Instead Of The Same Old RomCom....

[Bob Smargiassi]

Originally Posted by hscope

It's interesting that with most scripts we strive to exceed everyone's expections, yet with a romcom we have to meet them or we're dead in the water.

I'd argue those are just the breaks of working in genre. What's the old Hollywood cliche, "same but different"? There are a million and one ways to force two people together who don't realize they're perfect for each other until the end. I think you're only dead in the water if you don't make it fresh.

[WriteByNight]

Originally Posted by sarajb

Another request, no bakeries or flower shops.

Or ugly BFFs/wing men.

[WriteByNight]

Originally Posted by Ravenlocks

Knocked Up worked for me on pretty much zero levels. I couldn't even buy she would have danced with the guy, much less anything more.


Oops.

Here here. The only thing that made me laugh was Wiig's performance.

[asjah8]

i think knocked up was more of a guy's idea of romance; ie, guys with problems are so cute, we women just need to adjust our beer goggles and ultimately love will flourish while changing diapers. uh, no.

now take a different film with an antag who has even bigger problems than seth's character: the antag in french kiss. alternately, the protag has it together to the point she's a neurotic, controlling mess. then she meets the antag, who is a thief who can't tell the truth except when he's telling her that she's falling apart. and throughout the story, we see what a journey they make as they realize they're perfect for each other. by the end, they are using their pooled skills to build a dream together. that is romantic.

[MargoChanning]

Originally posted by Bob S.
Yeah she's a doll. I wonder how she'd do with the physical comedy side of Romcoms (prat-falls, getting puked on by babies). It's an essential skill for today's budding Romcom actress.

Yeah, that's a whole 'nother thread: Puke scenes in movies. De rigueur these days, no matter the genre.

[sc111]

Funny that the women liked Knocked Up far less than the men posting. Beer goggles - for sure.

But it seems a rom-com can be wish-fulfillment for men, too. That's good news.

One of my favorite Rom-coms, one I'll watch again and again, like spending time with old friends, is French Kiss. Kevin Kline definitely elevated that simple story.

I think part of the magic of rom-coms is the chemistry between the two leads. Problem is the pool of actors available now seem to lack that chemistry.

Failure to Launch: Matt McC and Sarah Jessica Parker? Eh - no chemistry. But I thought it was interesting that the secondary couple in Failure To Launch had a much more interesting "falling in love" storyline and the couple had more chemistry than the lead couple.

How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days: same prob in my opinion. Kate Hudson is no Goldie Hawn. And - again - Matt McC falls short for me.

You've got to admit Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts were the "it" girls of rom-coms and could magically generate chemistry with virtually any lead. Ditto for Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, etc. (Or, older - Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie?)

But as these actors have aged out of the rom-com genre, I don't see many male or female actors in the rom-com age range today who can touch these greats in terms of acting chops.

[asjah8]

Originally Posted by sc111

Failure to Launch: Matt McC and Sarah Jessica Parker? Eh - no chemistry. But I thought it was interesting that the secondary couple in Failure To Launch had a much more interesting "falling in love" storyline and the couple had more chemistry than the lead couple.

good call on that secondary romance. i recall when i was watching the film... i was like, "meh, okay, those two (leads) are going to be together, the cute-meet has happened." --->> "now what's going on with those other two?" i wanted to know more about the secondary relationship.

[MargoChanning]

Great comments. Lots of food for thought here and much appreciated.

[sc111]

Originally Posted by asjah8

good call on that secondary romance. i recall when i was watching the film... i was like, "meh, okay, those two (leads) are going to be together, the cute-meet has happened." --->> "now what's going on with those other two?" i wanted to know more about the secondary relationship.

Yes - weird how that happened, right?

[sc111]

Why I don't like How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days is because both leads are lying to each other. It's harder to invest in them. And it's not that people in relationships don't lie to each other -- even lies of omission -- but when you get gimmicky (like in Failure to Launch, SJP's "business" of getting slackers ou of their parents' homes), I could care less what happens to the protags.

I'm wondering if older rom-coms worked because they have stronger themes than it seems at first glance. And some of the later rom-coms that became so formula were really light on those themes.