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Researching romantic comedies
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- Media
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- Edge Hill University (EHU)
Researching romantic comedies
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Student number: 21505969 Assessment 1: Screen genres (presentation notes)The codes and conventions of romantic comedies
The romantic comedy genre
The conventional romantic comedy genre is perceived to engage predominantly female audiences
categorised as ‘chick flicks’ (Mortimer, 2010). Therefore, as McDonald (2007) states rom-coms are
uncomplicated and easy for audiences to watch because they have a recognisable formula an obvious
code convention. Similarly, Mortimer (2010) argues that romantic comedies follow a blueprint as they
are repetitive in nature referring to this as ‘boy meets girl, boy and girl face obstacles together and boy
and girl overcome obstacles to find true love’. Furthermore, Altman (as cited in McDonald, 2007, p8)
informs that the hybridity of a genre is crucial to reeling audiences into a genre with Altman (2007)
arguing further that most films of any genre have a love story component within them. This indicates
that even though the romantic comedy genre is underappreciated it remains hybrid in nature as it
presents itself in one genre or another even if it is obviously conventional in approach (McDonald,
2007).
The revolution of romantic comedies after the 1990’s
Since the 1990’s Hollywood rom coms have gained a huge revival after the 1989 rom com release
‘When Harry Met Sally’. As Abbott and Jermyn (2008) point out the release of this film created
renewed visibility and reformation of the romantic comedy genre. Additionally, Abbott and Jermyn
(2008) argue that box office figures hugely maximised and the genre has since become parody able
commodity illustrating to audiences that rom com conventions share part of a cultural landscape. For
example, notorious rom com dialogue used in rom coms in the 1990’s, including in Jerry Maguire
(1996) ‘You had me at Hello’ and Notting Hill (1999) ‘I’m just a girl standing in front of a boy asking
him to love her’. Equally, Abbott and Jermyn (2008) reinforce the homogeneity of romantic comedies
yet the 1990’s was also a period that represented the diversity of how love and romance can be
transferred in different portals on screen and how iconic romantic comedies from the 1990’s have
become deeply embedded in our modern-day culture. Additionally, Abbott and Jermyn (2008) explain
that these timeless classic romantic comedies remain prominent in our culture because they create a
sense of realism about love and marriage. These romantic comedies have also provided a foundation
for the genre and the social conventions relating to courtship, sexuality and gender ideologies in
contemporary society (Grindon, 2011).
The changing discourses of romantic comedies
, Student number: 21505969 Assessment 1: Screen genres (presentation notes)
Over the past two decades’ heterosexual love has been challenged through rom coms. For example, My
Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) is the primary example of how heterosexual love is challenged and is
sometimes exchanged by friendship. Simply, because the chance of love is lost and sometimes
unreciprocated even though efforts are made by the female protagonist in the film to unite with her
true love. Though, this film goes beyond sexuality as it portrays a desire for long term partnership or
marriage. As Deleyto (2003) describes romantic comedies provide a paradox of reflection for male and
female audiences to relive their own personal experiences of love, loss and marriage. Romantic
comedies provide audiences with an opportunity to engage in discourses involving love representing
the evolving conventions of romance in our culture and how it has changed overtime (Deleyto, 2003).
On the other hand, Grindon (2011) argues ideologically women are thought to be particularly
vulnerable to stories that give value to the heterosexual couple. This reinforces that romantic comedies
are overly simplistic and damaging as they provide audiences with a misconception that love is a fairy
tale with a happy ending. Unlike, previous romantic comedies Abbott and Jermyn (2008) argue that
romantic comedies were detected as the desire to love and the unity of being with one’s true love. Yet,
seemingly the discourse of rom coms has vastly changed as they sometimes project a level of
scepticism which suggests that the codes and conventions of the genre are changing to align with the
cultural homogeneity of society (Abbott and Jermyn, 2008).
The national identity of romantic comedies
The romantic comedy genre positions itself through a unified national identify using the naturalisation
of stereotypical British characteristics. Romantic comedies achieve this British positioning primarily
because they position America as the foreign other and distancing the American culture from the rom
com genre (Honess Roe, 2008, p. 83-84). As highlighted further by Honess Roe (2008) the romantic
comedy genre is more in desire for the British identity to imprint their culture on the genre because the
genre favours the British reserve compared with the free spiritedness of the American identity.
Though, Abbott and Jermyn (2008) argue that the romantic comedy genre avoids cultural hybridity
because British identity is highly aspired in the genre suggesting that other cultural emergences about
love are not desired to be represented within the genre. However, as Honess Roe (2008) states the
romantic comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) represented British culture at a time when
Britain became uncertain of their national identity as a culture and subsequently the genre became
dependant on American culture. Equally, Honess Roe (2008) argues that despite British favourability
of the genre Britain are also represented as desiring American culture. This reinforces the cultural
ambivalence of the British towards the United States as both cultures lend themselves to each other
suggesting that they are equally important to the romantic comedy genre.
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