I Love Romcoms and I Am a Feminist: A Manifesto in 100 Romcoms

British film critic Antrobus offers a book that celebrates rom-com movies. She argues that romantic comedies and relationship-focused movies are not just guilty pleasures; they often have much to say about sexism, feminism, and various societal issues and pressures. With accompanying bright, playful illustrations from VulgaDrawings (created by Lily O’Farrell), this book serves up mini-essays on the positive and boundary-pushing elements of 100 romance films whose release dates span 1922 to today. Antrobus covers rom-com standards and classic Hollywood films as well as queer cinema and non-American productions; among the 100 movies are When Harry Met Sally, While You Were Sleeping, His Girl Friday, The Watermelon Woman, and Barakah Meets Barakah. For a few titles on the list, Antrobus has stretched the definition of rom-com to fit them under the umbrella, but her central points are solid and will resonate with fans of the genre.