Stars: 2/5 

It wasn’t bad, but college students, please don’t spend your sweet, sweet cash on this movie. “Isn’t It Romantic” isn’t worth seeing in the theater. I’m so sorry, but even Rebel Wilson couldn’t make this movie better than it was.

“Isn’t It Romantic” starring Rebel Wilson, is about Natalie, a timid architect who hates romcoms. After she hits her head really hard, she finds herself trapped in the middle of one.

To get out, she must go on a quest for love and makes some important discoveries along the way.

And maybe, just maybe, the one she was supposed to love all along was … herself. Didn’t see that twist coming. Except I did.

While I did like that they blasted all the stupid rom-com cliches and stereotypes, like the gay best friend trope and unrealistic meet-cutes, the writers replaced these stereotypes with other ones. I didn’t like that the hot love interests, Blake (Liam Hemsworth) and Isabella (Priyanka Chopra) were shallow and really condescending to everyone else.
It was basically saying that because they’re hot, they have no personalities. Also for a movie about self-acceptance and body positivity, there was a huge lack of different body types. Besides Rebel Wilson, all the other main characters are conventionally attractive and thin. Most of the humor was also just Natalie hurting herself.
She falls down, or trips or hits her head so many times I’m shocked her brain still works. Plus, Rebel Wilson is funny enough already, she doesn’t need physical comedy to wow an audience. I did really like that her best friend and romantic interest, Josh, was played by Adam Devine. Those two have great chemistry together.

I think it’s nice that “Isn’t It Romantic” keeps the positive parts of rom coms, like love and confidence while making fun of the more problematic aspects, but I don’t think it dug deep enough. There was a good moment when Natalie stands really dramatically in the middle of a church and has an epiphany, but for the most part it wasn’t super riveting.
After Natalie gets out of her rom-com coma, it follows the usual arc, with her dressing more confidently and standing up for herself. She strides into her work and kills the big presentation and discovers that the man of her dreams was right there…all along.

Whoa, maybe love comes in all shapes and forms and big surprise! Your flirty best friend that loves and accepts you on a fundamental love, the person who is always there for you and does many lingering arm touches, well, he might just be the one, completely unexpected as it is.
Anyway, it’s nice enough as a light-hearted feel-good movie.