The Plot and Characters

You have to admit that the premise is fun. You can almost imagine Litwak in a writer’s room saying, “What if we did When Harry Met Sally, but in space?”. The story is set in a universe with multiple alien species and gods living together across planets and dimensions. Molli (Zosia Mamet) is an old-fashioned romantic, except she’s interested in space magic (literal space magic, not your regular horoscopes and crystals). Max (Aristotle Athari) dreams of being a “mega mech fighter” who builds and battles in giant robots, basically the future version of a sporty tech bro.

They meet when Molli crashes into Max while out driving her spaceship, and gets roped into giving him a ride. The two quickly become friends with a bond that yo-yos back and forth over the years. The leads had good chemistry, and there were convincing performances from Zosia Mamet and supporting actor Arturo Castro, who played Walter.

Political Satire

One aspect of the storyline that brought it to modern times was the impending sense of doom, especially in the second act. In 2023, we are all too familiar with the anxiety of living in a world ravaged by the climate crisis, insane politics and war, something which Molli and Max in the Future depicted in thinly veiled satire. I deeply appreciate the angle of people trying to approach love and relationships in a world that is falling apart. Most traditional rom-coms approach life with a sense of optimism that is simply impossibly unrealistic in this day and age. Strangely, the whole world-ending aspect being portrayed in this way is actually refreshing. However, it was introduced joltingly in the second act of the film. The execution of the secondary plot is not as seamless as it could have been.

The Visuals

The film’s visual aesthetic involved a lot of dark night skies lit up with neon lights and distant galaxies. Despite the sci-fi visuals, don’t walk into this film expecting shiny Marvel-esque CGI. Though there are some modern-day special effects, the film mostly relies on practical effects and heavy use of green screens. While this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the result is the cosy vibe of 20th-century lo-fi science fiction. I especially appreciated the wardrobe which embodied that era of science fiction. It was essentially what someone in 1960 would think people in the future would dress like.

The Comedy

Perhaps the biggest success of this film was that it was actually funny. Most romantic comedies are very heavy on the romance and too light on the comedy. Molli and Max in the Future had plenty of dry jokes that qualified as real humour, and they deserve their props for that. It was nice to see a rom-com that relied on more than cheap clichés and slapstick humour.

In the Broad Sense

The storyline manages to hit all the points that rom-com fans know and love; slow-burn romance, dramatic splits after arguments, a yearning for a greater purpose. However, it doesn’t do much beyond that. Despite the effort put into world-building, special effects, futuristic wardrobes, and political satire, the storyline would hardly been any different if it happened in New York City like When Harry Met Sally did. The film’s setting and premise provided a great set-up to make it something much more, and yet it wasn’t. Though it isn’t necessarily barrier-breaking, it is a unique film and worth a watch. This is a great film if you want some cosy romance with modern sentiments and a side of old-school sci-fi.

Rating: (3 / 5)

Also Read: Rom-Coms: The Unlikely Benchmarks of Feminist Progression

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In this article, we will look at Gen Zs attitudes towards romance and relationships. How the genre may have to change to incorporate attitudes reflective of the current generation. And we will recommend some recent romcoms that have endeared themselves to younger viewers.

Who Are Gen Z?

So what makes Gen Z different from other generations? Well Gen Z have grown up as digital natives. With smartphones and other rapidly advancing technologies being constant features in their lives. They are also much more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexuality. They are additionally incredibly aware of social issues and are more likely to demand solutions and more from social institutions. 

Regarding relationships, Gen Zers are more likely to delay long-term relationships to achieve career stability or discover more about themselves to put them on better footing for later relationships. In addition, growing up in a rapidly changing technological environment this generation has access to more information. Allowing them to better articulate who they are and how they feel. Older Gen Zers have also seen the rise of dating apps which has led to the destigmatisation of casual relationships but has also left many feeling dejected with the dating scene. According to some studies they are also more likely to date close friends. Suggesting that they value personal connection over attraction.

How Romcoms Might Change

Now, how can romcoms change to keep attracting an audience with markedly different dating experiences from prior generations?

Firstly, romcoms must start reflecting Gen Z’s diverse makeup of experiences and identities to keep them engaged. Recent figures show the industry still struggles to foreground the experiences of people of colour and LGBTQ people. So filmmakers must start providing more inclusive rom-com stories.

More care should also be given to romcom worlds. Gen Z has grown up immersed in media, technology, and current social issues. If romcoms want to speak to the experiences of young people filmmakers must do their research on how Gen Z communicate to integrate these elements better. Equally, they cannot continually fall back on the same tired romcom tropes. If they fail this is likely to make the films feel insincere or play to attitudes that Gen Z don’t like. Which may put many off the genre.

And Gen Z romcoms should shift their attitudes toward their story’s structure. Generally, romcoms will follow the trials of a particular character or couple. With the ending seeing the main characters enter a relationship. However, with Gen Z waiting longer to settle down, for various reasons, romcoms should be more open to not having characters end up together. Showing that relationships don’t have to be firmly set in stone by a set point and focusing more on the character’s personal life will speak more to Gen Z audiences.

Gen Z Love

Finally here are some good Gen Z-oriented romcoms to watch.

Rye Lane, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and The Big Sick give great visibility to characters of colour and treat the central romance figures as three-dimensional people. The latter two also showcase how imperfect young love can be. Love, Simon is a sweet LGBTQ romcom that touches on tech’s role in modern romance. And Set It Up revolves around relatable job problems.

These are great starting points for modern romcoms to grow from. But we must continue demanding more so more romcoms will accurately reflect Gen Z’s experience, thereby ensuring they feel represented and welcome.

Also Read: Rom-coms: The Unlikely Benchmarks of Feminist Progression

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

The post Reimagining RomComs: Crafting Love Stories for the Gen Z Perspective appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

It may seem like the UK is not a perfect fit for the hopelessly romantic. Are we too worried about causing a fuss to perform grand-gestures? Do the words our grandmothers said, ‘you’ll catch your death’, stop us kissing in the rain? They didn’t use to. Once, there was a gleaming moment of splendour when the UK was a major exporter of meet-cutes, break-ups, and running to the airport. In the nineties and early noughties films like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Love Actually enjoyed substantial box office returns and critical success. For around fifteen years the UK produced some of the most universally recognisable romantic comedies ever made. So, in a world governed by concerns around Brexit and what do we have to offer the world, have we forgotten that once we lucratively exported romantic comedies? 

To understand the British romantic comedy and its success you have to understand how the world sees Britain. The blundering brits who inhabit these films are too awkward and well-mannered for games of love, in stories that are riddled with etiquette. It’s no wonder that Hugh Grant, the angel-faced-bumble-machine, was the heartthrob of the period. Grant typified what the wider world wanted from a British man: received pronunciation, charm, and good looks. But what about British women? 

Bridget Jones offered that alternative, a woman to root for instead of a man to lust after. Renée Zellweger starred as the supposed British everywoman; awkward, clumsy, and chain-smoking. Prone to embarrassing encounters and passionate conundrums she resonated with a generation of women and so she returned in 2016, after a twelve-year hiatus. Bridget was, and still is, a symbol for the single woman; for better or worse. Some find comfort in Bridget’s fallibility, while others fling the name as an insult akin to ‘crazy-cat-lady’. There is no doubt, however, that the character is one of the most recognisable in British cinema and audiences want to see her return once more.

In Britain, we have a history of beloved female characters in romantic quandaries. The prolific writer (and star of the ten-pound note), Jane Austen revelled in tales of love won & lost (Bridget Jones herself was based on the quick-witted fan-favourite Elizabeth Bennet). Nevertheless, Austen is also famous for her male love interests. Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy, for example, has been co-opted by many as a slang term for the ‘perfect man’. Yet, the two most famous iterations of Darcy (both played by Colin Firth, in the BBC Mini-series and the Bridget Jones films) are sexualised ideals of the polite, if not substantially repressed, British man; someone who is brooding, quiet, and unable to open up. 

Where does that leave us in 2019? The Beatles infused Yesterday was, at its strongest moments, a fairly decent romantic comedy that saw Lily James and Himesh Patel as friends who might be more. The upcoming Rare Beasts, written and directed by Billie Piper, calls itself an ‘un-romantic comedy’ and casts Piper as a career-driven single mother who falls in love with a man who holds more traditional values. The film, which is screening at the London Film Festival in October, based on its description might be willing to bend those structures we’ve come to know. Then, of course, we have Last Christmas, which sees a man and a woman fall in love in London during the festive period set to the music of George Michael and Wham… which may be the most ‘British’ sounding film ever. 

There are some glaring problems within the genre, of course. The characters, for example, are all so often white, without disabilities, and almost always straight – even if Last Christmas is inspired the music of a queer icon, the trailers include no suggestion of that. Britain in these films often avoids questions of sexuality along with issues like class, political unease, race, and wealth disparity that grip our country in real life. They’re made to appeal to anglophiles over-seas by presenting these beguiling men and relatable women, the idyllic countryside locations and the rainy London streets – not to represent how it actually is.

It is true that cinema can’t always reflect the times and the argument for it as escapism can be just as valid. Though, it’s sad to watch a genre continually avoid engaging with the world or represent all those who live in it. Maybe a change is due? Queer rom-coms are in the works in America and recent British films, like Animals, show a shift in perspective in the UK. Who knows who’ll be kissing in the rain in years to come…

Also Read: Is Queer Autobiographical Cinema Subtly Political?

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