Confession: We Can’t Stop Watching Romcoms And We’re Kind Of OK With It

Romance is far from dead if you look at our recently viewed.

There are all sorts of things in this big bad world to be addicted to. There’s reading your horoscope on the daily, yin stretch yoga classes, chilled glasses of red with (just about) every meal and then there’s my personal current obsession: happy endings.

Life might not be a fairy-tale but that’s no reason you can’t watch five of them in a row. Romcoms – why are we so addicted to them? The stories are almost always the same, and if you’re lucky they’ll have Jenifer Aniston in them.

“Romantic comedies seem to take over where the fairy tales of childhood left off, feeding our dreams of a soulmate; though sadly the Hollywood endings prove quite elusive in the real world,” writes Mariella Frostrup in The Guardian.

It’s the obsession that someone, somewhere, can make your life a better place. And after a series of adventures, you realise that all along that someone was you (and, as a reward, you will most likely receive a confession of undying love from the person closest to you and happily ever after is well and truly on the cards).

They keep making them and we keep watching us. But can you blame us?

One, they’re a lot more appealing than doing what we should be doing (filing three years’ worth of tax returns) and two, they make us feel good.

There are, though, some movies calling BS on this.

On a recent (but not out of character) Netflix binge, I stumbled across Isn’t It Romantic, a Netflix Original headlining Rebel Wilson.

Isn't It Romantic thanks to Netflix

... are Wilson's character's thoughts on romcoms. Her beef with the viewing that dominates my screen time is that they “aren’t real”, that they’re predictable and not in a good way.

“It’s unhealthy for little girls to watch that stuff and think that’s how life’s going to be."

We're, though, with her assistant (who believes Sweet Home Alabama is “literally a masterpiece”):

“I think it’s nice to be reminded of how beautiful and full of love life can be.”

Isn't It Romantic thanks to Netflix

In calling BS, she, though, is not alone. There are some of us who would prefer to watch Die Hard (all of them) than When Harry Met Sally. There are, after all, all sorts of issues with the romcom genre. The stereotyping. The lack of diversity. The perennially non-broke-ness of all the leads. To name just a few.

Still, is it this alternate universe that we’re addicted to? And what does this mean for our day to day reality?

While waking up where the air is sweeter and her gay BFF is constantly on tap is her idea of a worst nightmare, for many of us, it’s the (literal) dream.

Brene Brown, author of The Gifts Of Imperfection (among many others), says the key to taking time out is to really take time out. Like if you’re going to distract yourself, REALLY do it. That way, when you come back to the task at hand, your energy is renewed and refreshed, and your drive is even greater.

We’re not, after all, sitting there watching three RCs back to back for their originality or cinematic prowess. It’s the excuse, instead, to park whatever is going on in your life. Those unattended tax returns, the deadlines, the whatever and just watch something. You learn something. A witty line. A fast come back. Or, maybe it’s just a distraction.

And, if that’s five romcoms in a row, that’s what it takes.

DIY date night
Dresses to make you feel fine.