Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
Romantic comedies have gotten into the habit of doing too much. Sure, the Nancy Meyers kitchens are dazzling—and Netflix should’ve paid her that lofty $150 million; she’s worth it—but we’ve gotten to a point where so many of the big budget rom-coms come across as forced. George Clooney and Julia Roberts have great chemistry, yes, but Ticket to Paradise was a monumental travesty on every other level. Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton, and Richard Gere starring together in one twisted rom-com romp sounds like a treat. Nope; instead, it’s too bland to work. Even Hulu’s new musical rom-com series set in New York, which sounded like a magical delight, was a massive disappointment.
At least Hulu has made up for this mistake in the form of Rye Lane, a dazzling new film that truly promises to revitalize the rom-com genre. Perhaps we don’t need Meg Ryan directing her own movie, J.Lo starring in a number of rom-coms with gonzo premises, or the flirtations of Roberts/Clooney. (Still: We’ll take all of the above, if you’re offering, regardless of if they’re good.) What it does need, however, is a new generation of charismatic stars, hilarious scripts, and unique premises to put a spin on the classic rom-com tropes. Rye Lane has all of this (and more!) bundled into a tight 82-minute runtime.
Rye Lane received plenty of well-deserved good press out of the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered in January. While it didn’t receive as much buzz as some other films at Sundance this year (like the frenzied Infinity Pool and the Ottessa Moshfegh adaptation Eileen), the humble movie certainly deserves the attention now. With its March 31 streaming release, Hulu is giving Rye Lane the chance to prove that small-budget, indie rom-coms with lesser-known stars are as good as splashier studio hits. In fact, they’re even better.