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PODCAST

The Rom Complex

Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman

Which came first, the romantic comedy or our messed up ways of thinking about love and relationships? Each week Sam Frontera and Shelby Schwieterman break down the romcom tropes that make their hearts sing and the ones that need to be tuned up. Listen to them talk about how these movies affected their relationships–for better and for worse.

tv & film

All Episodes

00:52:24

277. Pitch Perfect: I Love Stackin' CDs

The Rom Complex ·

2025/09/25

Sam has overcome her distaste for a certain actor and decided we should watch Pitch Perfect (2012). We chat about the peak of a cappella, having girl friends, and the black cat/golden retriever dynamic.

en-us

00:55:34

276. Hairspray: Never Leave Me Without Love

The Rom Complex ·

2025/09/18

You can't stop the beat, and you can't stop us talking about Hairspray (2007). We also discuss airport altercations, Zefron in a suit, and what type of men we are.

en-us

00:54:43

275. Across the Universe: All You Need Is Love

The Rom Complex ·

2025/09/11

Help, Sam is cursed and the only way to relieve it is to talk about Across the Universe (2007)! Luckily, there is plenty to say. We talk puppets, plot threads, and protests, all with a beautiful Beatles soundtrack.

en-us

00:53:28

274. Bye Bye Birdie: We Love You Conrad, Oh Yes We Do

The Rom Complex ·

2025/09/04

Ahem, mi mi mi mi miiiii. Sorry, just had to warm up my voice for Sing-along September! Our first musical masterpiece is Bye Bye Birdie (1963). We also discuss young love, less-young love, mama's boys, and what wars happened in what years.

en-us

00:55:21

273. Made of Honor: If You Love Something, Set It Free

The Rom Complex ·

2025/08/28

McDreamy and McCreamy collide in 2008's Made of Honor, a movie that proves that a rich man can have "broke boy energy." We also discuss Scotland, friends versus best friends, and comic relief grandmas.

en-us

00:54:46

272. The Wedding Singer: I Fell in Love with This...

The Rom Complex ·

2025/08/21

The Wedding Singer (1998) is our next wedding-themed selection, and we don't even mention the musical stage adaptation. We discuss the Adam Sandler method of movie production, character-based comedy, and the allure of dating a musician.

en-us

00:58:17

271. The Wedding Date: I'd Rather Fight with You Than...

The Rom Complex ·

2025/08/14

We've returned to 2005, Sam's favorite year for movies, for The Wedding Date. Join us as we chat about complicated families, dancing away the anger, and how more men should be named Dermot.

en-us

00:51:44

270. The Wedding Banquet: Let's Try Looking More in Love

The Rom Complex ·

2025/08/07

Grab your Bowen Yang Lego minifigs because we're starting Wedding month with this year's The Wedding Banquet (2025). We discuss the surprising plot, tropes we hate the most, and lying to Grandma. Join us for the celebration!

en-us

00:59:35

269. The Fault in Our Stars: Ours Is An Epic Love Story

The Rom Complex ·

2025/07/24

We're finishing up Summertime Sadness with The Fault in Our Stars (2014), based on the book that kicked off an entire trend of "sick lit." Find out which one of us knows more about the Green brothers!

en-us

01:04:18

268. Me Before You: Did You Ever Love Anything That...

The Rom Complex ·

2025/07/17

Don't put away those tissues yet because we are still powering through Summertime Sadness despite our sniffles and puffy eyes. This week we're discussing Me Before You (2016), a light little romantic drama (just kidding). Triggers include assisted suicide and discussion of suicidal ideation.

en-us

00:59:15

267. One Day: I Love You, I Just Don't Like You Anymore

The Rom Complex ·

2025/07/10

For our next bout of Summertime Sadness, we're joined by Anne Hathaway. Not physically, but spiritually, through her role in the movie One Day (2011). We also discuss character growth, diverging paths in life, and reality television.

en-us

00:58:08

266. Remember Me: They Love This Freaky, Poetic Crap

The Rom Complex ·

2025/07/03

This month we are celebrating Summertime Sadness, and we're off to an extremely tragic start with 2010's Remember Me. Trigger warning for the September 11th terrorist attacks. If you know, you know!

en-us

01:10:03

265. Gorgeous: We Love Dolphins (with Nick Foster)

The Rom Complex ·

2025/06/26

Writer, rapper, and filmmaker Nicholas Foster joins us to discuss 1999's Gorgeous, an extremely silly Jackie Chan romcom that veers off into unexpected side stories involving gangsters, business, and boxing. Lots of boxing. Check out more of Nick's work at https://justnickperiod.com/

en-us

00:58:11

264. Summer Catch: Love's the Game

The Rom Complex ·

2025/06/19

Summer Catch (2001) teaches us a lot, mostly about toxic masculinity and collegiate summer baseball leagues. We also discuss cool girls, summer love, and an abundance of subplots.

en-us

00:54:29

263. Falling Inn Love: I Do Love a Good DIY Project

The Rom Complex ·

2025/06/12

Falling Inn Love (2019) has a city girl moving to a small town, but this time it's in New Zealand. Take us with you! We also discuss Sam's dream life, on-screen chemistry, and creepy dolls.

en-us

01:19:52

Femmes Reading Filth Crossover: The Idea of You

The Rom Complex ·

2025/06/10

Our friends over at Femmes Reading Filth invited us on their podcast to chat about The Idea of You (2024) and the book from which it was adapted. If you like what you hear, please go check out more Femmes Reading Filth wherever you listen to podcasts!

en-us

00:52:18

262. Burlesque: Their Love's the Kind You Gotta Earn

The Rom Complex ·

2025/06/05

Divas take the stage in 2010's Burlesque, an ultimately silly movie that happens to meet the theme of the month: small town/big city. We also discuss Labubu, drinking on the job, and the Wagon Wheel Watusi.

en-us

00:49:42

261. Love Me: Love Between Lifeforms

The Rom Complex ·

2025/05/29

Love science month concludes with Love Me (2024), in which two pieces of technology (science) fall in love (that's the love part). See, it fits the theme!

en-us

00:55:54

260. Timer: Take the Guess Work Out of Love

The Rom Complex ·

2025/05/22

Love science and time science come together in Timer (2009). Sam and Shelby get to say whatever they want about this movie and not feel bad because the creator went on to make Wandavision.

en-us

00:53:16

259. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I Love...

The Rom Complex ·

2025/05/15

We're going "sad" this week with 2004's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We discuss poorly-treated actors, wigs vs. dye, and the nature of memory.

en-us

280 results

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