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 Complex77. The Break-Up: Who Loves Ya, Baby?
Our movie for this episode is UNFORTUNATELY 2006’s The Break-Up. Sam and Shelby spend most of the episode frustrated with Vince Vaughn’s behavior. We barely…
The Rom Complex76. Someone Great: I Bet She Loves That We Broke Up
This episode Sam and Shelby get serious… as in they seriously love Someone Great (2019). Could it be that we spend the entire time talking about the movie and…
The Rom Complex75. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Scott Earned the Power of Love
The final boss level of our Manic Pixie Dream Girl month is Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010), a movie packed with color, action, and distractingly poor…
The Rom Complex74. 500 Days of Summer: Some People Are Meant to Fall in Love with Each Other, but Not Meant to Be Together
We’re giving the MPDG the deconstruction treatment with (500) Days of Summer (2009). JGL shows us the danger of fooling yourself into thinking you’ve found the…
The Rom Complex73. Elizabethtown: Just Tell Me You Love Me and Get It Over With!
This week Sam and Shelby take a road trip (of the mind) to Elizabethtown (2005). We discuss how little Kirsten and Orlando were back then as well as how little…
The Rom Complex72. Garden State: I Would Love to See You Tap Dance
As the wacky fun-loving girls that we are, we just HAVE to dedicate this month to the Manic Pixie Dream Girls that inspired and damaged us, starting with…
The Rom Complex71. Music and Lyrics: I Wasn’t Gonna Fall in Love Again but Then Pop Goes My Heart
Sam and Shelby like some things (Hugh Grant, people dating who they want, holiday pay) and don’t like other things (Anna Kendrick’s career and the movie Music…
The Rom Complex70. Four Weddings and a Funeral: The Truth Is, I Have Met the Right Person, Only He’s Not in Love with Me
Once again we are absolutely wrecked by the idea of falling in love with someone you DO NOT KNOW, this time in the form of Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)…
The Rom Complex69. Two Weeks Notice: Did you say, “Billy, I Love You”?
It’s the episode hugh’ve all been waiting for–we’re talking about the charming Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock teamup in Two Weeks Notice (2002). Sam and Shelby…
The Rom Complex68. Notting Hill: I’m Just a Girl, Standing in Front of a Boy, Asking Him to Love Her
Feb-Hugh-ary commences with a look into Notting Hill (1999), a movie which takes you through the fantasy of going out with a famous person and having them…
The Rom Complex67. Pretty Woman: The First Guy I Ever Loved Was a Total Nothing
There she was just a-walkin’ down the street–wait, that’s the wrong song about a person walking down the street. I always do this! Anyway, in this episode…
The Rom Complex66. Runaway Bride: You’re a Cynical, Exploitive, Mean-Hearted Creep Who Wouldn’t Know Real Love If It Bit Him in the Armpit
Julia Roberts January continues with 1999’s Runaway Bride! Shelby finds out she is in fact a bit of a runaway bride herself. We also discuss FedEx time…
The Rom Complex65. My Best Friend’s Wedding: Tell Him You Love Him. Bite the Bullet.
A new episode is here for you THE MOMENT you wake up, before you put on your makeup! Get ready for singing and sabotage because we’re talking about My Best…
The Rom Complex64. Midnight at the Magnolia: I Never Want to Wake Up without Knowing I Get to See My Best Friend, the Love of My Life
Midnight at the Magnolia (2020) SHOULD be Sam’s dream movie–Chicago, fake dating, friends-to-lovers–but nOPE IT IS NOT. Though Shelby is taken in by the…
The Rom Complex63. Last Holiday: We Will Laugh More; We’ll Love More; We Just Won’t Be So Afraid
Will this holiday be our *dun dun dun* Last Holiday (2006)? Not if Sam and Shelby have anything to say about it. We discuss going out and getting what you want…
The Rom Complex62. Happiest Season: In Love with Somebody That Is Too Afraid to Show the World Who They Are
You HAD TO HAVE known it was coming–that’s right, we’re talking about Happiest Season (2020). Is this movie about too many things? Yes. Does Aubrey Plaza steal…
The Rom Complex61. Holidate: Hey, Love Muffin! (with Suki Lanh)
Sam and Shelby welcome back Suki Lanh to give her dissertation on the Netflix film Holidate (2020). We discuss St. Patrick’s dates and easy fixes, and Suki has…
The Rom Complex60. Hitched for the Holidays: Love the One You’re With?
It’s the holiday season, and we’re already giving Hallmark the attention it so desperately craves by talking about Hitched for the Holidays (2012). This movie…
The Rom Complex59. When We First Met: Don’t Fall in Love! She’s Gonna Rip Your Heart Out!
We’re closing out Netflix November with a film that’s both fun and riddled with plot holes–When We First Met (2018). Sam and Shelby discuss lack of chemistry…
The Rom Complex58. Set It Up: You Like Because, You Love Despite
Sam and Shelby return to the Netflix puzzle cube to discuss 2018’s Set It Up. After we figure out how to pronounce Zoey Deutch’s name, we go down the rabbit…
The Rom Complex57. Always Be My Maybe: Likewise, Keanu. I… Love Your Outfit.
Sam and Shelby discuss the much loved Always Be My Maybe (2019) and add a new member to their Hot Dads list (enjoy the company, Charlie Swan). Sam airs more…
The Rom Complex56. Love, Guaranteed: You’ll Find Love, Guaranteed
Sam and Shelby kick off Netflix November with Love, Guaranteed (2020), the romcom equivalent of a small bag of potato chips–mostly air, no nutritional value…
The Rom Complex55. Practical Magic: Fall in Love Whenever You Can
This week we talk about Practical Magic (1998), a movie about sisterhood, magic, and getting away with murdering the same person twice. Or is that a different…
The Rom Complex54. Sleepy Hollow: The Horseman Came for the Love of Carnage
This week’s episode is light on romance but HEAVY on corny-looking pumpkinheads because we’re talking about Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow (1999)! Yet another…
The Rom Complex53. Warm Bodies: It’s Not Gonna Happen, Lover Boy
This week Sam and Shelby discuss Zombie Twilight–*ahem*–I mean Warm Bodies (2013), a film about a very special boy and his very special love. In the zombie…
The Rom Complex52. Love Story: Love Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry
This week Sam and Shelby talk about Love Story (1970), an outdated movie with a definition of love so incorrect that it truly boggles the mind. Other…
The Rom Complex51. Pride and Prejudice: We Are All Fools in Love
Sam and Shelby drool over the subtly yet surprisingly horny Pride & Prejudice (2005). Topics include the sexiness of small touches and witty banter and how the…
The Rom Complex50. Bridget Jones’s Baby: Falling in Love Doesn’t Happen on Paper
As a reward for making it to 50 episodes, Sam and Shelby express their shock and delight at how much they enjoyed Bridget Jones’s Baby despite the unnecessary…
The Rom Complex49. Bridget Jones (The Edge of Reason): He Must Still Love Me!
The second installment of the Bridget Jones series (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) is simply not very good. Sorry! Sam and Shelby talk about not letting…
The Rom Complex48. Bridget Jones’s Diary: How’s Your Love Life, Anyway?
Put on your big underpants and start scribbling in your journal about how much you hate (love) Mark Darcy because Shelby and Sam are talking about Bridget…
The Rom Complex47. The Big Sick: Love Isn’t Easy. That’s Why They Call It Love. (with Suki Lanh)
Writer and teacher Suki Lanh (www.unitedstatesofsuki.com) joins Sam and Shelby to talk about The Big Sick (2017). Do we spend a lot of time on how cute Suki…
The Rom Complex46. To All the Boys (P.S. I Still Love You): I Know Now That I Don’t Want to Love or Be Loved in Half Measures
What do you do when the characters got together happily in the first movie? According to To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, you briefly turn your movie…
The Rom Complex45. Breaking Dawn Part 2: Because I Fell in Love with a Human
We’ve finally arrived at the thrilling (read: anti-climatic) conclusion with 2012’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. Sam and Shelby can’t seem to stop…
The Rom Complex44. Breaking Dawn Part 1: Um, I Love It
Sam and Shelby add themselves to the long list of people expressing their opinions about Bella’s sex life as they discuss The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part…
The Rom Complex43. Eclipse: I Promise to Love You Every Moment of Forever
Sam and Shelby are wolfily bounding right over that halfway point of the Twilight series with The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010). Love triangle? Never met her…
The Rom Complex42. New Moon: How About Those Filthy Bloodsuckers You Love?
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009) just about DEMANDS that Sam and Shelby continue talking about abusive relationships and creative responsibility, now with…
The Rom Complex41. Twilight: So the Lion Fell in Love with the Lamb
It’s Red Flag City as Sam and Shelby dive into the first installment of their five-episode Twilight Saga extravaganza. Twilight (2008) offers plenty of…
The Rom Complex40. Love and Basketball: I’ve Been in Love with You Since I Was Eleven (with Sam Perpignand)
The gorgeous and talented Sam Perpignand (aka Salt n Sprinkles) joins Shelby and Sam to talk about Love & Basketball, Sanaa Lathan’s arms, and the questionable…
The Rom Complex39. Dance with Me: I Don’t Want to Be in Love (with Alex Feliciano)
Special guest Alex Feliciano calls in all the way from Costa Rica to talk with Shelby and Sam about one of her childhood favorites, Dance with Me (1998). We…
The Rom Complex38. The Lovebirds: Two People Declaring Their Eternal Love for Each Other. How Problematic.
Sam and Shelby spend some time worshipping Issa Rae and the rest of the time talking about The Lovebirds, a Netflix romp so full of jokes that Sam made a…
The Rom Complex37. Legally Blonde: I’ll Get the Love of My Life Back (with Jessica Kate)
Romance author and podcaster Jessica Kate joins Shelby and Sam to talk about the iconic 2001 film Legally Blonde. They discuss Reese Witherspoon’s perfection…
The Rom Complex36. 40 Days and 40 Nights: It’s So Hard Giving Up What You Love the Most
Sam and Shelby talk about 40 Days and 40 Nights, a movie that has not aged well in the 18 years since its release. Talking points include how bad the movie…
The Rom Complex35. Naked: I Have Been Known to Be a Pretty Tender Lover
The Netflix original movie Naked (2017) proves a great framework for Sam and Shelby to talk about the pros and cons of time loops and whether it’s possible to…
The Rom Complex34. 13 Going On 30: Oh, for the Love of Pete! You Taught It to Me!
Can we be flirty and thriving even though we’re not 30? Please? Sam and Shelby discuss 13 Going on 30 and how proud we should be of ourselves for being able…
The Rom Complex33. Isn’t It Romantic?: Holy Crap! I Love Me!
It turns out someone turned this podcast into a movie (before the podcast existed, probably), and that movie is Isn’t It Romantic? Sam and Shelby discuss…
The Rom Complex32. 10 Things I Hate About You: At Long Last, Love Has Arrived
Try not to get too bummed out as Sam and Shelby discuss the Heath Ledger/Julia Stiles classic 10 Things I Hate About You. The hosts talk about the movie’s fun…
The Rom Complex31. When Harry Met Sally: The Thing Is, I Love You
When Harry Met Sally brings up a lot of feelings for Sam and Shelby. What feelings, you ask? Oh, mostly just, you know, utter joy and delight from watching and…
The Rom Complex30. Forever My Girl & The Road Less Traveled: When You Love Someone, You Just Know
It’s a low budget country-music-themed showdown between Road Less Traveled and Forever My Girl on this episode of The Rom Complex. Sam and Shelby disagree over…
The Rom Complex29.The Spectacular Now: In Everything But Love (with Em Johnson)
Filmmaker Em Johnson joins Sam and Shelby to talk about The Spectacular Now, a movie that features teenagers acting like teenagers and alcoholics acting like…
The Rom Complex28. P.S. I Love You: I Loved You Right Then and There
P.S. I Love You is the “saddest movie every written” according to Sam, or “fine” according to Shelby. The girls discuss the scenes that made them cry, the…
The Rom Complex27. Hitch: This Is Exactly Why Falling in Love Is So Goddamn Hard
Sam and Shelby talk and flirt their way through Hitch while exploring the idea of controlling your dating interactions and pointing out the way in which…
The Rom Complex26. Mannequin: You’re Gonna Have to Love Me Forever (with Jessica Mulder)
Jessica Mulder joins Sam and Shelby to watch Mannequin and become utterly entranced with Kim Cattrall. In between a love story and relationship tips, Jess…
The Rom Complex25. Leap Year: You’re Young, Married, In Love!
In honor of leap year, Sam and Shelby discuss, well, Leap Year, and not the sexy Spanish one. It’s a very silly movie that asks the question, “What would you…
The Rom Complex24. The Invention of Lying: I Love You Too, Mom
This week Sam and Shelby talk about The Invention of Lying, a movie that could have been good but instead was… not. They also discuss lying in relationships…
The Rom Complex23. The Apartment: Why Do People Have to Love People Anyway?
Our feelings about romcoms are not black and white, but you know what is? The Apartment, an award-winning romcom from 1960. Shelby and Sam discuss the movie…
The Rom Complex22. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before: You Wrote Five Love Letters?
Hey hey whoa whoa whoa, you HAVE to check out this episode about the 2018 hit teen romance To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Sam and Shelby ask the important…
The Rom Complex21. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days: It’s Our Love Fern!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is our FAN CHOSEN movie for this episode, and gosh is it a fun watch or what. Sam talks about the concept of the...
The Rom Complex20. Silver Lining’s Playbook & Under the Tuscan Sun: You Are My Love Life
Sometimes (most of the time, if we’re talking romcoms) a fresh start means a new life and a new chance at love. Shelby finally watches Under the Tuscan Sun, so…
The Rom Complex19. He’s Just Not That Into You: I’m Still a Lot Closer to Love Than You Are (with Lexi Forde)
It’s a super special watch party spectacular! Special guest and relationship expert (she’s in a relationship) Lexi Forde joins Shelby and Sam for a viewing of…
The Rom Complex18. Waitress & Off the Menu: I Haven’t Loved You for Years
This week we’re serving up a podcast dish of movies revolving around one of the things we love more than romcoms–food. Shelby talks about the missed-the-mark…