The 2010s birthed several cult-favourite romantic comedies. However, the recurring question as of late has been: in the years that followed, where did all the rom-coms go? Enter Anyone but You, released in 2024 and starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. It quickly gained hordes of social media attention for its likeness to so many of the 2010s rom-coms we all know and love, but why is that?
To put it simply, Anyone but You is a Shakespeare retelling.
Now, you may wonder what this has to do with anything.
Well, most of the beloved 2010s romantic comedies that we Millennials and Gen-Zers grew up with are Shakespeare retellings. The iconic 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, is a retelling of The Taming of The Shrew. The movie has stood the test of time and remains one of the most talked about rom-coms on social media. Another Shakespeare retelling you may know is 2006’s She’s The Man starring Amanda Bynes. This one is a retelling of Twelfth Night.
Some of the most popular and beloved rom-coms are just retellings of classic tales and it’s honestly been quite some time since Hollywood has birthed a good rom-com. Now, I can’t say much about Anyone but You since I’ve yet to watch it, but it seems like we’re in for a decidedly 2010s rom-com moment. Anyone But You is, in fact, a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, and the film even takes the time to hint at its Shakespearean roots in its set dressing. The forgotten formula of pairing Shakespeare’s retelling with current star power seems to be on the rise now more than ever, and it begs the question, are we seeing the re-emergence of the humble but classic rom-com in film and media? Are we finally entering a long-awaited rom-com renaissance?!
Anyone but You isn’t the only romantic comedy that’s been the talk of the town lately. Upgrade, featuring Camilla Mendes (Riverdale), is yet another romantic comedy that’s been on the film radar. It’s also been talked about quite a bit on social media (or maybe that’s just the algorithm working for me as a self-proclaimed romantic comedy connoisseur?).
Upgrade has been described as yet another quintessential rom-com experience that’s been long forgotten in the 2020s. It’s got all the old familiar rom-com tropes that we know and love, just like Anyone but You and its use of the good old fake dating trope. Not to mention the gratuitous eye candy that is Archie Renaux’s beautiful face, totally typical of the genre. While Upgrade is not a Shakespeare retelling per se, it has all the workings of a classic 2010s rom-com to fill the rom-com-sized space we’ve been missing in Hollywood.
Personally, I couldn’t be happier to be amid what can only be described as a rom-com renaissance. Who doesn’t love a feel-good romantic comedy?