Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman

The Rom Complex

Tv EN ↓ 316 episodes

Which came first, the romantic comedy or our messed up ways of thinking about love and relationships? Each week Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman break down the romcom tropes that make their hearts sing and the ones that need to be tuned up. Listen to them talk about how these movies affected their relationships–for better and for worse.

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Author

Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman

Episodes

65. My Best Friend’s Wedding: Tell Him You Love Him. Bite the Bullet. 14.01.2021 1:04:17

A new episode is here for you THE MOMENT you wake up, before you put on your makeup! Get ready for singing and sabotage because we’re talking about My Best Friend’s Wedding...

64. Midnight at the Magnolia: I Never Want to Wake Up without Knowing I Get to See My Best Friend, the Love of My Life 31.12.2020 1:02:35

Midnight at the Magnolia (2020) SHOULD be Sam’s dream movie–Chicago, fake dating, friends-to-lovers–but nOPE IT IS NOT. Though Shelby is taken in by the suddenly musical male lead, Sam is not fooled...

63. Last Holiday: We Will Laugh More; We’ll Love More; We Just Won’t Be So Afraid 24.12.2020 53:58

Will this holiday be our *dun dun dun* Last Holiday (2006)? Not if Sam and Shelby have anything to say about it. We discuss going out and getting what you want (as...

62. Happiest Season: In Love with Somebody That Is Too Afraid to Show the World Who They Are 17.12.2020 59:29

You HAD TO HAVE known it was coming–that’s right, we’re talking about Happiest Season (2020). Is this movie about too many things? Yes. Does Aubrey Plaza steal the show? Absolutely. Is it...

61. Holidate: Hey, Love Muffin! (with Suki Lanh) 10.12.2020 1:04:43

Sam and Shelby welcome back Suki Lanh to give her dissertation on the Netflix film Holidate (2020). We discuss St. Patrick’s dates and easy fixes, and Suki has a lesson for white...

60. Hitched for the Holidays: Love the One You’re With? 03.12.2020 55:51

It’s the holiday season, and we’re already giving Hallmark the attention it so desperately craves by talking about Hitched for the Holidays (2012). This movie has it all–Christmas, Hanukkah, fake dating, psychic...

59. When We First Met: Don’t Fall in Love! She’s Gonna Rip Your Heart Out! 26.11.2020 51:38

We’re closing out Netflix November with a film that’s both fun and riddled with plot holes–When We First Met (2018). Sam and Shelby discuss lack of chemistry, poorly-drawn female characters, and the...

58. Set It Up: You Like Because, You Love Despite 19.11.2020 1:00:17

Sam and Shelby return to the Netflix puzzle cube to discuss 2018’s Set It Up. After we figure out how to pronounce Zoey Deutch’s name, we go down the rabbit hole that...

57. Always Be My Maybe: Likewise, Keanu. I… Love Your Outfit. 12.11.2020 59:02

Sam and Shelby discuss the much loved Always Be My Maybe (2019) and add a new member to their Hot Dads list (enjoy the company, Charlie Swan). Sam airs more wig grievances,...

56. Love, Guaranteed: You’ll Find Love, Guaranteed 05.11.2020 59:22

Sam and Shelby kick off Netflix November with Love, Guaranteed (2020), the romcom equivalent of a small bag of potato chips–mostly air, no nutritional value, but okay to munch on while you’re...

55. Practical Magic: Fall in Love Whenever You Can 29.10.2020 58:30

This week we talk about Practical Magic (1998), a movie about sisterhood, magic, and getting away with murdering the same person twice. Or is that a different movie? No, it’s this one....

54. Sleepy Hollow: The Horseman Came for the Love of Carnage 22.10.2020 1:00:42

This week’s episode is light on romance but HEAVY on corny-looking pumpkinheads because we’re talking about Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999)! Yet another bland “female lead” is overshadowed by her vengeful, busty...

53. Warm Bodies: It’s Not Gonna Happen, Lover Boy 15.10.2020 53:24

This week Sam and Shelby discuss Zombie Twilight–*ahem*–I mean Warm Bodies (2013), a film about a very special boy and his very special love. In the zombie apocalypse, dating is almost as...

52. Love Story: Love Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry 08.10.2020 1:03:22

This week Sam and Shelby talk about Love Story (1970), an outdated movie with a definition of love so incorrect that it truly boggles the mind. Other mindboggling topics include an unrealistically...

51. Pride and Prejudice: We Are All Fools in Love 01.10.2020 1:00:20

Sam and Shelby drool over the subtly yet surprisingly horny Pride & Prejudice (2005). Topics include the sexiness of small touches and witty banter and how the rom com fantasy has been...

50. Bridget Jones’s Baby: Falling in Love Doesn’t Happen on Paper 24.09.2020 59:47

As a reward for making it to 50 episodes, Sam and Shelby express their shock and delight at how much they enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Baby despite the unnecessary zorbing of Ed Sheeran....

49. Bridget Jones (The Edge of Reason): He Must Still Love Me! 17.09.2020 57:14

The second installment of the Bridget Jones series (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) is simply not very good. Sorry! Sam and Shelby talk about not letting other people get into your...

48. Bridget Jones’s Diary: How’s Your Love Life, Anyway? 10.09.2020 57:54

Put on your big underpants and start scribbling in your journal about how much you hate (love) Mark Darcy because Shelby and Sam are talking about Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001). Topics of...

47. The Big Sick: Love Isn’t Easy. That’s Why They Call It Love. (with Suki Lanh) 03.09.2020 1:12:43

Writer and teacher Suki Lanh (www.unitedstatesofsuki.com) joins Sam and Shelby to talk about The Big Sick (2017). Do we spend a lot of time on how cute Suki and her husband’s love...

46. To All the Boys (P.S. I Still Love You): I Know Now That I Don’t Want to Love or Be Loved in Half Measures 27.08.2020 1:00:54

What do you do when the characters got together happily in the first movie? According to To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, you briefly turn your movie into a...

45. Breaking Dawn Part 2: Because I Fell in Love with a Human 20.08.2020 1:02:13

We’ve finally arrived at the thrilling (read: anti-climatic) conclusion with 2012’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. Sam and Shelby can’t seem to stop talking about the moral implications of a...

44. Breaking Dawn Part 1: Um, I Love It 13.08.2020 58:31

Sam and Shelby add themselves to the long list of people expressing their opinions about Bella’s sex life as they discuss The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. There’s a wolf-feud! There’s...

43. Eclipse: I Promise to Love You Every Moment of Forever 06.08.2020 56:19

Sam and Shelby are wolfily bounding right over that halfway point of the Twilight series with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). Love triangle? Never met her. We’re talking bad wigs, wet werewolves,...

42. New Moon: How About Those Filthy Bloodsuckers You Love? 30.07.2020 1:02:17

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) just about DEMANDS that Sam and Shelby continue talking about abusive relationships and creative responsibility, now with the added spice of werewolves with real abs, vampires...

41. Twilight: So the Lion Fell in Love with the Lamb 23.07.2020 1:05:38

It’s Red Flag City as Sam and Shelby dive into the first installment of their five-episode Twilight Saga extravaganza. Twilight (2008) offers plenty of opportunity to discuss abusive relationships, artistic responsibility, and...