Jun 2008
Romantic Comedies Entertainment Weekly Loves to Hate
Jun 04 2008 16:36 Filed in: Theories,
Analysis, Spoilers
I just read this
article on Entertainment Weekly's
website,
in which they and some folks at PopWatchers dis 19
romantic comedies they don't love. I mostly agree
with them.
Both The Wedding Date and Because I Said So which I was forced to watch; have refused on Summer Catch, 27 Dresses. YES they listed The Truth About Cats and Dogs!! Praise sweet merciful Jesus, I did not like that movie. They ask what the hell was so romantic about What Women Want, and I agree. And consider it a non-romantic comedy, a faux chick flick but from the man's side (similar to Wedding Crashers).
I think TPTB missed the point of a few movies on their list. The Family Stone made the cut, which yeah I guessed every plot point from a glimpse at the movie poster (and was proven right when I got stuck watching it on HBO). TPTB acknowledge that Stone is not really a RomCom as they call them, but then they list Bounce.
I so remember that movie, going to see it with friends and leaving the theater talking about how the promo monkeys fucked it up royally. Promotion is all about managing expectations, and they sucked at it. While I cannot recall the lines now, the trailers for Bounce all had some funny little quips and heartfelt speeches, designed to make it seem like a romantic comedy. Hell--that downer was not even a dramedy, it was a melancholy chick flick drama. Not saying it would have been a better movie but had it been promoted as something else, I think critical and fan reactions may have been different. See also Return to Me (and did anyone see that movie?).
Matthew McConaughey made the list in Failure to Launch, for having no chemistry with SJP (of The Family Stone) which I can see, and they did not hate The Holiday enough for me. Sticking Kate Winslet with Jack Black is wrong on so many levels. Notting Hill is often discussed in this vein, and I tend to agree... mostly because "the girl" screwed up at every turn and did not deserve "the boy." I've heard it argued the other way, and just shake my head. EW cites a cringe worthy line..you know the one. I have heard worse.
Finally got around to watching Under the Tuscan Sun, not a true RomCom but still... and aside from the whole "Diane Lane cannot get laid" bullshit...one line just killed me and had me throwing shit at the TV. "If you do not cheer up, I will be forced to make love to you.. and I have never been unfaithful to my wife," or something like that, from some Italian dickweed (who was sort of nice the rest of the time in an otherwise meh movie) with a MONSTER crush on Lane, trying to blame her for his would-be adultery. That line was ASS.
Other omissions:
Pretty much anything with Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Hugh Jackman, MM, Hugh Grant, or Patrick Dempsey has a fair shot of being a fair to downright crappy RomCom. Even some of the allegedly good ones have been panned at one point or another. I have read convincing critiques of Pretty Woman and the like, can see how they are "bad." On particularly dour day while watching Sleepless in Seattle, my snark machine took over, subjugating my suspension of disbelief...and the movie's been ruined ever sense.
As long as there's "date night" there will be Romantic Comedies: crappy, shitty, lame, dumb, so-so, decent to almost okay, "for the guy" fake outs (Knocked Up) and everything in between.
Both The Wedding Date and Because I Said So which I was forced to watch; have refused on Summer Catch, 27 Dresses. YES they listed The Truth About Cats and Dogs!! Praise sweet merciful Jesus, I did not like that movie. They ask what the hell was so romantic about What Women Want, and I agree. And consider it a non-romantic comedy, a faux chick flick but from the man's side (similar to Wedding Crashers).
I think TPTB missed the point of a few movies on their list. The Family Stone made the cut, which yeah I guessed every plot point from a glimpse at the movie poster (and was proven right when I got stuck watching it on HBO). TPTB acknowledge that Stone is not really a RomCom as they call them, but then they list Bounce.
I so remember that movie, going to see it with friends and leaving the theater talking about how the promo monkeys fucked it up royally. Promotion is all about managing expectations, and they sucked at it. While I cannot recall the lines now, the trailers for Bounce all had some funny little quips and heartfelt speeches, designed to make it seem like a romantic comedy. Hell--that downer was not even a dramedy, it was a melancholy chick flick drama. Not saying it would have been a better movie but had it been promoted as something else, I think critical and fan reactions may have been different. See also Return to Me (and did anyone see that movie?).
Matthew McConaughey made the list in Failure to Launch, for having no chemistry with SJP (of The Family Stone) which I can see, and they did not hate The Holiday enough for me. Sticking Kate Winslet with Jack Black is wrong on so many levels. Notting Hill is often discussed in this vein, and I tend to agree... mostly because "the girl" screwed up at every turn and did not deserve "the boy." I've heard it argued the other way, and just shake my head. EW cites a cringe worthy line..you know the one. I have heard worse.
Finally got around to watching Under the Tuscan Sun, not a true RomCom but still... and aside from the whole "Diane Lane cannot get laid" bullshit...one line just killed me and had me throwing shit at the TV. "If you do not cheer up, I will be forced to make love to you.. and I have never been unfaithful to my wife," or something like that, from some Italian dickweed (who was sort of nice the rest of the time in an otherwise meh movie) with a MONSTER crush on Lane, trying to blame her for his would-be adultery. That line was ASS.
Other omissions:
- The Wedding Planner was just as schlocky and predictable as any of these, with minimal chemistry.
- Head Over Heels (I have friends with bad taste who drag me to every RomCom out there). Cheesy, silly, lame, stupid, plotless, pointless .. the list goes on and on.
- Maid in Manhattan. OMFG. Talk about lack of chemistry. Ralph Fiennes looks like he'd rather be having root canal, you can practically see him mentally adding his paycheck in half his scenes with J-Lo. It makes EW 24 Bad RomCom list but not the 19 they love to hate.
Pretty much anything with Sandra Bullock, Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Hugh Jackman, MM, Hugh Grant, or Patrick Dempsey has a fair shot of being a fair to downright crappy RomCom. Even some of the allegedly good ones have been panned at one point or another. I have read convincing critiques of Pretty Woman and the like, can see how they are "bad." On particularly dour day while watching Sleepless in Seattle, my snark machine took over, subjugating my suspension of disbelief...and the movie's been ruined ever sense.
As long as there's "date night" there will be Romantic Comedies: crappy, shitty, lame, dumb, so-so, decent to almost okay, "for the guy" fake outs (Knocked Up) and everything in between.
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