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CRITIC’S CORNER

What Exactly Is a Romantic Comedy?


By Doly Mallet


We normally use the term "Romantic Comedy" or "rom-com" to describe every movie that includes love as part of the premise. But is that accurate? Of course not. Romantic Comedy and Romance are two entirely different genres. In fact, Romance is not a genre as such (unless you are referring to those cheap paperbacks you can sometimes buy at airports or checkout lines). There are, however, genres such as Romantic Drama, Romantic Thriller, and, yes, Romantic Comedy. 



We should be able to make a distinction. We can do this through genre theory.

We need to define Comedy. Interestingly, the first person who did it was Aristotle in his Poetics. The Greeks were the first people to describe theater and, therefore, Tragedy and Comedy. Aristotle explained that in Tragedy, the protagonist is a nobleman whose destiny is terrible, and he cannot do anything to stop it. Gods have already decided it. In Comedy, on the other hand, the protagonist is a loser who doesn't understand that all the catastrophes that befall him are his fault. He needs to realize that he is the cause of his problems; when he changes, his luck also improves.


How does this tie in with rom-coms? The brief, famous formula we know works as follows: boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets the girl. But it is actually more complex than that. Why is the main character a loser in a Romantic Comedy? The simple answer: because he (or she) is single. And he (or she) must acknowledge his or her flaws and correct them in order to get a partner.


Let's review the steps in order. 

  1. A very successful lady who has everything she could possibly want in life except for a partner feels that she is fine being by herself. But she meets a man who apparently has it all, and she develops a special feeling toward him. However, she denies these feelings and insists that she is better off alone.

  2. A magical moment takes place (it’s usually a ball, where both protagonists look spectacular and end up dancing). This is a "Cinderella moment" in which, inevitably, they fall in love with one another.

  3. A misunderstanding happens. Usually, the guy misbehaves (or so the girl thinks), and she leaves the city or the country, heartbroken.

  4. The guy learns that the girl is leaving. He runs as fast as he can to catch her. He will encounter many obstacles while the girl is waiting at the airport.

  5. The guy overcomes the challenges and arrives at the last minute to stop the girl from taking the plane. He declares his love. We know he speaks the truth because we saw how he fought for her (like a knight in shining armor). She believes him. They reconcile… we know then that there will be a happily ever after.


This summary is, of course, a slight exaggeration (as most rom-coms are– think of Matthew McConaughey trying to stop J.Lo from getting married in The Wedding Planner). However, this is the formula that has been repeated successfully time and time again since the 50s with Katherine Hepburn, throughout the 90s with Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock and Meg Ryan, and all the way up until the 2000s with Jennifer Lopez or Katherine Heigl. 


In the current decade, though, we have seen a decrease in this genre, perhaps because couples are redefining romance and relationships for this new millennium. But it will probably gain traction with Anyone but You. Perhaps its stars, Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell, will now be the new hot couple. We’ll see. 


The author is a bestselling writer and a professional film and TV critic.


IG: @dolymallet


 

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