Romantic degradation

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In the realm of romantic comedies, "predictability in itself is not a bug but a feature of the genre," writes N.Y. Times critic A.O. Scott. But oh, how the gene pool has been compromised. Can we use plain language here? The appropriate term is "mongrelized."

"The marriage plot, after all, is one of the oldest in literature, flourishing in Roman comedy, in the plays of Shakespeare and Moliere and in the novels of Jane Austen. More to the point, the obstacle-strewn road to discovered or recovered bliss was heavily traveled in the old studio days, from the screwball comedies of the 1930s and '40s to their loopy Technicolor descendants of the late '50s and early '60s.

"Our parents and grandparents had Rock Hudson and Doris Day -- such delicious subtext! such amazing office furniture! -- or Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Or Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Or Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. Or even, in That Touch of Mink, Cary Grant and Doris Day.

"But you get the point. [Today] we have Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey.

"Who are perfectly charming. Don't get me wrong. You remember them in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, don't you? Neither do I, even if a search of this newspaper's archives indicates that I saw it. I believe Mr. McConaughey wore a striped shirt and played a guy from Staten Island. He is mostly shirtless in Fool's Gold, which reunites him with Ms. Hudson as a bickering, still-in-love couple whose divorce is disrupted by a search for undersea treasure."

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 2, 2008 at 12:01 PM

comment #1

Hallick says ...

The only thing more depressing than the sight of another McConaughey/Hudson movie is the knowledge that, for some other people, there's nothing more exciting.

Posted by Hallick at February 2, 2008 12:55 PM

comment #2

T. Holly says ...

Lake Bell is a hot mongrel.

Posted by T. Holly at February 2, 2008 1:36 PM

comment #3

Marcello says ...

Strike's over!!! (or looks like it...)

Oh, and A.O. Scott is a moron. Worse, he's a dull moron.

Posted by Marcello at February 2, 2008 1:37 PM

comment #4

erniesouchak says ...

I wish they were both dead.

Posted by erniesouchak at February 2, 2008 7:43 PM

comment #5

jeffmcm says ...

Who, McConaughey, Hudson, Bell, or Scott?

Posted by jeffmcm at February 2, 2008 7:46 PM

comment #6

lipranzer says ...

Scott's not saying anything new, of course, he's just the latest to point out how depressing things are. None of the romantic comedies I've really liked in the last several years have been what you'd call "traditional" romantic comedies (I liked the more offbeat ones like BEFORE SUNSET, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and PUNCH DRUNK LOVE). What's especially sad about that is when I try to describe the type of movies of the 30's and 40's that I loved, at least half of them are probably romantic, or screwball, comedies.

There's all kinds of reasons why the movies of yesteryear can't be re-created (for one, and this is relative to those romantic comedies, you can make explicit what you had to sublimate in the earlier movies), but one thing people should try for is trying to re-create that kind of romantic ardor. These stupid comedies of today make it all about the obstacle to love, or "fate", and turn the characters into either narcissitic twits or gibbering idiots. The sad fact is this is another way TV is kicking movies in the ass. Look at TV shows like "Chuck" and "Pushing Daisies." Both of them have "obstacles" in the way of romance for their central characters, yet the obstacle, while always acknowledged, takes a back seat to the chemistry between the actors and the smart writing for the characters and plots, so you care about them as a couple.

Posted by lipranzer at February 2, 2008 8:03 PM

comment #7

nola says ...

I don't agree with A.O. all the time but he right about this topic. Most American romantic comedies are boooooooring. There is no real spark, the men are bland and the women act clueless.

I wonder if Viggo would ever do a romantic comedy? But then who would be his co-star?

Posted by nola at February 2, 2008 8:03 PM

comment #8

The Winchester says ...

I don't know who Viggo would star against, but I hope Jason Biggs would play his wacky best friend whom he plays basketball with.

Posted by The Winchester at February 2, 2008 8:23 PM

comment #9

PerfectTommy says ...

No mention yet of the romantic comedies of Billy Wilder? "The Apartment" and "Some Like It Hot", two of the best, of course.

Hanks and Ryan weren't Tracy and Hepburn, but they were still several rungs up the ladder from Matt and Kate.

Posted by PerfectTommy at February 2, 2008 9:45 PM

comment #10

Todd says ...

I would have to confess that the only present day couple to come close to the couples mentioned in the past would be Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The Wedding Singer and Fifty First Dates were both good for the present day romance movie.

Posted by Todd at February 2, 2008 11:49 PM

comment #11