Friday Film Club: NYC RomComs
10 NYC Based Rom Coms as Cheesy (and Delicious) as a $1 Slice
BY VERONICA VICCORA
9.27.21
I'd heard my whole life that New York is the kind of city that chews you up and spits you right back out. It's dirty. It's loud. It's scary. I imagined that after moving here, the magic would start to wear off pretty quickly. So I was a bit surprised when, after a yearlong steady diet of the Big Apple, I only found myself craving more. I guess even when I'm looking for a little escapism, I don't want to escape New York because I've been bingeing every NYC based Rom Com I can find.
I know how meta it is, watching movies about young dreamers in their tiny Manhattan apartments... from my tiny Manhattan apartment. But, truth be told, burrowing into these boroughs has only skyrocketed my love for them. Like all my other big adventures, I foolishly assumed that "getting it out of my system" was I all I needed to do to stop obsessing over these grimy, glittering streets of Manhattan. But this isn't a bad case of food poisoning people, these are my dreams!
So if, like me, you just can't get enough of New York, whether you're here or dreaming from afar, here are 10 of the Best New York City based Rom Coms for your marathoning pleasure.
1. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
Okay, sure. On the surface, this is just another Rom Com. It has all the usual romantic comedy elements: a beautiful, motivated but unfulfilled writer (Kate Hudson) working for a high powered New York magazine, a woman upending her moving plans for a man she's just met, and Matthew McConaughey cooking meat and riding motorcycles.
But, there's something about the microcosm of these specific characters under the backdrop of dazzling New York that's so compelling. There are so many plots and subplots running along side each other with secret motivations of love and power blurring the lines and confusing everyone. Throw in a few "thous" and "arts" and you've basically got yourself a Shakespeare play.
2. Confessions of a Shopaholic
You'll never guess who the main character is: a beautiful, talented but unsatisfied writer with big dreams she can't seem to make happen. However, this movie gets bonus points for having the quintessential let's-have-a-loud-conversation-during-a-yoga-class-so-we'll-keep-getting-shushed-for-comedic-effect scene, the bitchy high fashion antagonist andddddd the quirky best friend/roommate combo. In all seriousness though, it's a magical movie. The outdated 2009 soundtrack, Isla Fisher's impeccable comedic timing, the ridiculous over the top ensembles. It is a charming, addicting, beautiful mess.
3. 13 Going on 30
This movie was all of our glitzy pre-teen fantasies come to life. That's right folks, we have Jennifer Garner parading around New York City wearing candy colored mini dresses, sparkly eyeshadow and completely impractical purses all while adorably trapped in a fever dream. (Can we please take a moment to give a round of applause to the costume department?) Oh, and her profession? You guessed it, the editor of a high powered New York City fashion magazine. Nothing encapsulates the sweet innocence of youth like this movie. It'll make you start planning your future and your next slumber party all in one fell swoop.
4. What a girl wants
Okay, to be fair, we're in London for a majority of this movie but we get snippets of Amanda Bynes living with her cool-ass musician mom in a teeny, artsy Chinatown apartment. Her annual birthday party at the Chinese food restaurant they live above, while peppered with feelings of paternal abandonment, is a glorious, lower Manhattanite dream come to life. For most of the story we're transported back to New York only briefly, but we get a little New York and a lot of London so... best of both worlds?
5. Annie Hall
Diane Keaton in the 70's. Do I even need to explain how good the costumes are? I will anyway. Annie's androgyny is an absolute chef's kiss if there ever was one. We have vests, plaid, ties, and bowler hats. If, for some reason, you don't watch it for the ridiculous comedic ramblings of Woody Allen, please, I beg of you, watch it for the brilliant fall fashion inspiration. I would call this less of a cheesy Rom Com and more of a classic. It might even be an anti-romcom. But it's definitely worth watching.
6. 27 Dresses
This was actually the movie that kicked my marathon off. I was looking for a little wedding inspiration (because, yes, I'm still engaged two years and one pandemic later), and I couldn't resist some Katherine Heigl as a romantically inept wedding planner caught in an unrequited love triangle. It has all the things you want out of a New York City Rom Com: a hunky, sarcastic love interest, family drama and spontaneous drunken singing and dancing to Benny and the Jets.
7. A Rainy Day in New York
Timothée Chalamet. Elle Fanning. Selena Gomez. Jude Law. I am not just naming sexy individuals folks, this is the cast. It features upper crust members of New York society, extramarital affairs and... in traditional Romantic Comedy fashion, we have ourselves an aspiring journalist. It's cozy. It's dramatic. It's wet. Watch it.
8. Along Came polly
Is the dialogue in this movie a little rough sometimes? Maybe... (nobody casually reminds their childhood best friend that they "manage risk for a living" in actual conversation). But come on! It's Jennifer Aniston as a manic pixie dream girl! She travels the world, salsa dances and owns a ferret. What more could you want?
9. Uptown girls
"What would Molly wear?" A question worth asking anytime you're in a style rut because Molly Gunn has some of the greatest outfits you'll ever witness. A lampshade as a hair clip? Yes please. A wispy, glittery birthday dress? Yep. And don't even get me started on her patch adorned overall dress. As the story centers around a very fashionable nanny and the girl she takes care of teaching each other how to live, this is less of a Rom Com and more of a coming of age story. But it's 100% dazzling, inspiring and heart warming.
10. Fools Rush In
This movie is basically like if Chandler ended up in an alternate universe and met Isabel Fuentes waiting online for a bar bathroom instead of Monica. In fact, I'm not convinced it's not the friends universe. We never really knew what his job was. Maybe he was a high powered New York City architect the whole time. Regardless, the good ol' Chandler sarcasm is completely intact. In this Rom Com, we get a little New York, a little Mexico, a little Las Vegas and lot of Salma Hayek being the most magnetic and charming ever.
Voila! You now have the makings of a perfect New York City inspired Romantic Comedy marathon. Grab some girlfriends, pop on (and open) something sparkling and let the good times roll. What movies did I miss? Let me know in the comments below!
