August as only Taylor Swift would write it!
Romance in August
There’s something about the opening chords to Taylor Swift’s Folklore bop, August, that just feels like the end of a great summer romance. It makes us think of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han novels, eating s’mores on a scenic beach, and that one scene where Joey finally tells Pacey she loves him in Dawson’s Creek.
It’s wild to think that we’re not too far off from fall, i.e. Gilmore Girls and Anne With an E rewatches, Halloween decorations, and a gentle breeze in the San Fernando valley.
But while we can still touch summer, let’s get into our August agenda!
ROM-TALK 💬
We’ve spent a good amount of time on this substack talking about how there is still a very real stigma associated with romance in the entertainment industry.
When we were growing up, we read YA books which were often romance but hid behind the YA label, and then as we got older, the books we read became chick-lit, which in some ways is simply a subset of the chick flick label. All of these genre sub-categories included or were in large part romances. You might ask, what does it matter? It’s just a label. But labels matter — they matter because labels often are a big part of how a project gets marketed, and thus an indicator of who will go to see it.
When we talk to execs and reps about romance, we often hear that getting a big part of the audience to go (i.e. men) is a problem. Back in the days of Old Hollywood, they still made stereotypically male-driven films (gangster movies, film noir, etc.) but they also made musicals, dramas, screwball comedies (which were the precursor to the romantic comedies), and a film which they labeled the “women’s picture.” The women’s picture usually had a fair amount of melodrama and romance. But the main marker was that the protagonist was a woman and the film was about her journey.
Funny story: there used to be a time in the industry when studio execs were worried about not having any women in a film — they knew they needed that audience!
Women’s pictures were BIG money-makers, and award winners. Think All About Eve, Mildred Pierce, and The Heiress. Line up people who know movies in this business — men and women — and they’ll probably own up to seeing and liking these films, because… we’ll let you in on a little secret. The only difference between these films and others is that women are at the forefront.
All of this to say, the audience for women-forward stories continues to be massive, as evidenced by a smash-hit movie like Barbie last year. We need to stop thinking of women’s stories as being just for women, and the first step in doing that is discarding labels like chick-flick.
If a movie is great, then it should be for everyone.
ROMANCE WE RECOMMEND 📚
For our archive title, we’re recommending THE DEAL by Elle Kennedy. This book is almost ten years old and is still just as relevant as it was when it first came out. If you need someone to back us up, just ask baseball player Bryce Harper. This book is technically new adult, i.e. deals with college-age protagonists, and is also a hockey romance. But to us, the reason it’s still so read and re-read is because emotion is at the very core of it. You can buy a copy here!
TW: the book deals with some serious themes including rape, date-rape drugs, child abuse (all not on page, taking place before the book begins.
For our new title, we’re recommending THE LOVE OF MY AFTERLIFE by Kirsty Greenwood. BRIDGET JONES meets DEFENDING YOUR LIFE, this book is a true delight from start to finish. We follow Delphie, a 27 yr-old woman who dies choking on a hamburger, only to be given another chance on Earth — if she can find her soulmate in ten days and kiss them, she can live. So funny and moving and desperately original! You can buy here!
ROMANCE FILM & TV RECOMMENDATIONS 📽️
From the archive this month, we’re recommending BRIGHT STAR, the 2009 film from director Jane Campion about the love affair between Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) and the famous poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw). This movie stays with you and lingers in the small moments of first love. It’s a sweeping romance and fair warning, you’ll probably cry. Ben Whishaw’s perfomance in particular is chef’s kiss. You can currently rent or buy on Amazon Prime or Apple.
For recent titles, we’re recommending LISA FRANKENSTEIN which just premiered on streaming. From the mind of Diablo Cody and directed by Zelda Williams, this movie is bonkers romantic fun with that sarcastic bite we’ve come to expect from everything Diablo touches. Truly the way Cole Sprouse barely talks this movie, and we’d still die for him…you can watch now on Prime!
LOVE LIST WRITER PROFILE: SAM JARVIS ✍️
From the moment we read the opening pages of Sam’s script, SIX DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON’S FAN MAIL, we knew it was going to be included on our inaugural Love List. It was so meta and hilarious and original. She was previously staffed as a writer on the Margot Robbie-produced Hulu show, DOLLFACE, and the hilarious Andrea Savage comedy, I’M SORRY.
What is your favorite romance movie/tv show and why?
I'm a sucker for the classics. You've Got Mail, The Holiday, 10 Things I Hate About You. The first time I watched Sweet Home Alabama I was fourteen, and as soon as the credits rolled I immediately pressed rewind and watched it again. Also, can I throw Casper in there? It's not a romance, technically it's probably a family comedy? Fantasy? But come on, Devon Sawa...
Why do you think the genre has been overlooked?
I think people have always thought of rom-coms as a stepping stone for actors on their way to more serious, dramatic, Oscar-worthy roles. And at some point in the last fifteen years there was this push to try and skip that step. What I think got overlooked was that being in romantic comedies is actually what made people movie stars.
How would you like to see the genre evolve in film and television?
We should go back to what worked! Funny. Sexy. A joy to watch. Anyone But You is the perfect example of that, and hopefully its success can help usher in another wave of rom-coms you want to watch over and over.
SUBSTACK SPEC: MASTERMIND BY JESSICA GASPERINI (1/2 hour TV Pilot)
We are so excited to highlight Jessica Gasperini’s pilot MASTERMIND! We think she’s cracked the half-hour romcom with this one. It’s laugh-out-loud funny and mortifying in the same way the Felicity pilot is. Remember that scene where Felicity tells Ben she followed him to college and we all collectively cringed?? Same vibes!! Really can’t say enough good things. The voice is strong and we only wish we could read the next episode.
Logline: When a romance-film-obsessed self-proclaimed spinster lies about having a boyfriend to a cute new coworker it puts in motion a cascading set of events that will awaken her desire for love and quite possibly end in multiple restraining orders.
If you are a producer, exec, or rep who would like to read, please email us a copy at lovelistsubmissions@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to share a copy!
See you in September!
