In these days of a new, brain-dead romantic comedy coming out each and every week, it can be difficult to sift through all the trash and find those gems that are actually worth watching. The romantic comedy is a great film genre when done right. The unfortunate thing is that, recently, there have been very few worthy ones made.
That is not to say that fairly recent, good romantic comedies do not exist. There are many keys to good romantic comedies. The important thing that most Rom-Coms lack is originality. The traditional formula for these stories has become totally worn out. Good romantic comedies at least provide an original spin on that formula.
They also are gender-neutral. Good romantic comedies appeal to both sexes. Avoiding cheap tricks like using gross-out humor and extreme profanity for the males and overly-sentimental gushiness for the females is crucial. Good romantic comedies are made for adults, capable of critical thinking and seeing through shallow stereotypes and situations.
These types of movies still exist, and here are some of the best and most recent ones.
Crazy Stupid Love
It had really been awhile since a decent romantic comedy had come out. Crazy Stupid Love broke the streak in 2011. This film boasts a stellar cast that, unlike many casts, is filled with stars who are actors first over “funny people.”
Steve Carell and Julianne Moore do great as the main couple, whose divorce affects the rest of the characters in various ways. The multiple yet connected storylines are juggled pretty well. The movie is not perfect, but it has faults that are much more forgivable than most Rom-Coms.
The best part of this movie is the fact that it does take the simplistic view of having the dumb woman who is hurt by the bad guy and finally falls into the arms of the perfect guy. All of these characters are flawed, but none of them are portrayed as evil. They seem to be real people whose difficult situation makes us laugh and touches our hearts.
Outsourced
First of all, if the title of this movie makes you think of the recent NBC television show by the same name, please forget everything you remember about that show. Now that you have done that, let me introduce you to the better version of that show, which is Outsourced, the feature film on which it is based.
This film proves one thing very easily: money is not required to make a good romantic comedy. The story is about an American novelty products salesman who is sent to India by his employer to train his replacement after his entire department is outsourced. The obvious twist here is the whole “fish out of water” scenario that has been done a million times in movies. It may be a cliché, but clichés are used a lot for a reason. If you can do one well, no one minds, and no one who watched Outsourced will mind.
This movie is honest and heartfelt. As opposed to other films and TV shows that tend to poke fun at one culture or another, this film finds comedy in differences without putting down anything. The romance that does spring up between salesman Todd and Asha, one of his Indian trainees, is far from perfect. The cultural differences are clear and are not just swept under a rug. They look (refreshingly) like real people, and the movie gives them hope without solving all of their problems.
Serendipity
This movie almost did not make this list. Serendipity almost tips too far toward the feminine for it to be a gender-neutral romantic comedy, and there are probably many people out there who would leave it off. Like the rest of the movies on this list, it is far from perfect. Also like the rest on this list, it has the ingredients for a good Rom-Com.
The whole point of the film is that there is an unseen fate out there that, if followed, will result in a happier life. Starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale, the film is about a man and woman who meet, have a great evening together and then do not see each other for a number of years after deciding to leave that up to fate. In the wake of getting married, Jonathan (Cusack) decides he must find this mystery woman to avoid a number of “what-ifs” down the line. What follows is a romantic adventure of two people trying to find each.
Serendipity makes you care about these people. You want them to find each other because you like them both. It also does a pretty good job (for the most part) of not making anyone out to be the bad guy. Sara’s (Beckinsdale) fiancé is a pretentious musician who is used for comedic fodder, but it isn’t too mean-spirited. This film is suspenseful the way very few Rom-Com’s can be; watching this twosome go through obstacles and turns trying to find each other keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.
The Holiday
The Holiday is about two women who decide, in the midst of man troubles, to switch residences during the holidays. One lives in Los Angeles, the other in England, and a Rom-Com ensues when each woman meets a man in her new destination. Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz play the women, while Jude Law and Jack Black fill the roles of the men.
While I do like this movie, it is a bit lopsided. There are obviously two parallel stories going on, with each woman experiencing her own “fish out of water” scenario. However, the story of Winslet’s character is much better. So much so that, if you removed the other half altogether, the movie might even be better. Diaz’s character is not bad, but she does come off as whiny and annoying like she has in other films.
To be honest, I really do not even remember much about her story. Winslet meets Black who is a film composer. He does not look like the regular leading man, and that is refreshing. This is Black in one of his best roles. Winslet’s character also meets a screenwriter from Hollywood’s golden days played by Eli Wallach, which really adds even more depth and emotion to her story. This movie is good, and it is worth watching even if one half is much better than the other.
Image courtesy of MoviePosterDB.com
High Fidelity
I’ve saved the best for last, as High Fidelity is my all-time favorite romantic comedy. John Cusack plays Rob, a record store owner whose girlfriend Laura (played by Iben Hjejle) has just left him. This prompts Rob, a continuous loser at love, to revisit some of his biggest breakups to attempt to discover why he always seems to get the same results.
The supporting cast surrounding these two main pieces is very good, with Jack Black (again, I know) and Todd Louiso playing Rob’s record story employees, Catherine Zeta-Jones playing one of Rob’s former girlfriends and Tim Robbins playing the New Age freak Laura has left Rob for. Rob and his employees are obsessed with Top 5 lists, especially in regard to music, which is what prompts him to treat us to his Top 5 breakups.
This story of going back through these breakups and reconnecting with these women is balanced with the breakup of Rob and Laura and its aftermath. This is Cusack’s best movie and one of his best performances, as he constantly breaks the fourth wall, explaining to the audience each romantic failure and more. What all of this comes out to is a wonderful film that avoids the Rom-Com formula about how growing up is hard, fantasy is just that and being in love is anything but easy.
So there you have it. Those are some romantic comedies that I liked and why I did so. Let me know what you think in the comments, and tell me what Rom-Coms you enjoy watching.
Bradlee Ross 