Movie Review: “Isn’t It Romantic” is a pleasant if a tad overly precious send-up of rom-coms

Movie Review: “Isn’t It Romantic” (PG-13)

For some, the rom-com is near perfect send-up fodder, and in fact we’ve seen parodies of this popular subgenre before in movies like the righteously hilarious David Wain-directed gem “They Came Together” starring Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. But where that R-rated comedy straight-up spoofed the rom-com, the pleasant and completely harmless Rebel Wilson-headlined “Isn’t It Romantic” wants you to laugh with it instead of at it.

In this high-concept comedy, Wilson is Natalie, a sweet but closed off and slightly pushed-around architect whose best friend (Betty Gilpin of Netflix’s GLOW fame) at the office is constantly expressing the importance and misunderstood nature of the rom-com. Of course, Natalie is having none of it and sternly suggests that the rom-com wasn’t made for women like her. After an altercation with a thief in the subway leaves her unconscious, however, a confused and perplexed Natalie awakens in the hospital to discover that she has been mysteriously transported to rom-com land, a place where opposites attract, love birds get exactly what their hearts desire, coworkers battle for office supremacy, and gay men serve as a lovesick woman’s best friend. And while some of these tropes might be completely eyeroll worthy in a lot of other movies, they serve as a playful and amusing homage in the gentle confines of “Isn’t It Romantic.”

This isn’t the first time director Todd Strauss-Schulson has waxed meta. He’s the filmmaker responsible for the grossly underappreciated (and oddly adorable) “The Final Girls.” That 2015 release lovingly paid homage to the slasher genre in a plethora of most unexpected ways. While “Isn’t It Romantic” is considerably less unexpected and substantially more precious, there’s a sweetness and charm at the center of it that will appeal to many viewers, particularly those who bow at the altar of the quintessential rom-com.

Leading the charge is a delightfully amusing Rebel Wilson who brings the charm, likability, and Chris Farley-level prat falls in equal measure. She’s pretty lovable here and manages to bring an affable quality to the proceedings that might bring to mind a surprisingly vulnerable Amy Schumer in last year’s uneven but enjoyable “I Feel Pretty.”

Wilson is complemented by a capable supporting cast including a lively Liam Hemsworth as a douchey misogynist in the real world and a smitten hunk in the rom-com world, a warm and funny Adam Devine (who also appeared in Schulson’s “The Final Girls”) as Natalie’s charming co-worker, Gilpin as Natalie’s adoring best friend, Priyanka Chopra  as a supermodel with eyes on Josh, and Brandon Scott Jones as an all-knowing gay neighbor.

Again, “Isn’t It Romantic” does tend to get a little overly precious, and some of the more standard tropes — including a rivalry between Natalie and co-worker in the rom-com world — are only merely hinted at. However, given that such tropes are often overdone in the films this movie is sending up, perhaps that’s a good thing. Whatever your opinion on that topic, there’s quite a bit to smile at in this picture. Be it the ridiculous but amusing musical numbers or the fashion in which Natalie engages in a series of “Happy Death Day” inspired do-overs with a towel-wearing Hemsworth, it’s pretty clear that “Isn’t It Romantic” is often funnier than many of the movies to which it pays homage.

But for all its goofy and obvious rom-com referencing, the sweetest, most noble aspect of “Isn’t It Romantic” comes in the form of who Natalie ultimately chooses to pledge her true love to in the final act. It’s an honest, poignant, and surprising moment in a sweet-natured movie inspired by a subgenre that isn’t often known for surprising viewers. This plot point alone makes “Isn’t It Romantic” worth watching.

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