'Isn't it Romantic' reviews round-up: Rebel Wilson and Priyanka Chopra star in new Netflix romcom

Critics have praised Wilson's performance, though some remain uncertain as to whether Isn't it Romantic successfully satirises the rom-com genre

Isn’t it Romantic, the satirical romantic comedy starring Rebel Wilson, has been released on Netflix – and critics have overall been charmed by Wilson’s performance, though some remain uncertain as to whether it achieves its goal of turning the rom-com formular on its head.

The film, directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, stars Wilson as Natalie, an Australian architect based in New York, who doesn’t belive in romantic comedies – until, of course, she wakes up in a universe ruled by the genre’s most cliché tropes and must find her way towards her own happily ever after.

Priyanka Chopra, Liam Hemsworth, and Brandon Scott Jones (previously seen in The Good Place) also feature as, respectively, a “yoga ambassador”, a love interest, and Natalie’s friend.

Here is what reviewers have said so far:

Variety

(Mixed)

While there’s virtually no risk that Isn’t It Romantic will make you love your favorite rom-coms any less, Strauss-Schulson hasn’t figured out how to have his cake and eat it too — to look down on the very confection he’s so busy peddling. Meanwhile, the script isn’t subversive enough to puncture the genre’s more problematic aspects, offering drive-by critiques of the patriarchy and the institution of marriage, only to pass off a fortune-cookie “love yourself” lesson as the solution to attracting the romance every gal deserves. (Peter Debruge)

AV Club

(Positive)

To be sure, the truly hardened cynic will find plenty to pick apart in the new Rebel Wilson-led rom-com, Isn’t It Romantic. But such committed misanthropes, by definition, don’t enjoy much of anything. On the other extreme, the doe-eyed and optimistic will like the film—which extensively employs romantic-comedy tropes in the service of satirizing them, thus having its mini cupcakes and eating them, too—just fine. But the real audience for Isn’t It Romantic is a different demographic altogether: It’s a feature-length in-joke for fans who will always pause if My Best Friend’s Wedding pops up during a lazy Saturday afternoon channel-surfing session, but who ultimately consider rom-coms a slightly shameful guilty pleasure. (Katie Rife)

The Ringer

(Positive)

“The movie itself wants to be all things to all people: to scorn rom-com clichés while also embracing them; to spoof a genre while also inhabiting it; and to score points for self-awareness while also hitting time-honored emotional beats. On its face, it’s an effort as doomed as the real-life struggle to have one’s Magnolia cupcake and eat it, too. Incredibly, Isn’t It Romantic comes closer to pulling it off than you’d think.” (Alison Herman)

CNN

(Positive)

Wilson puts all of her skills to use, including her comedic chops and singing, the latter shown off in jauntily choreographed, rom-com-worthy production numbers. She’s surrounded by a game group earnestly portraying straight men and women, while all the little technical details -- from the music to the production design -- niftily reinforce the surreality of this alternate universe. (Brian Lowry)

The New York Times

(Negative)

Wilson, leaning on her comic persona to compensate for the script’s lack of wit or inventiveness, is a reliable deadpanner. Her one-liners — calling the alternate universe she’s trapped in “The Matrix for lonely women”, for example — are funny enough to carry this featherweight movie as far as it can go, which isn’t far. The film’s reliance on conventions even as it snickers at them gives it the faint air of a con. (Ben Kenigsberg)

Rolling Stone

3/5

This meta-take on meet-cutes hooks you up with a few good laughs while it mocks itself. It’s a damn shame about the sucker punch of a happy ending. Still, thanks to the comic tornado at its center, Isn’t It Romantic is still your best bet for a Valentine’s date at the movies. You could do worse. (Peter Travers)