What Is Romantic Rewrite About?
When a mystery writer struggles to incorporate romance into his next novel, he enlists the aid of a talented romance novel editor. In exchange for her help, he volunteers to be her fake boyfriend at her best friend's beach wedding.
Starring: Kristina Cole and Russell Quinn
My Movie Grade: B-
Image: Great American Media
Romantic Rewrite Pays Homage to Jane Austen
Reed (Russell Quinn) is offended when he reviews Ivy's (Kristina Cole) brutal critique of his latest novel; however, since his last two books have been flops, he has no choice but to humble himself and make some serious revisions based on her keen insight.
Reed includes a romance in the subplot of his novel, but his fictional couple lacks conflict, and he can't seem to fix it. As Ivy talks him through the process, she seizes on his revelation that he's read Jane Austen.
While most Austen fans gravitate to Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice, Reed prefers Northanger Abbey--Austen's more satirical parody of sappy romances. From this point, Romantic Rewrite itself follows suit by poking fun at some typical rom-com tropes while still including them, just like Austen.
One trope Reed and Ivy joke about is how romance stories often contain a simple misunderstanding that can be cleared up with a simple conversation. This ends up happening to both of them when Ivy is tempted to leave her friend's wedding since Reed is late. She believers her ex, Zach, when he lies about Reed accepting a book deal from another company. A simple conversation solves the conflict.
One thing Reed reviles about romantic fiction is how the characters seem too perfect and are always the best at whatever they do. All the while, he and Ivy are at a beach wedding in expensive beach houses owned by their families, participating in several days' worth of wedding activities, and preparing for their individual successes--Reed's great new novel and Ivy's imminent promotion. Zach also appears to have the perfect new girlfriend, even though we later learn that he found her on a wedding date app. Jane Austen would approve!
Image: Great American Media
Reed's point about unrealistically perfect couples is valid, but Ivy reframes his perspective when she argues that romance is not about being the best. Romance is about being yourself with someone who brings out your best. Since Reed and Ivy bring out the best in each other, it's no wonder they fall in love.
At first glance, the brief mention of Jane Austen might appear inconsequential, but when you look a litter closer, you notice how beautifully her style is mimicked in Romantic Rewrite--a movie that simultaneously manages to celebrate and mock maudlin romance.
Romantic Rewrite Fails Miserably in Some Scenes
Writers must have drained their artistic energies working out the Austen-esque movie threads because other parts of Romantic Rewrite are blatantly sloppy and need a rewrite!
The most obvious blunder is the ending. The kiss between Reed and Ivy should have been shot privately. Everyone knows the bride and groom should be the center of attention, but all the wedding guests are more caught up in the romance between Reed and Ivy than the couple at the altar. Worse yet, the kiss morphs from a beach wedding backdrop to a kiss in the future before ending abruptly. In the last seconds, Reed and Ivy are seen kissing in different clothes in another setting, but there is no "one year later" blurb across the screen for the viewer. The kiss at the wedding was enough, so the last blip should have been left on the editing floor.
Have you ever seen a wedding party in such mismatched clothing? For an upscale beach wedding, you would think the wedding party would have coordinated outfits. Did the person in charge of costumes call off sick that day, or what?
Image: Great American Media
Even though Ivy is a bridesmaid, which obligates her to stay at the wedding for the duration of the reception, she prepares to dash away at the start of it because she's upset about the situation with Reed. Suck it up, sister! This day isn't about you!
The most embarrassingly hilarious part of the movie is when Reed's sister gives him a hands-free phone call while she's driving. The film crew apparently wants her positioned to face the camera, which means she keeps looking towards the passenger side of the car, as if someone is there, and rarely has her eyes on the road. In the real world, she would have crashed into a ditch.
Zach's outright lie doesn't track. It's typical for conflict in rom-coms to revolve around an antagonist stretching the truth or planting seeds of doubt that lead to false assumptions. Zach doesn't play tricks with Ivy's mind to make her jump to conclusions about Reed ditching her company for more money elsewhere--he flat-out lies about it without reprisal.
Romantic Rewrite Is Worth Watching, Even with Its Shortcomings
Does Ivy's idea to use Reed's rewritten manuscript in a book trailer to introduce a new, cross-genre subdivision for her company land her the promotion she wants? We aren't told, but we can assuredly expect a happy ending. It appears scriptwriters created more content than what a 1 hour and 22-minute time frame could allow.
The best part of the Romantic Rewrite movie is how Ivy shows Reed what is missing from both his book and his life. Even though her relationship with Zach fails, Ivy gets a "romantic rewrite" of her own, too.
Image: Great American Media
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