Rom Bombs

Netflix romcoms starring former Disney Channel child stars are back, baby! In this episode we discuss The Wrong Paris, a new Miranda Cosgrove vehicle that parodizes reality dating shows. And J has THOUGHTS about what they got wrong and what they got right. Along the way we also discuss:-Whether spraying yourself in the face with a hose can be sexy-Too much abs?-The nature of the Hulk's genitals-Werewolves and partial werewolves-The Man of La ManchaFollow us on Bluesky!Theme music: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes

What does it take to make an enemies-to-lovers story work? Ideally, Colin Firth in a soaking wet shirt, but instead "The Hating Game" offers up Temu Ryan Reynolds in a towel, which doesn't quite get the job done. A book J liked was transformed into a movie neither of us liked, but we have lots of ideas about how it could have been fixed. We're not angry, just disappointed.Topics covered include:-What's the best angle for a butt shot?-What's the line between "romantic" and "serial killer"?-What's the most popular ship in the Smurfs fandom?-Why do romcom writers always set their stories in the publishing industry when they apparently know nothing about the publishing industry?Follow us on Bluesky!Theme music: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes

We're talking about "You're Cordially Invited," the new(ish) Reese Witherspoon/Will Ferrell romcom that's a bit heavier on the com than the rom but nonetheless qualifies. Why is this a bonus episode instead of a regular episode? Well, two reasons. One: we both really enjoyed this movie, so this episode is less us picking apart its flaws and more just us talking about what we liked about it. Two: we've already established that if we reach episode 100 we'll be covering "Love Actually," and we'd like to postpone that eventuality for as long as possible.We recommend watching the movie before listening to this, not because you won't understand us, but because you'll probably enjoy our discussion more. And, despite the baffling 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie is genuinely good.Follow us on Bluesky!Theme music: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes

We did it! We've made it to the end of the Netflix holiday season! Like marathon runners, we limp across the finish line, wobbly-kneed and hopefully not having pooped our pants. In this episode we discuss "Our Little Secret," the last of Netflix's 2024 holiday romcom releases. Lindsay Lohan, Kristen Chenoweth, a guy who played a creep on Pretty Little Liars, and a bunch of other people (and a Yorkie) engage in implausible hijinks at Christmastime, and somehow, despite a couple of near-fatal flaws, we both thought this movie was okay?

What if Magic Mike, but Christmas, and also even less of a plot? In this episode we discuss "The Merry Gentlemen," Netflix's third holiday romcom offering, in which Chad Michael Murray plays a carpenter who gets roped into performing in an all-male topless dance revue in order to save Christmas. Join us as we discuss ugly necklaces, floor humping, city girls, and hair that may or may not be a wig.Follow us on Bluesky @rombombsTheme: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes (Xmas remix by E)

Since the dawn of time, made-for-TV holiday romcoms have featured women bringing snowmen to life and then falling in love with them. In this episode we discuss "Hot Frosty," the second of Netflix's holiday romcom releases, which was truly a breath of fresh air after the debacle that was "Meet Me Next Christmas." Come for the discussion of the practicalities of having sex with a snowman; stay for the part where E completely misunderstands the denouement of the movie and J only makes her feel a LITTLE dumb for it.Theme music: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes (Xmas remix by E)Follow us on Bluesky @rombombs

It's the holiday season again! And in the midst of the hellscape we find ourselves in, Netflix has decided to grace us with not one, not two, not three but FOUR new holiday romcoms. In this episode we discuss the first release, "Meet me Next Christmas," a Christina Milian/Pentatonix vehicle that... okay, you know how, without the occasional rainy day, you can't really appreciate the sunshine? Well, you'd better have some galoshes if you're going to watch this movie.Follow us on BLUESKY @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes (Xmas remix by E)

Is "The Idea of You" a romcom? We don't know, but we watched it, and by golly we're going to talk about it! It's a story about ancient, withered crone Anne Hathaway falling in love with a young(?) boy-band star played by Nicholas Galitzine, and while we do spend a lot of time discussing age gaps, we also make room to talk about really important topics like: the world's ugliest dress, the various ways someone could get into trouble in New York, E's cat's butthole, and why Reid Scott only plays characters named Dan.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

We're back! And so is Lindsay Lohan, continuing her Romcomnaissance with another Netflix holiday romcom. But this time the holiday is... St. Patrick's Day? Join us as we discuss "Irish Wish," covering such topics as the definition of "wish," cobblestone streets that look exactly unlike New York City, and the fact that movie writers never seem to understand how the world of publishing actually works.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

We're back, just in time for Christmas! New holiday romcoms were thin on the ground this year, but we managed to find the Freevee original "Exmas," starring Robbie Amell and Leighton Meester as ex-fiance(e)s who reunite. One of us watched the movie in 5-minute chunks with a toddler kicking them in the ribs, and the other of us watched it like a normal person watching a movie; can you guess which of us liked the movie more?Join us as we discuss terrible bangs, romcoms continuing to not understand how baking works, romcoms continuing to not understand how toilets work, and what happens when Buzzfeed makes a movie. (That's not a figure of speech. Buzzfeed literally made this movie.)Follow us on Twitter @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix by E)

Holy moly, we've reached episode 50! To honor the occasion, we went out and actually PAID to see a movie in theaters. That movie is "Love Again," a fever dream of a romcom that will make you ask "did I hit my head and wake up in 1997, a year when it might actually make sense for everyone to be obsessing over Celine Dion?"Join us as we discuss such important topics as:-Sam Heughan's butt-Emotional support basketballs-Chekhov's journalist-Boy Meets World-Celine Dion, licensed OB/GYNFollow us on Twitter @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

In this episode, we discuss "Ticket to Paradise," the movie that reunites romcom mainstay Julia Roberts with a George Clooney who has gradually abandoned his suaveness and embraced his wackiness. We all love an enemies-to-lovers story, but can we love a lovers-to-enemies-back-to-lovers-again story? Maybe not?Join us as we discuss the world's most disappointing wardrobe, the real dangers of swimming with dolphins, Balinese(?) wedding traditions, Schrodinger's yoga pants, and the fact that the creators of this movie clearly did not understand how law school, art curation, or graduation ceremonies work.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsTheme music: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

Ho ho ho! Meeeerry Christmas! What's that in your stocking? It's another holiday episode! In this one we talk about "Christmas With You," the incredibly generically-named Netflix original romcom that marks Freddie Prinze Jr.'s return to the screen. If you enjoyed "Marry Me" then you'll probably enjoy this one, since it's essentially a store-brand "Marry Me" with a slightly more plausible premise. Join us as we discuss FPJ's Just For Men hair, emotional support guitars, whether the Christmas song in this movie was written by an AI chatbot, and sensual tamale-making.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (XMas Remix by E)

It's holiday season, baby! And you know what that means: another Vanessa Hudg— (touches earpiece) Sorry, I'm being told that... this can't be right... Netflix didn't put out a Vanessa Hudgens Christmas romcom this year?Well, we'll just have to settle for "Falling for Christmas," the movie that marks Lindsay Lohan's return to the screen as well as millions of people learning for the first time that there's a guy named "Chord Overstreet." Join us as we run down the checklist of Christmas romcom clichés, consider the movie's threatening undercurrent, and talk about bidets a weird amount considering there are no bidets in this movie.Follow us on Twitter: @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix by E)

In this episode, we discuss "Blast from the Past," the classic 1999 "fish out of water" romcom that itself constitutes a blast from the past, but in case that wasn't enough, we actually recorded this episode a year ago and then E never got around to editing it, so the episode itself is a blast from the past! INCEPTION.Anyway, join us as we talk about the "born sexy yesterday" trope, proper Air Force bailing-out behavior, the disservice this movie does to Sissy Spacek, and, for some reason, Vanessa Hudgens, even though she is very much not in this movie.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

In this episode, we tackle "Moonshot," a straight-to-streaming young adult romcom set *~*in the future*~* when humans live on Mars and yet nothing else has changed. Although we have surprisingly different opinions about this movie, we still manage to tackle lots of important issues, including:-Cole Sprouse's confusing career and tonsorial choices-Cat welfare-What the Big Bang looked like-Whether it's possible to enjoy a movie without realizing itPlus J introduces a great new party game: "What DIDN'T happen on Riverdale?"Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

We're baa-ack! (Actually, we recorded this episode a while ago, and then E took an embarrassingly long time to finish editing it.) In this episode we talk about "Marry Me," the new social-media-infused heir to the golden age of romcoms (the late 1990s). Join us as we talk about JLo's seeming inability to age, Owen Wilson's hair, Central Illinois geography, and the logistics of marrying a stranger pulled out of a crowd.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com

At last, we reach the end of the holiday season, and our final Netflix original romcom: "Single All the Way," a movie we both unironically enjoyed. Join us as we unpack what exactly makes this movie succeed where so many others have failed, engage in some light nitpicking, and go off on a bunch of tangents because we didn't have enough to complain about.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix by E)

Continuing our marathon of Netflix Christmas romcoms, in this episode we discuss “A Castle for Christmas.” It’s yet another British-adjacent royalty-adjacent Christmas movie, but this time without any Vanessa Hudgenses and with a middle-aged couple at the center. Brooke Shields is an “author,” Cary Elwes is a “Scottish” duke, and a big stone house is the “castle” at the center of their romance.Join us as we tackle such hard-hitting questions as:-What, exactly, is a castle?-What crime-related word starts with B?-Did Myles date Kate Middleton?-Is Cary Elwes a good actor?-Who is Winston, and what is wrong with E's brain? (we figure the former out eventually, but the latter is still a mystery)Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: “Our Big Adventure” by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix)

It's that time of year again: the chill in the air carries the scent of roasting chestnuts and the sound of multiple Vanessa Hudgenses giggling, so it must be Christmas season! We return to the Princess Switch well to discuss the The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star, aka The Princess Switch 3: Still Switchin'!, aka The Princess Switch 3: This One's About Fiona. Join us as we consider character trajectories (who's getting hotter with each movie? who's getting stupider?), the practicalities of laser grids, and the fact that a basketball is almost but not completely unlike a giant diamond-encrusted tree-topper.Follow us on Twitter @rombombsMusic: "Our Big Adventure" by scottholmesmusic.com (Xmas remix)