Isn't It Romantic (2019 film)

Isn't It Romantic is a 2019 American romantic comedy film directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson and written by Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, and Katie Silberman. The film stars Rebel Wilson as a woman who finds herself in a world where everything around her plays out like a clichéd PG-13 romantic comedy. Liam Hemsworth, Adam DeVine, and Priyanka Chopra appear in supporting roles.

Isn't It Romantic
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTodd Strauss-Schulson
Produced by
Screenplay by
Story byErin Cardillo
Starring
Music byJohn Debney
CinematographySimon Duggan
Edited byAndrew Marcus
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • February 13, 2019 (2019-02-13) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$31 million[2]
Box office$48.8 million[3]

The film was theatrically released in the United States on February 13, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures, and in international territories by Netflix on February 28, 2019. It grossed over $48 million on a $31 million budget and received generally positive reviews from critics.[4]

Plot

Architect Natalie develops a strong hatred for romantic comedies at an early age, which is exacerbated by her low self-esteem and difficulty in finding love. Her assistant Whitney, a fan of romantic comedies, believes their co-worker Josh is in love with Natalie, but Natalie dismisses the notion because Josh appears to spend all his time staring at a billboard model across the street. One day, Natalie is knocked unconscious during an attempted mugging and finds herself trapped in the stereotypical romantic comedies that she despises. Whitney becomes her enemy and her neighbor Donny becomes a flamboyant homosexual friend offering advice, while Blake, a billionaire client of her company, develops a romantic interest in her. Additionally, Josh whose personality is the same but only remembers the new reality enters into a relationship with the billboard model, who identifies herself as a "yoga ambassador" named Isabella.

Desperate to return to her reality, Natalie deduces that in the tradition of romantic comedies, she can only leave by finding true love. When her relationship with Blake turns sour, Natalie recognizes that she has feelings for Josh, who has become engaged to Isabella. Natalie attempts to stop their wedding, but soon realizes that instead of loving another person, she needs to learn to love herself. Following this revelation, Natalie gets into a car accident and loses consciousness.

Natalie wakes up in the real world, but with new self-confidence, which she uses to successfully propose an idea to Blake. After reuniting with Josh, she learns that he has not been staring at the model, but at Natalie's reflection, and the two begin a relationship. As Natalie prepares to head home, Whitney tells her that despite her dislike for romantic comedies, everything she just experienced has been comparable to one. Realizing that she has been in a romantic comedy the entire time, Natalie and the rest of the characters proceed to engage in a rendition of "Express Yourself".

Cast

Production

On May 23, 2016, it was reported that Rebel Wilson would star as Natalie in an untitled romantic comedy film by New Line Cinema, from an original script by Erin Cardillo and rewrite by Dana Fox and Katie Silberman, while producers would be Todd Garner, Grant Scharbo, and Gina Matthews.[5] On March 22, 2017, Todd Strauss-Schulson was hired to direct the film, titled Isn't It Romantic. On May 10, Adam DeVine, who had previously co-starred with Wilson in the first two Pitch Perfect movies, and Liam Hemsworth were cast in the film to play love interests in Natalie's life.[6] Priyanka Chopra was also cast in the film in May.[7] On June 14, 2017, Betty Gilpin was added, playing Natalie's assistant Whitney, one of her best friends.[8]

Principal photography on the film began on July 10, 2017, in New York City.

Release

Isn't It Romantic was theatrically released in the United States on February 13, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures.[9] The film was released internationally on February 28, 2019, by Netflix.[1]

Home Media

Isn't It Romantic was released on DVD/Blu-Ray on May 21, 2019.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, Isn't It Romantic was released alongside Happy Death Day 2U, and was projected to gross around $22 million from 3,300 theaters in its six-day opening weekend.[10] After not holding Tuesday night previews, the film made $1.8 million on its first day, Wednesday, and $4.4 million on Valentine's Day, for a two-day total of $6.2 million.[2] It went on to debut to $14.2 million over the weekend (a five-day gross of $20.4 million), finishing third at the box office.[11] The film dropped 47% in its second weekend, making $7.5 million and finishing fifth.[12]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on 167 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 6.14/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "It follows as many genre conventions as it mocks, but Isn't It Romantic is a feel-good rom-com with some satirical bite – and a star well-suited for both."[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 50% "definite recommend."[11][15]

Australian publication QNews reviewed the film positively, with Peter Gray saying it was "one of the better example[s] of the genre, and it helps that its cast are all wholly capable of both playing to and against the stereotypes."[16]

References
  1. Adarsh, Taran [@taran_adarsh] (31 January 2019). "Priyanka Chopra starrer #IsntItRomantic to stream on #Netflix... Will launch on 28 Feb 2019 in #India and all #Netflix territories outside of the US and Canada... Costars Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth and Adam DeVine... Glimpses: t.co/LsxwoJpzen" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 15, 2019). "'Alita: Battle Angel' Gets The Most Love At Valentine's Day B.O. With $8.7M & 'A-' CinemaScore – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  3. "Isn't It Romantic (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  4. Trilby Beresford; Katie Kilkenny (February 12, 2019). "Isn't It Romantic': What the Critics Are Saying". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  5. McNary, Dave (May 23, 2016). "Rebel Wilson to Star in Romantic Comedy for New Line (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  6. Kit, Borys (May 10, 2017). "Adam Devine, Liam Hemsworth Join Rebel Wilson in 'Isn't It Romantic' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  7. Kroll, Justin (May 30, 2017). "Priyanka Chopra Joins Rebel Wilson's 'Isn't It Romantic,' 'A Kid Like Jake' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. Hipes, Patrick (June 14, 2017). "Betty Gilpin Joins Rebel Wilson In New Line's 'Isn't It Romantic'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  9. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 3, 2017). "'Godzilla Vs. Kong', 'Game Night' Among Many Warner Bros. Release Date Changes For 2018 & Beyond". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  10. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 12, 2019). "'Alita' & 'Happy Death Day 2U' In A Knife Fight At The Presidents Day Weekend B.O." Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  11. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 16, 2019). "'Alita's Agita At The Domestic B.O.: James Cameron Production Headed To $37M+ 5-Day". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  12. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 24, 2018). "'How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World' Ablaze With $55M+ Franchise Record Opening & Second Best February Animated Pic Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  13. "Isn't It Romantic (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  14. "Isn't It Romantic reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  15. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Isn't It Romantic" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  16. "REVIEW: Rebel Wilson sends up rom-com genre in 'Isn't It Romantic'". QNews. 2019-03-10. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
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