I have to big up Peep Show and say that was a massive reference.'Ĭlick to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcastsįor fans of the Curtis classics, there is even a cameo from a veteran of the genre (no spoilers here). 'The close-ups were definitely inspired by that. And that was my inspiration.'Īllen-Miller was also inspired by the greats such as Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee, as well as one of her favourite British comedy shows. It's not always a good day, but this is about a good day. It's really important to make a point of that, that it's a good day. 'This is about south London on a good day. 'It was so important for me to represent it in a way that felt fresh and not doom and gloom,' she says. Shot with wide-angle lenses that produce almost a fish-eye effect in some scenes, Rye Lane is dreamlike and cartoonish, but at the same time grounded very much in reality a world filled with popping colours where the periphery is all part of the action, giving a sense of the hustle and bustle of an area that was once best known as the home of Del Boy. You don't think of that when you think of a romcom, you think of something you just sort of enjoy.'Īllen-Miller is a new filmmaker looking to change that. 'It doesn't really branch out to being, like, recognised or 'critically acclaimed' cinema. Pic: Searchlight PicturesĪll genres of film should evolve, she says, but the romcom is particularly guilty of being formulaic.

Some are cheesier and more unlikely than ever (see Jennifer Lopez's superstar singer getting together with Owen Wilson's teacher in Marry Me), but there are plenty moving away from the old tropes, such as The Big Sick, Bros, and Crazy Rich Asians, and comedies about platonic love such as Bridesmaids, Girls Trip and Booksmart. After the huge success of When Harry Met Sally, the genre hit its heyday in the 1990s and 2000s from Sleepless In Seattle, My Best Friend's Wedding and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, to British numbers such as Four Weddings And A Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually - a big romcom meant box office bucks.īut as perceptions of fairytale endings started to change, and expectations grew for more diverse stories on screen, the cinematic landscape shifted to superheroes and franchises, and romcoms fell out of fashion.Īfter a lull, we are experiencing something of a renaissance as the genre embraces the realities of modern romance. Image: The fairytale: Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Pretty Woman

A pocket full of rye