What does it take to make an enemies-to-lovers story work? Ideally, Colin Firth in a soaking wet shirt, but instead "The Hating Game" offers up Temu Ryan Reynolds in a towel, which doesn't quite get the job done. A book J liked was transformed into a movie neither of us liked, but we have lots of ideas about how it could have been fixed. We're not angry, just disappointed. Topics covered include: -What's the best angle for a butt shot? -What's the line between "romantic" and "serial killer"? -Wh...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 13 min
We're talking about "You're Cordially Invited," the new(ish) Reese Witherspoon/Will Ferrell romcom that's a bit heavier on the com than the rom but nonetheless qualifies. Why is this a bonus episode instead of a regular episode? Well, two reasons. One: we both really enjoyed this movie, so this episode is less us picking apart its flaws and more just us talking about what we liked about it. Two: we've already established that if we reach episode 100 we'll be covering "Love Actually," and we'd li...
Mar 16, 2025•40 min
We did it! We've made it to the end of the Netflix holiday season! Like marathon runners, we limp across the finish line, wobbly-kneed and hopefully not having pooped our pants. In this episode we discuss "Our Little Secret," the last of Netflix's 2024 holiday romcom releases. Lindsay Lohan, Kristen Chenoweth, a guy who played a creep on Pretty Little Liars, and a bunch of other people (and a Yorkie) engage in implausible hijinks at Christmastime, and somehow, despite a couple of near-fatal flaw...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 39 min
What if Magic Mike, but Christmas, and also even less of a plot? In this episode we discuss "The Merry Gentlemen," Netflix's third holiday romcom offering, in which Chad Michael Murray plays a carpenter who gets roped into performing in an all-male topless dance revue in order to save Christmas. Join us as we discuss ugly necklaces, floor humping, city girls, and hair that may or may not be a wig. Follow us on Bluesky @rombombs Theme: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes (Xmas remix by E)...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Since the dawn of time, made-for-TV holiday romcoms have featured women bringing snowmen to life and then falling in love with them. In this episode we discuss "Hot Frosty," the second of Netflix's holiday romcom releases, which was truly a breath of fresh air after the debacle that was "Meet Me Next Christmas." Come for the discussion of the practicalities of having sex with a snowman; stay for the part where E completely misunderstands the denouement of the movie and J only makes her feel a LI...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 22 min
It's the holiday season again! And in the midst of the hellscape we find ourselves in, Netflix has decided to grace us with not one, not two, not three but FOUR new holiday romcoms. In this episode we discuss the first release, "Meet me Next Christmas," a Christina Milian/Pentatonix vehicle that... okay, you know how, without the occasional rainy day, you can't really appreciate the sunshine? Well, you'd better have some galoshes if you're going to watch this movie. Follow us on BLUESKY @rombomb...
Nov 17, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Is "The Idea of You" a romcom? We don't know, but we watched it, and by golly we're going to talk about it! It's a story about ancient, withered crone Anne Hathaway falling in love with a young(?) boy-band star played by Nicholas Galitzine, and while we do spend a lot of time discussing age gaps, we also make room to talk about really important topics like: the world's ugliest dress, the various ways someone could get into trouble in New York, E's cat's butthole, and why Reid Scott only plays ch...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 12 min
We're back! And so is Lindsay Lohan, continuing her Romcomnaissance with another Netflix holiday romcom. But this time the holiday is... St. Patrick's Day? Join us as we discuss "Irish Wish," covering such topics as the definition of "wish," cobblestone streets that look exactly unlike New York City, and the fact that movie writers never seem to understand how the world of publishing actually works. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Theme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 34 min
We're back, just in time for Christmas! New holiday romcoms were thin on the ground this year, but we managed to find the Freevee original "Exmas," starring Robbie Amell and Leighton Meester as ex-fiance(e)s who reunite. One of us watched the movie in 5-minute chunks with a toddler kicking them in the ribs, and the other of us watched it like a normal person watching a movie; can you guess which of us liked the movie more? Join us as we discuss terrible bangs, romcoms continuing to not understan...
Dec 24, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Holy moly, we've reached episode 50! To honor the occasion, we went out and actually PAID to see a movie in theaters. That movie is "Love Again," a fever dream of a romcom that will make you ask "did I hit my head and wake up in 1997, a year when it might actually make sense for everyone to be obsessing over Celine Dion?" Join us as we discuss such important topics as: -Sam Heughan's butt -Emotional support basketballs -Chekhov's journalist -Boy Meets World -Celine Dion, licensed OB/GYN Follow u...
Jun 15, 2023•1 hr 27 min
In this episode, we discuss "Ticket to Paradise," the movie that reunites romcom mainstay Julia Roberts with a George Clooney who has gradually abandoned his suaveness and embraced his wackiness. We all love an enemies-to-lovers story, but can we love a lovers-to-enemies-back-to-lovers-again story? Maybe not? Join us as we discuss the world's most disappointing wardrobe, the real dangers of swimming with dolphins, Balinese(?) wedding traditions, Schrodinger's yoga pants, and the fact that the cr...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Ho ho ho! Meeeerry Christmas! What's that in your stocking? It's another holiday episode! In this one we talk about "Christmas With You," the incredibly generically-named Netflix original romcom that marks Freddie Prinze Jr.'s return to the screen. If you enjoyed "Marry Me" then you'll probably enjoy this one, since it's essentially a store-brand "Marry Me" with a slightly more plausible premise. Join us as we discuss FPJ's Just For Men hair, emotional support guitars, whether the Christmas song...
Dec 25, 2022•1 hr 12 min
It's holiday season, baby! And you know what that means: another Vanessa Hudg— (touches earpiece) Sorry, I'm being told that... this can't be right... Netflix didn't put out a Vanessa Hudgens Christmas romcom this year? Well, we'll just have to settle for "Falling for Christmas," the movie that marks Lindsay Lohan's return to the screen as well as millions of people learning for the first time that there's a guy named "Chord Overstreet." Join us as we run down the checklist of Christmas romcom c...
Dec 03, 2022•1 hr 7 min
In this episode, we discuss "Blast from the Past," the classic 1999 "fish out of water" romcom that itself constitutes a blast from the past, but in case that wasn't enough, we actually recorded this episode a year ago and then E never got around to editing it, so the episode itself is a blast from the past! INCEPTION. Anyway, join us as we talk about the "born sexy yesterday" trope, proper Air Force bailing-out behavior, the disservice this movie does to Sissy Spacek, and, for some reason, Vane...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 1 min
In this episode, we tackle "Moonshot," a straight-to-streaming young adult romcom set *~*in the future*~* when humans live on Mars and yet nothing else has changed. Although we have surprisingly different opinions about this movie, we still manage to tackle lots of important issues, including: -Cole Sprouse's confusing career and tonsorial choices -Cat welfare -What the Big Bang looked like -Whether it's possible to enjoy a movie without realizing it Plus J introduces a great new party game: "Wh...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min
We're baa-ack! (Actually, we recorded this episode a while ago, and then E took an embarrassingly long time to finish editing it.) In this episode we talk about "Marry Me," the new social-media-infused heir to the golden age of romcoms (the late 1990s). Join us as we talk about JLo's seeming inability to age, Owen Wilson's hair, Central Illinois geography, and the logistics of marrying a stranger pulled out of a crowd. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic...
Apr 20, 2022•56 min
At last, we reach the end of the holiday season, and our final Netflix original romcom: "Single All the Way," a movie we both unironically enjoyed. Join us as we unpack what exactly makes this movie succeed where so many others have failed, engage in some light nitpicking, and go off on a bunch of tangents because we didn't have enough to complain about. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix by E)
Dec 27, 2021•56 min
Continuing our marathon of Netflix Christmas romcoms, in this episode we discuss “A Castle for Christmas.” It’s yet another British-adjacent royalty-adjacent Christmas movie, but this time without any Vanessa Hudgenses and with a middle-aged couple at the center. Brooke Shields is an “author,” Cary Elwes is a “Scottish” duke, and a big stone house is the “castle” at the center of their romance. Join us as we tackle such hard-hitting questions as: -What, exactly, is a castle? -What crime-related ...
Dec 18, 2021•1 hr 7 min
It's that time of year again: the chill in the air carries the scent of roasting chestnuts and the sound of multiple Vanessa Hudgenses giggling, so it must be Christmas season! We return to the Princess Switch well to discuss the The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star, aka The Princess Switch 3: Still Switchin'!, aka The Princess Switch 3: This One's About Fiona. Join us as we consider character trajectories (who's getting hotter with each movie? who's getting stupider?), the practicalities o...
Dec 03, 2021•1 hr 10 min
We're going indie for the big four-oh! In this episode, we discuss "One Small Hitch," the 2013 small-budget romcom that's almost good. Join us as we pinpoint the moments it gets right and the moments where it veers off course. Talking points include: mystery pills, our love of the "fake relationship" trope, how not to get sex-trafficked at the airport, the Jewish version of "blackface," what "The Big C" could stand for, and accidental nude encounters. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our B...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 13 min
Netflix made a gender-swapped version of the teen classic "She's All That," and you'd better believe we watched it. Join us as we discuss "He's All That," asking a wide range of questions including: -Does Addison Rae's TikTok dancing fame translate into a strong on-screen acting presence? (Spoiler: no) -What constitutes a good promposal? -Why did they write a movie about an influencer without bothering to do even a modicum of research about the influencing economy? -Horses — how do they work? -I...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 19 min
In this episode we tackle the new Netflix original romcom "Resort to Love," a movie we both... actually liked! Christina Milian (of "Falling Inn Love" fame) returns, this time joined by a staggeringly winsome Sinqua Walls and a bafflingly out-of-place Jay Pharoah. Tune in to listen to us discuss proper hiking apparel, karaoke etiquette, gecko romance, and emoji acting. Then take a trip to Mauritius, because it looks really beautiful. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by s...
Aug 13, 2021•1 hr 9 min
Have you ever wanted to watch a movie with us? Well, now you can! We were recently together in the same room and took the opportunity to record a live commentary track for the 2002 Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant classic "Two Weeks Notice." Just cue up the movie and press play when we tell you to, and you'll get to hear all of our thoughts on "woman orders takeout" scenes, conniving romcom redheads, some confusing costuming and hairstyling choices, and That Infamous Traffic Scene. You could also liste...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 49 min
It’s summertime, and that can only mean one thing: it’s teen comedy time! This time we discuss “What a Girl Wants,” the 2003 Amanda Bynes vehicle wherein she plays an ordinary American teen who finally meets her aristocratic British dad (Colin Firth) and just doesn’t fit in. You might call it a “fish out of water” scenario, but that incorrectly implies that there is a milieu in which Amanda Bynes’s character would be at home. It’s more like a “fish out of water but also the fish is allergic to w...
Jul 05, 2021•1 hr 5 min
We're back, baby! With worse audio quality than ever! E messed up her audio inputs so it sounds like she's recording at the bottom of a well, and J got a new microphone and is still adjusting. But you won't care about our sonic peccadilloes once we dig into "New in Town," the 2009 romcom that, like an Olympic diver scoring perfect tens, made no splash whatsoever. Renee Zellweger is the workaholic city girl who moves to a small Minnesota town, and Harry Connick Jr. is the laid-back country boy wh...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 14 min
In this episode, we tackle The Wedding Planner, the 2001 Jennifer Lopez/Matthew McConaughey romcom that asks “what if a wedding planner fell in love with the groom of the wedding she’s planning?” and, secondarily, “what if Jennifer Lopez were Italian?” Join us for a lengthy discussion that includes such important topics as: -What a wedding planner’s job duties do and do not include -“Italian” accents that really feel like revenge for our complaints about Richard Gere’s accent in the previous epi...
Apr 10, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Ah, Spring. The time when a young woman's fancy turns to abandoning yet another man at the altar. In this episode, we discuss Runaway Bride, the 1999 movie wherein Garry Marshall tried to replicate the magic of Pretty Woman and instead pulled a dead dove out of his sleeve. Join us as we discuss Richard Gere's needlessly bad New Yawk accent, what a journalist is (and isn't), and our undying love of Joan Cusack. Stay as we worry about the welfare of Richard Gere's character's cat. Follow us on Twi...
Mar 27, 2021•59 min
We're still alive! It's a new year, which means a fresh slate, which means a new opportunity to talk about a Reese Witherspoon movie. This time it's "Home Again," a 2017 romcom in which a divorcee takes in three wayward young filmmakers and... some stuff happens? I guess? Join us as we try to diagnose where exactly this movie went wrong, and in the process discuss our favorite Nancy Meyers movies, E's continuing distrust of tall characters, our surefire crying triggers, and yet more bad American...
Feb 13, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Here’s a little holiday gift for you! In this bonus episode, we discuss Christmas music: the songs we like, the songs we hate, and what Christmas music in general means to us, two women who do not celebrate Christmas. Plus, E debuts a new version of “Santa Baby” that is sure to fill your heart with holiday joy. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: “Our Big Adventure” by scottholmesmusic.com
Dec 24, 2020•40 min
In this episode we go back to our roots, as we discuss the sequel to "The Princess Switch," which was very first movie that we covered, two whole years ago! "The Princess Switch 2: Switched Again" has it all: unrequested matchmaking, a flour fight, a recast child role, a Christmas decorating montage, magic(???), a bland white guy wandering around pointlessly, a coronation, a strangely aggressive balloon drop, a spacetime paradox, and THREE — count 'em, three — Vanessa Hudgenses. Truly we are ble...
Dec 20, 2020•1 hr 12 min
