Rom-Com Non-Fiction Recs

As If! The Oral History of Clueless

As told by the Amy Heckerling, the Cast, and the Crew

by Jen Chaney

Jen Chaney’s threepart oral history details “Before Clueless”, “Making Clueless” and the “Impact of Clueless”. In part one, Chaney provides a behind the scenes look of first impressions from actors, producers, and the director/writer Amy Heckerling of many cast members via anecdotes of the audition process. Heckerling used various slang dictionaries to write Clueless, and Chaney provides readers with a glossary of Clueless terms. Part two comprises production notes, wardrobe memories, usage of cellphones, summaries of scenes, photographs, the editing process, deleted scenes, and more. The impact of Clueless dives into the soundtrack. Spoil the ending? As if! The entire book feels like one very long article of quotes, but in a fun way. We hope it doesn’t leave you totally buggin’.

From Hollywood with Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy

by Scott Meslow

Meslow begins with descriptions of various iconic rom-com stars: Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore,

Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, John Cusack, Katherine Heigl, Ryan Reynolds, Mindy Kaling, Henry Golding, and various films. Every chapter features an illustration of a character in a rom-com and a noteworthy line, which might ultimately exist as the best part of the book. He acknowledges Judy Greer with a subcategory of “the best friend”, and then immediately mentions Kathryn Hahn instead. Rude. An interesting term that Meslow formulates is the “raunch-com” — think There’s Just Something About Mary or Knocked Up. Given the book title and Meslow’s chapter order, the “rise again” encompasses Crazy Rich Asians and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. Perhaps charting the rise and fall (and rise again) of romantic comedies equates to an arduous task to encapsulate in one book. Scott Meslow tried.

I’ll Have What She’s Having: How Nora Ephron’s Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Erin Carlson

If you love Nora Ephron as much as we do (or for that matter, Meg Ryan), you will love this informative book. Warning: you will immediately want to re-watch all the films after reading it. Carlson clearly conducted her research, interweaving anecdotes and interview quotes throughout. This book is highly recommended for those who care about dialogue and multi-faceted characters or anyone who craves New York or Seattle nostalgia.