Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! In this episode, we have our first book review: Falling In Love at the Movies by Esther Zuckerman. It’s a history of the RomCom, themes, archetypes, actors and actresses, the writers, and directors of the genre. But even more than that, the book considers how RomComs reflect the times we live in and express our values, hopes, and dreams.
In this episode we get to add more movies to our list that have contributed to why we love the RomCom genre and how impactful these films can be.
Check out Esther Zuckerman’s book at your local independent bookstore or local library!
Zuckerman writes for several publications, includingThe New York Times, GQ, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair, and The Los Angeles Times.
Her other books include Beyond the Best Dressed and A Field Guide to Internet Boyfriends.
"People Start Breathing In Rhythm" - Adam Driver On The Experience Of Live Theater - Here’s the interview we reference in the episode with Adam Driver and Stephen Colbert during the Late Show with Stephen Colbert talking about the arts and theatre, and how it can help us with processing and articulating emotions.
We also talk about the Hayes Code and its impact during the early days of film.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
We have launched a Buy Me a Coffee! If you’d like to contribute, we appreciate your support, which allows us to bring you the best content here on the pod! Thank you!!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
© 2025 The RomCom Roundtable. All rights reserved.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! Listeners, we hope you enjoyed our recent Hallmark Highlights episode about A Machu Picchu Proposal and My Norwegian Holiday.
We are really fortunate to have a special interview with one of the stars of A Machu Picchu Proposal to chat about the film, Hallmark, and RomComs. In this episode we welcome to The RomCom Roundtable, Alec Santos!
We chat with Alec about RomComs, filming Hallmark movies, and Alec’s journey in acting as well as being a teacher! Shout out to all the teachers as well - thank you for all you do!
Alec has been on the stage, TV, and film. His credits include the Unwrapping Christmas series, Virgin River, Firefly Lane, Campfire Christmas, Snowpiercer, and Sight Unseen (just to name a few!).
Both the Unwrapping Christmas Series and A Machu Picchu Proposal are both available on Hallmark+ and Sight Unseen is available on The CW on Roku. Virgin River is available on Netflix.
Enjoy the episode!
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Instagram and Threads: @theromcomroundtable.
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
Thank you to Shop Broken Spine in Tinker & Trade and DINK Events for sponsoring this episode!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! We’re back from a brief hiatus with a double feature for a Hallmark Highlights episode! Over the summer Hallmark has two series: A Passport to Love and Christmas in July! And in today's episode we feature both!
We review A Machu Picchu Proposal and My Norwegian Holiday, both starring Rhiannon Fish.
Also starring Alec Santos as Carlos, A Machu Picchu Proposal, Katie is helping plan her brother’s proposal in Peru at Machu Picchu. She meets Carlos, and together they travel through Peru to find the perfect ingredient for Carlos’ restaurant and the perfect proposal in Peru.
Co-starring David Elsendoorn as Henrik, My Norwegian Holiday, centers on JJ who is coping with the loss of her grandmother and is trying to finish her dissertation. She meets Henrik who sees a troll on her desk that is from his home country of Norway. As he is traveling home for a family wedding, he invites her to Norway to uncover its origins.
Both films are available on Hallmark Plus.
In this episode, we talk about the films, having Peru and Norway on our travel list, cuisines of both countries, and why the alpacas always win :)
Caitie even tries to figure out the astrology chart of one of the characters!
We also debate potential similarities between Henrik and one of our favorite characters from television - Roy Kent of Ted Lasso.
My Norwegian Holiday features the Northern Lights, and Caitie shares her experience at the Northern Lights in Iceland.
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the films and what you thought in the comments. Have you traveled to Peru and Norway?
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Instagram and Threads: @theromcomroundtable.
We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
Thank you to Shop Broken Spine in Tinker & Trade and DINK Events for sponsoring this episode!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
While we’re getting our next episode ready, we wanted to share a special announcement! The RomCom Roundtable is returning to Christmas Con!!
That’s right! We’re breaking out the Christmas jumpers and are heading back to Christmas Con this year!
Held in Edison, New Jersey, it’s an annual celebration of Hallmark holiday movies and the opportunity to meet your favorite RomCom and Hallmark stars!
Christmas Con is really special for us - it’s where the idea for the pod all started!
Check out the link below to learn more about Christmas Con, to purchase tickets and follow That's4Entertainment (@thats4ent) on Insta for more details about appearances and the panel schedule.
That's 4 Entertainment | ChristmasCon 2025
Stop by to say hi as well!
Our next episode is coming soon!
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
#notsponsored
Welcome to The RomCom Roundtable! We wanted to share an update on our next few episodes. While recording, we had experienced some technical difficulties, causing a slight delay in getting our latest episodes posted. We're in progress with our next few episodes and getting them ready for you! We appreciate your patience!
Continue to follow us on social media @TheRomComRoundtable on Insta as we'll be posting more content on upcoming episodes and future content for the pod. Stay tuned! Let us know what your think of the episodes & movies we've reviewed so far!
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! We’re back with a mainstream classic from the 80s! AFI also considers this movie among the top 100 love stories (AFI’s 100 YEARS…100 PASSIONS).
In this episode, we discuss The Princess Bride (1987). Originally a book and a bedtime story, The Princess Bride was written by William Goldman, directed by Rob Reiner, and has a stellar cast, including Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Andre the Giant, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, Fred Savage, and Peter Cook.
We discuss how this movie is celebrated for the performances and memorable quotes. What are your favorite lines from the Princess Bride?
The Princess Bride is available on Disney+. Check out your local library or bookstore to read The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
The Princess Bride, William Goldman’s novel, is as great as the beloved movie he made from it.
17 Kinda Wild Facts About Making "The Princess Bride" That Shed A Whole New Light On The Movie
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the film and what you thought in the comments.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! In this episode, we feature our first Hallmark Highlights! We take a look at the latest series - a Royalty Trilogy in fact! - of the most recent Hallmark original movies. That’s right! We review three movies in this episode!
Join Caitie & Matthieu’s spirited and honest conversation as we review the March 2025 Hallmark originals: The Royal We, The Reluctant Royal, and Royal-ish - part of what we're calling the Hallmark Royalty Universe!
In The Royal We, Princess Bea is called back to royal life after her sister leaves her fiance Prince Desmond to elope with a non-royal.
In The Reluctant Royal, a mechanic finds out he is the heir to a dukedom. He travels to the estate to meet his father and learn about his family history.
In Royal-ish, a theme park cast member playing a princess is asked by the Crown Prince to be the governess for his daughter.
All three films are available on Hallmark+.
In addition to our thoughts on these films, we visit the History Corner, Geography Corner, and the Amusement Park Corner in this episode! We talk about the origins of the Royal We, Philly geography, and amusement parks, including our favorites at Epcot, Wonderland, and Knoebels!
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the film and what you thought in the comments.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to The RomCom Roundtable! As we get ready for next week’s episode - our first Hallmark Highlights episode - we wanted to share some more behind the scenes of a production meeting and how we decide which movies we review and our social media!
For Hallmark, our goal is to stay as current as we can with the latest movies and for more mainstream movies we let the wheel decide! :)
We also talk in this episode about our upcoming plans for the pod including Christmas Con 2025!
Check out the link in bio of the films we watched thus far and each of our ratings.
On our social media we share some trivia each week about RomComs and the history of the genre.
We also know that music is a key part of the RomCom experience and we’re building out our soundtrack. The link to our Spotify playlist is in our bio on Insta!
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable! In this episode, we break out the neon and leg warmers, turn up Whitney Houston & Pat Benatar, tune up the keytar, and find some pop rocks for a movie snack and our trapper keepers to take notes as we review 13 Going on 30!
This 2004 box office hit is often seen on the top RomComs of the early 2000s and features an all star cast with Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer and Andy Serkis and a soundtrack of 80s music classics!
Jenna wishes to be 30, flirty, and thriving after being humiliated at her 13th birthday party; she ends up time traveling into the future, as a 30-year-old fashion magazine editor.
13 Going on 30 is available on Netflix.
In addition to our thoughts on this film, we talk about the experience of going to the movies in an age where we have so many streaming platforms for film and television and nostalgia in the movies.
We ventured to the philosophy corner in this episode - we thought this film asked some deep questions. What do you think?
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the film and what you thought in the comments.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable!! In this episode, we explore time travel, being a fish out of water, and achieving a medieval quest all in time for Christmas with The Knight Before Christmas (2019). The Knight Before Christmas was one of the films that got Matthieu into watching the made for streaming RomComs.
Starring Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Whitehouse, a 14th-century English knight time travels to modern-day Ohio, where he falls for a high school science teacher who's disillusioned by love.
The Knight Before Christmas is available on Netflix.
We talk about The Netflix Christmas Universe and how The Knight Before Christmas is part of a series of interconnected movies around the holiday season. We brainstorm a three act storyline with a potential prequel (“A Dalliance with the Douche” - a reference in the film) and a possible sequel with Sir Cole’s brother Geoffrey starting his quest.
We also take a trip to the history corner (something you’ll see in future episodes lol)! We talk about the references to the Middle Ages that Sir Cole mentions in the film, including the bean in the bread, mistletoe, and the House of Plantagenet.
Caitie talks about her time studying in London and traveling in England. We love talking about our travels - which is how we became friends! Stay tuned for more travel stories in future episodes!
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the film and what you thought in the comments.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable. We’re growing our social media and in the future will have Patreon!
You have a seat at the table! Send us questions for a future mailbag episode; your favorite books, movies, and music, which could be on a future episode; and your feedback!
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to The RomCom Roundtable! As we get ready for next week’s episode - Matthieu’s film that got him into watching RomComs - we wanted to share some behind the scenes of how we do our reviews and our social media!
In this episode, Caitie shares a BTS look of the pod.
As you listen to the pod, let us know what you think! Comment here on the pod with your feedback as well as our socials! We’re on Instagram and Threads at @theromcomroundtable.
Don’t forget to follow the pod on Spotify or Apple to get notified of the latest episodes and leave a rating!
https://linktr.ee/theromcomroundtable
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable!! In our second episode, we debut our first review! Mentioned in our first episode, we review a Hallmark original film, Recipe for Love (2014).
Starring Danielle Panabaker and Shawn Roberts, Lauren is an aspiring chef and dreams of attending Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She works as a recipe tester for a food magazine and is assigned to ghost write a recipe book for a celebrity chef, Dexter, who is very reluctant to write the book and wants to focus on his restaurant. They clash over cooking styles and whether they should follow the recipe or cook from the soul. Through cooking and creating the book, they find connection and learn more about themselves and each other.
Ron Oliver, director for The Groomsmen Triology, also directed Recipe for Love.
In our first review, we talk about the film, our key takeaways (including "Collaboration is Cool" lol), our favorite supporting characters and quotes from the film. Recipe for Love was one of the first Hallmark movies that Caitie watched after a recommendation from her friend.
Recipe for Love is available on Hallmark+
Enjoy the episode & let us know what you think in the comments! Let us know if you watched the film and what you thought in the comments.
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS.
Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
Welcome to the RomCom Roundtable!! In our first episode, you get to meet your hosts, Caitie and Matthieu! We’ve been friends for over 20 years and in our first episode you’ll learn about how we met and the origin story of the pod. On the pod, we’ll talk about all things RomComs! The pod is an ode to the RomCom - be it movies, books, music. We’re excited to share this with you! Enjoy the episode and let us know what you think! Share your favorite RomComs in the comments!
Don’t forget to follow the pod for future episodes and check out our socials on Insta and Threads: @theromcomroundtable
We talk about:
Guess the Hallmark Movie Title Cold Open (0:00)
Intro - How Matthieu and Caitie Met (4:30)
Origin Story of the Pod (06:30)
Caitie’s Intro to Hallmark / RomComs (08:35)
Matthieu’s Intro to Hallmark / RomComs (12:48)
Christmas Con Highlights (17:00)
What You’ll Experience on the Pod (20:24)
Intro AMA with Your Hosts (23:20)
Episode Outro: Guess the Hallmark Movie Title - (35:20)
Show Notes:
We open the episode and the podcast with a cold open of Guess the Hallmark Movie Title based off of the plot using the Hallmark Checklist app.
We talk about in our intro of how we met in high school for a People to People trip in 2007 to France, Italy, and Greece. We talk about highlights from the trip and the soundtrack of that summer - Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs.
We first came up with ideas for the pod after attending Christmas Con in NJ last year and now we’re here! We plan to talk about movies, books, music and the trends we’re seeing in RomComs. We will have guests on the pod to talk about their favorite RomComs.
We each talked about different movies that are some of our favorites and got us into watching RomComs and Hallmark. Caitie discusses Recipe for Love and Matthieu talks about Netflix films, including Knight Before Christmas and Princess Switch, and late-90s and early 2000s movies, including Wimbledon, Music and Lyrics, and 10 Things I Hate About You. There’s so many RomComs to name in just one episode - we’ve got so many on the list that we’ll talk about in future episodes!
At Christmas Con, we got to see many Hallmark stars and got to meet BJ Britt ( @iambjbritt), star of The Groomsmen Trilogy and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (Marvel)! We wrap up the episode with an AMA with your hosts! We talk about movies and books that we’re excited for and audiobooks!
Movies / TV Mentioned in the Episode:
Recipe for Love (Hallmark, 2014)
The Knight Before Christmas (Netflix, 2019)
Princess Switch Trilogy (Netflix, 2019)
What a Girl Wants (Warner Brothers, 2003)
Norwegian Holiday (Hallmark, 2023)
10 Things I Hate About You (Touchstone / Disney, 1999)
Music & Lyrics (Warner Brothers, 2007)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (Paramount, 2003)
Sound of Music (Disney+, 1965)
The Way Home (Hallmark, 2023)
Virgin River (Netflix, 2019)
One of Them Days (Sony, 2025)
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Universal, 2025)
Downton Abbey (ITV, 2011)
As Luck Would Have It (Hallmark, 2021)
For Love and Honey (Hallmark, 2024)
Summer Villa (Hallmark, 2016)
Wedding Every Weekend (Hallmark, 2020)
The 27 Hour Day (Hallmark, 2021)
The Scottish Love Scheme (Hallmark, 2024)
Two Tickets to Paradise (Hallmark, 2022)
Savouring Paris (Hallmark, 2024)
The Perfect Setting (Hallmark, 2025)
Polar Opposites (Hallmark, 2025)
The Groomsmen Trilogy (Hallmark, 2024)
Wimbledon (Universal, 2004)
Books We Mentioned:
Falling in Love at the Movies (Esther Zuckerman)
Beg, Borrow, or Steal (Sarah Adams)
Say You’ll Remember Me (Abby Jimenez)
The Flatshare (Beth O’Leary)
Much Ado About Nothing (William Shakespeare)
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen)
Bridget Jones (Helen Fielding)
Additional Links:
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby (Official Video)
The Hallmark Movie Checklist App
This podcast features music created using Groovepad. Available on Google Play, Groovepad - Google Play & iOS Groovepad - iOS. Episode cover art is designed on Canva.
