A great gift for the romcom-lover in your life (even if that’s yourself!). 4/5 stars.
To be published 27th August 2024
Thank you to Quarto Published Group – White Lion for providing me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley.
The blurb:
A celebration of 100 of the best romantic comedies of all time – all with proper feminist credentials. From Barbie to Muriel’s Wedding and It Happened One Night to 13 Going on 30, this book will validate your love of romcoms and prove they have always had your back.
We all love romcoms. They keep us on the edge of our seats, waiting for the two leads to fall madly in love. But what you may not realize is that they often contain profound feminist messages that have the power to re-shape how we think about sexism and women’s rights.
In this fascinating guide, movie journalist and Bechdel Test Fest founder Corrina Antrobus reveals how romcoms reflect feminism in the modern age. These iconic, groundbreaking movies have shone a spotlight or shifted narratives on topics from body positivity to abortion, and from faking orgasms to workplace equality.
My take:
I always wish I read more non-fiction and I love a good romcom movie. So when I saw this book on Netgalley, I jumped at the chance to read it.
Romantic comedy as a genre is often seen as anti-feminist. And if you see these stories as solely being about women who only become complete people when they find a man to love them, then you’d be right. However, this book demonstrates there is so much more to the romcom, with 100 examples to make its point: there is a great deal of feminism in these stories if you know where to find it.
It’s a great book to dip in and out of. There’s a page of text about each of the 100 movies set next to its own illustration. The pictures are an important element of the book and their colourful, quirky style suits the spirit of the work.
The chosen movies range from some made in the 1920s right up to 2023’s smash hit Barbie. As well as ranging over a century of cinema, the feminism here is laudably intersectional: the movies selected include romances which centre women of colour and LGBTQ+ stories. Readers will surely come away with a watch list of movies to further their existing romcom knowledge.
The only downside for me was having to read this in an electronic format. It was fiddly and didn’t do the layout or illustrations justice. This is definitely a book to enjoy in a physical format.
Overall: a great read for anyone who loves romcom movies. Just make sure you get the hardback or paperback version.
