Rachel McAdams is the queen of romance. Her heart throbbing performances on screen and in films, The Notebook, About Time, and The Vow, are some of my favorites. Ten year old me dreamed of the thought of romantic stories and tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel. I owned every princess movie and watched in awe as the couples lived happily ever after. My room screamed pink and I would make up the most elaborate story lines when playing Barbies with my friends. To this day, I love an irresistible story to gawk and cry over.

Some girls gag at the thought of wearing pink or receiving roses and chocolate. This movie is a perfect match for those who are cynical about love, or maybe those who simply love a cheesy love story with cheesy musical numbers. In the movie, Isn’t it Romantic, Natalie, played by actress Rebel Wilson, takes on the role of a girl who detests the thought of love. After she gets knocked on the head, she wakes up to an alternate universe where she lives as the protagonist in a romantic comedy. Her worst nightmare becomes a reality where boys approach her while she lives in montages of upbeat songs. Liam Hemsworth is casted in the movie as Natalie’s obsessive boyfriend. The actor hasn’t been in any comedies, so he reveals a humorous side that we all ate up. His charm and British accent had every girl swooning in the movie theater. Wilson and Hemsworth bring a sweet chemistry to this cast as well as supporting actors Adam DeVine and Priyanka Chopra.

Rebel Wilson’s carisma gave this film the touch of cliche and humor it needed and sparked the true message of love. On Valentine’s day, we often think that we need to have a significant other, but we forget that we can love our family and friends. This movie revealed that who we need to love is ourselves. The sweet message left a positive and feel-good impression on the viewers. “The message behind the movie was wholesome in the fact that self love should come first,” senior, Paige Miest, comments. “I think that the comedy in the movie was a really good way to put a spin on the normal rom-com movies. Rebel Wilson’s entertaining personality really made every comment hilarious as only Rebel Wilson can,” she continues. We can all agree that casting Wilson was exactly what this movie needed. Senior Jeremy Soine also admired the movie saying, “Isn’t it Romantic brought a unique twist on the typical rom-com that everyone has come accustomed to. With Rebel Wilson’s clever quirks and humor, she put up a fun spin on the movie that kept everyone interested. However there was a prominent underlying message that everyone can learn from. You need to love yourself before you can love someone else.”

Living in a virtual world of social media and movies, it’s tempting to compare ourselves to others and fantasies. We need to remember that movies aren’t real. Life and love don’t have to be magical or perfect like in fictional rom-coms. Love is so much more than that. Self love is brave, it’s true and pure.