In this episode, we discuss “Holidate,” the Netflix original romcom that coasts on its stars’ charisma like a brick on a dry Slip’n’Slide. Join us in our bafflement and outrage as we attempt to answer questions such as: -Is Emma Roberts a bad actress? -Was this screenplay written in the 90s and tabled for 25 years? -Which holidays actually call for a date? Probably not St. Patrick’s Day, right? -How? -No, really, how did this movie happen? Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: “Our Big Adventure...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, we return to the font of bad romcoms that was 1999 to talk about "Never Been Kissed," the movie about a 25-year-old woman who pretends to be a 17-year-old girl but acts like an 8-year-old, and the 30-year-old man who falls in love with her. Romantic, right? Join us as we ask why this movie thinks proms are costume parties, marvel at the chemistry between Josie and her brother, and reminisce about our own prom and for some reason our elementary school plays. Follow us on Twitter ...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 8 min
In this episode, we tackle "Love, Guaranteed," a new Netflix original rom-com that blew its budget on 3 semi-famous actors and had nothing left over for other cast members or any sort of script editing. It's from the same team who brought us "Falling Inn Love," but this movie will make you long for what by comparison was an ensemble cast and intricate plot twists. Join us as we critique the screenwriters' understanding of the law, enumerate the movie's many clichés, and wonder whether it's possi...
Oct 08, 2020•52 min
In episode 28, we continue to plumb the depths of 1998 and revisit "Six Days, Seven Nights," the Harrison Ford/Anne Heche screwball romcom that we all need right now. E reveals her adolescent obsession with Harrison Ford, J reveals her familiarity with vacation packages, neither of us reveals a thorough understanding of how small aircraft work, and we both question the logic of casting Danny Trejo as a Polynesian pirate. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmus...
Sep 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min
In this episode, we return yet again to our adolescence, with the 1998 teen romcom "Can't Hardly Wait." Join us as we discuss Seth Green's jeans, Ethan Embry's accent(?), Jennifer Love Hewitt's nothingness (and hair), giant keychains, stupid nerds, and unfortunate homophobia. Stay for a heated debate about whether a stranded angel stripper has the right to requisition a pay phone. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com
Aug 11, 2020•56 min
In episode 26 we discuss “Hitch,” the 2005 romcom that coasts on Will Smith’s charisma and falls flat on Kevin James’s Kevin James-ness. Join us as we debate the ethics of tricking women into relationships and question whether a first date should ever involve ingesting water from the Hudson River. Stay to find out which actors J would get a moon roof for. Find us on Twitter @rombombs Music: “Our Big Adventure” by scottholmesmusic.com
Jul 16, 2020•1 hr 7 min
In episode 25, we discuss "Forces of Nature," yet another 1999 romcom (was there something in the water that year?). This one features Ben Affleck as an extremely boring dude, Sandra Bullock as a manic pixie dream woman, a hurricane as a metaphor, and an ending we didn't expect. Even after recording our longest episode yet, we're still not sure how we felt about this movie! Find us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 21 min
In episode 24, we discuss High School Musical 2, a movie that has left an indelible mark on American culture — a mark shaped curiously like Zac Efron dramatically dancing across a golf course. We recorded this episode several weeks ago, and it feels a little weird to be releasing it right now, but if you need a little mental break, hopefully an hour of us discussing this dumb, silly movie will fit the bill. Please consider donating to a community bail fund; we've retweeted a thread full of links...
Jun 02, 2020•1 hr 14 min
In this episode, we discuss "The Bounty Hunter," the 2010 Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler action romcom that asks "is it possible to root for a couple after one of them locks the other one in the trunk of a car?" and answers it with a resounding "Jesus Christ, NO." Join us as we try to figure out why Jennifer Aniston never really made it in movies and very quickly figure out why Gerard Butler never really made it in romantic comedies. Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by s...
May 03, 2020•1 hr 4 min
Good news, everyone: Jeremy Renner has finally released the female empowerment single we've all been waiting for. It's called "Every Woman" and it teaches us that women can be anything they want to be, as long as what they want to be is someone related to and/or sleeping with Jeremy Renner. Join us in this bonus episode as we unpack the song, raising questions like: -Is Jeremy Renner flirting with his sister? -How does he think flowers work? -How many lawsuits should be spurred by this song? -Is...
Apr 17, 2020•35 min
In this episode we discuss “Someone Like You,” a 2001 Ashley Judd/Hugh Jackman romcom that brings home a report card full of Needs Improvements and with “fails to live up to its potential” written in the comments section. J brings her expertise on neuroanatomy, E brings her expertise on what is and is not anthropology, and we both bring our expertise on what treasures are lurking underneath Hugh Jackman’s baggy, baggy slacks. Come for the first ever musical plot summary (performed by J’s sister,...
Apr 10, 2020•1 hr 9 min
It's bonus episode time! We're doing what we can to help distract you from, well, (gestures to everything). And what we can do is make up hypothetical romcom titles and challenge each other to come up with plots. Join us for masterpieces like "Thyme for Love" and "It's Better to Have Loved and Flossed." Stay for the gay pirates. Are we losing our minds? Maybe! Follow us on Twitter @rombombs Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com
Mar 28, 2020•34 min
In episode 21, we discuss "Get Over It," yet another late 90s/early 2000s teen romcom that's based on a Shakespeare play, except this one isn't ACTUALLY based on a Shakespeare play, it just... includes it? Sort of? A proto-psychotic Ben Foster is paired with a sleepy Kirsten Dunst as they sing and dance their way through a Midsummer Night's Dream, finding love along the way (also getting shot with a crossbow and accidentally getting naked at a basketball game). J takes issue with Kirsten Dunst's...
Mar 22, 2020•1 hr 7 min
If you've been wishing we'd do a movie everyone has seen, episode 20 is for you! We tackle everyone's favorite basic cable staple, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," a movie that posits the question: what if there was a girl, but she wasn't like other girls? And what if she had to PRETEND to be like other girls? And what if Matthew McConaughey was there too and sometimes took his shirt off? Join us as we interrogate plotlines that make no sense, compare relative levels of assholery, analyze inappro...
Mar 07, 2020•1 hr 10 min
How much effort does it take to make a sibling swap work? More than the makers of "The Family Stone" were willing to put in! In this episode, we discuss the 2005 Sarah Jessica Parker/Dylan McDe-- uh, I mean, Dermot Mulroney vehicle that takes the "uptight career woman" trope to the next level. Join us as we get outraged on SJP's behalf, put forth a reading of the movie that was almost certainly not intended, question screenwriter culinary knowledge yet again, and consider whether a Christmas mov...
Feb 13, 2020•58 min
We’re back! After a slightly-longer-than-usual break, we dive back into the deep end with “Can You Keep a Secret?”, a surprisingly charming 2019 direct-to-video romcom that only came to our attention because it stars Tyler Hoechlin, an actor E is endlessly fascinated by, for both obvious reasons (I mean, look at him) and not-so-obvious ones (which we get into in the podcast). Tune in for that mystery and many others: What happens when a woman spills all her scandalous secrets to the handsome str...
Jan 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
In episode 17, we dive into The Knight Before Christmas, a Netflix original holiday romcom that asks, "what if a 14th-century knight became patient zero for a new Black Death by bringing his germs into the year 2019?" Okay, it doesn't actually ask that, because he's too busy speaking anachronistically modern English and falling in love with Vanessa Hudgens. But WE ask that, along with such questions as: -Is "Sir Cole" the worst name for a knight? -Is cannibalism technically illegal? -What the he...
Dec 13, 2019•1 hr 1 min
In episode 16, we talk about the new Netflix Christmas(ish) rom-com "Holiday in the Wild," a movie wherein Kristin Davis gets a second start at life and for some reason falls in love with a pointlessly cocky safari pilot. This movie has it all: Elephants! Confusing character development! Casual racism! Regionally inappropriate accents! Baffling makeup and wardrobe choices! Baffling Rob Lowe's nude torso! Tune in and hear our many thoughts. Music: "Our BIg Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com...
Nov 22, 2019•51 min
In this very spoooOOoooky Halloween episode, we discuss "Teen Wolf," the 1985 Michael J. Fox cult classic that was surprisingly difficult to track down. Join us as we compare this gung-ho eighties comedy to the gritty MTV teen drama, sometimes favorably and sometimes not-so-favorably. This movie has everything: Baffling fashion! Extremely flammable hair! Truly insane foley! A girl named "Boof"! The only thing that's missing is any kind of complex plot surrounding, y'know, the existence of werewo...
Oct 27, 2019•51 min
In Episode 14, J indulges E’s David Tennant kick and we discuss “The Decoy Bride,” a 2011 British rom-com that pairs the aforementioned Tenth Doctor with Kelly Macdonald and the rocky moors of the Outer Hebrides. Although we both enjoyed the movie, this episode is our most contentious yet! Tune in as we disagree on a wide variety of issues, including: -Was the ending of this movie a surprise? -How good does David Tennant’s butt look in tight plaid bellbottoms? -Is it romantic or condescending to...
Oct 14, 2019•57 min
In this special celebration of our 30th friendiversary, we discuss a movie that came out the year we first met: "Chances Are," the 1989 Robert Downey Jr. vehicle that asks the question "what if Marty McFly and his mom had made a real go of it?" The answer, unsurprisingly, is: it would be profoundly emotionally disturbing, which is what this movie is, despite its framing as a PG-rated romantic farce. Join us as we unwind this tale of reincarnation, judicial corruption, Schrödinger's incest, and t...
Sep 24, 2019•58 min
In episode 12, we discuss the brand new Netflix original rom-com “Falling Inn Love,” a movie that pushes the limits of filmmaking by asking “how many clichés can you pack into a single film?” Join us as we discuss the ups and downs of Christina Milian’s performance, ponder the irresistibility of widowers, question various financial and renovation decisions, and bring to bear our respective areas of expertise, goats (J) and driving stick (E). Music: “Our Big Adventure” by scottholmesmusic.com...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 9 min
In episode 11, we tackle “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the sequel to “Mamma Mia!” that was pretty much the opposite of what we thought it was going to be. For one thing, it turns out it isn’t actually a rom-com! But it’s too late for us to do anything about that now, because we poured several hours of our lives into this and there’s no way we’ll let that be wasted. Join us for a marginally-more-somber-than-usual discussion that includes: -Attempting (and failing) to make sense of the movie’s su...
Aug 20, 2019•54 min
In this deluxe* episode, we discuss the long-awaited (by E) and long-dreaded (by J) “This Means War,” the 2012 rom-com that made Tom Hardy swear he’d never do another rom-com. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are CIA-agent best friends fighting over Reese Witherspoon, and in the process they abuse their authority and waste millions of taxpayer dollars. Tune in as we critique the protagonists’ spy skills, interrogate baffling character names, and are forever changed by the worst sentence ever uttered in ...
Aug 07, 2019•1 hr 8 min
In this episode of Rom Bombs, we discuss Chasing Liberty, the teen rom-com that… wait, this can’t be right… we actually ENJOYED? Mandy Moore helms this 2004 movie about the president’s daughter falling in love — not to be confused with First Daughter, the 2004 movie about the president’s daughter falling in love — and we couldn’t help but be charmed. Join us as we question the protagonist’s situational awareness, perv on Matthew Goode (just a little), and reminisce about how terrible early 2000s...
Jul 12, 2019•51 min
In this episode, Ryan Reynolds rockets to the top of our list of personae non gratae with 2005's movie "Just Friends." This film has it all: Ryan Reynolds in a fat suit, copious mentions of the "friend zone," a protagonist violently assaulting a group of small children, and a flaming reindeer hitting a man in the balls. You should not even think about watching this movie; consider this episode us throwing ourselves on a grenade for you. Tune in and find out all of the ways we think this movie sh...
Jun 22, 2019•47 min
It's the end of the school year, which can only mean one thing: time for a classic teen romantic comedy! In episode 7, we dip into the pantheon of nineties teen movies to talk about "She's All That," the makeover movie starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, and an all-star cast of background characters Did this movie age well? How does it compare to its fraternal twin, "10 Things I Hate About You"? Why do rom-com writers not seem to understand what aprons are for? Listen and find out!...
May 27, 2019•47 min
In this special bonus episode, we discuss a movie that was neither a rom nor a bomb. This was originally supposed to be a hot-off-the-presses tide-you-over episode recorded right after we saw the movie on opening weekend, but then E procrastinated on editing so you're getting it two weeks late. Hope you still care about Avengers: Endgame! If not, you won't have to wait too long until the next, normal episode comes out.
May 16, 2019•40 min
In this slightly unhinged episode, we discuss “The Perfect Date,” the brand new Netflix original teen rom-com that drove us both to drink. Can a movie about a teenaged escort be wholesome? Tune in as E takes issue with the protagonist’s height, J takes issue with the protagonist’s college application essay, and we both take issue with the name “Delbert.” Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com
Apr 15, 2019•45 min
In episode 5, we take on “How Do You Know?”, the 2010 Reese Witherspoon/Paul Rudd/Owen Wilson love triangle movie by film auteur James L. Brooks. Listen and find out whether Reese Witherspoon was a believable professional softball player, which reptile would have been a welcome addition to the movie, and what one easy step will help prevent UTIs.
Mar 28, 2019•44 min
