Bound to Bond: Gender, Genre, and the Hollywood Romantic Comedy

An examination of what the last 30 years of romantic comedy have argued, reflected and implied. The implications of filmic depictions of male/female relationships are analyzed in conjunction with notable examples of the genre. What he reveals may be surprising: during the seventies and early eighties, the romantic comedies challenged rather than enforced existing gender stereotpes. Conversely during later, more supposedly enlightened years, the genre reverted to more traditional male/female roles.