With all due respect to my beloved 1930s and ’40s screwball comedies — not to mention ’70s American New Wave dramedies — the big bang of the modern rom-com as we know it is undoubtedly 1989’s When Harry Met Sally. The late Rob Reiner’s instant classic, with an uber-influential script from Nora Ephron, formed the outline, and all others had to pay their respects going forward. But the performance that all of our favorite rom-coms have been chasing after for 36 years is that of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Garry Marshall’s 1990 mega-hit was a showcase for Roberts’ ascendence to A-List status. The rare lead acting nomination at the Oscars that could be described as bubbly (man, do I miss when roles like this could be nominated for Best Actor or Actress), Roberts’ performance as Vivian Ward created a template that Netflix is still desperately trying to re-create with countless straight-to-streaming efforts today.
8 p.m. at the Belcourt
2102 Belcourt Ave.
