Rom Dot Com: “Knocked Up and the Romantic Comedy Remodel”

The golden age of the rom-com lasted about 15 years, through the 1990s and early 2000s. The movies from this era were whimsical, unrealistic but charming portrayals of love. Think When Harry Met Sally, Notting Hill, and How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days. 

In this episode, lifelong rom-com lovers Alice and Izzy discuss how this era shifted when Judd Apatow movies, specifically Knocked Up, came on the scene. Apatow’s movies were goofy and often vulgar. With their stoner-humor bent, they showed the pitfalls of marriage and abandoned the standard formula rom-coms of the past followed. Although their portrayal of marriage and gender roles were slightly scarring for Alice and Izzy, Apatow’s movies did usher in a new era for romantic comedies. His movies broke the mold. 

Alice and Izzy will forever have a soft spot for golden era classics, but perhaps the genre needed a shake-up like Apatow’s for movies like Jenny Slate’s Obvious Child, or other out-of-the-box rom-coms to take shape. This episode includes audio from an interview with Kaitlin and Martha of It Girl Theory, a pop culture podcast. 

Additional information on the subject can be found in this episode of The Atlantic’s “The Review,” where hosts discuss the potential future of the rom-com. This Vulture article gives a thorough retrospective of rom-coms of the last 15 years, discussing how the genre is not dead, but has changed.