The Romantic Comedy

NOTE: This is an assignment for my Media + Communications class about different movie genres and what we like about our favorite kinds of movies!

Is there anything better than a romantic comedy? I'm just going to go ahead and say it. It's the best kind of movie. A romantic comedy has every great element of a comedy, a romance, and a little bit of drama. Who can resist a great girl meets boy story? Who can resist it even more if the girl is a Beverly Hills prostitute and the boy is a fancy business man from New York? And who can resist a pair of people who absolutely despise each other, but end up madly in love by the end of the movie? Would this ever happen in real life? Probably not, which is one of the reasons I think this film genre is so appealing to audiences. The fact that in real life, these things would probably never happen. A couple of my favorite romantic comedies include:

Pretty Woman, a1990 film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere,
When Harry Met Sally, from 1989 with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal, and
You've Got Mail, from 1998 starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

 Some codes and conventions of the romantic comedy include the overarching theme of true love, and the idea that this love will override any obstacles the two main characters may experience. There also tends to be that "Cinderella story" element: people from different social classes or social circles, who usually would not get along, or even meet. The story usually ends in either a wedding, or an implication of marriage (because they fall deeply and madly in love, of course!) The characters also tend to be very human, and relatable with an audience. Maybe that's part of why people like romantic comedies so much; it's relatable, so while watching the movie there can always be a little thought in the back of your head like "This could happen to me and I could find the love of my life even though I may hate them at first!". There is also something that's just heartwarming about watching people fall in love. It is something that you can argue everybody has done, or wants to do, so that makes these films even more enjoyable by a wide range of people. I think this genre appeals to not just women, either, even if it may seem that way. Even if they don't admit it, I think men can also enjoy a good romantic comedy. It is a kind of movie that makes you laugh, makes you cry, and always has a great ending. I think Billy Crystal sums it up pretty well at the end of When Harry Met Sally:

"when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

Yep. That's pretty much why I can't resist a good romantic comedy.

 Also, who doesn't love Julia Roberts? And Tom Hanks? Everyone loves Tom Hanks!