Genre death
"I do think there's a hardening of the culture that's undeniable. I think reality TV -- if you just look at what's going on this week on 'American Idol,' meanness is king. That offbeat behavior. You're left wondering about the legitimacy of relationships. Reality TV has, I believe, lowered the standards of entertainment, to put it mildly. I think it's probably harder to entertain the same people with a more classic form of writing, and romantic comedies are a classic genre." -- director-writer Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, Something's Got to Give) speaking to L.A. Times reporter Rachel Abramowitz about the near-death (i.e., near-total irrelevance) of romantic comedies these days.
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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 11, 2007 at 8:46 AM
comment #1
Craig Kennedy
says ...
(clapping) Nancy Meyers lecturing on the lowered standards of entertainment, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Nancy. Coming up next: Donald Trump's hairstyle tips for men.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at February 11, 2007 9:34 AM
comment #2
Mgmax, le Corbeau
says ...
Right argument, wrong mouth for it to be coming out of.
Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau
at February 11, 2007 10:01 AM
comment #3
AH
says ...
cjKennedy and Mgmax: Why?
Posted by AH
at February 11, 2007 10:18 AM
comment #4
Dan Revill
says ...
Um have you seen a Nancy Meyers film?
Posted by Dan Revill
at February 11, 2007 10:34 AM
comment #5
Hallick
says ...
Total cop-out time. Myers' inability to appreciate the complexity of an audience that can watch American Idol for the reality show joke that it is, and still appreciate great romantic comedies (seeing as they're two different ways to play the comedy game) is one reason she's never going to outgrown her reputation for being an unimaginative filmmaker.
And I would even go so far as to argue that most of the "meanness" is also paired with affection. Witness the brief success of someone like William Hung (or the briefer limelight shined on this year's "bush baby" pair), whose name wouldn't even be recognizable right now if so many of the people "hardened" against him didn't also love him for all of that.
We're living in a much more contradictory entertainment age than Nancy seems to be able to grasp. "So bad it's good" might be a greater king than meanness.
Posted by Hallick
at February 11, 2007 10:43 AM
comment #6
christian
says ...
no, myers is correct. the past week of ad foolishness aimed at deriving pleasure out of other's pain is the part of our cultural meme now. the audience of american idol does not think it's a joke -- they buy the fucking music.
Posted by christian
at February 11, 2007 12:55 PM
comment #7
erniesouchak
says ...
Sorry, Nance, reality TV is not what's keeping me away from your movies.
Posted by erniesouchak
at February 11, 2007 1:33 PM
comment #8
Craig Kennedy
says ...
Sorry AH, that was a needlessly snarky comment based not on my having actually seen a Nancy Meyers movie, but instead on my perception of her as the poster child for middle-of-the-road, lukewarm, harmless, all-sharp-edges-removed Romantic Comedies. I hold her as responsible for the dumbing down of popular entertainment as anyone so her comments seemed ironic.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at February 11, 2007 1:55 PM
comment #9
Mgmax, le Corbeau
says ...
CJkennedy-- surely it's possible to be a middlebrow hack without damaging the culture. The definition of that is that you leave little to no impression at all. But something has been coarsening the culture and I have a pretty good idea what it is. Nancy Meyer doesn't have to be Billy Wilder to regret a world in which Billy Wilder would be unemployable-- or at least getting laughs out of bringing a bag of shit to a dinner party table.
Posted by Mgmax, le Corbeau
at February 11, 2007 2:06 PM
comment #10
Craig Kennedy
says ...
True Mgmax, Meyers is hardly the cancer I've made her out to be and she also happens to be correct about the state of entertainment.
Culturally however, blandness can be just as dangerous as the thinking that says bringing a bag of shit to dinner is edgy. I'd rather feel pain than absolutely nothing at all.
Posted by Craig Kennedy
at February 11, 2007 2:40 PM
comment #11
christian
says ...
"I'd rather feel pain than absolutely nothing at all."
depends on the pain. but watching somebody's real pain is not the same thing as the need to feel real. maybe it is now.
Posted by christian
at February 11, 2007 4:32 PM
comment #12
Poteki123
says ...
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Posted by Poteki123
at November 28, 2011 11:59 PM