A Mini Golden Age of Romance?

A chat with Erin Carlson about the success of Nobody Wants This, the EmHen movie pipeline, and more!

Hello,

I’m still buzzing from the successful adaptation of one of my favorite books earlier this year, and then two new pieces of stellar romance content come out in the same month?! Are we in a mini golden age of romance? I needed to talk about it, so I reached out to one of my go-to folks for romance intel and analysis,

Erin Carlson

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If you don’t already know her, Erin Carlson is a culture and entertainment journalist and the bestselling author of I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy. She named her newsletter, You've Got Mail, after her favorite movie of all time. 

Becca Freeman: Hi Erin! I wanted to chat with you as a fellow romance connoisseur because I think there’s *something* happening. Everyone I know both online and offline is absolutely FERAL for Nobody Wants This. I haven’t seen people this universally hyped about a piece of romance content since maybe Bridgerton? What do you think it is about NWT that works so well?

Erin Carlson: I loved Nobody Wants This! It is definitely the breakout rom-com series of the year. The reason for that? ADAM BRODY. I love Kristen Bell, but Adam Brody is the star of that show. He plays an older, sexier, more emotionally mature version of Seth Cohen. And I love to see it.

EC: I was obsessed with Adam as Seth Cohen in The O.C. He is definitely my type, ha. And he needed to resurface on another hit show to remind us WHO HE THE F--K HE IS.

BF: That's interesting! So you think the big factor is the nostalgia bomb of Adam Brody? Like, is this replicable? Should we be getting Rider Strong or JTT's agents on the phone?

EC: I think there is only ONE Adam Brody. Many actors have tried to mimic his persona since The O.C. days but nobody could pull off that hot nerdy thing that he does so well. BTW, I would pay big money to see JTT in a rom-com!!!!

BF: Another thing that struck me about NWT was the chemistry. Chemistry is back! I feel like a lot of the rom-coms we've seen over the last five or so years are just mashing two celebs together without regard for chemistry (I'm looking at you Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron), whereas, here, I really believed them as a couple. There was something fizzy about this, like, I truly believed I was watching this couple fall for each other.

EC: The chemistry between Adam and Kristen Bell was SO HOT. Even Kristen's husband, Dax Shepard, acknowledged the hotness and really wanted them to kiss onscreen! According to Kristen, she and Adam are really, really good at staring into each other's eyes and CREATING that feeling of yearning, or sexual tension, or the excitement in the lead-up to a kiss. Kristen said she knew that Adam could really stare into her eyes and create chemistry on screen that isn't there between them in real life, where they're just platonic pals. I don't think you need, like, offscreen chem to make sparks on camera. You just need good actors!

EC: And a great script! The key to a successful rom-com: An A-plus script and cast. And characters to root for.

EC: And I think with the popularity of Adam Brody's Hot Rabbi, we'll begin to see more rom-com heroes with high EQ. Who are emotionally mature and can handle strong women and appreciate them for who they are. Progress!

BF: Another new romance with chemistry—albeit a rom-dram, not a rom-com—We Live In Time with Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield! There's been a quote floating around this week where Garfield talks about them getting carried away in a scene and not hearing the director call cut and coming out of it to find the cameraman with the camera at his side and facing the wall to give them privacy. Like, the chemistry there flies off the screen. The fact that AG and FP have never dated IRL floored me (maybe they should!).

EC: I read that too!! And I think I know which scene he was referring to, which: WOWZA. I'm also very surprised that those two never dated. Because AG speaks so highly of her in interviews! Like, I watched something where he was all, "She's a decent person. She changed my life." etc. I want them to get together, for real. They make an adorable duo. And he likes quirky actresses! He dated Emma Stone for a while I think.

BF: Look, the proof is in the pudding, we're shipping them IRL!

EC: Yes! And if Florence and Andrew don't have romantic feelings for each other IRL, they are ridiculously good at faking it. Both are very generous and open people and that translates on screen.

EC: Btw, their movie is GOOD. I was bracing myself to be emotionally devastated. I won't spoil anything about WLIT, but I think they did a great job of balancing humor and depth. There is one scene that had me laughing out loud! I know you know the scene I'm talking about!

BF: YES! I know exactly the scene. 

BF: Another thing that stands out to me about the venn diagram of these two pieces of entertainment is that they're less gimmicky than a lot of recent romances. It feels grown up. These are real-seeming people dealing with real-seeming situations. Sure, Adam Brody being a Rabbi is the gimmick, but that's real! And I think it comps onto a situation a lot of people face (pressure from family to date within their culture). But in both cases, there's no fake dating, there's no "only one bed." Something about this era (by which I really mean these two shows/films) is they feel real. I wonder if that will be more of a trend moving forward, too?

EC: God, I hope so. Don't get me wrong: I love hijinks. I must admit that I enjoy rom-coms with preposterous set-ups and slapstick humor. Especially the holiday lineup on Netflix and Hallmark. You know how people say they "read widely"? I consume all rom-coms: The good, the bad, the meh. All told, the best rom-coms—the ones that stand the test of time—are those that are grounded in something REAL. Whether the characters are dealing with grief, loss, trauma, illness, family pressure and dynamics, etc. When I think about Nora Ephron's rom-com trilogy—which, you know I think about all the time!—those movies dealt with serious, grown-up shit. And as a result, we can relate to what those characters are going through, and delight as they find their happy endings. Rom-coms like that give us hope and make us feel less alone. They're unforgettable. We go back to When Harry Met Sally time and time again.

BF: Totally! Like, it's an elevated reality. Most of us wouldn't simulate an orgasm in a deli, but there's still a grounded-ness. We can all relate to the conundrum of whether men and women can be friends without sex or romantic feelings coming into it.

BF:  It feels like we both agree here that we're talking about two A+ pieces of romance content both coming out within a one-month span. Dare I ask, are rom-coms (or romances in general) back? I feel like on and off for the past decade, we’ve been collectively mourning the death of the rom-com in film. What are you hearing now? Is there a renewed appetite to make this type of content in Hollywood?

EC: The rom-com is alive and well and thriving in different mediums beyond the traditional theatrical experience. A handful of rom-coms have done well in the movie theater—such as Anyone But You—but that is unfortunately the exception to the rule in a world where studios produce big-budget superhero movies that they know will appeal to an international audience. Character-driven romance content is better served via streaming and .... books! There are SO many fabulous romance novels. Netflix, etc, should adapt them all! Should Netflix hire me to run their romance division? I'm manifesting…

EC: Should we run Netflix's romance department together?!?

BF: Netflix... call us!

EC: WE'RE READY.

EC: I have a long list of actors I want to cast in everything!!!!

Set stills from the People We Meet on Vacation adaptation

BF: Personally, I'm really excited for some of the big upcoming book-to-film moments. Especially, whichever is the first of the Emily Henry adaptations to release (right now, it's looking like People We Meet on Vacation, which is currently filming). I'm curious to see if they can (a) do it well and (b) capture these huge fanbases of the source material. I was really excited for a big book-to-film moment with It Ends With Us, which I actually thought was better than the book, but so much of it got overshadowed by the cast drama and no one really talked about the book piece.

EC: Becca, I have a confession to make. I am, frankly, embarrassed. OK, here goes: I have never read a CoHo book. I'm a CoHo virgin!

BF: That's OK, we love and accept you anyway!

EC: But I know all about the It Ends With Us drama! I need to know the truth. I think there are too many NDAs involved.

EC: Anyway! Emily Henry: I love her books. I'm a huge fan. Her latest, Funny Story, is my second-favorite after Beach Read. I think I just love any book she writes that's set near Lake Michigan (near where I grew up).

BF: It feels like the track record of being able to take romance books to screen is spotty. Like, I'm thinking about The Hating Game originally by Sally Thorne and then as a movie starring Lucy Hale and a male actor who IMO had very creepy intense vibes. But on the flip side, I think The Summer I Turned Pretty has reached an even bigger audience with its adaptation. I'm so nervous to see if they can stick the landing with the EmHen books.

EC: I'm trying to keep track of the EmHen adaptations but it's hard to keep up! She's adapting one, I think. Which I like to see. But I don't think it's Beach Read. Because I would definitely remember that. Gus + January Forever.

BF: It sounds like she's pretty involved in all of them and reading scripts. But she's directly writing for Happy Place (which will be a TV show and she's part of the writers’ room) and Funny Story (which is set to be a feature and she's writing the script). Yulin Kuang—whose debut romance How To End A Love Story came out this year—is writing and directing Beach Read, I believe.

EC: Agree with you re: The Hating Game and the Jenny Han adaptation! It's hard to say what audiences will connect with, but casting a cute guy (a Noah Centineo) certainly helps.

EC: Tonally, Yulin is perfect for Beach Read! And I'm glad Emily is spearheading Funny Story.

BF: Are there other romances (adaptation or otherwise) on your radar that you're excited about?

EC: YES! I cannot WAIT for the new Bridget Jones movie, Mad About the Boy, which premieres on Valentine's Day. I adore that series and Renée Zellweger as Bridget. An endearing, hilarious, timeless rom-com heroine.

BF: Oh yes, I didn't realize that was coming so soon!

EC: They literally JUST filmed it in London over the summer! Now it will be in theaters (actually theaters!) in a few months. Hugh Grant will have a cameo and Leo Woodall (from One Day) will play Bridget's new love interest. No word on the status of Mark Darcy!!!

BF: Oh wow! Any others on your radar that should be on ours? Wasn't Pedro Pascal cast in a romance? I know that was on your manifestation board.

EC: Yes! I think I manifested Pedro Pascal as a rom-com leading man because Celine Song recently cast him in a movie called Materialists where he stars in a love triangle with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans. The premise: A high-end matchmaker (Dakota) gets involved with a wealthy man (Pedro, I'm assuming). Evans will play Dakota's scruffy ex.

BF: YES YES YES. GIVE IT TO ME.

EC: I'm not totally sold on Dakota as a leading lady! I know she has her fans. But: Hmmmmmm.

BF: Yeah, she's definitely the least exciting part of that triangle to me, but I will be first in line to see that.

EC: I find her off-putting. However, I think Pascal and Evans are great and hot and if they're game to do a rom-com with Dakota Johnson, I respect that.

BF: OK, last question for you: what about on the screenwriter side? Do we have a modern-day answer to Nora Ephron, or someone you have your eyes on that could grow into that role? Outside of the actors, whose credits are you watching closely?

EC: I love this question! I have my eyes on Billy Eichner (Bros), Carrie Solomon (A Family Affair), every single person who's ever written for Hacks and, despite the problematic way she depicted Jewish women in Nobody Wants This (that's another convo altogether!), I do have to say that Erin Foster is really, really sharp and funny.

EC: She might need a Delia Ephron-style collaborator to soften her sharp edges, though. I have high hopes for season 2!

BF: Ready to see what's next from all of these people!

BF: Erin, thank you so much for joining me! This was such a fun way to spend an afternoon!

EC: Thanks for inviting me to chat! You're a kindred spirit and I live for your newsletter and recommendations on everything!!

BF: Ahhhh, thank you! The feeling is so mutual!

Alright your turn to sound off the in the comments! Are you in your Adam Brody renaissance? Are there romances on your radar that you can’t wait for? Screenwriters you think might take Nora’s torch?

xo,

Becca