The Rom-Com Report

There's a new batch of romantic comedies in the works and coming to a screen near you.

Meg Salter in Lena Dunham’s new Netflix series Too Much. (Source.)

But first: Celine Song should savor this moment.

In the month since the writer-director released Materialists, people are still talking about the movie and debating its message and merits. It is exceedingly rare for a romantic, feature-length film to foster this level of online discourse. Personally, I have loved geeking out on the wide spectrum of reviews. Many detractors cursed Song for pushing “Broke Man Propaganda.” Their beef: That Dakota Johnson’s character chooses to be with a sexy struggling actor (Chris Evans) rather than the rich, stable, also-hot finance guy (Pedro Pascal) who planned to propose on her dream vacation … in Iceland?! (Yeah, no. Iceland is COLD.) (Then again, I get cold when it’s 71 degrees out.)

My favorite pieces of criticism draw intriguing parallels between Materialists and Jane Austen:

Caroline Siede

compares Pascal’s Harry to Mr. Darcy and the film’s “blend of satirical bluntness and earnest romanticism” to that of the Austen oeuvre;

Beth Lisogorsky

calls the love story a modern spin on Persuasion, as does Kat Rosenfield, a spiky contrarian writer in the old-school Christopher Hitchens mold, who asks, “Can Any Woman Resist a Rich Husband?”

(OK but as a married creative entrepreneur with four jobs, one adorable and exhausting small child, and one husband who participates equally in the raising-of, I’m here to report that when choosing a mate for the long haul, there is perhaps nothing more irresistible than a man who eerily reminds you of the dads from Full House.)

I also enjoyed

Alissa Wilkinson

’s “How a Salary Figure Changes Everything in Materialists,” and

Emily Charlotte

’s compelling argument for why the summer’s hottest meet-cute left her feeling so cold. Emily thinks that the Johnson/Evans relationship is underdeveloped, and opines, “There’s no more meaningful theme than what it means to be known to someone, to connect with vulnerability and bravery and to expand our lives as a result. I think it’s really damn hard to write a romance with three-dimensional characters who make you shout and cry and clutch your heart and kick your feet.”

Now, we can read such a review and think, oof, Celine Song royally screwed up! Or, we can appreciate that Song — who’s made just two films, one of which earned multiple Oscar nominations — has entered The Discourse in all the right ways. Most movies come and go in a blink, barely scoring any notice. But Song has sparked an ongoing conversation. That, my friends, is what I call an achievement. Sparking conversations is what an artist dreams of doing. It’s why Francis Ford Coppola put Megalopolis into the world knowing that a lot of folks might hate it. I’m sure Song, for her part, understands that negative reactions come with the gig, and will keep crafting messy, thought-provoking films that capture the zeitgeist and cause a stir.

Moving on to The Rom-Com Report, the real focus of today’s letter. Back in January, I published a list of The Most Anticipated Romantic Comedies of 2025 (So Far) and haven’t had much to add — until recently. These past few weeks have swirled with news on the rom-com front. Did I make a Google Doc to keep track of all the announcements? (Was that even a question?) I’ve compiled the most notable projects below:

WHAT’S IN THE WORKS

• The Romantic: Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont sold a script to Paramount Pictures about a macho guy who secretly pens bestselling romance novels. And there is a big star attached: Dave Bautista?!? (An inspired choice.) The retired pro wrestler has always yearned to be a romantic lead. His time has come.

• Sense and Sensibility: Another Austen flick is afoot! While the plot of the classic novel centers Elinor and Marianne Dashwood’s sisterly bond, romance plays a heavy role as the Georgian-era siblings weigh matters of the heart against their dire financial situation. Daisy Edgar-Jones will play sensible Elinor, while the casting of sentimental Marianne is TBA. Which chaos agent should be the younger Dashwood? I’m thinking Millie Bobby Brown. Meanwhile, a friend suggests Stephanie Hsu, who embodies the softness and emotionality that the role requires.

• People We Meet on Vacation: Netflix announced a release date for the first-ever adaptation of an Emily Henry novel … which means: It’s finally happening!!! Emily Bader and Tom Blyth are set to portray longtime travel buddies Poppy and Alex, who cross the line from Just Friends into Something More. The film will premiere on January 9, 2026. While the EmHen Hive waits with girded loins, can we make some progress on Beach Read: The Movie???

WHAT’S FILMING RIGHT NOW

• You Deserve Each Other: This is currently in production in New York, and based on Sarah Hogle’s 2020 novel of the same name. It stars Penn Badgley, one of the finest actors ever to dance down The Jennifer Hudson Show Tunnel, and Meghann Fahy, who was GREAT in Sirens. The jaunty premise recalls the screwball comedies of yore and involves an engaged couple playing mischievous pranks to try and get the other to call off the wedding.

• Good Sex: Last week, we got the first photos of Natalie Portman on the set of an age-gap rom-com written, produced and directed by Lena Dunham. Netflix won a bidding war and bought the film in March for a whopping $55 million. Portman channels Ally, a couple’s therapist in her 40s who re-enters the dating scene after ending a long relationship. According to an early synopsis, “she falls into a steamy fling with a 20-something Brooklyn hipster just as she begins a promising, more conventional relationship with Alan, a successful 50-something in Manhattan. As a romantic crossroads blossoms into a full-blown identity crisis, Ally juggles to keep these two very different men separate and to make sense of her own conflicting desires before she risks losing them both.” Hmmmmmm. Some thoughts: 1) Paging Darren Star, that is the plot of Younger. IS NOTHING SACRED. 2) Nevertheless, I cannot deny the Dunham genius. 3) I’m excited to watch Younger (Lena’s Version) as well as the auteur’s buzzy rom-com series Too Much, which starts streaming Thursday.

WHAT’S COMING SOON … TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU

• My Oxford Year: Sofia Carson, a rising genre ingénue, plays Anna De La Vega, an American Rhodes Scholar who falls for Jamie Davenport (Corey Mylchreest), a.k.a. Mr. Wrong, during her time studying abroad in England. “I just thought he was so magnetic and such an exciting actor,” Carson, who produced the picture, told People of Mylchreest. “Before he even walked into the room, I knew he would be our Jamie. And that's exactly what happened. As soon as he walked in and we started reading our first scene together, it was just kind of instant. We just melted into the characters, and it was always that way.” Mark your calendars for August 1, when Netflix releases the film.

• Oh, Hi!: Should be retitled Oh, Hijinks! And that’s not a bad thing. Iris (Molly Gordon) believes she’s met her perfect match in Isaac (Logan Lerman). The duo embarks on a road trip where everything seems to go right … until going very, very wrong. The dark rom-com enters theaters in limited release circa July 25 and gives off “Misery but make it funny” vibes. Check out the trailer and judge for yourself:

• Nobody Wants This: The second season of the Netflix sensation starring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell returns on October 23. This time, Brody’s real-life wife, Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf herself), joins the cast as “Joanne’s nemesis from middle school who is now an Instagram mommy influencer,” teases a press release. Juicy!!!

• I Wish You All the Best: In her heartfelt directorial debut, slated for a theatrical release on November 7, Tommy Dorfman adapts Mason Deaver’s beloved novel. Nonbinary teen Ben DeBacker (Corey Fogelmanis) moves in with their sister (Alexandra Daddario) after coming out to their disapproving parents. She enrolls Ben in a new high school, and for the first time, they form bonds with chosen family. Those include crush Nathan (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), with whom Ben shares “a sweet chemistry,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote in a review. And Dorfman stages “scenes that recognize the depth and reality of these characters’ desires.”

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MERYL STREEP UNIVERSITY

Meryl photographed for a studio session in 1976. (Photo: Getty Images.)

I’m teaching a Streep-centric course at Roundtable, the online classroom of The 92nd Street Y, the NYC arts and cultural center. School starts in October! Per the class overview:

How did an awkward suburban teen transform into The Yale School of Drama's most mythic alumnus? What are the forces that drive her as an artist? Why did she turn down three different witch roles after turning 40? This course will dive into Streep's legendary life and roles, exploring how the icon boldly charted her own course and became an unlikely box-office draw in her 50s and 60s. It will also illuminate her intense creative process and how it evolved over time, and what she shares in common with her eclectic onscreen alter egos. From Manhattan and Mamma Mia! to Sophie’s Choice and Doubt, Streep eschewed all sense of vanity and reinvented notions of what a movie star should look like.

This will be fun! And it’s not on the calendar yet, but in December, I will also teach a session on the one and only Nora Ephron. Will there be a bonus in-person walking tour of Ephron’s Manhattan for my New York-adjacent students? (I’m working on it!)

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END CREDITS

• Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
  on the bittersweet legacy of Magic Mike XXL.

• The Ankler’s

  Katey Rich
  on Sinners, Barbie and Oscar double standards.

• My pal Caroline Waxler reports on the Ole Miss sorority girls invading East Hampton.

• Jacob Bernstein profiles the publishing giant who inspired Mr. Big and is now living in VERMONT, Aidan-style.

• Speaking of The Sex and the City Universe, sadly I cannot endorse the latest season of And Just Like That, but I am enjoying Cynthia Nixon in The Gilded Age. And amid a doom loop of depressing current events, the latest edition of Somebody Feed Phil could not arrive at a better time. Host Phil Rosenthal travels the world and samples its diverse, delicious cuisine. He’s as warmhearted and open-minded as Rick Steves, except he’s got jokes! 10/10, recommend.