The Rise of the Interracial Rom-com

June 4, 2017 4:04 PM

if romcoms have taught us anything, it’s this: those crazy kids will get it together in the end. (Single link Guardian)
posted by Ziggy500 (6 comments total)

Hmmm. I guess that one way of looking at The Big Sick is that it's an example of a new phenomenon, the interracial rom-com, but another way of looking at it is that it's an example of an intercultural rom-com, and I think there have been plenty of those. I'm thinking of everything from Annie Hall to My Big Fat Greek Wedding to Strictly Ballroom.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:11 PM on June 4, 2017 [1 favorite]

Kumail and Emily are friends-of-friends of mine, too, and I've met them a couple of times, and I also loved Indoor Kids even though I don't care about video games. I'm so happy for them, they deserve this.

I definitely hope this is becoming a bigger trend in American media. It feels like pretty much all the British shows we watch have had interracial leads and supporting couples for ages, and it's still somehow dangerous territory here (and...I know why, yes). It seems like we finally have producers and studios saying "fine, there are people who will refuse to watch because of it...and we don't need them, let's carry on."
posted by Lyn Never at 9:17 AM on June 5, 2017

I'm still waiting for a rom-com where neither character are white and they're not the same race. That'd be closer to my experience.
posted by numaner at 3:15 PM on June 5, 2017 [1 favorite]

Numaner, they're not exactly kids, but does Mississippi Masala fit the bill?
posted by mollymillions at 8:15 PM on June 6, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm still waiting for a rom-com where neither character are white and they're not the same race. That'd be closer to my experience.
posted by numaner at 3:15 PM on June 5

Hitch? This was only OK in my opinion.
posted by Ziggy500 at 1:42 AM on June 7, 2017

OMG I totally forgot about Hitch. I haven't thought about that movie in forever.

I've never heard of Mississippi Masala, will have to check it out!

(Also, still waiting for one with an Asian male lead, at least one made in America)
posted by numaner at 9:33 PM on June 7, 2017