[PREVIEW] Rom-Com Double Feature: "Marry Me" and "I Want You Back"

Spoiler alert: This episode contains plot descriptions for each movie discussed. Don’t listen if you don’t want to find out how these (hint) romantic comedies end!

After bathing our brains in intense reality TV drama for the past few weeks — from devouring “Love Is Blind” to taping our eyelids open to make it through the four hours of “The Bachelor” this week (with four more to anticipate this coming week) — we both felt the irresistible urge to retreat to the warm embrace of scripted romantic comedies. The predictability of the formula, and the comfort of being able to expect some human connection and kissing, soothes the soul in troubled times. (In the podcast, Claire refers to “the consolation of genre,” a reference to this great LARB piece on romance novels by Cailey Hall.)

So, this week: a streaming rom-com double feature! We watched “Marry Me,” the glitzy Jennifer Lopez-Owen Wilson vehicle on Peacock, and “I Want You Back,” a cozier romance starring Jenny Slate and Charlie Day on Amazon. We loved the latter (though it needed more kissing) and we found the former boring (though at least we got to see J-Lo perform some high-quality pop songs in concert).

Much has been said about the death of the rom-com, and its resurrection on streaming platforms, and before we dissect these two movies, we discussed the state of the streaming rom-com. Anne Helen Petersen recently interviewed Scott Meslow on Culture Study about his book on the topic, and he offered some sharp insights about the history of the modern rom-com and why it’s so compatible with streaming platforms. Is the relegation of the rom-com to streaming an unmixed blessing? We’re thrilled that they’re getting made in meaningful numbers again, but it’s also hard to see how any but the rare breakout hit (see “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) could make a real impression in a saturated streaming marketplace. We also chat about the challenges of casting leads with the right charm and chemistry, and of making rom-coms that feel both escapist and relevant in our modern dating context.

After zooming out, we narrow the scope to lightly recap and critique “Marry Me” and “I Want You Back,” try to figure out what each is saying about modern love, social media and celebrity, discuss why every rom-com in America today is also about professional success, and ask how we can start dressing exactly like Jenny Slate’s character. Hope you enjoy! xo

We’ve been reading…

“Checkout 19” by Claire-Louise Bennett. I adored her previous book, a collection of linked short stories called “Pond,” so I was eagerly anticipating this one. She’s a writer who plunges you deep in the perspective of her idiosyncratic characters, and who revels in evocative words and images; reading it feels like being at sea in someone’s mind, tossed about by their spirals of thought about a crush, a book, a childhood memory, a fascination with the skins of aubergines or an unusual name. -Claire

Also, this incredible piece from Meg Conley’s Homeculture, from which I learned that Charlotte Perkins Gilman (author of the classic short story “The Yellow Wallpaper”) advocated for reinstating slavery so that white women like herself could be fully liberated from domestic labor. Conley researches the history of modern kitchen design — from the Communist iterations to the capitalist ones — and illuminates not only how we arrived at the current American ideal kitchen, built for a showy lifestyle rather than productive work, but also how privileged white women have tried to envision utopian kitchen set-ups that actually relied on the violent exploitation of Black and working-class women. -Claire

“Foreverland,” Heather Havrilesky’s (a.k.a. Ask Polly’s) sharp memoir about the “glorious tedium” of marriage. The response to this book has been a truly mixed bag, and while I find some of her points to be a bit repetitive, especially at the beginning, the honesty and humor with which she approaches longterm commitment is admirable and makes for a really engrossing read. -Emma

We’ve been watching…

“Station Eleven,” slowly. It’s incredible how, despite never going anywhere, Greg and I so rarely feel we have time and energy to watch a single full hour of TV at night, but whenever we get to fit an episode in, it’s a treat. I’m watching “The Gilded Age” solo, planning for future coverage, and it’s a much more ridiculous and soapy experience, but also visually arresting in its sumptuous period-costumed way. -Claire

“The Dropout,” Hulu’s Elizabeth Holmes series. After the disaster that was “Inventing Anna,” I’m really digging “The Dropout,” a scam series that actually has something to say that feels worth interrogating. Also, Amanda Seyfried is fantastic as Holmes. -Emma

We’ve been listening to…

“The Rise and Fall of LulaRoe,” hosted by BuzzFeed reporter Stephanie McNeal. Coincidentally, in her latest episode she interviewed none other than Meg Conley about how the devaluation of care work within a capitalist system makes mothers vulnerable to multi-level marketing schemes like LulaRoe. -Claire

Damn it, Claire! That was gonna be mine too! Oh well, guess you just took one for the team and wrote the blurb for both of us this time. -Emma

We’ve been buying…

A placemat with dinosaurs on it for my toddler. We’re always a bit late to move him up to the big-kid versions of things (he’s 27 months old and the only part of potty training we’ve begun is getting him a training toilet), but we’re finally transitioning him to eating at the table instead of his high-chair tray. Dinosaurs always help.

Also, my quest for easy-on, easy-off sneakers never ends. All the moms I know are wearing Vejas (a sustainable/socially conscious brand manufactured in Brazil), and I noticed one particularly stylish mom friend sporting a pair with Velcro locks. So I bought Vejas with Velcro locks: the Recife style in Pierre Natural. They were a splurge, but honestly, the Velcro experience is amazing. I may never wear lace-up shoes again. -Claire

I have been seduced by yet another TikTok skincare trend. This time it’s called “slugging,” and involves slathering Cetaphil Healing Ointment (which I did purchase explicitly to try this) all over your face to seal in your moisturizer and serums overnight. I thought it might be a disaster on my acne-prone skin, but I was pleasantly surprised by how soft my skin felt the next day! (Warning: If you are a side sleeper like I am, you might find some of the ointment rubbing off on your pillow overnight.)

I also just went on a weekend trip with some girlfriends to Miami and found myself dreaming of chic swim and beach coverups come summertime. So I splurged and bought this crocheted Everything But Water one. I also love this one, which gives a similar effect but at a less splurge-y price point. -Emma