Category Archives: Romcom

The Idea of You review — Good idea but a mixed execution

May 5, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Michael Showalter | Written by Showalter and Jennifer Westfeldt, based on a novel by Robinne Lee | 115 min | ▲▲△△△ | Amazon Prime It was Westfeldt's name that drew me to this movie — she co-wrote and starred in one of the best romcoms of the new millennium, Kissing Jessica Stein. This…Read More

The Greatest Hits review — Ned Benson’s sweet return

April 26, 2024 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Ned Benson | 94 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Disney+ I was unreasonably excited to check out this movie. It's from Ned Benson, who directed a wildly ambitious but criminally underseen drama from about 10 years ago called The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby starring Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis and James McAvoy. It's…Read More

Anyone But You review — Hotness isn’t enough to make us care

December 25, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Will Gluck | Written by Gluck and Ilana Wolpert | 103 min |▲▲△△△ | Crave Ah, that rarest of genres to get a release in cinemas these days, next to the Western: a romantic comedy. It isn't hard to see what made the producers of this picture slaver: "Let's pair up the two…Read More

The Persian Version review — Comedy and drama jostle awkwardly

October 25, 2023 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Maryam Keshavarz | 107 min | ▲▲▲△△ | Crave Leila (Layla Mohammadi) is a New Yorker, raised in an American-Iranian family, the only girl in a house with eight brothers. She's an out lesbian, but in the wake of the end of her relationship with another woman sleeps with a male…Read More

She Came To Me review — This is a weird one, approach with caution

October 5, 2023 flawintheiris

Written and Directed by Rebecca Miller | 102 min | ▲▲△△△ Rebecca Miller has had a compelling, if shaggy career as a filmmaker. Prominently for those of us in this part of the world, in 2005 she wrote and directed The Ballad Of Jack and Rose, shot in PEI and starring her husband, Daniel Day-Lewis.…Read More

Shortcomings review — Laughs, loathing mix for an unusually good time

August 4, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Randall Park | Written by Adrian Tomine, adapting his own graphic novel | 92 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | On Demand Here's a knowing, self-aware comedy that plays with the conventions of the genre while also serving as a sharp look at creativity, identity, and representation, specifically amongst urban Asian-Americans. Actor-turned-Amazon-pitchman Randall Park (Always…Read More

What’s Love Got To Do With It? review — Culture clash works better than the romance

May 20, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Shekhar Kapur | Written by Jemima Khan | 108 min | ▲▲▲△△ | On Demand Best known as the director of Bandit Queen, the movie that made Cate Blanchett a star, Elizabeth, and it's sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a romantic comedy might seem an unlikely project for the Indian filmmaker, but it's actually…Read More

Ghosted review — Abysmal action-comedy schlock

April 24, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Dexter Fletcher | Written by Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers | 116 min | ▲△△△△ | Apple TV+ I was pretty sure this was gonna be a difficult watch when someone says, "I think she might be the one!" It’s a line by Chris Evans' character early on in…Read More

Rye Lane review — The freshest romcom in ages

April 13, 2023 flawintheiris

Directed by Raine Allen-Miller | Written by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia | 82 min | ▲▲▲▲▲ | Disney +, Crave Dom (David Jonsson) has just been dumped by his girlfriend who cheated on him with his best friend. When we meet him he's crying his heart out in an art gallery's unisex bathroom. Yas…Read More

The Knox Office: Valentine’s Day Edition

February 12, 2023 flawintheiris

On Friday on CBC Information Morning in Nova Scotia I reopened The Knox Office, my film column, and spoke with guest host Pauline Dakin about movies people may want to watch leading up to Valentine's Day. I wanted to offer at least five possibilities for different scenarios — but ended up talking about even more.…Read More