Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman

The Rom Complex

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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.

Author

Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman

Episodes

30. Forever My Girl & The Road Less Traveled: When You Love Someone, You Just Know 09.04.2020 53:38

It’s a low budget country-music-themed showdown between Road Less Traveled and Forever My Girl on this episode of The Rom Complex. Sam and Shelby disagree over which one wins, and the fight...

29.The Spectacular Now: In Everything But Love (with Em Johnson) 02.04.2020 55:06

Filmmaker Em Johnson joins Sam and Shelby to talk about The Spectacular Now, a movie that features teenagers acting like teenagers and alcoholics acting like, well, you get it. Check out more...

28. P.S. I Love You: I Loved You Right Then and There 26.03.2020 54:30

P.S. I Love You is the “saddest movie every written” according to Sam, or “fine” according to Shelby. The girls discuss the scenes that made them cry, the mastermind planning involved in...

27. Hitch: This Is Exactly Why Falling in Love Is So Goddamn Hard 19.03.2020 1:00:51

Sam and Shelby talk and flirt their way through Hitch while exploring the idea of controlling your dating interactions and pointing out the way in which romcoms cut out the part of...

26. Mannequin: You’re Gonna Have to Love Me Forever (with Jessica Mulder) 12.03.2020 57:47

Jessica Mulder joins Sam and Shelby to watch Mannequin and become utterly entranced with Kim Cattrall. In between a love story and relationship tips, Jess helps the hosts discuss outdated homophobic “jokes”...

25. Leap Year: You’re Young, Married, In Love! 05.03.2020 57:24

In honor of leap year, Sam and Shelby discuss, well, Leap Year, and not the sexy Spanish one. It’s a very silly movie that asks the question, “What would you grab from...

24. The Invention of Lying: I Love You Too, Mom 27.02.2020 51:40

This week Sam and Shelby talk about The Invention of Lying, a movie that could have been good but instead was… not. They also discuss lying in relationships and the weirdest lies...

23. The Apartment: Why Do People Have to Love People Anyway? 20.02.2020 55:51

Our feelings about romcoms are not black and white, but you know what is? The Apartment, an award-winning romcom from 1960. Shelby and Sam discuss the movie, how lonely people are drawn...

22. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: You Wrote Five Love Letters? 13.02.2020 1:00:08

Hey hey whoa whoa whoa, you HAVE to check out this episode about the 2018 hit teen romance To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Sam and Shelby ask the important questions,...

21. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: It’s Our Love Fern! 06.02.2020 50:53

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is our FAN CHOSEN movie for this episode, and gosh is it a fun watch or what. Sam talks about the concept of the...

20. Silver Lining’s Playbook & Under the Tuscan Sun: You Are My Love Life 30.01.2020 56:14

Sometimes (most of the time, if we’re talking romcoms) a fresh start means a new life and a new chance at love. Shelby finally watches Under the Tuscan Sun, so she talks...

19. He’s Just Not That Into You: I’m Still a Lot Closer to Love Than You Are (with Lexi Forde) 23.01.2020 1:03:30

It’s a super special watch party spectacular! Special guest and relationship expert (she’s in a relationship) Lexi Forde joins Shelby and Sam for a viewing of and chat about He’s Just Not...

18. Waitress & Off the Menu: I Haven’t Loved You for Years 16.01.2020 59:14

This week we’re serving up a podcast dish of movies revolving around one of the things we love more than romcoms–food. Shelby talks about the missed-the-mark movie Off the Menu and the...

17. Baby Boom & Life As We Know It: I Fell in Love with Our Family 09.01.2020 51:41

It’s a surprise party! The party is a kid and the surprise is that it’s yours now–that’s the basic inciting incident of this episode’s movies. Life As We Know It has Sam...

16. Going the Distance & Like Crazy: I Love to Fish 03.01.2020 1:02:47

This time we’re going the distance–long distance, that is. Shelby discusses the difference between LDRs and seeing someone every day with the help of a movie called, surprise surprise, Going the Distance....

15. New Year’s Eve: Love Gives Us Hope 26.12.2019 53:24

Congratulations on your holiday! And congratulations to The Rom Complex for another successful watch party episode, this time about the 2011 ensemble film New Year’s Eve. Shelby and Sam decide which storylines...

14. Winter Castle & The Christmas Card: How Amazing Love Can Make Me Feel 19.12.2019 56:50

Snuggle up with a cozy blanket and something more interesting to look at because we’re talking about winter Hallmark movies! Sam gives the lowdown about Winter Castle and the fantasy of falling...

13. You’ve Got Mail: Don’t You Love New York in the Fall? 12.12.2019 44:32

Wuh-oh, tangent alert! This episode is a rerecording of a lost episode, which means it’s extra difficult for the hosts to stay on the topic of classics they just watched for the...

12. Friends with Benefits & No Strings Attached & Plus One: I Kind Of Believe in True Love 05.12.2019 1:00:43

Time to open up the man closet and let in some fresh air and the sweet sounds of a podcast episode about romcoms featuring friends becoming lovers. Sam gushes over Plus One...

11. Love Actually: It Seems to Me That Love Is Everywhere 28.11.2019 1:05:24

Look here! A present for you, wrapped tight and placed beneath the Thanksgiving turkey–it’s a watch party episode! Stuff your face with mashed potatoes and listen to Sam and Shelby rank the...

10. The Holiday & Holiday in Handcuffs: Love Can Also Be Found 21.11.2019 1:04:17

It’s November, which means compared to most retail stores we are LATE for the holiday season. But don’t worry, we’re finally serving up a dose of merry and bright, starting with holiday-themed...

09. Because I Said So & Everything You Want: Gotta Love a Woman in Polka Dots 14.11.2019 53:38

Ah, the triangle–the most entertaining shape for love. This week is all about multiple love interests and how the decision is less about “Which man is right for me?” and more about...

08. 27 Dresses: Love Means Slowly Losing Your Mind 06.11.2019 57:57

For our SECOND EVER Watch Party Spectacular, we’re going deep into the Katherine Heigl/James Marsden classic 27 Dresses. This movie has it all–sociopathic sisters, lack of vulnerability leading to isolation, and the...

07. The Last Five Years & From Justin to Kelly: How Lucky I Am to Be in Love with You 31.10.2019 57:47

The pod is alive with the sound of Sam and Shelby discussing movie musicals, though they somehow refrain from singing their little hearts out. Sam applies the concept of love languages to...

06. The Five Year Engagement & Forgetting Sarah Marshall: I Will Just Love You Every Step of the Way 24.10.2019 59:52

On this episode Shelby and Sam hide from the cops while talking about that big ol’ C word–CHEATING. To round out her own experience with the subject, Shelby goes for a Jason...