27 Of The Most Impressive Details In Rom-Coms That'll Blow Your Mind

1.

In the first scene where Miranda Priestley appears in The Devil Wears Prada, she’s carrying a Prada handbag.


20th Century Fox


20th Century Fox

2.

And in the scene where Andy finds out she’s going to Paris, she’s not only wearing a Chanel necklace but it features an Eiffel Tower pendant.


20th Century Fox

3.

In the scene where Toula and Ian are on their first date in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, two glass jars containing oranges and apples are visible.


Universal Pictures

It’s a running joke throughout the movie that Toula’s father likes to prove that the root meaning of any word is Greek. At one point in the film, Toula explains that the root meaning of her family name is “orange.” And, during his speech at Toula and Ian’s wedding, her father reveals that Ian’s surname, “Miller,” has the root meaning of “apple” in Greek.

4.

In a different scene, Toula steps outside as her parents argue over her engagement to Ian. As she questions her decision, the Greek statue of love, Eros, can be seen behind her.


Universal Pictures

5.

One of the first of several plot twists in Crazy Stupid Love is the fact that the protagonist, Cal, unknowingly sleeps with his son’s school teacher. However, her identity is actually revealed when she first meets Cal in the bar, as she’s wearing the same watch and bracelet seen when she writes on the blackboard earlier in the film.


Warner Bros.


Warner Bros.

6.

Later in the movie we see that the nameplate in Julianne Moore’s office reads: “Assistant to the Vice President,” instead of “Assistant Vice President.” This is an ode to Steve Carrell’s character in The Office. He of course also plays the protagonist in Crazy Stupid Love.


Warner Bros.

7.

Zooey Deschanel’s entire wardrobe in (500) Days of Summer was coordinated in accordance with her eye colour. The director requested that she wore some shade of blue in every single scene to make her eyes “pop” — but crucially, no other characters wore the colour at any time in the movie.


Fox Searchlight Pictures

8.

The background art on the screens which show how many days have passed change to reflect the status of Tom and Summer’s relationship. Good days are brighter and bad days are darker, with the background reaching its bleakest on the day Summer ends things, and its brightest when Tom meets Autumn.


Fox Searchlight Pictures


Fox Searchlight Pictures


Fox Searchlight Pictures

9.

In Friends With Benefits, Justin Timberlake’s character has a lightning bolt tattoo and Mila Kunis’s character has a lightning bolt necklace. She wears it throughout the movie apart from the scenes in which the pair are fighting.


Castle Rock Entertainment

10.

In the famous scene from Love Actually where Juliette turns up at Mark’s home to ask about the wedding video, a copy of the movie Rear Window can be seen on his shelf. The film is about voyeurism and watching people without their knowledge — precisely as he’s been doing.


Universal Pictures

11.

At the beginning of the Sex and the City movie, there’s a scene where Carrie colours with Charlotte’s daughter. She uses a blue crayon to colour Cinderalla’s shoe, foreshadowing the satin Manolo Blahnik stilettos that Mr Big presents her with at the end of the film.

12.

Carrie is a known technophobe which was incorporated into the movie by her using the same cellphone she had in the final episode of the TV series.


HBO

However, since four years had passed, duct tape was added to make it look worn.

13.

Carrie and Mr Big were deliberately overdressed in the scene where they’re reading in bed. The director wanted to show the contrast between Steve and Miranda, who weren’t having sex, and Carrie and Big who were.


HBO

In fact, the costume designer Patricia Field initially had Sarah Jessica Parker dressed in an oversized T-shirt and leggings, but the director was concerned they looked “too comfortable.” In the end, Cynthia Nixon was the one dressed in a T-shirt, in the scene where she tells her husband to “get [sex] over with.”

14.

There’s also a scene where Carrie is in a store and replaces a book on a stand with her own. The book she removes is Lucia Lucia — a story about a woman who planned a lavish wedding only to be left at the altar, exactly as Carrie was.

15.

And, the outfits that Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda wear when they surprise Carrie at her City Hall wedding are the same colours as their bridesmaids dresses from the start of the movie.

16.

In Easy A, the protagonist Olive says her name is an anagram of “I love.” Her last name, “Penderghast,” is also an anagram of “pretend shag.” Pretend sex is, of course, the entire premise of the movie.


Olive Bridge Entertainment

17.

There’s also a scene in which Olive goes to watch a movie entitled Der Scharlachrote Buchstabe. This is German for The Scarlet Letter — the novel Easy A is based on.


Olive Bridge Entertainment

18.

And the film is set in Ojai, California — a pretty town known for its orange groves. As a nod to the movie’s setting, the director added oranges into the backgrounds of multiple scenes.


Olive Bridge Entertainment

19.

In 13 Going on 30, Jenna turns 30 exactly 13 minutes into the movie.


Revolution Studios

20.

The blindfold that Jenna wears at her party is made of the same material as the eye mask she’s wearing when she wakes up as a 30 year-old.


Revolution Studios

21.

The picture of Madonna that’s on the table of 13 year-old Jenna’s room reappears when she’s 30. This time, though, it’s signed.


Revolution Studios

22.

And the dollhouse that Matt gives Jenna for her birthday is the same colour as the house they end up in at the end of the movie.


Revolution Studios

23.

10 Things I Hate About You is a loose retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. And there are several nods to the playwright in the naming of the characters.


Touchstone Pictures

The names of the two protagonists, Kat and Bianca, correspond with the names of the girls in the play — Bianca and Katherina. Their last name is also Stratford, in reference to Shakespeare’s birth place. Patrick’s last name is Verona, the birthplace of Petruchio — the corresponding character in the play. And the high school they attend is cauled Padua — the city in which the play is set.

24.

In the dinner scene in Pretty Woman where Vivian accidentally flings a snail across the room, the waiter says: “It happens all the time.” A decade later, the same director cast the same actor in The Princess Diaries, and gave him the same line after Mia accidentally smashes a glass.


Touchstone Pictures, Disney

25.

As soon as Peter in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before compliments Lara Jean with her hair down, she starts regularly wearing her hair that way throughout the movie.

26.

In Legally Blonde, Elle mentions that she scored 179 on the LSAT exam. This was well observed, since a perfect score is 180, which means Elle is in the top 0.1%.


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

27.

And finally, during the birthday dinner scene in Notting Hill, Anna is asked how much she earned on her last film. She answers: “$15 million” — the amount Julia Roberts was paid for the role.


Working Title Films


Working Title Films