'Love Actually' Star: Why Great Romantic Comedies Are a Bygone Era

Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who captured hearts as a child in the 2003 holiday classic *Love Actually*, believes the peak of the romantic comedy is firmly in the past. He suggests that the genre thrived in a simpler time before smartphones dominated our lives, an era he now considers long gone.

A Look Back at the Golden Age

In a recent interview, the actor explained that today's romantic comedies often feel hurried when compared to older hits. He reminisced about the genre's peak, stating, “It was a kind of simpler time, and maybe that is more romantic.”

He pointed to legendary filmmakers who defined that period. “And there were some greats, like Nancy Meyers and Nora Ephron, who did some brilliant stuff in the ‘90s: When Harry Met Sally, You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, they’re just brilliant films.” Despite his nostalgia, Brodie-Sangster remains optimistic. “Things kind of go around and come around, fashions change and, when they’re done well, a good rom-com can be brilliant. I hope that they will come back around.”

How Streaming Changed the Game

Brodie-Sangster thinks the decline in quality might be linked to the rise of streaming platforms. With massive blockbuster movies dominating the big screen, romantic comedies have been largely relegated to online services.

This shift has likely impacted their production. “So [rom-coms] are more reserved for the streamers, perhaps, and maybe that’s changed the budgeting and the scale that they can do,” he considered. He also noted a potential trade-off between quantity and quality, saying, “When the volume goes up, the quality can – not necessarily always does – but can go down.”

The Rush to Keep Up

The pressure to produce content quickly for streaming services contributes to the problem. The actor argued that many contemporary rom-coms feel hastily made because creators are under immense pressure. Writers “need to tap into the zeitgeist of what’s happening at this moment immediately, otherwise the public is going to be on to something else.”

This fast-paced production cycle doesn't leave much room for refinement. “They get greenlit for a certain period of time. Then they just have to send out whatever they’ve got to get some attention,” he explained. The unfortunate outcome, he concluded, is that “so often it’s just not very good.”