By design, there’s a very bad romantic comedy at the center of Isn’t It Romantic. Unfortunately, a one-note romantic comedy with all the tropes isn’t exactly the best way to parody the genre, even if it’s wrapped in an empowering story that tackles the gender problems at the core of heteronormative rom-coms. No stranger to meta films, The Final Girls director Todd Strauss-Schulson knows what notes to play all too well, headlined by the very game and often funny Rebel Wilson as Natalie, an Australian parking garage architect who lives in a very real New York City. Ultimately, Isn’t It Romantic’s flaw is that it plays it too safe.

The real New York of small apartments, crowded streets, and rude people is well-rendered in hand-held shots and grim colors as Natalie navigates life, under-appreciated by coworkers and her neighbor. After a robbery on the...