In the thirteen years since its release, The Dark Knight has been subjected to almost every imaginable form of hyperbolic praise, the majority of which is more than fully justified and entirely deserved.
Christopher Nolan’s epic was the first comic book blockbuster to earn over a billion dollars at the box office and is regarded by many fans, critics, insiders and analysts as one of, if not the single greatest movie in the genre’s illustrious history. It’s also widely accepted that the Academy Awards widened the Best Picture field to include up to ten nominees after the backlash the ceremony faced for failing to shortlist it for the biggest prize, so much so that the change was casually referred to as ‘The Dark Knight Rule’.
On top of that, it’s comfortably viewed as one of the most important and influential Hollywood movies of the 21st Century, with countless filmmakers citing it as a direct influence on their own work. Up until now, nobody really considered it to be a romantic comedy, but a Twitter trend has changed all of that. Following an online discussion, The Dark Knight found itself trending as a rom-com, and naturally the fanbase had a field day with that information, as you can see from the reactions below.
The love story and chemistry between Batman and the Joker was what everyone remembers about the classic Rom-Com, The Dark Knight pic.twitter.com/Qew76JrivY
— Russell Varner (@rvarner) June 28, 2021
Ah yes, my favorite rom-com film, The Dark Knight pic.twitter.com/FnTgJxxmJ4
— Rex Power Colt (@RexPowerCo1t) June 27, 2021
Ah yes, The Dark Knight, Nolan's timeless and hilarious story of Rachel Dawes and the two suitors who pursue her: Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne. pic.twitter.com/FGMazHN36h
— Andrew Morton (@andrew_c_morton) June 28, 2021
Yes, my favorite rom-com… The Dark Knight. pic.twitter.com/pbBaQPrYeM
— Kellen (@ThetrueDuckman) June 28, 2021
I’m no film expert, but I feel like that classic rom-com The Dark Knight is way undervalued here. pic.twitter.com/UHDZbbWy6r
— Brandon Plotnick (@bp6316) June 27, 2021
If that’s your favorite rom-com you need to watch some other movies 😂😂😂😂- The Dark knight the movie is great I love it but your favorite rom-com💀💀‼️ https://t.co/Zjm1bwKFGy
— 223 (@223thegoat) June 27, 2021
ah yes the dark knight is definitely my favorite rom-com film pic.twitter.com/L5SQTM7hhW
— nat (@hqnathaIie) June 27, 2021
https://twitter.com/lainwakura/status/1409304055818633224
https://twitter.com/Rohan_312/status/1409227215762513924
Admittedly, there’s a couple of ways you could interpret The Dark Knight as an offbeat rom-com. The Joker and Batman are clearly cut from the same cloth but have very different viewpoints on how to embrace their idiosyncrasies, while there’s also the love triangle between Bruce Wayne, Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent to consider. Nolan doesn’t really do romance, though, but that hasn’t stopped the modern classic from getting a new coat of analytical paint.
