Gone are the days of romantic films that made you laugh, cry, and fall in love with the characters. Nowadays, it seems that the majority of these movies are written, cast, and filmed with little to no thought besides “it’s good enough”. One of the most popular among romantic film creators is Netflix, who time and time again seems to produce lackluster original films. 

It seems that every few months or so Netflix spits out another romantic comedy that lacks nuance and is packed with clichés. The storyline is predictable, the acting is awkward, the dialogue is cringe-worthy and every character is just so quirky. 

Can you hear John Hughes crying? Because I can. 

Even Nicholas Sparks based romantic movies are permissible compared to such atrocities as ‘The Kissing Booth’. Yes, ‘Dear John’ and ‘The Notebook’ are cheesy, but the execution of those films, along with the storylines, is earnest. A romantic film doesn’t have to be Oscar-worthy, but there should be a clear attempt at sophistication within all aspects of the film, be it acting, dialogue or setting. 

Netflix original romances’ usually have aesthetically pleasing settings, but the list of good qualities ends there. Rooted in clichés and drenched in unrealistic coincidences, Netflix’s only admirable ability is to continuously create the dollar-menu cheeseburger of the film world. 

Movie’s full of empty calories, leaving you starved, empty and upset.  

I ask those at Netflix who write, produce and direct these films to give a second thought to where they spend their budget. For every dollar that was put into ‘A Christmas Prince’, a second thought should have been put into emulating the hilarity, vivacity, and respectability of ‘10 Things I Hate About You’. 

Romance films don’t have to be fulls of tugs at your heartstrings to be legitimate, nor must they avoid any and all previously used plotlines. It’s okay to make lighthearted, easy to watch romance films, and I encourage that effort, so long as they are produced thoughtfully.  

However, as a $3.4 billion company, a little effort at refinement of your original romance films might be worth your while, Netflix.