where can i apply for [insert unrealistic rom-com job]?

cc: runway, composure, poise, alette, scarlet

Sep 23, 2024

How cool would it be if Cinefilles was an actual magazine??

Though the focus of rom-coms is rarely entirely on the work the protagonists do and more on the progression (and regression) of a relationship, they are pretty fun side plots. Jobs are often the thing at stake or what the protagonist wants to change through a promotion, at the cost of their relationships.

Liv Rowe made some great points about how romantic comedies fuel unrealistic expectations of writing jobs. After reading her post, I was immediately inspired to think about all the movie jobs I wanted to copy-paste into my own life. These jobs seem perfect: they’re even the screenwriters’ dream jobs. Still, a cinefille can dream.

Now that I am in the midst of my own job hunt, I wouldn’t mind coming across vacancies for any of the jobs below (which might get very specific and/or fantastical, so please take them with a grain of salt)…

a job at a newspaper or magazine

Are you…
• going through a great personal crisis?
• inclined to hate men and/or your job and/or your age and/or fashion and/or weddings?
• not opposed to running around New York in a stressful (but fashionable) montage?
Then this is the job for you!

andie anderson • how to lose a guy in 10 days (2003)

How-to girl Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) seems to have it all: co-workers who know each other well enough to know when to pay an emergency visit to their heartbroken friend, a boss who seems like the most chill person ever (they start their meetings by taking a breath?!!), a cute cubicle with her name on it and her own column. Why is she complaining? I suppose it is nice to write about the things you love and have them change the world for the better. But who in their right mind pitches a political piece for a fashion and beauty magazine?? Composure magazine, I wouldn’t mind taking Andie’s spot (before moving on to write more impactful pieces, of course).

jenna rink • 13 going on 30 (2004)

I think 13 is the age when most people dream big. Just like Jenna (Jennifer Garner) did in this movie. The fact that she actually manages to land the job she dreamed of as a kid is worth a little applause. The fact that she dares to go against the grain is an even bigger win, both for the story and her personal growth. I would love to work at a place where making moodboards and going on photoshoots with my photographer boyfriend is working hard.

iris simpkins • the holiday (2006)

I honestly can’t relate to Kate Winslet in this film. You would never catch me crying in my little cottage in the English countryside!!! But I guess it’s the house I’m eyeing, not particularly the job she has and the emotional stress she is under working at the Daily Telegraph with a man who can’t commit to her… Sometimes you do have to get out of your little English cottage and make difficult decisions that will change your life for the better, you know what I’m saying?

andy sachs • the devil wears prada (2006)

Another And(ie/y)? Coincidence? I think not. This Andy (Anne Hathaway) has the same problem as our protagonist from How to Lose a Guy: Wants to write, but not for a fashion magazine… Her job at Runway turns out to be very demanding, but it draws her in eventually. Who wouldn’t be tempted? With a fashion closet that can upgrade your look, Stanley Tucci as your sarcastic, knowledgeable work friend and Emily Blunt as your competitive frenemy?

kevin doyle • 27 dresses (2008)

The man hates weddings but has to write about them for his job. Kevin (James Marsden) has a similar problem to our two Andies: He wants to write about something else. Anything, really. This is how he starts stalking Jane Nichols and writes a story about the woman who has been a bridesmaid at 27 weddings, with some nasty consequences for his relationship with said woman.

So, where can I apply to be a rom-com girlie?

author

Who are you?
• A successful, independent woman
What do we provide?
• A sassy editor who is also your best friend
• Cute outfits
• A journey that will alter you as a person and a writer

juliet ashton • the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society (2018)

If I could build a home inside this film I would. Juliet (Lily James) gained popularity with her comedic articles during WWII. After the war, she is looking to dive into something more serious with her writing. When a pig farmer from the island of Guernsey contacts her and writes about a book club they held during the war, she visits the island to find out more about the club members and the occupation on Guernsey. I love the combination of research, investigation and writing she does in this film, and making unexpected connections with those on the island…

barbara novak • down with love (2003)

Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger) wants to go from unpublished to published author (don’t we all?). But her book is too controversial for the male execs at the publishing house and she needs to take promotional matters into her own hands. She does this with an abundance of great outfits in matching backgrounds and her amazing editor (and best friend) Vikki (Sarah Paulson). Though this film was released in 2003, it mimics movies of the same genre from the 1960s. I would love to run around New York with my book to find a publisher in a pink coat, but it’s less glamorous in 2024 since everything is done via e-mail.

bookseller

jo stockton • funny face (1957)

She is just a girl in a bookshop when members of Quality magazine take over the shop for their photoshoot. Jo (Audrey Hepburn) is not pleased, especially because she has a disdain for fashion magazines. Dick Avery (Fred Astaire), the photographer, thinks she has a funny face, and she might be the perfect candidate to star in the new, intellectual look of the magazine. It doesn’t seem to cross their minds to ask Jo if she wants to work with them, but a trip to Paris tempts her to take the job. She seemed perfectly content with her job as a bookseller, and I don’t blame her.

struggling writer/artist who is a governess to make a living

jo march • little women (2019)

At this stage in life, I feel incredibly connected to Jo (Saoirse Ronan). Especially the way Greta Gerwig has portrayed her. Jo mourns the present, knowing that the dynamics in her family are changing and that childhood is getting further and further away with each step she and her sisters take towards the future. At the same time, she dreams of becoming a writer and longs for a future where this is possible, rushing towards it during that same childhood she later starts to miss.

emily richardson • electrical life of louis wain (2021)

The Wain household is chaotic. Louis has five sisters, some of which need to be educated. Emily becomes their governess, and she does so with great passion and flair, while trying her hand at painting in her off-hours. Her individuality and independent-minded approach to Victorian life are very inspiring. She doesn’t colour between the lines and Louis finds a great sense of freedom in their connection. Together, they have a life filled with cats. Sounds like a dream to me.

The job ‘beach’ didn’t make the list. Sorry Ken.

princess (of genovia)

Do you have…
• Royal blood?
• A reluctance to do your duty because it will mean sacrificing to the life you know/want?
Then you’re hired!

amelia mignonette thermopolis renaldi • the princess diaries (2001)

I would also be shocked if my grandmother turned out to be the queen of a small country in Europe. I would also be afraid of the responsibility and run away with my cat Louis, before realizing that it is a better use of my time to worry about other people and accept the crown to make the voices of other, smarter people heard through me.

princess ann • roman holiday (1953)

Roman Holiday shows that being a princess is not all it is cut out to be. Princesses rarely go on holidays, for example. Princess Ann makes sure she does on her tour in Europe by escaping the embassy to explore Rome and assuming the identity of Anya.

teacher who inspires a group of kids to live their lives to the fullest

Code of conduct: You will be fired if you do your job a little bit too well and inspire these children to live their lives the way they want to, not the lives their parents want for them. Remember who is paying for their education.

john keating • dead poets society (1989)

John (Robin Williams) operates at an entirely different level of teaching. Not only does he teach the stuff of English, he also teaches the stuff of life. How to live a life true to yourself is perhaps the most valuable lesson you can learn. He set the bar incredibly high, but if I were a teacher, I would also like to inspire those around me like he did with his students (and all those watching the movie).

delivery girl & aspiring witch

kiki • kiki’s delivery service (1989)

1. I would generally like to live inside a Hayao Miyazaki movie. 2. If I did, I would also love to be a witch. 3. And have a cat. (Or live in a little house in the woods like Ursula!)

spy (or supervillain??)

amy & lucy diamond • d.e.b.s. (2004)

Ever since watching Totally Spies when I was younger, I wanted to be a spy. Especially because of the cool gadgets. According to D.E.B.S., members of the spy-school are selected based on a secret test embedded in their final exams. Just like a letter to Hogwarts, I missed that shot. Still, I could become a supervillain like Lucy Diamond (Jordana Brewster).

Those were all my figs for today! I hope you enjoyed watching them rot with me <3 (Can you tell I just finished reading The Bell Jar?) Jokes aside, while writing these I realized I kind of am doing some of these careers, only in a different way: I taught a few children in my job as a tutor over the summer last year, my first ever job was to bring newspapers around the neighbourhood, and now I’m writing my very own publication/newspaper for Substack.

It’s easy to romanticise the jobs we see in the movies, but let’s also keep romanticising our own lives, too, shall we? (Just like Ella encourages us to do in this post!)

Though I might not be able to do and be everything I dream of being and doing, it gives me great peace to realize that I still have so much life to live and years to fill. My career is just a small part of my life, and I can make it as big as I want and make changes to it along the way.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and as always…