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As long as there is love, there will be romcoms As long as there is love, there will be romcoms
(about 1 hour later)
As a screenwriter specialising in the genre, I have been asked, many times, in many guises, “Is the romantic comedy dead?” To which I always reply: “No, it’s far from dead, and why is this question only ever asked of romcoms, as opposed to horror films or thrillers?”As a screenwriter specialising in the genre, I have been asked, many times, in many guises, “Is the romantic comedy dead?” To which I always reply: “No, it’s far from dead, and why is this question only ever asked of romcoms, as opposed to horror films or thrillers?”
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I am so tired of reading think pieces on the decline of the romcom, a genre with a rich and brilliant history. But likewise, I’m fed up with “The romcom is back!” headlines. Let’s just clear this up, once and for all – the romcom has never gone away. And just like every other genre in cinematic history, it has had its peaks, its troughs, its lovers and its haters.I am so tired of reading think pieces on the decline of the romcom, a genre with a rich and brilliant history. But likewise, I’m fed up with “The romcom is back!” headlines. Let’s just clear this up, once and for all – the romcom has never gone away. And just like every other genre in cinematic history, it has had its peaks, its troughs, its lovers and its haters.
Related: Jane Austen's life to be turned into a big-screen romantic comedy
The fact is, some people don’t even seem to understand what a romcom is. So let’s start there.The fact is, some people don’t even seem to understand what a romcom is. So let’s start there.
Is it romantic? Yes. Is it funny? Yes. If you took the central love plot out, would it still work as a story? No. Congratulations, you’re watching a romcom. And just because it’s won awards, it doesn’t mean it’s not one, either. Winning an Oscar or a Bafta does not, and should not, elevate a film out of its genre. Annie Hall. The Graduate. As Good As It Gets. Tootsie. All award-winning, romantic comedies. Each follows an immutable formula that can only be tweaked, subverted and massaged by its creators, and hopefully thus present the audience with a new spin on a tale as old as time.Is it romantic? Yes. Is it funny? Yes. If you took the central love plot out, would it still work as a story? No. Congratulations, you’re watching a romcom. And just because it’s won awards, it doesn’t mean it’s not one, either. Winning an Oscar or a Bafta does not, and should not, elevate a film out of its genre. Annie Hall. The Graduate. As Good As It Gets. Tootsie. All award-winning, romantic comedies. Each follows an immutable formula that can only be tweaked, subverted and massaged by its creators, and hopefully thus present the audience with a new spin on a tale as old as time.
So why has their demise been greatly exaggerated? Billy Mernit, writer, story consultant at Universal and author of Writing the Romantic Comedy, explains: “The very popularity of romcoms in the 80s into the mid-90s unfortunately encouraged studios to produce formulaic romcoms aimed at female audiences. Cheap, easy-to-make vehicles for whatever stars they wanted to be in business with – without any regard for their audience’s intelligence or the changing mores and values of our modern times. Essentially, they killed the golden goose.”So why has their demise been greatly exaggerated? Billy Mernit, writer, story consultant at Universal and author of Writing the Romantic Comedy, explains: “The very popularity of romcoms in the 80s into the mid-90s unfortunately encouraged studios to produce formulaic romcoms aimed at female audiences. Cheap, easy-to-make vehicles for whatever stars they wanted to be in business with – without any regard for their audience’s intelligence or the changing mores and values of our modern times. Essentially, they killed the golden goose.”
So it’s the Career Girl Gets Alpha Guy romcoms we’re talking about when people say, “What happened to the romcom?” These are the ones that died. And since then, the genre has been evolving, you know, like life does. Films such as Bridesmaids, a romcom structured around the relationship between two women à la Muriel’s Wedding, have brought back the female audience, along with their dates, because it had hearts and brains and was credible in all the right places.So it’s the Career Girl Gets Alpha Guy romcoms we’re talking about when people say, “What happened to the romcom?” These are the ones that died. And since then, the genre has been evolving, you know, like life does. Films such as Bridesmaids, a romcom structured around the relationship between two women à la Muriel’s Wedding, have brought back the female audience, along with their dates, because it had hearts and brains and was credible in all the right places.
The trick is to leave your tired paradigms and make romantic and comedic stories contemporary and forward-thinking (see Trainwreck, about a commitment-phobic woman, and Silver Linings Playbook, a love story about mental health, and, on television, Catastrophe, about a one-night stand that results in a little more than each party bargained for).The trick is to leave your tired paradigms and make romantic and comedic stories contemporary and forward-thinking (see Trainwreck, about a commitment-phobic woman, and Silver Linings Playbook, a love story about mental health, and, on television, Catastrophe, about a one-night stand that results in a little more than each party bargained for).
There’s also this constant harking back to the brilliant Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the perpetual question of who our new Hugh Grant might be. Well, I’ll tell you who he is. He’s Kristen Wiig. He’s Lake Bell. He’s Bradley Cooper. He’s anyone who is a brilliant romantic comedy hero. We don’t need a new Hugh Grant. I’m very happy with the old one, thank you. And should he be ready to do another romantic comedy, I am ready for you, Hugh.There’s also this constant harking back to the brilliant Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the perpetual question of who our new Hugh Grant might be. Well, I’ll tell you who he is. He’s Kristen Wiig. He’s Lake Bell. He’s Bradley Cooper. He’s anyone who is a brilliant romantic comedy hero. We don’t need a new Hugh Grant. I’m very happy with the old one, thank you. And should he be ready to do another romantic comedy, I am ready for you, Hugh.
People are often very quick to claim romcoms a failure financially, without stopping to consider some quite obvious things. For a start, has anyone noticed the changing tastes in cinema and viewing habits? And the fact that this summer there was a blockbuster movie released pretty much every single weekend? Remember when there were only about three? Popcorn sales in general are declining and yet, through people’s eternal love of cinema, we’re finding new ways to watch films, and that’s exciting. I, for one, am over the moon that people who didn’t make it down to their local multiplex this summer now have all manner of ways to view films in the comfort of their own home.People are often very quick to claim romcoms a failure financially, without stopping to consider some quite obvious things. For a start, has anyone noticed the changing tastes in cinema and viewing habits? And the fact that this summer there was a blockbuster movie released pretty much every single weekend? Remember when there were only about three? Popcorn sales in general are declining and yet, through people’s eternal love of cinema, we’re finding new ways to watch films, and that’s exciting. I, for one, am over the moon that people who didn’t make it down to their local multiplex this summer now have all manner of ways to view films in the comfort of their own home.
Suffice to say, I’m pretty passionate about this subject, which is probably why I write romantic comedies. I’m interested in the human condition, what makes people happy, what makes people sad, and I think it’s time for us all to stop feeling guilty about a genre that has brought, and will continue to bring, so much pleasure. The rom is dead – long live the romcom. Suffice to say, I’m pretty passionate about this subject, which is probably why I write romantic comedies. I’m interested in the human condition, what makes people happy, what makes people sad, and I think it’s time for us all to stop feeling guilty about a genre that has brought, and will continue to bring, so much pleasure. The romcom is dead – long live the romcom.