Directed by: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine

Netflix has been the talk of the town, with successful new original releases every month, it’s like if you don’t have Netflix, you aren’t really living.

Isn’t It Romantic is the latest instalment, cleverly released 2 weeks after Valentines Day. Rebel Wilson plays the cynic we all are, who thinks Romantic Comedies are just a big fat lie and to make you feel terrible about yourself. After an attack on the train platform, she hits her head quite dramatically and wakes up in a rom-com dimension.

The streets are paved with flowers, vibrant colours and is totally decked out in what looks like it’s straight out of La La Land and Enchanted. Trapped in this illusion, she must find a way back to reality and thinks the only way out is to make someone fall in love with her.

This film does what it says on the tin. It is filled to the brim with rom-com clichés no matter how cute or revolting they may be and it’s really funny. Swearing gets bleeped out, sex scenes get chopped off, but most importantly it works as a satire for the decades where rom-coms were at their best. I’m talking the 90’s and early 2000’s. There was always a big presentation or project the main character would be working on and they would always fall for the one they thought “were the one” but in fact heir true love was the one they wouldn’t have expected. So in terms of spoilers… there’s not really any. The soundtrack is also genius. We get an old school throw-back vibe from “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, “A Thousand Miles”, “Kiss Me”, “Express Yourself” which are only a few. This is an essential history lesson for those who are not educated on the greatness of real romantic comedies.

Rebel Wilson was a delight as usual and she was perfect for this role because of her humour. And being paired with Adam Devine again was awesome as they have such great on-screen chemistry. We even get a little Pitch Perfect moment thrown in for our pleasure. Speaking of Devine, he is a total heartthrob in this. It’s great seeing him in a slightly different role. He normally plays the best friend/nerdy obnoxious type, but this time his character is toned down and we get to really see Devine and get the chance to adore him. Especially when he’s up against Liam Hemsworth.

What do we get from Liam Hemsworth? A thick adorable Aussie accent and humour with a slight obnoxious personality. It’s like Devine and Hemsworth swapped roles. And Priyanka Chopra was fab. I love seeing her in more mainstream films as she’s just so much fun to watch on-screen.

Isn’t It Romantic is just a ball of fun and you go into it knowing what you’re going to come out with. And as Wilson mentioned, it’s literally “The Matrix but for lonely women”. Great performances all round, and a perfect musical number to end it off. Who knew slow motion running would affect your boobs.

rating 6