As funny as it is about sending up romantic comedy conventions, Isn't It Romantic also embraces what makes them so compelling.

The big studio rom-com is back!

We now have an official subgenre in which a woman is initially presented as unattractive; is concussed into a fantasy in which she becomes impossibly desirable; and from the experience gleans important, affirmative lessons about believing in herself.

The trick here is a delicate balance: Being smart without showing off, being ironic without getting mean; being funny without getting too esoteric or simplistic, and never lingering on one scene for too long or wearing out your welcome.