Can sci-fi save the romantic comedy?

As Hollywood abandons the once-lucrative genre, moviegoers craving a good love story would be wise to start with science fiction

Midnight

It's not exactly news to say that the rom-com has seen better days. At this point, declaring the death of the genre is a cliché in itself, hashed over in think piece after think piece after think piece.

As with most things on the internet, the truth has been a little exaggerated. There are plenty of quality romantic comedies released every year. Take last week's What If — the most conventional entry the genre has seen in 2014. Twenty-five years after When Harry Met Sally, What If boldly asks whether men and women can really be friends, with Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan stepping in for Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.