So, in honor of VD, I went down to my local multiplex and indulged in some good, old-fashioned romantic comedy.By old fashioned, of course I mean stock, unoriginal, conventional. Nothing unanticipated, unexpected, or remotely fresh happens in this film. Drew Barrymore is the bubbly, bumbling girl we grew to love in The Wedding Singer and Never Been Kissed. Hugh Grant is the aging (but somehow still sexy) cad that the Bridget Jones films created and we've seen repeatedly since, most memorably in About a Boy and Two Weeks Notice. So with Music and Lyrics we've got stock performances in a stock genre. But wait! I also said it was good...
What do I mean by good? What does anyone mean by good? Well, first of all, don't go looking for originality or surprises in a genre as deeply rooted in formula as the romantic comedy. It's a futile effort that will only disappoint you. There is a pretty standard set of characters and narrative arcs, and deviations from that formula tend to suck (see: The Wedding Date. Actually, don't see it. It sucked.). Yes, I've seen Hugh Grant play this part before. But guess what? I loved it then, and I love it now. I don't want Hugh Grant to reinvent himself any more than I want Sex and the City to be realistic about money and fashion. Put another way: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I'm all for invention, innovation, and dynamic acting. I want to be surprised and engaged and impressed at the movies. I just don't want that all the time. And on Valentine's Day, what I wanted, was to go to a cute little romantic comedy with saccharine sweet pop music and listen to Hugh Grant be smarmy and Drew Barrymore be flighty. That's just good entertainment.
If you're interested in a really fascinating look at how romantic comedies work from the male and female perspectives, check out "He Said/She Said", a blog written by a student in Rekha's and my experimental film review course that looks at Nora Ephron and Cameron Crowe.
1 comment:
I would also argue that this is a genre, which when it does deviate from the formula is particularly dissatisfying. Also, don't you think that because it is a one trick genre the acting is especially important (i.e. chemistry). I really love some of the people Hugh Grant has been cast with, because although it seems implausible in life it works great in the magical world of movies. I'm thinking of Renee Zelwegger and Sandra Bullock in particular.
Post a Comment