28 of the quirkiest rom-com careers (that aren't architect)
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Trailer editor (The Holiday)
There's plenty to envy in rom-coms: Everyone is good looking, everyone has great clothes, and almost everyone has a cool job. Here are some of our favorites. How did Cameron Diaz's character pay for that swanky L.A. pad? Cutting together movie trailers, and making them all look like hits.
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Bakery owner (It's Complicated)
Nancy Meyers movies always feature iconic kitchens, but Meryl Streep's is a standout (not to mention the kitchen in her gorgeous bakery, where she and Steve Martin make those chocolate croissants...)
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Bookshop owner (You've Got Mail)
Sure, Kathleen Kelly's business is struggling, but who hasn't fantasized about owning a cozy neighborhood bookstore?
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Vows columnist (27 Dresses)
James Marsden plays a cynic who writes newspaper romance—classic rom-com set-up.
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"Coffee Collar" inventor (Made of Honor)
In case you forgot, Patrick Dempsey's wealthy playboy gets to be a wealthy playboy because he invented the little cardboard that goes around a hot cup of to-go coffee.
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Art restorer (Made of Honor)
Michelle Monaghan's character has a cool gig restoring old paintings.
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Apartment dresser (Leap Year)
Amy Adams's rom-com job in the Ireland-set guilty pleasure is setting up houses for real estate agents before their showings to help the properties sell.
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Boat salesman (Failure to Launch)
Selling boats to rich people? Alright, alright, alright.
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Greeting card writer (500 Days of Summer)
Sure, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character is also an architect, but before that, he meets Summer while working at his certifiably quirky greeting card job.
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Sports doctor (Trainwreck)
Both professional and also memorable, Bill Hader's character hits the rom-com sweetspot.
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Playwright (Something's Gotta Give)
Diane Keaton's job is basically wearing summer linens, but it's also playwright.
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Fashion designer (Sweet Home Alabama)
Reese Witherspoon is an-up-and-coming fashion designer, who also gets to be engaged to McDreamy.
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Wedding dress designer (The Parent Trap)
Slightly more specific than just being any tpe of fashion designer, Natasha Richardson played a famous wedding dress designer.
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Vineyard owner (The Parent Trap)
Seems pretty nice to get to ride horses around a giant vineyard estate all day.
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Aquarium veternarian (50 First Dates)
Adam Sandler got to hang with seals and penguins acting as a character who worked at Sea Life Park in Hawaii.
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Television composer (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)
Jason Segel's character worked composing the "ominous tones" for his girlfriend's crime television show, but his real passion was vampire puppets.
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Voiceover artist (In A World...)
Lake Bell portrayed a character trying to break the glass ceiling in voiceover work.
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Web fashion retailer (The Intern)
Jules (Anne Hathaway) founded an online startup for selling clothes.
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Author (The Decoy Bride)
David Tennant plays a literary author who wrote a bestselling book about a tiny Scottish island.
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eBay store owner (40 Year Old Virgin)
Catherine Keener ran a store to help people sell things on eBay. No, you couldn't just buy the things in the store.
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Gossip columnist (Hitch)
Most rom-com heroines have vague jobs in media, but at least Eva Mendes's job has a bit of specificity.
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Personalized letter writer (Her)
Joaquin Pheonix plays a man who works at a company that uses AI to construct faux-personal notes.
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Brewery employees (Drinking Buddies)
Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson play coworkers who are allowed to drink on the job together.
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Screenwriter (Playing It Cool)
In this meta rom-com, Chris Evans plays a screenwriter who dreams of writing action movies.
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Theater director (The Incredible Jessica James)
When she's not a waitress, Jessica (Jessica Williams) works at a children's theater workshop.
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YouTube comedian (Mr. Roosevelt)
In her indie comedy, Noel Wells plays a character who's trying to make it as a comedian, one YouTube subscriber at a time.
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Political staffer (Definitely, Maybe)
Ryan Reynolds's character worked on the Bill Clinton presidential campagn before having a daughter with a mystery mother.
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Landscape architect (Just Like Heaven)
Sure, it's ALMOST architect, but if you recall, Mark Ruffalo's character actually designed gorgeous outdoor garden spaces.