Last night, I watched Will Gluck’s ‘Anyone but You’, hailed as one of the best rom-coms of recent times. I had been waiting for it to be released on Netflix for a long time, and when it did, I somehow managed to take my sweet time to watch the film. Honestly, I have started disliking watching films ever since I started watching Korean Dramas, and I have no proper explanation for my despise. Every time someone would ask me to watch a film, I would say, ‘2 hours of being glued to the screen is too much of a commitment.’, and I would proceed to watch a a series of 16 episodes of one hour each. I am a whited sepulchre.
Now back to the film. Romantic-Comedy has been my favourite genre as far as American and English films are concerned. I started watching foreign films extremely late in my life. I guess I was 18 or 19. Before that, I had only seen ‘Baby’s Day Out’ and ‘Titanic’. Classics. My friend, Riz suggested I watch a film called ‘Roman Holiday’, starring (now) one of my favourites Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and that was it. This film marked my entry into Hollywood. After this, I watched films of every American director, actor, and genre. But rom-coms always had my heart. Soon, ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Sound of Music’, ‘The Wedding Date’, ‘When Harry Met Sally’, etc became my comfort space.
I loved every kind of rom-com, and if it had a touch of wedding, it would be a cherry on the cake. Strangers or lovers turned foe meeting at a wedding, wedding mishaps, bride-groom wars, maid of honours’ agony, I have loved it all!
‘Anyone But You’ had everything that I have loved. The theme of ‘if it’s meant to be, it will happen’ was well executed in this film. It had fate. The couple had the ‘magical spark’ that Meg Ryan kept talking about in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’. It had its moments, some really beautiful moments. One of the leads with a painful past. Gorgeous-looking exes. And, it had a wedding!
Yet, it felt incomplete. It felt silly.
What I loved as an 18-year-old person, a 30-year-old I couldn’t digest.
Am I no longer a romantic?
The magical moments and grand gestures that once swept me off my feet might not resonate as deeply because I’ve experienced the complexities and nuances of real-life relationships. I am just guessing.
For years I kept waiting for the magical moments that I have watched in these films. I had my handful share of the same. But, the idea of losing the comfort space that these films have been for me is daunting. I WANT to gush at those kisses, confessions, and happily ever after. But, why did ‘Anyone But You’ disappoint me? Perhaps “Anyone But You” didn’t quite capture the essence or emotional depth I was hoping for, despite ticking all the boxes on paper.
To tell you the truth, I did not dislike it that much. I am just disappointed that I couldn’t feel what these films make me feel.
Do you get me?
World of Shubhika 
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