Athletes are going to save the romantic comedy

LeBron James. John Cena. Blake Griffin. Troy Bolton. These superstar athletes — sure, wrestling can be a sport — are here to save the romantic comedy. Before we get there, though, let’s go back in time.

Just 10 years ago, on Valentine’s Day 2008, Ryan Reynolds’ best-reviewed romantic comedy ever came out. Definitely, Maybe, which also starred Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin and Elizabeth Banks, scored a 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. That it’s Reynolds’ highest-rated rom-com feels notable because, for much of the 2000s, he and Matthew McConaughey were the most prolific rom-com leading men in town.

They put out some clunkers, such as Reynolds’ The Proposal and Just Friends. And they put out some bangers, like McConaughey’s movies where he just leans against his love interest in the poster.

But with both of them having long moved on to the greener pastures of comic book movies and Oscar bait, respectively, the romantic comedy genre has taken a hit. No one’s really stepped into that void. And with Katherine Heigl’s slow descent into irrelevance nearly complete, the leading actresses who generally work in rom-coms are nowhere to be found either.

For the most part, the movie rom-com is dead. There are some exceptions, like Kumail Nanjiani’s incredible The Big Sick. But the film industry has largely left behind the rom-com. In its place have come ensemble comedies, buddy-cop movies, Nicholas Sparks adaptations and copy-cats, and whatever Aubrey Plaza wants to be in. What movie rom-coms used to be were low-quality, mid-budget movies with one random star celebrity. They were fun, perfect to kill 100 minutes.

The classic rom-com format has moved to television, especially after How I Met Your Mother’s success. Sitcoms always used romance as a key plot device, but perhaps never before was romance so central to a sitcom. HIMYM’s early success showed rom-com style storylines can be effective even when played out for a full decade. That success certainly helped usher in an even more pure, TV interpretation of the genre in The Mindy Project.

*By the way, How I Met Your Mother and Definitely, Maybe are essentially identical. Throw adultery apologism via Bill Clinton into HIMYM, replace the kid from Wizards of Waverly Place with Abigail Breslin and you’ve got Definitely, Maybe.*

And look, it’s probably not terrible that rom-coms died out, at least as they were before. Most romantic comedies showed misogynist interpretations of their leading women, while reinforcing rape culture and heteronormativity. But as the film industry slowly moves toward progressive ideals, maybe 2018’s romantic comedies can do better, like The Big Sick started to.

That’s why the romantic comedy is worth saving. It may be able to repent for its sins, using its mainstream appeal to actually depict healthy relationships. The best way to save the genre is going to be with well-made films, made by women and with big-name stars to put on the poster. Since most actual star actors and actresses are either in serious movies or have their souls trapped by franchises (seriously, Chris Evans, come on man), the genre is turning to athletes.

The fact that casting star athletes seems to legitimately be a play newer romantic comedies are making to stay viable is commentary on the genre’s health. But today’s acting athletes aren’t exactly Shaq in Kazaam. James, Cena, Griffin and Bolton — who was a standout actor and basketball player with the East High Wildcats — are all much more talented on the big screen and have the sheer star power to bring attention to a movie. Plus, they’ve all already been in romantic comedies.

With sports veering further and further into a crossover with entertainment, where star athletes are expected to be charismatic enough to land big commercials and expand their media presences to cultivate their brand, it makes sense that athletes would be establishing footholds in film. Where they used to just get cameos in Entourage, film gives athletes more exposure and the assurance that they’re all Jimmy Fallon will ask the other actors about. Romantic comedies, especially in their weakened, starless state, are a perfect, low-difficulty entry point for these athletes to establish their acting chops and big screen presence. While most of them don’t have the time to shoot as much as leads do, athletes bring their name value nonetheless.

Cena, who actually began acting in crappy action movies, has dipped his toes in the rom-com pool with his part in Trainwreck. He seems keen on keeping his movie career going and has taken to voice-acting recently, playing the titular role in Ferdinand and is also set to be in Blockers, a raunchy comedy that looks, well, take a look.

Cena’s an improving actor and is definitely already charismatic. He could be suited to taking a leading role, but he’s got a pretty big obstacle standing in his way — the fact that he’s literally impossible to see. That probably makes him better-suited to a supporting role, either as one of the protagonists’ friends or as some sort of scene-stealing, yet invisible obstacle to the leading pair’s true love connection.

Meanwhile, James is probably the most famous athlete in the country, if not the world. He has long been embroiled in rumors regarding a Space Jam sequel and is getting involved on the production end, as is shown by the recently announced remake of House Party he’s planning. Like Cena, James was great in Trainwreck. He was funny and surprisingly down to make fun of himself.

We’ve only really seen him play himself thus far, but James may be the rare person who’s literally too famous to do anything but play himself. He’d be perfect continuing to keep doing that, playing the superb basketball player who’s friends with random people in future rom-coms. He can help buoy less well-known actors looking for leading roles, such as the young Lakeith Stanfield.

As for Griffin, he just made his feature debut in an ensemble rom-com, The Female Brain. Based solely off the trailer, he seems funny in it. Maybe he’d work in a similar role in more ensemble romantic comedies, something more in the vein of Love Actually. His deadpan humor has hit the mark in his past commercials and he’s actually relatively good at stand-up comedy, so he could be a high potential play for movie studios after having only done one movie thus far.

Bolton (who I will sometimes refer to as “Zac Efron” from here on) is the most experienced actor of the bunch, having oscillated between bro-y movies, stoner flicks and rom-coms, such as That Awkward Moment. Apparently taking up drama in high school was the right move. With a natural charm and a good sense of comedic timing, his main issue may actually be that he’s too attractive to be relatable.

But Efron may have the perfect face and gravitas to play the guy who the lead’s love interest is first in a relationship with, à la Cena in Trainwreck.

There are plenty of athletes without major acting experience that would be similarly ideal for side roles in romantic comedies, such as Serena Williams (duh) and José Altuve (he’s short enough to not be forced to play an athlete and he’s funny). Start getting as many of these people into supporting roles in rom-coms and the genre might really experience a revival, beyond even its Reynoldsian heights of 10 years ago.