[Note from Frolic: We are so excited to welcome Erin McCarthy to the site today! She’s talking all about her love of fake relationships. Take it away Erin!]
The Rom Com is back and are we ecstatic, or what? Thanks in part to Netflix I feel like we’re entering a whole new era of romantic comedy movies. The same trend is true in romance fiction so I had to get in on the action with my new release, Weekend Wife. I used one of the most classic tropes from our favorite rom coms– the fake relationship.
What is better in a rom com for setting up massive amounts of tension than that? It’s the ultimate fake-out for money, revenge, or a green card. I can’t say that I’ve done this long-term in real life, but there was one night at a bar where my guy best friend wanted to make a woman jealous and we pretended to be a couple. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks, people. Awkward handholding commenced. Though we were told our swing dance moves were smooth, otherwise, total disaster.
Unlike my amateur hour, in the hands of our favorite actors and actresses, it’s deliciously fun. Awkward meet-ups, bad lies, and sexual tension are comedy gold in these movies.
Being single at a wedding is no picnic. Who hasn’t wanted to show up at a wedding with a hot date? Especially when your douchebag ex is going to be there. Debra Messing is always adorable and I love her awkward first meeting with her boyfriend-for-hire. Otherwise known as an escort. The flight attendant gets props for making the most of only thirty seconds on screen. The guy in 2B, indeed.
Oh, Sandra Bullock, you’re the best. Can I be you in my next life? The timing, the looks of longing, the trying to explain that the dude in a coma is not your fiancé. Then just running with it because legit, no one is listening, and there’s tears and you did save his life. Bill Pullman is the perfect speed bump turned real romantic interest in the midst of her fake relationship. Who doesn’t want Bill Pullman to win? The answer is no one.
Cameron Diaz is obviously another rom com queen and this movie has all the perfect elements– the drunken wedding in Vegas, a New York City setting, a fake relationship for money, and lovers to enemies to back to lovers again. Nothing like buying oranges off a street vendor to nail Ashton Kutcher in the junk for some serious fun. The pacing is fantastic.
Sandra Bullock again. It’s inevitable. This movie is an absolute tropefest. It has it all. The horrible workaholic boss, the need for a green card, blackmail, the Alaska wilderness, and an enemies to lovers relationship on top of the fake engagement. It’s like a layered cake of all our favorites. Yum. Plus, national treasure Betty White is Ryan Reynolds’ Gammy, so you can’t go wrong there. Add in a baby-making blanket, a sweet ex-girlfriend, and tripping and falling onto each other while wet and naked and you have a classic romantic comedy.
Why do we not hate either of these characters? Because Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. It’s that simple. Goldie’s character Joanna is played to perfection. She’s hilarious as a rich bitch and a fish-out-of-water amnesia patient. Then as she settles into her new (allegedly old) life she becomes heartwarming as a mom. Even though she’s not a mom. Kurt Russell somehow makes us believe he isn’t a jerk and in the end “it’s a helluva day at sea, sir.” Love, love the ending, and I reference Overboard in my rom com novel, Weekend Wife.
Even with the recent influx of romantic comedy movies, especially streaming, it feels like there haven’t been any brand new fake relationship films lately. Maybe it’s time for a new twist on the old classic. I’ll be waiting with my popcorn in hand when it does.
USA Today and New York Times Bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over seventy-five novels and novellas in the romance and mystery genres. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, martinis, and tattoos. She lives with her renovation-addicted husband (he built her a bar, so it’s all good!) and their blended family of kids and rescue dogs. Find her here: https://erinmccarthy.net/
Billionaire businessman in need of a fake fiancée…
It should be the easiest job ever for an out-of-work actress, right?
All I have to do is pose as Grant Caldwell (the Third)’s fiancée for a fancy-pants weekend in the Hamptons. Easy. Wear designer clothing and sip champagne? Don’t mind if I do. Flirting with Grant? It’s so delicious I should be paying him.
Nothing can go wrong as long as I can keep my hands off of him.
But that’s the hard part. And I do mean hard.
Because Grant is sexy.
And bossy.
And surprisingly sweet, a real rarity in his pretentious family.
Oops. I’m not as good at faking it as I thought. Or maybe they call this method acting. Because it’s getting harder to figure out where my character ends and I begin…
It just might be the role of a lifetime.
Weekend Wife is a standalone romantic comedy with a sexy billionaire, a sassy heroine, and a Happily Ever After.
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