The Wedding Planner (2001)

Happy Valentines Day, folks. Here’s a really bad rom-com to enjoy on this day of love <3333

Mary Fiore is San Francisco’s most successful supplier of romance and glamor. She knows all the tricks. She knows all the rules. But then she breaks the most important rule of all: she falls in love with the groom. (IMDb)

All the typical rom-com ingredients (wittily flirtatious dialogue, quirky supporting characters, grand romantic climaxes) are thrown in but they are severely under-cooked. There’s a hint of flavour during an unexpected turn to a refreshingly less-than-perfect conclusion, but then with the most horrendously convenient of plot points (two weddings are called off with literally no harm done) the expected ending arrives, and to zero fanfare because the couple never had any chemistry to begin with.

4/10 (Bad)

Runaway Bride (1999)

A reporter is assigned to write a story about a woman who has left a string of fiances at the altar. (IMDb)

A startlingly beautiful U2-backed opening scene is one of many unexpected elements in this fairly fresh rom-com fare: Gere’s mischievous Ike and the small town supporting cast bring a good amount of quirk to the dialogue and plot, Roberts’ “runaway bride” character is set up with surprising amount of intrigue and study (the reporter bit helps), even if it doesn’t fully live up to it in the end, and although you can see the conclusion coming a mile away, it doesn’t come when you think it will.

6.5/10 (Alright)