I get that. The second time happens right after she confesses to Matthew Goode and runs away after assuming he doesn't feel the same and then he proposes. 

Like, really? The one thing this woman wanted to due the whole movie was to propose and you take that away from her twice? It just annoyed me because we rarely see men get proposed to as it's traditionally them who do that bit. So when you make a movie about a woman who wants to do that and you don't actually make good on that...it's annoying. 

But otherwise, it's a good time. 

Hope this valentine's day was whatever you wanted it to be. 

🐄