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The thing is, there’s nothing inherently unfeminist about enjoying a story about love. I would in fact say most humans like the idea of watching people fall in love, it’s the grand narrative western culture holds close to its heart. We all play along and go to weddings even though we don’t really want to, we (men and women alike) buy into eHarmony telling us the powers of the internet can find our one true soulmate. When a couple has been dating for a certain amount of time the entire world suddenly demands a romantic comedy storyline, preferably with a wacky proposal story ending in wedding hijinks and a slow dance at some point. Not that I have any experience with this. *Ahem*.
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Anyway, the point is we all like the idea of people being in love and living happily ever after, so why have movies on the theme become so so horrible and out of touch?
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Excellent question! And here is my proposed thesis: Rom Coms don’t appeal to everyone because most movies, particularly for the last decade, are not really about human relationships but are instead about reinforcing gender roles and teaching women how to “perform” love. And in turn how to expect men to perform.
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Jezebel has a good post on the ridiculous plot point template all Rom Coms use now. Sarah Haskins has also covered this and I can’t compete with her level of funny, so I’m going to defend my case by presenting a few well-written, interesting Rom Coms that are actually about individuals and not walking cardboard cuts outs of Jennifer Aniston.
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When Harry Met Sally. In the special features that come with this DVD Meg Ryan says something like “this movie is great because it’s about how different men and women are” which I think is totally wrong (sorry Meg, still love ya! We have almost the same hair: unruly curly blonds unite!).
.This movie is great because it’s about people who end up together despite all odds- people who we wouldn’t normally pair together. Harry and Sally (as well as her friend Marie) are originally in relationships they think they should be in: easy, marriage-track house-buying relationships that ultimately don’t make them happy. The people they end up with are people who are supportive and that they enjoy being around. Also (and I can’t believe this is a standard of judgment) at no time is a female character punished for having a career, so bonus points!
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Four Weddings and a Funeral. While Hugh’s character is a bit flighty and I never really like Andie MacDowell in this role, the writing in this movie humorously points out how the elevation of marriage and weddings ultimately damages the actual relationship the marriage is supposed to be about. In a refreshing turn of events, the movie acknowledges that men, too, experience pressure to get married and are not completely oblivious to the world of emotions and romantic commitment. Also, any movie gets 1 point for John Hannah.
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Sliding Doors. Similar criteria as above. Helen (version 1) is with a selfish passive-aggressive jerk and her life drastically improves when she leaves him, starts her own business and moves in with her amazingly-normal-for-a-movie best friend. It’s only when she learns to value herself and stand on her own two feet that she meets the ridiculously charming James who becomes a supportive influence in her life. Also, this movie has dramatic ending that is almost the complete opposite of the predictable wedding montage. Including John Hannah points, this movie is in the lead..
So in summation, no one has made a good romantic comedy since the 90’s with the exception of maybe Pixar. Any other exceptions to the rule?
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July 14, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Amelie was a good, not undermining romantic comedy of the 00’s! I think it ended with Amelie and Nino having sex too, rather than a wedding.
I think it’s sort of a cool thing to disparage romantic comedies as a genre and that has more to do with the stigma of girliness than their being more poorly written or more stereotypical, generally, than male-centric action or sports movies.
July 14, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Bridget Jones’ Diary was another good one, funny and compelling. While she’s portrayed as insecure, fat, and not pretty, she gets to choose between two great guys who love her as she is. Also, she’s ambitious, and her career is never an obstacle to love. At the end, while she was going off to Paris with her friends, instead of moping over her lost love, Mr. Darcy gave up his NYC promotion to be with her.