The Hollywood Romantic Comedy: Conventions, History and Controversies

Though well over ninety percent of Hollywood films include a romance, the romantic comedy distinguishes itself by making romance the principle plot action and using humor to set the tone for courtship. The plot of the romantic comedy is ancient and goes back at least to classical Roman times and the plays of Menander. A couple meets and falls in love. Obstacles intervene to separate the lovers. The body of the action involves wrestling with the obstacles until the couple can be united, usually in marriage. The nature of the obstacles becomes the distinguishing quality of these tales and the courtship practices, sexual mores, and gender cultures of every era establish the foundation for its humor. The Romantic Comedy explores the contemporary plot conventions of this stalwart, entertaining, and often mad-cap genre. Spanning the romantic comedies from the advent of sound to latter day box-office sleepers, smashes, and surprises, the volume traces the various forms of romance depicted on screen - screwball, ‘battle of the sexes,’ comedies of seduction, modern manifestations, traditional reaffirmation and ambivalence. Some of the many films analyzed include His Girl Friday,
Some Like It Hot,
The Graduate,
Annie Hall,
When Harry Met Sally,
There’s Something About Mary, and High Fidelity. Whether it’s Cary Grant or Hugh Grant, She Done Him Wrong or Shakespeare in Love,
The Romantic Comedy showcases how viewing romantic films and their stars through the lens of genre criticism enables us to better understand the wisdom of the landmarks of screen comedy and develop a greater capacity to enjoy the more modest achievements of this popular form of screen entertainment.