Top 10 Amazing Rom-Com Easter Eggs You Missed
#10: O. Penderghast “Friends with Benefits” (2011)
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Spotting this one would get you an easy “A” at MsMojo school! In “Friends with Benefits” Mila Kunis’ character, Jamie, goes to the airport to pick up Dylan, played by Justin Timberlake. She doesn’t know who he is so she grabs a used name sheet from an airport driver and uses it to write on. The name on the sheet she grabs is, O. Penderghast. Get it? O. Penderghast is a nod to Emma Stone’s character in the film, “Easy A,” Olive Penderghast. Both films were directed by Will Gluck. Does this make it a shared universe?!
#9: Stuart Smiley “Hitch” (2005)
If you’ve seen “Hitch” and didn’t catch this easter egg, don’t feel bad, because you’re still good enough and smart enough and people like you! And honestly we aren’t sure how anyone caught this one, given how quickly it passes by on screen. That’s what pause buttons are for right? Near the beginning of the film, just before Hitch meets his new client Albert Brennaman for the first time, he takes a look at his background file. One of the sections lists Albert’s favorite books and if you look closely you can see that listed among them is “I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough” by the fictional SNL character, Stuart Smiley.
#8: "Associate to the Vice President” “Crazy, Stupid, Love” (2011)
Steve Carell starred in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” right around the time that he was ending his long run on “The Office.” And as an ode to his critically acclaimed show, they threw this little gem of an easter egg into the movie. On Julianne Moore’s desk at work the name plate says “Emily Weaver: Associate to the Vice President.” Fans of “The Office” will recognize that as a reference to the show’s running gag of Dwight Shrute always being called “Assistant to the Regional Manager” as opposed to what he wants to be called, “Assistant Regional Manager.”
#7: "Light" “Palm Springs” (2020)
We are all lost, but to quote Nyles from his wedding speech at the beginning of “Palm Springs,” “In the darkness comes light.” Now, he’s talking metaphorically of course, but a little later on in the movie, director Max Barbakow has some literal fun with this idea. When Nyles and Sarah fall in love there is a moment when out of the darkness of the night, their love is the light. And that light is also literally the neon “Light beer” sign in the window behind them, perfectly framed between their happy faces.
#6: Saint/Devil “Love Actually” (2003)
Dance with the devil and you’re going to get burned! In “Love Actually” that’s exactly what Alan Rickman’s character, Harry does. He is a married man who has feelings for his beautiful, younger assistant. If this was a cartoon we might get a scene of Harry with a saint on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Instead we get Harry calling his wife a saint and then turning around to see his assistant dressed as the devil - who he proceeds to dance with. In the film the question of do they, or don’t they, is left up in the air, but a few years back a script editor on the movie confirmed via Twitter that they, “DEFINITELY had an affair."
#5: T. B. Callahan “50 First Dates” (2004)
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Adam Sandler movies are often packed with easter eggs - from obvious ones, like Rob Schneider’s “you can do it” guy, to smaller, more subtle references and connections. Some don’t even connect to one of his own films, like this one from “50 First Dates.” The clinic that they visit for Lucy’s condition is run by a Dr. Keats, played by Dan Aykroyd. During their visit, Keats tells them that the clinic is funded by an automotive components tycoon out of Sandusky, Ohio named T.B. Callahan. That’s right boys and girls, it’s the wing-lover, bun-destroyer himself…. Chris Farley’s Tommy Boy Callahan.
#4: Jenna Becomes an Adult at the 13:30 Mark of the Film “13 Going on 30” (2004)
This is the easter egg that required the most work and precision on behalf of the film makers and the only one on our list that you can’t see in the film itself. In “13 Going on 30” a 13-year-old Jenna wishes that she was 30 and wakes up a 30-year-old woman. Well, that moment when she transforms, takes place at the 13 minute and 30 second mark of the film. Pretty cool right? Yes, go ahead, get your DVD of the film and check it out for yourself. We’ll wait.
#3: "La Traviata" “Pretty Woman” (1990)
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“Pretty Woman” is one of the biggest rom-com hits of all time and the movie that made Julia Roberts a star. In the film, Richard Gere’s wealthy corporate raider Edward, takes sex worker Vivian to the opera to see “La Traviata.” As opera-heads know, “La Traviata” is a love story between a wealthy man and a courtesan. Now, in the opera, the courtesan Violetta meets with a tragic end, while “Pretty Woman” ends happily with a kiss on the fire escape. However, it’s interesting to note that the original script for the film was much more tragic. Edward and Vivian didn’t end up together, and the last scene showed Vivian on a bus, staring emptily ahead.
#2: Meg Ryan’s Bookstore “The Shop Around the Corner” (1940)
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The 1937 Hungarian play “Parfumerie” has been the inspiration for three Hollywood movies: the 1940 film “The Shop Around the Corner”; the 1949 musical “In the Good Old Summertime”; and the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan rom-com “You’ve Got Mail.” They obviously updated the story for the most recent telling, since we’re pretty sure they didn’t have the internet and AOL in 1937 Hungary. But as an ode to the 1940 film, they named Meg Ryan’s store in “You’ve Got Mail” The Shop Around the Corner.
#1: Cake Topper “The Wedding Singer” (1998)
Some easter eggs reference the past and some give us a glimpse of the future, as with this little beauty from “The Wedding Singer.” And by little, we mean about the size of a cake topper, the one on Robbie and Linda’s wedding cake. This of course is the wedding that Linda never shows up for, leaving Robbie heartbroken. However, it eventually leads to him falling in love with Julia, a girl so amazing he would let her hold the remote control. If you look carefully at the topper you’ll see that, while Linda has longer brown hair, the topper bride is blonde with a cute bob haircut and looks a lot like… you guessed it, Julia!