“He’s All That” Might Pave The Way For More Rom-Com Remakes — Here’s Why It Shouldn’t

    "Something like ‘She’s All That’ could kind of the work in the ‘90s… [but] the premise of the movie is still this uggo girl who needs a makeover.”

    BuzzFeed Daily
    by BuzzFeed Daily

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    On today's episode of BuzzFeed Daily, we broke down the top pop culture headlines AND discussed the return of the rom-com. You can listen below or scroll down to read more about the interview!

    Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. You can also find BuzzFeed Daily wherever else you might listen to your favorite podcasts!

    So let's dive right into it! Recently we talked to BuzzFeed’s Lauren Garafano about the rise and fall (and potential re-rise) of rom-coms. Here's some of what we learned:

    BuzzFeed Daily: Okay, so between Bridgerton last year, and Never Have I Ever this year, it seems like TV is the new rom-com breeding ground. Some even say Netflix is basically saving the rom-com genre. What are our thoughts here?

    @Netflix / GIPHY / Via giphy.com

    Lauren Garafano: I don't know about you guys, but I prefer the TV rom-com just because it's like you really do get that slow burn of the will-they-won't-they kind of romance. And it honestly — to me it's like a book where it's like you're yearning and you're just agonizing over all of these episodes, instead of just a 90-minute movie, which I love. 

    BuzzFeed Daily: Was the rom-com on the verge of dying and how did it manage to fall out of fashion for a while?

    GIPHY / Via giphy.com

    LG: It feels to me kind of like a fashion trend almost, where it's like these things cycle in and out, and what now we're back to '90s fashion again. Y2K fashion is back and it's bigger than ever, and I feel like movies kind of do this as well. I guess there was a bit of a death of the rom-com because in the 2000s, 2010s, we had all these big franchises that appeal to such a large audience, whereas everyone can kind of get something out of these Marvel movies, everyone can get something out of these Harry Potters, your Twilights, your Hunger Games, whereas rom-coms, I feel like, have such a specific audience. But we did do we did have wins like Easy A and Crazy, Stupid, Love. And I think part of the reason those were such big wins were they weren't like a stereotypical '90s rom-com. They kind of reinvented the cycle and the plot wasn't as predictable as they have been in the past.

    BuzzFeed Daily: Netflix is really shaking up rom-coms, not just by having them be available for streaming, but by recreating stuff. So they're doing this whole remake of She's All That, which is now gender swapped, starring Addison Rae, a remake of the '99 classic. And it really reminds us how different things are today versus in the '90s when rom-coms were super big. Have you seen this trailer? Do you think it'll live up to the original? Are you going to watch it?

    @Miramax / Via giphy.com

    LG: I'm going to watch it, obviously, because I can't not watch it. I'm interested to see — '90s rom-coms always feels like people's behavior is so universal. And I don't think that really changes. But like, I don't know, just the era, the clothes, the lingo — even now they have phones and there's social media. I'm really interested to see how that will kind of change the story into what it is now. 

    We also talked about how, after weeks of Jeopardy! guest hosts following the passing of Alex Trebek, it’s been announced that Mike Richards is reportedly in “advanced negotiations” to become the permanent host.

    This of course has led to a lot of people wondering: Who the fuck is Mike Richards? The short answer is: He’s an executive producer on Jeopardy!. The even shorter answer is: He’s not LeVar Burton.

    Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 @cmclymer

    LeVar Burton should be the next host of "Jeopardy!" I can't believe we're even having this discussion. He's the obvious choice.

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    Twitter: @cmclymer

    In other truly wild news, Kendall Jenner is being sued for $1.8 million for allegedly breaching the terms of a modeling contract.

    Kurt Krieger - Corbis / Corbis via Getty Images

    Kendall — who is the world’s highest paid model — had been hired for $1.5 million to do two planned photoshoots for Italian fashion house Liu Jo. The second was delayed because of COVID-19. According to the brand Kendall failed to respond to rescheduling requests and ultimately never attended a second shoot, even though they’d already paid her $1.35 million. The lawsuit comes just two months after Kendall defended herself against accusations that she’s had her modeling career “handed” to her as a result of her fame.

    As always, thanks for listening! And if you ever want to suggest stories or just want to say hi, you can reach us at daily@buzzfeed.com or on Twitter @BuzzFeedDaily.