Sept. 9, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to a Romantic Comedy… Every Now and Then The Climax Isn’t a Predetermined 'Happily Ever After'
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Romantic comedies have gotten a partially undeserved bad rap -- often automatically relegated to the ‘chick film’ sub category. Why? Predictability. By necessity, boy or girl meets girl (or boy) + baggage + baggage = BREAK UP + (Choose one or all of the following a, stalking; b, telephone harassment; c, intervention, divine or by friends) = Happily Ever After.
Sandra Bullock, whose “Proposal” opened the summer romantic movie season took a tweaked formula and a spice of “Devil Wears Prada” to delight audiences and remain in the box office Top Ten for for seven weeks.
ALL ABOUT STEVE
She’s back --- this time a 180, she’s not the domineering workaholic corporate executive needing a visa (via an “I do”), but an introverted super geek brained crossword puzzle composer addicted to a pair of nearly knee high bright red boots. Her “occupation,” if you can call it that (she’s over 40, still living with parents while her latest apartment disaster is fumigated ) , complements her fast talking, encyclopedic head spouting facts you don’t want to know and essentially deal while she unloads the unwanted knowledge.
Ostracized for lack of normalcy, she’s relegated to writing in a journal, talking to a hamster, and being the female half of a blind date for nerds, gays, obese, and otherwise socially inept men. Told she has to find a life outside of crosswords, her latest date turns out to be a handsome network news cameraman and she lets go of decades of bottled up sexuality in his SUV.
Unfortunately, she’s still in those darn boots when his producer sends him to Boston for breaking news. Convinced he’s her ticket to normalcy, she literally accepts his polite invitation to join him on the scene of the next hottest news story. Trailing him to Oklahoma City, Tucson, and Colorado, she’s too giddy, inept and literal to take a hint.
“All About Steve,” though, finally, recognizes the stalking (following) ingredient of nearly all romantic comedies. Usually, when it’s the gal chasing the guy, well, who enforces any laws. On the otherhand, dudes do have to be careful about crossing the line.
Complications (termed baggage) by necessity make up the bulk of the romance and comedy. The most overused inhibitor of Cupid’s arrow is the ‘I don’t need anyone’ myth. When the two lips come together and part, ‘I love you’ (instantly) smothers the ‘finding myself’ or ‘taking care of myself’ mantra. After weeks of bliss, quandaries , fears and total independence conflicts inevitably drive the perfect couple apart.
Here come the well meaning friends and relatives to further screw up the circumstances, leaving one or both pretending not to wallow in deep, deep depression. Usually, one calls the other’s answering machine every five minutes and the other buries themselves in work. “It can’t go on like this,” “I just want everything to be like it was,” “It’ll get better , I promise,” and ‘I’m sorry” eventually compels both to recognize and go off chasing the estranged person either down the street or around the world.
Our preoccupation with happily ever after jades the creativity of the romantic comedy, I mean, whoa, if the ending is a given, how can a filmmaker keep an audience guessing when most just want to wipe a tear and smile? Imitating the “hi, how are you, have a nice life” of Redford and Streisand’s “Way We Were” risks a dissatisfied audience. In these days of demographic audience tests reality sells on the little tube, but big screen viewers want to exit with either a smile or a challenged intellect. We really do not want to forget Sarah Marshall.
Annie following Steve from assignment to assignment has the audacity to spring an unexpected climax. For that matter, “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” too has the dramatic challenge to emulate a non-waiting at the airport reunion which does not land one of the estranged dealing with Homeland Security.
TIME TRAVELING
What’s a woman’s standard excuse for avoiding a relationship with a potential suitor --- too many faults (translation: Baggage, reality, hung up on the past ,too old/young, not growing enough, or fill in blank) . has wonderful eyes, an attractive body and an appreciation of women; he has one issue – a gene gone array. It causes him without warning to hop forward and backwards in time.
Seeking to reinvent but not remake “Somewhere in Time,” an inherited DNA mutation affliction eases nicely into the story. Unlike Christopher Reeve who convinced us he could hypnotically concentrate himself backwards, “Wife” does not require elaborate explanations. It’s a given; although, the clothes don’t travel with him eventually becomes a little repetitive.
Otherwise, the romance forever interrupted has idyllic softness, fairy tale imaginativeness and utter believability.
Having established the embarrassment of leaping decades into the weeds near a pretty young child with blonde locks, he’s soon enlivens with comic merriment as we learn she’s the impending love of his life. His one trip to the future takes the place of make up roses; he brings back a lottery ticket.
Although this time hopper would be an incredible match for the gal looking for more space, the couple have to contend and deal with him missing or being late for important life events. The delicate beauty of the pic has enhancement by strictly classical strings and instruments. And, the finale will have a few unsuspecting hops, too.
Having analyzed the romantic comedy, I came to realize that they are all about finding the dream. And, you can spring back in time or change your life just like the characters from your favorite “Must Love Dogs,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” or “While You Were Sleeping” feature.
How do you invent your traveling time capsule? Lightning or a tunnel of electronics are unnecessary. Lean back, blot out the noises surrounding you, close your eyes and blacken the canvas, then, pick a happy moment --- channel your thoughts back to any point in life and relive the moment of first connection with a friend, the first time you kissed, and all those hints leading to why she went away. You can still feel her touch, caress her shoulders and how she said our bodies fit perfectly together when hugging.
Christopher Reeve's intense concentration shifted him into another century, but symbolically could this have represented the ability to drift into your past, construct a future, and freeze the moment while designing details and attempting to alter the past by revisiting a pivotal moment and changing one answer, one halting glimpse, and one statement left unsaid.
Where has the romantic comedy gone? Can it change and not be predictable? Do your dreams of finding the soulmate for life and happily ever after go away? If you still wish for a happy life, then, I guess, the romantic comedy will remain with Cupid’s target on its back. That is, as long as enough moviegoers buy the tickets, popcorn and candy.
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A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to a Romantic Comedy… Every Now and Then The Climax Isn’t a Predetermined 'Happily Ever After'
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Romantic comedies have gotten a partially undeserved bad rap -- often automatically relegated to the ‘chick film’ sub category. Why? Predictability. By necessity, boy or girl meets girl (or boy) + baggage + baggage = BREAK UP + (Choose one or all of the following a, stalking; b, telephone harassment; c, intervention, divine or by friends) = Happily Ever After.
Sandra Bullock, whose “Proposal” opened the summer romantic movie season took a tweaked formula and a spice of “Devil Wears Prada” to delight audiences and remain in the box office Top Ten for for seven weeks.
ALL ABOUT STEVE
She’s back --- this time a 180, she’s not the domineering workaholic corporate executive needing a visa (via an “I do”), but an introverted super geek brained crossword puzzle composer addicted to a pair of nearly knee high bright red boots. Her “occupation,” if you can call it that (she’s over 40, still living with parents while her latest apartment disaster is fumigated ) , complements her fast talking, encyclopedic head spouting facts you don’t want to know and essentially deal while she unloads the unwanted knowledge.
Ostracized for lack of normalcy, she’s relegated to writing in a journal, talking to a hamster, and being the female half of a blind date for nerds, gays, obese, and otherwise socially inept men. Told she has to find a life outside of crosswords, her latest date turns out to be a handsome network news cameraman and she lets go of decades of bottled up sexuality in his SUV.
Unfortunately, she’s still in those darn boots when his producer sends him to Boston for breaking news. Convinced he’s her ticket to normalcy, she literally accepts his polite invitation to join him on the scene of the next hottest news story. Trailing him to Oklahoma City, Tucson, and Colorado, she’s too giddy, inept and literal to take a hint.
“All About Steve,” though, finally, recognizes the stalking (following) ingredient of nearly all romantic comedies. Usually, when it’s the gal chasing the guy, well, who enforces any laws. On the otherhand, dudes do have to be careful about crossing the line.
Complications (termed baggage) by necessity make up the bulk of the romance and comedy. The most overused inhibitor of Cupid’s arrow is the ‘I don’t need anyone’ myth. When the two lips come together and part, ‘I love you’ (instantly) smothers the ‘finding myself’ or ‘taking care of myself’ mantra. After weeks of bliss, quandaries , fears and total independence conflicts inevitably drive the perfect couple apart.
Here come the well meaning friends and relatives to further screw up the circumstances, leaving one or both pretending not to wallow in deep, deep depression. Usually, one calls the other’s answering machine every five minutes and the other buries themselves in work. “It can’t go on like this,” “I just want everything to be like it was,” “It’ll get better , I promise,” and ‘I’m sorry” eventually compels both to recognize and go off chasing the estranged person either down the street or around the world.
Our preoccupation with happily ever after jades the creativity of the romantic comedy, I mean, whoa, if the ending is a given, how can a filmmaker keep an audience guessing when most just want to wipe a tear and smile? Imitating the “hi, how are you, have a nice life” of Redford and Streisand’s “Way We Were” risks a dissatisfied audience. In these days of demographic audience tests reality sells on the little tube, but big screen viewers want to exit with either a smile or a challenged intellect. We really do not want to forget Sarah Marshall.
Annie following Steve from assignment to assignment has the audacity to spring an unexpected climax. For that matter, “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” too has the dramatic challenge to emulate a non-waiting at the airport reunion which does not land one of the estranged dealing with Homeland Security.
TIME TRAVELING
What’s a woman’s standard excuse for avoiding a relationship with a potential suitor --- too many faults (translation: Baggage, reality, hung up on the past ,too old/young, not growing enough, or fill in blank) . has wonderful eyes, an attractive body and an appreciation of women; he has one issue – a gene gone array. It causes him without warning to hop forward and backwards in time.
Seeking to reinvent but not remake “Somewhere in Time,” an inherited DNA mutation affliction eases nicely into the story. Unlike Christopher Reeve who convinced us he could hypnotically concentrate himself backwards, “Wife” does not require elaborate explanations. It’s a given; although, the clothes don’t travel with him eventually becomes a little repetitive.
Otherwise, the romance forever interrupted has idyllic softness, fairy tale imaginativeness and utter believability.
Having established the embarrassment of leaping decades into the weeds near a pretty young child with blonde locks, he’s soon enlivens with comic merriment as we learn she’s the impending love of his life. His one trip to the future takes the place of make up roses; he brings back a lottery ticket.
Although this time hopper would be an incredible match for the gal looking for more space, the couple have to contend and deal with him missing or being late for important life events. The delicate beauty of the pic has enhancement by strictly classical strings and instruments. And, the finale will have a few unsuspecting hops, too.
Having analyzed the romantic comedy, I came to realize that they are all about finding the dream. And, you can spring back in time or change your life just like the characters from your favorite “Must Love Dogs,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” or “While You Were Sleeping” feature.
How do you invent your traveling time capsule? Lightning or a tunnel of electronics are unnecessary. Lean back, blot out the noises surrounding you, close your eyes and blacken the canvas, then, pick a happy moment --- channel your thoughts back to any point in life and relive the moment of first connection with a friend, the first time you kissed, and all those hints leading to why she went away. You can still feel her touch, caress her shoulders and how she said our bodies fit perfectly together when hugging.
Christopher Reeve's intense concentration shifted him into another century, but symbolically could this have represented the ability to drift into your past, construct a future, and freeze the moment while designing details and attempting to alter the past by revisiting a pivotal moment and changing one answer, one halting glimpse, and one statement left unsaid.
Where has the romantic comedy gone? Can it change and not be predictable? Do your dreams of finding the soulmate for life and happily ever after go away? If you still wish for a happy life, then, I guess, the romantic comedy will remain with Cupid’s target on its back. That is, as long as enough moviegoers buy the tickets, popcorn and candy.
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