Week 4- Romantic Comedy

Romantic comedies have always been my favorite movies, so I'm glad to hear that they are not just "guilty plesures," but films with real substance and importance (as we have been learning in class). The author brings up the interesting point that 'romcoms' are difficult to classify, mainly because so many movies have romance as a key element, plus not all romantic comedies are funny. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that 'comedy' in this sense is referring more to what I see as the Shakespearean definition of the word: a lighthearted story in which the characters achieve a happy ending and nobody dies. However, there is a darker side to this genre, as the author introduces with this question, "Do they negatively promote daydreams, making audiences long for a perfection which can, realistically, never be accomplished, leaving people dissatisfied with themselves and the relationships they do have?" I have no evidence either in support or negation of this, but I suspect that the unrealistic situations in many of these films could have a negative effect. Although, as McDonald mentioned, many of these films work in obstacles for the protagonists, they are usually always able to overcome them. This is the main reason why I enjoy movies like Love Actually, because it is slightly more realistic in that not everyone gets to live happily ever after. And finally, while it is frightening to think that romcoms are created to impress upon our society the importance of marriage and procreation, it could easily be argued that everything else we encounter from 'the media' is pushing us towards a desired outcome as well. The only weapon we have is to be conscientious consumers.