Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The Romantic Comedy or Rom Com.

In class we started discussing the Romantic Comedy or more currently known as the "Rom Com".  These types of films relate to both men and women but certain films lean towards the female gender and vice versa.  We talked about what false hopes or what things do you get from these types of films.  One classmate had mentioned that when watching these films love is for everyone and then my professor remarked back saying that if love is for everyone then why don't you have someone.  These films also give you a "happy ending" or the even the "Hollywood" ending where everything is splendid and showing that these two people will enviably end up together.  In our culture or society that's what people want to see.  The cute guy, the pretty girl, their issues, the happy ending.  People want to escape and watch something end up perfect because things in real life don't always end up like that. 

The film were currently viewing in class kind of breaks that formula a bit.  The lead character George has a woman that loves him but he is going through a mid-life crisis and treats her more like a friend.  All of the sudden he sees this other woman on her wedding day and is instantaneously attracted and must find out everything about her.  We haven't finished the film but his character reminds of Julia Robert's in Eat Pray Love.  Both characters are unsure what they want but Julia's is in my opinion more cruel by deciding to end her marriage without even consulting her husband.  Both films have broken the popular concept for these films.

I think the biggest film to break this perfect ending was 500 Days of Summer.  Not to spoil the film because its a very good story but they don't end up together.  She loves him but is not IN love with him.  He thought about marriage and a future with her but she ends up with someone else.  The "Rom Com" serves a purpose with audiences but I believe the concept we have known for a long time is changing.  Some people now prefer reality as opposed to fiction.

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