When Harry Gaslit Sally: Why Your Romcom Favorites May Actually Be The Problem
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Ahhhhhh yes. Ladies and gentleman, it’s that time of the year. The air is crisp, the leaves are littering the ground, we’ve made it to fall. There is so much to love about this season, finally you can put on your favorite coat and embody “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” album cover. You can order that pumpkin spice latte (I salute to all my fellow baristas, our hard work is the community’s joy).
Although, there is another special part of this time of the year: the romcoms. It is the perfect weather for all your favorite love stories, certified “yearning” weather if you will. That being said, with these yearly romcom rewatches I have started to notice an important pattern that desperately needs my voicing- why are some romcom leads kind of.. horrible? Now, I know this sounds dramatic. Don’t get me wrong either- I absolutely adore every romcom no matter how insufferable the leading character. However, I will still shed light on just a few examples to prove a bit of a point.
The reason I started to ponder this topic all began with none other than Logan Lerman. “Logan Lerman?” you ask. Yes, you see I recently watched a clip from an interview he did with Molly Gordon, in which he called out Julia Robert’s character in “Notting Hill” for kind of being an unlikeable person. Which, I can see where he is coming from. Hugh Grant’s character was nothing but nice the whole time and she really put him through the ringer. She did indeed cheat on her American boyfriend, although insufferable, without telling Will. I understand how stressful life in the public eye may be with rumors and gossip, but can we all agree she was very unfair to be so upset at Will after the press showed up to his house unannounced? Like yeah, I’m sure the guy was expecting 1,000 British Press photographers when he opened his door. As Hugh’s character even quotes in very English fashion: “This is spectacularly unfair.” That it is.
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Anyway, I got to thinking of all the romcoms I have seen and if I could find more leads which were actually kind of not that great after all. I first thought of the movie “When Harry Met Sally”. Now, my take for this one may be less about the plot and more centered around the fact that Harry just straight up annoys me. I mean, his whole schtick with the “Can men and women just be friends?” always got on my nerves. Trust me, you’ve made it your whole personality Harry. Not to mention, I don't find it romantic that it takes him literal years to realize he’s in love with Sally. I know he’s supposed to be young and naive in the beginning, but still. Genuinely the only thing he had going for him was his wit. I know I am reading way too far into that relationship for a straight-up comedic movie, but for the sake of this list he had to be included.
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Finally, I’ll conclude with what may be a very unpopular opinion and a bit of a double whammy- including both romcom leads being not that chill. I am indeed talking about “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.” Yes, I do understand that obviously the plot mechanics require both Andie (Kate Hudson) and Ben (Matthew Mcconaughey) to be awful and cringe. However, I just think that by the time they come together it isn’t technically earned because he doesn’t even really know the REAL her (besides once when they like, hooked up in the bathroom). Don’t get me wrong, I know she’s pretending for her article and he’s just doing the whole thing with the bet, but neither character is very redeemable for me. You have to be a strange type of person to do what either of them did to the other. I think this romcom has become a classic mainly thanks to the fact that both of them are drop-dead gorgeous, otherwise I’m just not a fan.
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I’m sure I could go on with this list but I do not want to be too miserable. At the end of the day, these flawed characters give us the entertaining plot lines we crave. After all, who wants to watch a perfect relationship unfold on screen from start to finish? Not me, I can tell you that. Every romcom needs the frustration, the classic misunderstanding, the ultimately being redeemable at the end. So please indulge this fall season, watch that movie. Maybe fall will bring upon your own love story- just make sure you aren’t Harry. Thanks.
Strike Out,
Cira Thigpen
Editor: Meghan Bosman
Athens