Rom Bombs

If you've been wishing we'd do a movie everyone has seen, episode 20 is for you! We tackle everyone's favorite basic cable staple, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," a movie that posits the question: what if there was a girl, but she wasn't like other girls? And what if she had to PRETEND to be like other girls? And what if Matthew McConaughey was there too and sometimes took his shirt off? Join us a...

How much effort does it take to make a sibling swap work? More than the makers of "The Family Stone" were willing to put in! In this episode, we discuss the 2005 Sarah Jessica Parker/Dylan McDe-- uh, I mean, Dermot Mulroney vehicle that takes the "uptight career woman" trope to the next level. Join us as we get outraged on SJP's behalf, put forth a reading of the movie that was almost certainly no...

We’re back! After a slightly-longer-than-usual break, we dive back into the deep end with “Can You Keep a Secret?”, a surprisingly charming 2019 direct-to-video romcom that only came to our attention because it stars Tyler Hoechlin, an actor E is endlessly fascinated by, for both obvious reasons (I mean, look at him) and not-so-obvious ones (which we get into in the podcast). Tune in for that myst...

In episode 17, we dive into The Knight Before Christmas, a Netflix original holiday romcom that asks, "what if a 14th-century knight became patient zero for a new Black Death by bringing his germs into the year 2019?" Okay, it doesn't actually ask that, because he's too busy speaking anachronistically modern English and falling in love with Vanessa Hudgens. But WE ask that, along with such questio...

In episode 16, we talk about the new Netflix Christmas(ish) rom-com "Holiday in the Wild," a movie wherein Kristin Davis gets a second start at life and for some reason falls in love with a pointlessly cocky safari pilot. This movie has it all: Elephants! Confusing character development! Casual racism! Regionally inappropriate accents! Baffling makeup and wardrobe choices! Baffling Rob Lowe's nude...

In this very spoooOOoooky Halloween episode, we discuss "Teen Wolf," the 1985 Michael J. Fox cult classic that was surprisingly difficult to track down. Join us as we compare this gung-ho eighties comedy to the gritty MTV teen drama, sometimes favorably and sometimes not-so-favorably. This movie has everything: Baffling fashion! Extremely flammable hair! Truly insane foley! A girl named "Boof"! Th...

In Episode 14, J indulges E’s David Tennant kick and we discuss “The Decoy Bride,” a 2011 British rom-com that pairs the aforementioned Tenth Doctor with Kelly Macdonald and the rocky moors of the Outer Hebrides. Although we both enjoyed the movie, this episode is our most contentious yet! Tune in as we disagree on a wide variety of issues, including: -Was the ending of this movie a surprise? -How...

In this special celebration of our 30th friendiversary, we discuss a movie that came out the year we first met: "Chances Are," the 1989 Robert Downey Jr. vehicle that asks the question "what if Marty McFly and his mom had made a real go of it?" The answer, unsurprisingly, is: it would be profoundly emotionally disturbing, which is what this movie is, despite its framing as a PG-rated romantic farc...

In episode 12, we discuss the brand new Netflix original rom-com “Falling Inn Love,” a movie that pushes the limits of filmmaking by asking “how many clichés can you pack into a single film?” Join us as we discuss the ups and downs of Christina Milian’s performance, ponder the irresistibility of widowers, question various financial and renovation decisions, and bring to bear our respective areas o...

In episode 11, we tackle “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” the sequel to “Mamma Mia!” that was pretty much the opposite of what we thought it was going to be. For one thing, it turns out it isn’t actually a rom-com! But it’s too late for us to do anything about that now, because we poured several hours of our lives into this and there’s no way we’ll let that be wasted. Join us for a marginally-more-s...

In this deluxe* episode, we discuss the long-awaited (by E) and long-dreaded (by J) “This Means War,” the 2012 rom-com that made Tom Hardy swear he’d never do another rom-com. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are CIA-agent best friends fighting over Reese Witherspoon, and in the process they abuse their authority and waste millions of taxpayer dollars. Tune in as we critique the protagonists’ spy skills,...

In this episode of Rom Bombs, we discuss Chasing Liberty, the teen rom-com that… wait, this can’t be right… we actually ENJOYED? Mandy Moore helms this 2004 movie about the president’s daughter falling in love — not to be confused with First Daughter, the 2004 movie about the president’s daughter falling in love — and we couldn’t help but be charmed. Join us as we question the protagonist’s situat...

In this episode, Ryan Reynolds rockets to the top of our list of personae non gratae with 2005's movie "Just Friends." This film has it all: Ryan Reynolds in a fat suit, copious mentions of the "friend zone," a protagonist violently assaulting a group of small children, and a flaming reindeer hitting a man in the balls. You should not even think about watching this movie; consider this episode us...

It's the end of the school year, which can only mean one thing: time for a classic teen romantic comedy! In episode 7, we dip into the pantheon of nineties teen movies to talk about "She's All That," the makeover movie starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachel Leigh Cook, and an all-star cast of background characters Did this movie age well? How does it compare to its fraternal twin, "10 Things I Hate A...

In this special bonus episode, we discuss a movie that was neither a rom nor a bomb. This was originally supposed to be a hot-off-the-presses tide-you-over episode recorded right after we saw the movie on opening weekend, but then E procrastinated on editing so you're getting it two weeks late. Hope you still care about Avengers: Endgame! If not, you won't have to wait too long until the next, nor...

In this slightly unhinged episode, we discuss “The Perfect Date,” the brand new Netflix original teen rom-com that drove us both to drink. Can a movie about a teenaged escort be wholesome? Tune in as E takes issue with the protagonist’s height, J takes issue with the protagonist’s college application essay, and we both take issue with the name “Delbert.” Music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmu...

In episode 5, we take on “How Do You Know?”, the 2010 Reese Witherspoon/Paul Rudd/Owen Wilson love triangle movie by film auteur James L. Brooks. Listen and find out whether Reese Witherspoon was a believable professional softball player, which reptile would have been a welcome addition to the movie, and what one easy step will help prevent UTIs.

In episode 4, we take on the 2016 indie romcom “Who Gets the Dog?” starring Alicia Silverstone, Ryan Kwanten, and a remarkably uncharismatic dog. Tune in to find out what behavior E finds totally unredeemable, why you shouldn’t let your dog off leash, and why you should avoid making frivolous calls to 911. Things we know about: behavioral training, rhotic and non-rhotic accents Things we don’t kno...

In episode 3 of Rom Bombs, we take on the 2010 ensemble romantic comedy "Valentine's Day." Amazingly, even though we are both single women, we were able to have a full conversation without either of us having a nervous breakdown -- a feat which this movie seems to think is impossible. Find out why Jennifer Garner is an irresponsible teacher, how Jessica Biel's character is basically a Cathy comic...

In our second episode of Rom-Bombs, we tackle “Playing it Cool,” the 2014 Chris Evans rom-com that nobody has heard of. Oh, how we wish we could be back in those blissfully ignorant times ourselves. Join us as we talk about how this movie is a part of rape culture, establish that yellowface was definitely not acceptable in 2014, and take a brief, bewildered detour into how the screenwriters seem t...

In the inaugural episode of Rom Bombs, E and J tackle the Netflix original "The Princess Switch." Baking competitions! Fictional countries that are actually just England! Vanessa Hudgens playing two characters! Tune in as we discuss bad accents, rom-com wizards, bitchy villains, and the ethical problems with pretending to be another person. Stay for our collective bafflement at what the writers se...