- 7 weeks ago
Break out the mixtape and the glittery dress — we’re assembling the essential ingredients and clichés that define early-2000s romantic comedies. From independent career women and brooding rivals to city-as-character shots, makeover and "working-on-myself" montages, karaoke set‑pieces, fake-dating schemes and Cinderella reveals, plus rain-soaked kisses and crowd-pleasing declarations — expect quirky friends, mentors, a dash of magic, and a quotable line or two.
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00:00Ask me nicely.
00:01Ask me nicely what?
00:02Ask me nicely to marry you.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today we're compiling the key ingredients and cliches that make up the classic 2000s era romantic comedy.
00:14If you are directing a rom-com in this era, this is the definitive starter pack.
00:18Now I need you, despite the fact that you've killed all my plants.
00:26An independent leading lady.
00:28Your typical Naughty's rom-com heroine may appear to have it all.
00:32She's probably a career girl living solo in the big city in a cute apartment.
00:36Even if she's not quite where she wants to be, you better believe that she's good at her job.
00:41If that makes me uncompromising, well, I wear it as a badge of honor because I'm in damn good company.
00:47Martin Luther King was uncompromising.
00:49Nelson Mandela was uncompromising.
00:51And I'm sure your mother was uncompromising.
00:53Or she could be if someone would just give her the break.
00:56She's smart, if a little bit chaotic.
00:58Either that or high maintenance.
01:00If she's a teen, she's probably already got her eye on that dream job or college acceptance letter.
01:06Funny thing, I'm graduating a year early so I can be 3,000 miles away in Princeton.
01:10You could get a scholarship to the University of Mars and it still wouldn't be far enough.
01:15She definitely doesn't need a man, but she low-key would like one.
01:19She's more insecure than she lets the world see.
01:22And she's definitely in the market for true love, even if she doesn't know it yet.
01:26He'd ask all these penetrating questions about it because he was sincerely, if atypically, interested.
01:32No.
01:33No.
01:34He'd be interested.
01:36Oh.
01:37But he'd see that there was no way he could possibly make her realize that he was for real.
01:43A good man who makes a bad first impression.
01:46This category of rom-com woman didn't just spring into being at the dawn of the new millennium.
01:51She's learned from all the leading ladies that came before, right back to Shakespeare's Beatrice and Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet.
01:59And of course, a Lizzie Bennet needs her Mr. Darcy.
02:02Most men have false arrogance, pride, vanity.
02:06He certainly read you like a book, Darcy.
02:09No?
02:12I just think you got me all wrong.
02:14Cue a tall and handsome stranger who seems like the last man in the world our heroine could ever marry.
02:20He might be a cynic, molded by past heartbreak, or a rival of some kind, diametrically opposed to our protagonist's worldview.
02:27Let's face it, he's got about a 50-50 shot of making it out of the gate.
02:31Oh, how very refreshing, a man who doesn't believe in marriage.
02:33I'm just trying to point out the hypocrisy of the spectacle.
02:35Oh, that's so noble of you.
02:37Do you also go around telling small children that Santa Claus doesn't exist?
02:40Or maybe he just needs to work on his people skills.
02:43Whatever the cause, we're always here for an enemies-to-lovers arc,
02:46ready to embrace that witty banter and crackling romantic tension.
02:50Why would I be jealous of Andrew?
02:51He's got to spend the rest of his life married to you.
02:56I loathe you.
02:57I loathe you.
03:00I loathe you first.
03:02A city or town that feels like a main character.
03:05Whether it's New York, Amritzer, or Eastbourne, 2000s rom-coms have a real love of location.
03:11Moving to New York, I met guys.
03:15And that kind of put things in perspective.
03:17Because you know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles,
03:20and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down a hot toast.
03:27Well, that's what it's like when I see a storm.
03:30Sweeping shots of the city, ambient crowd scenes, and dramatic cuts to local landmarks
03:35all create a heightened sense of place that feels more fantasy than reality.
03:40Forget Hogwarts or Narnia.
03:42Give us a portal to Richard Curtis's London or a house in a Nancy Meyers movie.
03:46However, it's the Big Apple that features most heavily.
03:56New York feels synonymous with rom-coms of the 2000s,
04:00with each tourist destination seeming to boast a memorable romantic moment.
04:04And of course, that skyline makes a great credits shot.
04:18Some funny friends and family.
04:20The rom may be the primary focus of the romantic comedy,
04:23but let's not forget the calm,
04:25which is often provided by the protagonist's close relations or chosen family.
04:29They're quirky or eccentric.
04:30They take an active interest in the lead character's love lives,
04:34and they get some of the best lines.
04:36What do you mean he don't eat no meat?
04:42Oh, that's okay.
04:43That's okay. I make lamb.
04:45These friends and relatives might not always have an arc of their own,
04:48but they're more than just comic relief.
04:51Tell him, Paulette.
04:57I'm taking the dog.
05:00Dumbass.
05:01When the chips are down,
05:02they'll be on hand ready to offer up some tough love
05:05or a shoulder to cry on,
05:06whichever the situation demands.
05:08And when things are going right,
05:10you know they'll be cheering from the sidelines.
05:17Friends of yours?
05:20I've never seen them far in my life.
05:23A teaching moment or moment with the mentor.
05:25Every story has its stock characters,
05:27and the mentor is one of our favorites.
05:30In the movies,
05:31we have leading ladies,
05:32and we have the best friend.
05:35You, I can tell,
05:36are a leading lady.
05:38But for some reason,
05:39you're behaving like the best friend.
05:42They could be a wise elder,
05:43a parental figure,
05:44or a friend.
05:45Occasionally,
05:46they're even the love interest.
05:482000s rom-coms put a lot of emphasis on personal growth,
05:51but our protagonists still need someone to show them the ropes.
05:55Roll your hips,
05:56roll your hips.
05:57Head up,
05:57head up.
05:58Keep gliding.
06:00I'm gliding here!
06:02Whether they're learning a skill,
06:04embracing a new identity,
06:05or just in need of a little life advice,
06:07the mentor is on hand to lead them
06:09into the next stage of their adventure.
06:11And of course,
06:12an upbeat training montage
06:13is the best way to take them there.
06:15A Cinderella scene.
06:28After all that training,
06:29it's time for our leading ladies to let their hair down,
06:32or put it up and pair it with a beautiful dress.
06:35Sam,
06:35what are they all staring at?
06:38Rom-coms of the 2000s were less concerned with the makeover,
06:46and more with the big dress reveal.
06:48If a heroine really wants to capitalize on her Cinderella moment,
06:51she should arrive at the ball,
06:53or birthday bash,
06:54or fundraiser,
06:54or wedding,
06:55fashionably late.
06:56She should then take a moment to stand at the top of the stairs,
06:59or aisle,
07:00and survey her surroundings.
07:03You're beautiful.
07:05So are you.
07:08If the timing is right,
07:09the music will change,
07:11the spotlight will shine,
07:12and the man of her dreams will turn around
07:14at just the right moment.
07:15Pure cinema.
07:27A working-on-myself montage.
07:29We love a good makeover montage,
07:31but for the millennial rom-com woman or man,
07:33it was all about starting from the inside out.
07:36I have two choices.
07:38To give up and accept permanent state of spinsterhood
07:41and eventually eating by Alsatians.
07:45Or not.
07:47And this time I choose not.
07:49When they get their heart broken or experience a temporary setback,
07:52it may feel like the end of the world for our protagonist.
07:55But we know that the recovery sequence is right around the corner.
07:59Just forget it.
08:03I'll show you how valuable our words can be.
08:05It's time to clear out the closet,
08:07knuckle down to their studies,
08:09practice mindfulness,
08:10get their training gear on,
08:11and set their mind to the next step.
08:13It will likely include a new look,
08:15a career switch up,
08:16and most importantly,
08:17a change of mindset.
08:18Because if you can't love yourself,
08:20how are you going to love somebody else?
08:22Two.
08:24Do yoga every morning and night
08:25and cleanse my body of toxicity
08:27by banishing all negative feelings
08:30towards ex-best friends and bass players.
08:35Three.
08:36Listen to dolphins
08:37because they're clever and unselfish.
08:41A musical moment.
08:42We all have those moments we wait for in our favorite movies.
08:45And an impromptu musical interlude
08:47is one of the best ways to make a scene stand out.
08:582000s rom-coms take any opportunity
09:00to throw in some karaoke
09:02or a moment on the dance floor
09:03and as a trope.
09:04It's hard to resist.
09:06The singing doesn't have to be good
09:07and the dancing shouldn't be anything spectacular.
09:10We've got an empty room.
09:13I'm always new.
09:14You know I've got it in a magazine.
09:17Yo.
09:20P-p-p-panny and the Jess.
09:22A musical scene is all about
09:24making the audience smile,
09:25showing a new and unexpected side to the characters
09:28and creating a little bit of a party atmosphere.
09:31Sometimes it brings the lovers closer together
09:33and sometimes it pulls them apart.
09:36Either way, we love to see it.
09:37A little bit of magic.
09:48As a contemporary loving rom-com connoisseur,
09:51you might not consider yourself a fantasy fan.
09:5330 and flirty and thriving.
09:5630 and flirty and thriving.
09:5930 and flirty and thriving.
10:02However, back in the 2000s,
10:03the lines were definitely blurred.
10:05A transformation here,
10:07a body swap there,
10:08a time jump,
10:09some mind reading,
10:10the ghost of a girl in a coma.
10:11All normal everyday occurrences.
10:14He can't see me either.
10:15For some hideous reason, only you can.
10:17Okay, there's something.
10:19Definitely a presence.
10:21How original.
10:22Tell me more.
10:23Luckily, spirit guides weren't in short supply during this era.
10:27Just pop down to your local witchy bookshop
10:29or tarot card reader.
10:30In the world of rom-coms,
10:32magic is usually there to teach a lesson
10:34or bring two unlikely lovers together.
10:37And of course,
10:37cause some comedic chaos along the way.
10:40I'm John.
10:43I'm Sarah.
10:45A big declaration of love.
10:47This era of rom-coms may try to kid you
10:49about them being more cynical and tongue-in-cheek
10:52than earlier examples of the genre.
10:54But don't fall for it.
10:55You're nothing like the man I imagined.
10:57You're cynical and cranky and impossible.
11:04But the truth is fighting with you
11:05is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
11:09They're just as susceptible to extreme bouts of sentimentality.
11:12Case in point, the big romantic declaration.
11:15On the hero's journey to happily ever after,
11:17this is a crucial step,
11:19signaling that the finale is near.
11:21But it's not enough to say it.
11:33You've got to shout it from the rooftops,
11:35unless you're that one guy from Love Actually.
11:38Ideally, there should be a crowd
11:39hanging on your every word,
11:41ready to clap and awe at the appropriate moments.
11:44And bonus points if you sing.
11:46All I'm asking you
11:48is don't write me off just yet.
11:54A Manic Pixie Dream Girl or Boy
11:56The 2000s was the decade responsible
11:58for popularizing the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype.
12:02This quirky specimen exists mostly
12:04to further the protagonist's journey of self-discovery.
12:07Never know, dear!
12:09How much I love you!
12:11Are you even playing us?
12:13Hey!
12:13That's gonna shine away!
12:15And though they're more commonly found
12:17in romantic dramas,
12:19rom-coms are also guilty of producing a few.
12:21You're asking me to give up my...
12:23my freedom, my joie de vivre
12:26for an institution that fails as often as it succeeds?
12:29And why should I marry you anyway?
12:31I mean, why do you want to marry me?
12:33Besides a bourgeois desire to fulfill an ideal
12:35that society embeds in us from an early age
12:38to promote a consumer capitalist agenda.
12:40Film critic Nathan Rabin coined the term
12:42in reference to Claire in Elizabethtown.
12:44There may have been some Manic Pixie Dream Girls prior,
12:47but there have definitely been many since.
12:50You want to be really great?
12:52Then have the courage to fail big and stick around.
12:57Make them wonder why you're still smiling.
12:59An inspirational speech.
13:01This era of movies was partial
13:03to a bit of public speaking
13:04and not just the romantic kind.
13:07Remembering that first impressions
13:09are not always correct.
13:12You must always have faith in people.
13:15And most importantly,
13:17you must always have faith in yourself.
13:23From Elle Woods' graduation address
13:26to Sam Montgomery's iconic locker room lecture,
13:29we love it when our heroines take a stand
13:31and drop some pearls of wisdom
13:33for the rest of us to follow.
13:35I know that guy that sent those emails
13:37is somewhere down inside of you.
13:39But I can't wait for him.
13:41Because waiting for you
13:43is like waiting for rain in this drought.
13:45Useless and disappointing.
13:47Whether they've been asked to make a speech
13:50or they're just trying to get something off their chest,
13:52an impassioned monologue
13:54always gets us feeling inspired.
13:56My thoughts and the thoughts
13:58of people smarter than me
14:00would be much better heard.
14:03And just maybe
14:04those thoughts could be turned into actions.
14:08A scene in the rain.
14:09A change in the weather
14:10can really transform a scene.
14:12And as a storytelling backdrop,
14:14rain is one of the best.
14:16It's dramatic,
14:17it's atmospheric,
14:17and it can even be romantic.
14:20I'm sorry I waited for the rain.
14:22It's okay.
14:23A rainy day is the perfect setting
14:25for breaking bad news,
14:27wallowing after a heartbreak,
14:28or kissing like nothing else matters.
14:30Who cares if you're wet and cold
14:32when you're creating an iconic movie moment?
14:34What do you want to be married to me for anyhow?
14:44So I can kiss him anytime I want.
14:55Fake dating.
14:56Just like the enemies to lovers archetype,
14:59fake dating was definitely a thing
15:00in Naughty's rom-coms.
15:02I think there's something that you should know.
15:07We're getting married.
15:09We are getting married.
15:11Who is getting married?
15:13You and I.
15:13You and I are getting married.
15:14This means that the leads
15:16only pretend to date
15:17to placate their peers,
15:19only to develop real feelings.
15:21Oh, you are already
15:22falling in love with me.
15:25I'm gonna make you wish you were dead.
15:29Poor guy.
15:30The proposal,
15:31how to lose a guy in 10 days,
15:33and the wedding date
15:34all embrace the trope wholeheartedly.
15:36How successfully is up for debate.
15:38But there's no denying
15:39that these movies are still a lot of fun.
15:41Holy crap.
15:44You're worth every penny.
15:52You should get going.
15:53Mm-hmm.
15:55Okay, Yoda.
15:57It certainly had a big comeback
15:58in the 2023 sleeper hit
16:00Anyone But You.
16:02Before we continue,
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16:18A memorable quote or two.
16:20Is it just us
16:20or are Y2K rom-coms
16:22insanely quotable?
16:24To Bridget,
16:26who cannot cook,
16:27but who we love.
16:29Just as she is.
16:30They may not be the kind of quotes
16:32you get on movie posters,
16:33but they still live rent-free
16:34in our heads.
16:35There are killer comebacks,
16:37sweet romantic lines,
16:38and inspiring aphorisms.
16:40Some,
16:41like the
16:41You Bewitched Me speech
16:43in 2005's Pride and Prejudice,
16:45could be happily added
16:46to your next public speech.
16:48You have bewitched me,
16:49body and soul,
16:50and I love,
16:51and love,
16:52and love you.
16:54I never wish to be parted from you
16:55from this day on.
16:57Others,
16:57well,
16:58probably shouldn't be shouted in public.
17:00People might not get the reference.
17:01You go where?
17:03Harvard.
17:04Law school.
17:06You got into Harvard Law?
17:09What,
17:10like it's hard?
17:11What's your favorite 2000s rom-com trope,
17:13and what line do you quote most often?
17:16Let us know in the comments.
17:18And when my eyes are closed,
17:19I see you for what you truly are,
17:22which is ugly.
17:23We're done!
17:25We're done!
17:25We're done!
17:26We're done!
17:26We're done!
17:26We're done!
17:26We're done!
17:26We're done!
17:27We're done!
17:27We're done!
17:27We're done!
17:28We're done!
17:28We're done!
17:29We're done!
17:29We're done!
17:30We're done!
17:30We're done!
17:31We're done!
17:31We're done!
17:32We're done!
17:32We're done!
17:33We're done!
17:33We're done!
17:34We're done!
17:34We're done!
17:35We're done!
17:35We're done!
17:36We're done!
17:37We're done!
17:38We're done!
17:39We're done!
17:40We're done!
17:41We're done!
17:42We're done!
17:43We're done!
17:44We're done!
17:45We're done!
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