First of all - full disclaimer - I am a romantic comedy junkie. I love rom-coms and teen movies above all else. (Not the horror Scary Movie and Final Destination teen movies. The rom-com teen movies.) But they need saving. The cliches are killing the genre.
(I was hoping "The Ugly Truth" would be different, but you already know from the trailer about the silly "I'm spying-from-a-tree-and-the-limb-breaks scene that it's still the same. Secret ingredient: take perfectly charming stars and give them stupid writing.)
Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News wrote this past Sunday in "Love on the rocks" her take on 19 ways to save the romantic comedy. (See www.nydailynews.com for the full article.)
I'm just going to review my biggest pet peeves here:
The Clumsy Heroine
I HATE this one! I first noticed the trend in "Up Close & Personal" when Michelle Pfeiffer's perfectly competent rising star dropped her bag and tripped? How often does this really happen in real life? To whom is this funny? Elizabeth Weitzman said "one pratfall is acceptable." I disagree. It's unnecessary, tired, weak, lazy and nonsensical. Leave this scene out.
The Uptight Heroine Paired With the Immature Hero, The Bridezilla, The Cougar, The Stereotyped Sidekick, The Crazy Family, The Wacky Friends
I group them all together. They're all stereotypes. They're not real. Ms. Weitzman forgot the "God-awful fiance." (That's you, Bill Pullman, in "Sleepless in Seattle.") They're tiresome. They're cheap. Is it the writing that's lazy, or the directing? Is it the producers who do this?
The 11th-Hour Epiphany, The Last-Minute Race to the Airport, The Last-Minute Wedding Breakup
Again, I put these three together. They make no sense. And yes, as Ms. Weitzman says, filmmakers should "be embarrassed about falling back on such an old formula by now"! How often does this happen in real life? Have movie makers not noticed that life is already embarrassing, awkward, uncomfortable, funny, joyous, loving, etc. without making up implausible situations? ("Only You," "While You Were Sleeping," etc.)
You could follow two real-live people falling in love and it would be more compelling than the hogwash we get at the movies.
Ms. Weitzman put Matthew McConaughey on her list, but I still like him. It's not so much him, but every movie he is in happens to have all the other pet peeves in them, so I don't even bother to go see them any more. Strictly DVD movies.
I don't really care if the titles are generic, and I don't mind the sing-along scenes and makeovers, even though they are overused.
Ms. Weitzman forgot the lying about identity. ("Maid in Manhattan," "IQ")
I do agree that perfect setting, real chemistry, and the falling-in-love montage can stay. Nudity unnecessary. Unexpected casting? Sometimes it works. Worth the risk... (Mis-casting being something entirely different...)
If the rom-com movies DID reflect how people really are, we would have far better movies to go watch.
