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
196. Exmas: Who Wouldn't Love Spending Christmas with Their Ex?
We've got another new one for you with Exmas (2023) starring (one of) the guy(s) Sam's obsessed with. We talk romcom jobs, the Olsen twins, and the shape of a…
- The Rom Complex
195. Meet Me in St. Louis: From my Heart a Song of Love
What do we know about the movie this week? Well, it was made in 1944, set in 1903, and called Meet Me in St. Louis. We're pretty sure it's set in St. Louis…
- The Rom Complex
194. The Family Stone: Isn't There Anybody That Loves Me?
Do you remember the year 2005? We sure do. Sort of. We remember the movie The Family Stone, at least! We talk bodily functions, family rules, and whether we'd…
- The Rom Complex
193. The Switch: You're in Love with the Mother of Your Child
I already typed this once, then deleted it, and I don't remember what I said! Something about closing out No No November with The Switch (2010). The big No No…
- The Rom Complex
192. Christmas Is Canceled: I Don't Always Love Finding Quotes (with editor James)
James couldn't help but bring us another weird one with 2021's Christmas Is Canceled. Be sure to check out Darling Homebody at https://www.darlinghomebody.com/
The Rom Complex191. No Hard Feelings: No Disrespect. He Loves Cougars.
Wow, it’s the year 2023 and we are talking about No Hard Feelings, a movie that came out this same year. What are the odds? We talk about fully nude fights…
The Rom Complex190. The Accidental Husband: Anybody Can Fall in Love
We’re kickin’ off No-No November with a slew of bad decisions including hacking the courts, getting drunk with strange men, and having a baby EW. Oh, I should…
The Rom Complex189. Fresh: That’s Surrender. That’s Love.
Things are getting spooky and, dare I say, tasty? as we discuss 2022’s Fresh, starring our boy Sebastian Stab. Sam trash talks men, as per usual, and Shelby…
The Rom Complex188. The Witches of Eastwick: He Will Take Their Love and Continue to Destroy the Earth
Guess what, we’re sick in the head! And that’s why we’re happy to bring you this week’s episode concerning The Witches of Eastwick (1987). We discuss magic…
The Rom Complex187. Bewitched: I Love That Show. Is That the One with the Genie?
This week we’re dipping into magic–movie magic, that is–with 2005’s Bewitched. Listen, there is a certain magic in bad movies, just as there’s a certain magic…
The Rom Complex186. Moonstruck: When you love Them They Drive You Crazy Because They Know They Can
Awwooooooo! We’re howlin’ because it’s October and we are getting Moonstruck (1987). We’re also howlin’ at sweaty, unsettled Nic Cage. Is this the sexiest…
The Rom Complex185. The Sweetest Thing: What a Lovely Ride
We’re back in 2002 (oh no!) with The Sweetest Thing, and Shelby’s feeling gay about it. We talk raunch, road trips, and realizing you’re finishing with a phase…
The Rom Complex184. What If/The F Word: Love Is Just an All-Purpose Excuse for Selfish Behavior
It’s a shorter one this week as we follow the escapades of a cowardly man in What If (2013), also known as The F Word. We talk about friends turning to…
The Rom Complex183. Flipped
Say it with me: SHE. FALLS. FIRST. HE. FALLS. HARDER. We watched Flipped (2010), so of course we talk about waiting around for someone who’s not into you…
The Rom Complex182. Bros: It Doesn’t Make You Look Weak to Love Someone
Bros (2022) is a movie, and we watched it! How much did we like it? We’ll let you know in the episode. Please don’t blab to Billy!
The Rom Complex181. Barefoot: You Just Love People ‘Cause You Love Them and That’s It
Barefoot (2014) is a great movie if you’d like to see Evan Rachel Wood’s feet. We discuss those tootsies, what kind of house pet we’d each be, and what JK…
The Rom Complex180. Never Been Kissed: I Think I Am in Love with You
We’re back in high school AGAIN, this time with our close personal friend Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed (1999). We discuss the horrors of high school…
The Rom Complex179. Crazy Rich Asians: No One Loves Free Stuff More Than Rich People
It’s a blast from the recent past as we discuss 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians. Sam and I figure out we probably aren’t the first choice of dates for rich people…
The Rom Complex178. While You Were Sleeping (with Kerry Frances): Have You Ever Fallen in Love with Someone You Haven’t Even Talked to?
This week we were joined by the talented Kerry Frances to discuss one of her favorite movies, While You Were Sleeping (1995). We talk love at first sight…
The Rom Complex177. Mystic Pizza: I’m Tellin’ You I Love You, and All You Love is My Dick!
This week we discuss the disappointingly devoid of magic film Mystic Pizza (1988). We praise our editor, question a man’s motivations for talking negatively…
The Rom Complex176. Roman Holiday – Love Angle Too, I Suppose?
Despite Sam’s aversion to Turner Classic Movies, we’re talking about 1953’s Roman Holiday. Wouldn’t you know it, this award-winning and beloved film is…
The Rom Complex175. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: When You’ve Been Defeated by Love, You’re Utterly Defeated
The old people and young people come together in 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Why do we need to see all the stuff we heard about in the first movie?...
The Rom Complex174. Mamma Mia!: I Don’t Know How to Sing About Love If I’m Not Feeling It
Are you in the mood for three dads? Great, because we’re talking about 2008’s Mamma Mia! That’s right, the exclamation point is right there in the title, and a…
The Rom Complex173. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights: In La Rosa, We Dance to the Tempo of Love
How could we not follow up last week’s episode with 2004’s Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights? This sweet story about freedom from your parents and from a literal…
The Rom Complex172. Dirty Dancing: If You Love Me, You Have to Love All the Things about Me
We watched Dirty Dancing (1987) and had the time of our lives talking about it. Sure, we strayed from the topic a few times (anime muscles, last name meanings…
The Rom Complex171. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: I am in Love with the Queen to Be, and I am Inquiring If She Loves Me, Too
The year is 2004, and Chris Pine makes his theatrical debut in Sam’s favorite movie, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. We talk rivals-to-lovers, the…
The Rom Complex170. The Princess Diaries: I Love Your Eyebrows. We’ll Call Them Frida and Kahlo.
At Sam’s DEMAND, we are covering The Princess Diaries (2001)! We discuss Anne Hathaway’s performance, the weight of princessdom, and why a pizza is a perfect…
The Rom Complex169. Chungking Express: We’re All Unlucky in Love Sometimes
To celebrate Shelby’s birthday, we’re talking about one of her favorites: Chungking Express (1994). We discuss hot cop characters, Sam’s new findom hobby, and…
The Rom Complex168. The Notebook: I Think Our Love Can Do Anything We Want It To
It’s finally time for us to discuss The Notebook (2004). We talk about lying down in the road, the little guy from Entourage, and loving someone with every…
The Rom Complex167. La La Land: People Love What Other People are Passionate About
We’re looking back at 2016’s La La Land! Is it as good or as completely obnoxious as we remember? We also talk about the DREAMERS, the TRAFFIC, and the…
The Rom Complex166. Saved!: I am FILLED with Christ’s Love
This week’s topic of interest is 2004’s Saved!, a movie that is extremely of its time. We discuss our experiences with Christianity, insta-love, and praying…
The Rom Complex165. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Nobody’s Ever Been in Love with Him
It’s time for a classic not-quite-rom com, 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! I could use a day off, am I right? No? Fine, we’ll keep working just for you…
The Rom Complex164. The Lake House: I Saw Her. I Kissed her. I Love Her.
How well do you remember the mess that is 2006’s The Lake House? Better than we did? We talk about deeply un-curious main characters, time science, and cats…
The Rom Complex163. Easy A: I Realized That My Name Is an Anagram for “I Love”
I just saw something on buzzfeed about Easy A (2010) and it not holding up, but I didn’t bother reading that, and you don’t have to read it either! Instead…
The Rom Complex162. Balloon Animal: We Love Em Johnson and Katherine Waddell
In this special episode, we are joined by writer/director Em Johnson and actor/producer Katherine Waddell to discuss their movie Balloon Animal (2022). We talk…
The Rom ComplexBonus: Bridgerton S1E1: Diamond of the First Water
Please check out this sneak peek at the first Bridgerton mini-episode from our Patreon! You can find more exclusive content at…
The Rom Complex161. Down with Love: Saying “I Love You” Was Also My Plan
After Shelby reveals their deepest shame, we get into discussing Down With Love (2003). The twists! The turns! The secrets revealed! Oh, and don’t forget the…
The Rom Complex160. Only You: I Hope Someday I Have Somebody Who Loves Me That Much
If you love impulsive liars like we apparently do, you might love 1994’s Only You starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey Jr. We talk about going over the top…
The Rom Complex159. Singin’ in the Rain: Fit as a Fiddle and Ready for Love
We discuss Singin’ in the Rain (1952) in this unusually trivia-heavy episode. Shelby defends the villain and Sam creeps ever closer toward listing the desired…
The Rom Complex158. Something New: The Point is, Love is an Adventure
Today Sam and Shelby talk about the flirty and floral Something New (2006). We go over NOT telling women what to do with their hair, surprisingly sexy scenes…
The Rom Complex157. How Stella Got Her Groove Back: Did You Fall in Love with a Twenty-Year-Old Boy?
Hey folks, how are we feeling about vacation romance? Ponder that as we discuss How Stella Got her Groove Back (1998). We talk about the age difference…
The Rom Complex156. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day: You’re All Playing at Love
Oldruary (unofficial name because I hate it) continues with a movie set in oldentimes: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008). We also talk about Lee Pace’s…
The Rom Complex155. Something’s Gotta Give: Women Your Age Love That About Me
Another week of Nancy Meyers? You better believe it, baby! This week we’re talking about Something’s Gotta Give (2003), but we’re also talking about HUMOR…
The Rom Complex154. It’s Complicated: But He’s Still in Love with You
Enough with those youthful ingenues from last month! This month it’s all about those characters with a bit more life experience, starting with 2009’s It’s…
The Rom Complex153. Fire Island: You Tell Me You’re in Love with Me
We love enjoying a movie even more upon re-watch, and that’s exactly what happened with Fire Island (2022). It’s a Pride & Prejudice homage that makes exactly…
The Rom Complex152. Meet Cute: Love Is Real. This Is Not, It’s Very Fake, It’s Inorganic.
Shelby is back on her time travel bs because we’re talking about Meet Cute (2022)! I didn’t feel like listening back through the episode to help me remember…
The Rom Complex151. Rosaline: That’s Not How Love Works. It Isn’t Rational.
Please ignore the fact that I (Shelby) recorded using the wrong microphone input and instead focus on our discussion of 2022’s Rosaline! We talk about our plot…
The Rom Complex150. Something from Tiffany’s: I Love That Something Beautiful Always Comes Out of the Mess
New year, new movies, same Sam and Shelby fun! We’re kicking off 2023 with Something from Tiffany’s (2022), another movie in a long line of movies about a…
The Rom Complex149. Falling for Christmas: My Followers Will Love it
It’s the Lohanaissance baby! We’re talking about Lindsay’s new movie Falling For Christmas (2022) and boy are we excited. There’s selective amnesia, there’s a…
The Rom Complex148. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen: Leaving Behind My Beloved City
LiLo is in her teen acting prime in 2004’s Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen! We discuss life bits, trash day in New York City, and never missing out on the…
The Rom Complex147. Get A Clue: The Man She Loves is Missing
Do you remember where you were when 2002’s Get a Clue came out? If not, don’t worry–we’ve got you covered. That’s right, WE know EXACTLY where you were. On…
The Rom Complex146. The Parent Trap: But This is an Emergency. Dad’s in Love.
We’re kicking off Lindsay Lo-vember with some double trouble because we’re talking about The Parent Trap (1998)! We discuss the ridiculous parenting…
The Rom Complex145. Clueless: I Am Totally Butt Crazy in Love with Josh
AS IF we’d be talking about 1995’s Clueless on this episode. Wait, we are? Oh. Yeah. I knew that. Come to hear about the film, stay to hear Shelby and Sam…
The Rom Complex144. The Hating Game: Hating Someone Feels Disturbingly Similar to Being in Love with Them
Newsflash: we read books. Often, those books are adapted into movies, which is why we’re talking about The Hating Game (2021). Sam and Shelby discuss their…
The Rom Complex143. The Beautician and the Beast: I’m Not Afraid to Fall in Love
Listen up divas and dictators, because we’re talking about The Beautician and the Beast (1997). We discuss gruff men, arranged marriages, and a very special…
The Rom Complex142. The Ugly Truth: Especially When I’m in Love with a Psycho Like You
You’re the best, listeners. Not happy with that? Too bad, it is, just like the movie we talk about in this episode, The Ugly Truth (2009). We talk about…
The Rom Complex141. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar: I Love You with All My Fart
Closing out Silly September we have Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)! Shelby and Sam giggle their way through discussions of friendship conflict…
The Rom Complex140. The Duff: A Dark Booth? I Love It When You Talk Dirty to Me.
Join us and some OBVIOUS adults for the teen romcom The Duff (2015). We discuss hot friends, cringe behavior, and the low, low, stakes of high school…
The Rom Complex139. The Wedding Pact: You Love Her, Man! You’ve Always Loved Her.
This time it’s Shelby bringing in a truly baffling movie with 2014’s The Wedding Pact. We talk about mediocre-looking men, prenups, and why we hate being…
The Rom Complex138. Sam: All Women Love Makeovers, Right?
This week we discuss the baffling gender-switch romcom Sam (2015). Does it have something important to say about gender? Absolutely not. We, however, have…