The Corner Penthouse

Isn't It Romantic was just released on home video this past Tuesday, May 21st. I don't know why Warner Bros. didn't release it two weeks earlier, as it would have been perfect for Mother's Day gifting. It's out now, but is it any good? Read on to find out...


Isn't It Romantic is the story of New York City architect Natalie (Rebel Wilson), who works hard to get noticed at her job, but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design the city's next skyscraper. After an encounter with a mugger that renders her unconscious, Natalie, a lifelong cynic when it comes to love, awakens to discover that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare - a romantic comedy - and she's the leading lady!


Okay, confession time. I've never really liked Rebel Wilson. Like Will Ferrell and Jonah Hill before her, I've always thought she was obnoxious and unfunny. However, like Will Ferrell in The Other Guys and Jonah Hill in 21 Jump Street, Isn't It Romantic is a movie in which I actually liked Rebel Wilson. She wasn't gross, she didn't play off her body type (though the fact she doesn't look like a typical "supermodel" is important to the story), she didn't act stupid, she didn't make me want to punch her in the face (not that I advocate violence against women). She was actually charming; dare I say, "beguiling".


That helps make Isn't It Romantic work because, let's face it, if you didn't like her character, Natalie, everything around her wouldn't work, either. And work it does. She is surrounded by other talented people who help make the material even better than it already is. Liam Hemsworth as the hunky love interest Blake (who has a fondness for the saxophone like his brother Chris), Adam Devine as the down-to-Earth Josh, Priyanka Chopra as the pretty "yoga ambassador" Isabella, Betty Gilpin (Liberty Belle on Netflix's GLOW) as Natalie's best friend co-worker Whitney, and Brandon Scott Jones as her "gay best friend" Donny.


Thankfully, all of these talented people have a fantastic script by Erin Cardillo, Dana Fox, and Katie Silberman to work with. The story takes an idea that's been done several times before in the horror genre - a person(s) getting transported into a movie - and transposes it into the romantic comedy (rom com) genre. It plays with, and pokes fun at, all of the standard rom com tropes; including musical numbers. The big karaoke scene in which Rebel, Adam, and Priyanka all sing Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" is one of the best musical numbers I've ever seen in any movie. Director Todd Strauss-Schulson backs up the singing of the three actors with a fantastically choreographed dance routine, and camera work and in-location sound effects that cut perfectly to the pop song. The movie ends with another musical number, this time with all of the core cast singing Madonna's "Express Yourself" while dancing in front of the Clamp Tower from Gremlins 2 (actually 101 Park Avenue in Manhattan).


Overall, I very much liked Isn't It Romantic. It's the perfect romantic comedy for people who don't like romantic comedies.


Isn't It Romantic is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:28:18. On the audio side, there's a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for English, and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks for English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles. The first print run includes a beautiful glossy slipsleeve.


All of the bonus features that can be found on the disc are in HD.

• I Wanna Dance (4:35) - The cast and crew talk about the musical numbers in the film.
• Deleted Scenes (6:40 total) - 4 scenes: Scene 34 "Closet Therapy", Scene 40 "A Monument To Love", Scene 46 "Tub For Two", and Scene 54 "A Good Surprise".

Also included in the Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack is a second DVD disc, which contains only the "I Wanna Dance" featurette listed above. The movie on the DVD is presented in its original 2.40:1 aspect ratio with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. On the audio side, there are Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks for English, English Descriptive, and Spanish. The film includes English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.


A digital copy code voucher is also included in the standard two-disc Blu-ray case.


Isn't It Romantic is available on Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and individual DVD.


All images were taken from the IMDB gallery of the film or were provided by Warner Brothers. The Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.