Shows / The Rom Complex
The Rom Complex
Which came first, the romantic comedy or our messed up ways of thinking about love and relationships? Each week Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman break down the romcom tropes that make their hearts sing and the ones that need to be tuned up. Listen to them talk about how these movies affected their relationships–for better and for worse.
Episodes
- The Rom Complex
313. Sense and Sensibility (2026)
We love an Austen adaptation, and Sense and Sensibility (2026) delivers with cute banter, gorgeous shots, and costumes that might make you say "I've made a…
- The Rom Complex
312. The Spirit of Halloween (2026)
Hallmark brings us this week's watch with The Spirit of Halloween (2026), which takes the Christmas Carol format and applies it to, well, Halloween. It's a…
- The Rom Complex
311. Best of the Best (2026)
You know we love a dance movie, and we get exactly what we want from Best of the Best (2026). We also discuss how damaging mothers can be, how cool tigers are…
- The Rom Complex
310. The Love Hypothesis (2026)
Remember to wear your goggles in the lab as we get ready to discuss The Love Hypothesis (2026). We chat about how mean attractive people are allowed to be, the…
- The Rom Complex
309. Practical Magic 2 (2026)
Nicki and Sandy are back for Practical Magic 2 (2026), and this time they're joined by Lee Pace! We discuss the nature of sequels, undoing all of a story's…
- The Rom Complex
308. Do Us Part (2026)
Do Us Part (2026) takes "wedding crasher" a bit further than you might be used to--the female lead is trying to be a full-on marriage crasher. We discuss the…
- The Rom Complex
307. One Night Only (2026)
Does One Night Only (2026) manage to weave a satisfying romantic tale through the high-concept world of "The Purge but for sex"? We discuss our answers to this…
- The Rom Complex
306. I Want Your Sex (2026)
I Want Your Sex (2026) might not have a lot of rom, but the com about rom is the bomb. I'm sorry, I was having fun with it. We discuss the new film from Gregg…
- The Rom Complex
305. Summer Sparks (2026)
Summer Sparks (2026) is a Hallmark-style romcom brought to us by Roku. America truly is a melting pot. Along with the plot, we also manage to discuss how to…
- The Rom Complex
304. Heartstopper Forever (2026)
A beloved Netflix series wraps up with Heartstopper Forever (2026). We see where all our favorite characters end up, and along the way we discuss character…
- The Rom Complex
303. Finding Emily (2026)
We've recovered from last week's wacky premise to bring you a simple movie about a boy looking for a girl and finding 300+ girls. It's this year's Finding…
- The Rom Complex
302. 40 Dates and 40 Nights (2026)
40 Dates and 40 Nights (2026) asks the question, "Would you do something inconvenient if your Grandma agrees to pay your rent?" The answer is a resounding yes…
- The Rom Complex
301. Voicemails for Isabelle (2026)
Pro tip: grab a box of tissues before you watch this one. Voicemails for Isabelle (2026) is a tearjerker in all the right ways. Through our tears, we discuss…
- The Rom Complex
300. Your Fault: London (2026)
A huge thank you to every single one of you who have listened to and supported us as we've made our way to 300 episodes. We couldn't be more grateful for our…
- The Rom Complex
299. My Fault: London (2025)
My Fault: London (2025) has all the tropes we've come to expect from the New Adult genre--fistfights, car chases, main character in distress--with an added…
- The Rom Complex
298. Office Romance (2026)
The creatively-titled Office Romance (2026) shows us what happens when a strict HR no-dating policy comes face-to-face with a handshake from a glowing Jennifer…
- The Rom Complex
297. Oh, Hi! (2025)
Can a comedy be both light and dark? Lightly dark? That's what we get in 2025's Oh, Hi!, a romance featuring a nice weekend getaway that turns into something…
- The Rom Complex
296. Tuner (2025)
Our apologies (and also congratulations?) to anyone who listened to next week's episode before we replaced it with the correct file! In Tuner (2025), we face…
- The Rom Complex
Bonus: Bridgerton S4E1: The Waltz
Head on over to the Patreon at patreon.com/theromcomplex for more mini episodes about Bridgerton and more!
- The Rom Complex
295. You, Me & Tuscany (2026)
It's travel season (isn't that every season?) and we're headed to Italia for the views, the food, the wine, and the fun little rom-com You, Me & Tuscany…
- The Rom Complex
294. The Drama (2026)
The real drama of The Drama (2026) is that no characters spend the entire movie telling Zendaya how beautiful she is. We discuss this divisive new film along…
- The Rom Complex
293. Splitsville (2025)
We know you're not getting enough Dakota Johnson in your life, so we're covering 2025's Splitsville to try to make up the deficit. But be warned, this film is…
- The Rom Complex
292. Love Me, Love Me (2026)
Love Me, Love Me (2026) has it all--love triangles, motorcycles, underground teen fighting rings--you name it! But is it any good? Well, I think we're going to…
- The Rom Complex
291. Reminders of Him (2026)
It's got drama, it's got Colleen Hoover's unique brand of storytelling, and it's got Tyriq Withers's baby-blues--it's the new romance Reminders of Him (2026)…
- The Rom Complex
290. Pillion (2025)
We do not know how to ride a motorcycle, but we're still ready to rev your engines as we discuss the darkly funny romance Pillion. We also chat about tiny…
- The Rom Complex
289. Kissing is the Easy Part (2026)
Tubi has brought us a high school rom-com with surprising depth of feeling in Kissing is the Easy Part (2026). We chat about the stories we inherit from our…
- The Rom Complex
288. All the Real Girls (2003) with Susan Kemp
We're joined by writer/director/actor/friend Susan Kemp to discuss one of her favorite romances, All the Real Girls (2003). We chat about the realities of…
- The Rom Complex
287. Wuthering Heights (2026)
We hit the theaters to see what Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi get up to in the moors in Wuthering Heights (2026). The answer may surprise you by being…
- The Rom Complex
286. Relationship Goals (2026)
What more research did we need to do other than "Relationship Goals (2026) is a new romcom starring Kelly Rowland"? It turns out she plays a boss babe who…
- The Rom Complex
285. How to Lose a Popularity Contest (2026)
Tubi has your enemies-to-lovers high school romcom fix available in the form of How to Lose a Popularity Contest (2026). Will the highly-motivated nerd end up…
- The Rom Complex
284. People We Meet On Vacation (2026)
Welcome to season two and EVEN MORE welcome to our new theme song, brought to you by Nick Foster and Jone! We hope you love it as much as we do. We're kicking…
- The Rom Complex
Bonus: Bridgerton S2E1: Capital R Rake
Head on over to the Patreon at patreon.com/theromcomplex for more mini episodes about Bridgerton and more!
- The Rom Complex
283. Eternity: Love in the Afterlife
We left our comfy homes to go see Eternity (2025), and what a treat it was! We're all spoilers as we discuss love triangles, difficult choices, and where we…
- The Rom Complex
282. The Philadelphia Story: I Don't Want to Be Worshipped. I Want to Be Loved.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) is NOT to be confused with Philadelphia (1993), the drama starring Tom Hanks. This one has Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and a…
- The Rom Complex
281. Ghost: The Love Inside, You Take It With You
If the only thing you know about Ghost (1990) is the sexy pottery scene, then consider opening your mind (or spirit) to a beautiful and funny romance fantasy…
- The Rom Complex
280. Love, Rosie: You Deserve Someone Who Loves You with Every Beat of His Heart
As we head toward the end of season one of The Rom Complex, we're on endings and new beginnings, starting with a Lily Collins friends-to-lovers romance, 2014's…
- The Rom Complex
279. Because I Said So (Revisited): Love Is Supposed to Make You Feel Good About Yourself
We're taking another look at 2007's Because I Said So, a movie about sisterhood, motherhood, and trying not to make the same mistakes as your sisters and…
- The Rom Complex
278. The First Wives Club: Goodbye Love, Hello Pop-Tarts
Did you miss us? Because we missed you! We're back to discuss The First Wives Club (1996) and the late, great Diane Keaton. If you know romcoms, you know Diane…
- The Rom Complex
277. Pitch Perfect: I Love Stackin' CDs
Sam has overcome her distaste for a certain actor and decided we should watch Pitch Perfect (2012). We chat about the peak of a cappella, having girl friends…
- The Rom Complex
276. Hairspray: Never Leave Me Without Love
You can't stop the beat, and you can't stop us talking about Hairspray (2007). We also discuss airport altercations, Zefron in a suit, and what type of men we…
- The Rom Complex
275. Across the Universe: All You Need Is Love
Help, Sam is cursed and the only way to relieve it is to talk about Across the Universe (2007)! Luckily, there is plenty to say. We talk puppets, plot threads…
- The Rom Complex
274. Bye Bye Birdie: We Love You Conrad, Oh Yes We Do
Ahem, mi mi mi mi miiiii. Sorry, just had to warm up my voice for Sing-along September! Our first musical masterpiece is Bye Bye Birdie (1963). We also discuss…
- The Rom Complex
273. Made of Honor: If You Love Something, Set It Free
McDreamy and McCreamy collide in 2008's Made of Honor, a movie that proves that a rich man can have "broke boy energy." We also discuss Scotland, friends…
- The Rom Complex
272. The Wedding Singer: I Fell in Love with This Girl Who's Going to Marry an Idiot
The Wedding Singer (1998) is our next wedding-themed selection, and we don't even mention the musical stage adaptation. We discuss the Adam Sandler method of…
- The Rom Complex
271. The Wedding Date: I'd Rather Fight with You Than Make Love with Anyone Else
We've returned to 2005, Sam's favorite year for movies, for The Wedding Date. Join us as we chat about complicated families, dancing away the anger, and how…
- The Rom Complex
270. The Wedding Banquet: Let's Try Looking More in Love
Grab your Bowen Yang Lego minifigs because we're starting Wedding month with this year's The Wedding Banquet (2025). We discuss the surprising plot, tropes we…
- The Rom Complex
269. The Fault in Our Stars: Ours Is An Epic Love Story
We're finishing up Summertime Sadness with The Fault in Our Stars (2014), based on the book that kicked off an entire trend of "sick lit." Find out which one…
- The Rom Complex
268. Me Before You: Did You Ever Love Anything That Much?
Don't put away those tissues yet because we are still powering through Summertime Sadness despite our sniffles and puffy eyes. This week we're discussing Me…
- The Rom Complex
267. One Day: I Love You, I Just Don't Like You Anymore
For our next bout of Summertime Sadness, we're joined by Anne Hathaway. Not physically, but spiritually, through her role in the movie One Day (2011). We also…
- The Rom Complex
266. Remember Me: They Love This Freaky, Poetic Crap
This month we are celebrating Summertime Sadness, and we're off to an extremely tragic start with 2010's Remember Me. Trigger warning for the September 11th…
- The Rom Complex
265. Gorgeous: We Love Dolphins (with Nick Foster)
Writer, rapper, and filmmaker Nicholas Foster joins us to discuss 1999's Gorgeous, an extremely silly Jackie Chan romcom that veers off into unexpected side…
- The Rom Complex
264. Summer Catch: Love's the Game
Summer Catch (2001) teaches us a lot, mostly about toxic masculinity and collegiate summer baseball leagues. We also discuss cool girls, summer love, and an…
- The Rom Complex
263. Falling Inn Love: I Do Love a Good DIY Project
Falling Inn Love (2019) has a city girl moving to a small town, but this time it's in New Zealand. Take us with you! We also discuss Sam's dream life…
- The Rom Complex
Femmes Reading Filth Crossover: The Idea of You
Our friends over at Femmes Reading Filth invited us on their podcast to chat about The Idea of You (2024) and the book from which it was adapted. If you like…
- The Rom Complex
262. Burlesque: Their Love's the Kind You Gotta Earn
Divas take the stage in 2010's Burlesque, an ultimately silly movie that happens to meet the theme of the month: small town/big city. We also discuss Labubu…
- The Rom Complex
261. Love Me: Love Between Lifeforms
Love science month concludes with Love Me (2024), in which two pieces of technology (science) fall in love (that's the love part). See, it fits the theme!
- The Rom Complex
260. Timer: Take the Guess Work Out of Love
Love science and time science come together in Timer (2009). Sam and Shelby get to say whatever they want about this movie and not feel bad because the creator…
- The Rom Complex
259. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I Love This Memory
We're going "sad" this week with 2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We discuss poorly-treated actors, wigs vs. dye, and the nature of memory.
- The Rom Complex
258. Love Potion No. 9: The Biochemical Process of Feeling in Love (with Rob Schulte of Vanderpump Robs)
Our friend Rob of Vanderpump Robs joins us to chat about 1992's Love Potion No. 9. We also discuss little mustaches, the fear of rejection, and, of course…
- The Rom Complex
257. Duck Butter: You Can't Play It Safe in Love
Something about Duck Butter (2018) makes us hungry because not only do we discuss shortcuts to falling in love, we also list ingredients to spear on a kabob…