Rebel Wilson is trapped in a rom-com in Isn't It Romantic first look

A version of this story appears in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, on stands Friday, or buy it here now. Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

There’s a magical alternate reality, a place where most romantic comedies are set, where the apartments are always enormous and NYC never smells like garbage. It’s a mystical land filled with comic misunderstandings and impromptu musical numbers, where everyone works as either a magazine editor or an architect.

The upcoming comedy Isn’t It Romantic is a return to that world, albeit with a twist: Rebel Wilson stars as Natalie, a cynical architect who actively despises rom-coms and has dismissed them as fantasy. But when a scuffle with a thief knocks her unconscious, she wakes up smack in the middle of one — and she’s the leading lady.

“It’s kind of like [Natalie’s] worst nightmare going into it, and I spend the rest of the movie figuring out how on earth I’m going to get out of it,” Wilson, 38, tells EW with a laugh.

In true rom-com fashion, Natalie quickly finds herself in a tangled love triangle with a dashing stranger, Blake (Liam Hemsworth), and her best friend, Josh (Adam DeVine) — who himself is smitten with a yoga ambassador played by Priyanka Chopra. (Even worse, Natalie is trapped in a PG-13 rom-com: All cursing and nudity is auto-censored.) For Wilson, who’s best known for stealing scenes in comedies like Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect, this is a chance to finally take the spotlight.

“I don’t think there’s been a rom-com where there’s a plus-size girl as the lead,” she says. “They’re normally cast as the sassy friend or the sidekick.”

Wilson and director Todd Strauss-Schulson watched and rewatched dozens of rom-coms to prepare; the film includes nods to classics like Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, and Notting Hill.

“It’s a romantic comedy about falling in love with yourself,” Strauss-Schulson says. “And it’s a romantic comedy about romantic comedies and the romantic stories we tell ourselves.”

Isn’t It Romantic will hit theaters — when else? — on Valentine’s Day 2019.