What Your Favourite 2000s Romcom Says About You

Despite the terrible life choices, acting, and puny amount of Conrad screen time, The Summer I Turned Pretty was undoubtedly the show of the summer. As much as we complained about the stress of watching belly consistently lower her standards, as the show finally comes to close (and at the time of writing, Conrad hopefully catches a break for the first time in… FOUR years?) it’s time for us to return to our roots: before the mini series with a Taylor Swift soundtrack, there were 2000s romcoms, featuring Avril Lavigne, the classic white background for the movie poster, and a literary classic to be loosely used as source material. Enjoy this deep dive into both the movies, and naturally, our beloved readers themselves.

1. Wild Child 

I’m going to take the liberty of assuming this movie was targeted towards British audiences, if at least loosely (the movie’s use of “grades” makes me cringe every time). Those who like this movie have taste - meaning, they’re probably obsessed with TikTok charity shop hauls. Despite the group in the movie's luck, I am yet to have a magical charity shopping find, and unfortunately, sixth form has forced me to sacrifice the many hours needed to curate a perfect vinted feed. Although the movie does technically fit the romcom category, I would say the plot is driven by the female friendships, which certainly appeals to our school ideals. This movie was made for those who grew up reading Malory Towers, or some kind of novel which romanticises the secondary school experience to a ridiculous extent - even if Poppy Moore doesn’t have to deal with the insane workload, at least she faces the reality of victimisation by the dress code - most of the Malory Towers girls were afraid to even say the word “mascara,” let alone wear it. Even if it doesn't have original source material, I included Wild Child anyways because it’s definitely one of my favourites on the list - but I would say every Godolphin pupil is somewhat biased.

2. 10 Things I Hate About You 

(technically 10 Things is from the 90s, but it’s iconic enough to feature)

Based off of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” 10 Things dives into overtly problematic source material - Kat’s namesake Katherina is literally starved by her husband - so props to this movie for somehow turning the plot feminist, making Patrick likeable and still earning the title of loose adaptation. You have to give credit where credit is due - the writers of this movie made their lives as difficult as a student choosing IB. Not talking from experience or anything. 10 Things is one of the most iconic movies on this list - from the paint costume for halloween to the bleachers scene for  prom, there's something for every secondary school season and every student. I didn't really get the hype for “I learned French for you” on my first watch, but after French GCSE, I do have some begrudging respect. That's something that can only be achieved through academic stress, or apparently, love? I’m not so sure how many Godolphin students would agree, but the premise is still endearing. This movie is definitely for the older sister, but there's still enough attention on Bianca to prevent any younger sister crashouts (I can vouch for this, being one myself.)

3. Clueless

It’s hard to say whether those who like clueless are fans of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, or Cher’s mix and match closet. Part of Clueless’ appeal is the fact that it's essentially Pinterest for people who want to time travel back to the 2000s, from Cher's insane house, ability to matchmake her way to an A, or most obviously, her clothes. This movie is definitely a master class in sticking to source material, but reinventing it at the same time. I could definitely see people who love this movie using slang to the point where their abbreviations just make their sentences even more complicated. Whether it be brainrot, references, or saying “idk” (when ‘I don’t know’ is literally the same number of syllables), just know Clueless did it first. Much of the slang in Clueless was completely invented for the film, or inspired by teens living in Beverly Hills at the time, but it feels completely natural watching it back today - probably because of how that slang started cropping up in other media at the time as a result. My personal favourite is “She’s a full on Monet,” but maybe that's just the IB Art within me. 

4. She’s The Man

She’s The Man is based off of Twelfth Night, which is the one Shakespeare play I have actually read on this list. It’s safe to say the movie is just as confusing and strange as the play, but that was kind of the point, so props to the script for staying true to William's vision. Sure, there are tons of hilarious moments, but this movie is basically the personification of the miscommunication trope, so if this is your fave, I’m a bit wary. How people are entertained by characters repeatedly getting annoyed at one another due to preordained circumstances is a complete mystery to me, and even a tad sadistic? Perhaps this stems from my jealousy of people being able to watch such films without immense stress, but for now you still scare me. Curiously, this movie has many of the same common themes as Wild Child- female friendship, breaking stereotypes, annoying exes, and the like. However, I wouldn't say the two have the same target audience - She’s The Man walks a much finer line of being objectifying and feminist at the same time, instead of rallying against a common enemy, like Harriet in Wild child. Sure, it makes the film a bit overly proud of its irony at times, but fans can wear the badge of enjoying nuanced comedy like a badge of honour, which is certainly not true for all 2000s romcoms.

Special Mentions:

• 500 Days Of Summer

Apparently google considers this to be a romcom, which is absolute insanity to me, so I thought I should include it on the list as a warning - if any of our readers meets someone who not only calls this film a romcom, but their FAVOURITE, they should keep a 10m distance at all times. Seriously. If anything, the reception to this movie is the step by step on how to wrongly villainise the manic pixie dream girl - even if said manic pixie dream girl is played by Zooey Deschanel.

• Bridget Jones’ Diary (an extra for our extra old readers…)

We love a Pride and Prejudice retelling - especially one based in London during winter. The vibes, snow, and black taxis are up, and it makes me quite relieved I’m not American. The concept of romanticising London because of this movie, and then facing the reality of the city some 30 years later if I ever visited would NOT be ideal. I’d say the first movie is probably the best in the series, just because I get the least second hand embarrassment from Bridget for sure.

After that trip down memory lane, I hope our readers feel slightly healed following the chaos of that TSITP finale. Unfortunately, the stress isn't stopping anytime soon, with the movie on the way that was announced while this article was being written. Astute readers may have noticed my intense procrastination - but at least it makes for an interesting conclusion, Although it couldn't be permanent, hopefully this article was a worthy refuge. Thanks for reading.

Xoxo,

Unpublished