COLUMBUS, Ind. — What began as a simple bit of movie mirth has morphed into a breezy journey through love and laughter that has attracted tens of thousands of fans from as far away as Australia.
So it is for Columbus resident Bonnie Boatwright’s two-year-old podcast “RomCom Love,” where hearts beat to the rhythm of the Hollywood hybrid of flirtation and funniness.
The show, with a format of Boatwright’s fast-paced, shared chatter of a guest’s suggested romantic comedy from any period, will enjoy its 100th taping before a live audience at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the annual YES Film Festival at YES Cinema at 328 Jackson St. in downtown Columbus. The film to be shown and then discussed with theatergoers is “Something’s Gotta Give,” released in 2003 and starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton.
This marks the third episode Boatwright has taped before YES viewers, who are welcome to offer their thoughts during the taping. Her initial foray into a travel podcast with husband David abruptly ended with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then sprouted the idea for highlighting romantic comedies, very loosely defined.
“I started with no expectations,” Boatwright said, adding that she reached out to former local radio morning host Brittany Gray as her most frequent guest and sidekick. “This was meant to be just a fun activity — not any kind of serious movie exposé.”
Since September 2020, besides Gray, Boatwright has chatted it up with such well-known local residents and movie fans such as Elaine Hilber, Scott Benjamin, Bianca Snider, Kelly Benjamin, Cindy Frey and Diane Doup — all in the comfort of her home’s basement.
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
