From the 1930’s to 2024, romantic comedies have been nearly inescapable. From It Happened One Night to Pretty In Pink to Crazy Rich Asians, rom-coms have been a cinematic staple for generations and it is hard to go on streaming services like Netflix or Prime Video without getting a cheesy romance flick recommended to you. With the popularity of romantic comedies and the demand for easy breezy love stories, it is hard to believe that the general consensus among audiences and critics is that while the quantity of these movies has steadily increased, and the quality has decreased significantly.
With the switch in many production companies from theatrical releases to straight to streaming rollouts, the turnaround time for developing to releasing a film has decreased drastically which allows for more films to be produced and released in a short amount of time. This has allowed streaming giants to release full movie series in a matter of three years and develop their next projects in just months. While movies such as The Kissing Booth trilogy or the 2021 reboot of She’s All That, titled He’s All That, were well received by audiences, it’s nearly impossible to ignore the repetitive plot lines and poor writing of these movies as well as reliance on sequels and reboots to make a hit. While there have been diamonds in the rough in recent years that rise above other romantic comedies, the true “Rom-Com Renaissance,” as it has been dubbed by social media users, started in the late 2010’s and reached a new high in 2023.
Netflix’s 2018 film Set It up and the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series have been high notes in recent years, but 2023 certainly exceeded expectations for movie goers in the romantic comedy genre. Movies like No Hard Feelings and Red White & Royal Blue received rave reviews from critics and audiences in 2023 and the year closed on a high note with the release of Anyone But You, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing on par with the classic 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew.
Anyone But You is a refreshing use of classic tropes supported by a strong script and a near-perfect casting of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney supported by rising stars like Alexandra Shipp and GaTa.
Ending one year and beginning the next with Anyone But You is further evidence of this “Rom-Com Renaissance” as it continues to win the hearts of audiences and takes over social media trend after social media trend. The movie had its theatrical release on December 22, 2023 and has made over $58 million in the box office worldwide. The film is expected to be available for home purchase before the end of the winter and for on demand streaming in the spring of 2024.