305. Romantic Comedy; movie review
Cert TBA
78 mins
BBFC advice: TBA
Here's me thinking that romantic comedies were meant to be funny.
I am not a big fan of the genre but, regardless, Elizabeth Sankey's analysis of the rom-com left me confused.
Firstly, she says that she has been addicted to them and then spends most of her movie decrying female portrayals in them.
Then she makes sweeping generalisations about their concentration on white middle-class subjects. Indeed, she seems to be suggesting that people of colour never star in them.
This is just plain wrong.
Romantic Comedy seeks to go beneath the surface of some well-known movies in an attempt to understand the way we view love, relationships, and romance.
The most interesting element it how she demonstrates the change in the portrayal of women post-Second World War.
She shows how women in the 30s were played as powerful in business and in relationships by the likes of Katharine Hepburn
And she adds how Marilyn Monroe also had a power over men but the genre shifted seismically when the baton was handed over to Doris Day.
Thereafter, the comedy has centred on women being subservient to men even during movies such as Notting Hill when Julia Roberts' film superstar panders to Hugh Grant's meagre bookstore owner.
Thus, it is a bit of a surprise that Sankey says she is such a devotee of rom-coms when she picks so many holes in them.
Stranger still, that she suggests that they are only the province of white people.
Sankey has been very detailed in her analysis and made a huge variety of film selections but clearly hasn't seen a black comedy or even bothered to write the words African American Rom-Com into Google.
Hasn't she heard of Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae or Regina Hall or the likes of Kevin Hart or even Eddie Murphy (yep, Coming to America was a rom-com, wasn't it?)?
When she finally opens up on the type of movie she admires and they aren't comedies at all but are about complex love affairs.
At which point, I was struggling to understand the point.
Sure there are some great and classic clips during Sankey's documentary but even now, I cannot report what she was trying to achieve and that is a shame because she clearly worked hard on finding the snippets.
Reasons to watch: Some great clips from scores of well-known movies
Reasons to avoid: Comedy without the fun
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10
Did you know? Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh conducted a study of 40 films released between 1995 and 2005 and it found that people who enjoyed movies such as You’ve Got Mail, The Wedding Planner, and While You Were Sleeping often failed to communicate with their partners effectively.
Thereafter, the comedy has centred on women being subservient to men even during movies such as Notting Hill when Julia Roberts' film superstar panders to Hugh Grant's meagre bookstore owner.
Thus, it is a bit of a surprise that Sankey says she is such a devotee of rom-coms when she picks so many holes in them.
Stranger still, that she suggests that they are only the province of white people.
Sankey has been very detailed in her analysis and made a huge variety of film selections but clearly hasn't seen a black comedy or even bothered to write the words African American Rom-Com into Google.
Hasn't she heard of Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae or Regina Hall or the likes of Kevin Hart or even Eddie Murphy (yep, Coming to America was a rom-com, wasn't it?)?
When she finally opens up on the type of movie she admires and they aren't comedies at all but are about complex love affairs.
At which point, I was struggling to understand the point.
Sure there are some great and classic clips during Sankey's documentary but even now, I cannot report what she was trying to achieve and that is a shame because she clearly worked hard on finding the snippets.
Reasons to watch: Some great clips from scores of well-known movies
Reasons to avoid: Comedy without the fun
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10
Did you know? Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh conducted a study of 40 films released between 1995 and 2005 and it found that people who enjoyed movies such as You’ve Got Mail, The Wedding Planner, and While You Were Sleeping often failed to communicate with their partners effectively.
The final word. Elizabeth Sankey: "I guess I just realised as an adult how much romantic comedies had formed the way I had viewed romantic relationships and how women should behave in relationships, and my idea of what a romantic man was. What I wanted, what I thought was romantic behaviour from men. I found that a little bit disturbing as I was older but yet I still loved them, and I was still very moved by them." Film In Revolt
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