This document provides an overview of the history and evolution of the romantic comedy genre. It discusses the origins of rom coms in Shakespearean plays and early 20th century films. It then outlines different subgenres that developed over time, such as comedies of manner in the 1930s, screwball comedies in the 1930s focusing on fast-paced dialogue, and sex comedies from the 1950s-1970s highlighting differences between men and women. Radical romantic comedies in the 1960s focused on personal happiness rather than relationships. Recent neotraditional rom coms emphasize compatibility and compromise. Key conventions, directors, actors, and top-grossing films are also mentioned to analyze trends in the genre.

1. ROMANTIC COMEDY
GENRE RESEARCH
BY SARAH HEARN

2. HISTORY
Romantic comedies are the hybrid between the romance and
comedy genre. Also known as Rom Coms, they are defined as a
movie or play that deals with love in a light, humorous way. When
we look at the beginning of the sub-genre the oxford dictionary
definition “a general term for comedies that deal mainly with the
follies and misunderstandings of young lovers, in a light-hearted
and happily concluded manner which usually avoids serious satire”
relates to Shakespeare plays including Twelfth Night and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream whereby two people meet, conflict and
reunite.
Trying to recognise the very first rom com film is difficult as there
is debate between early films true genres but two movies that
came out in 1924 were Sherlock Jr. and Girl shy, but all the
dialogue appeared on title card.

3. COMEDIES OF MANNER
A very early form of rom coms was called “comedies of manner”
whereby a rich person would find love with a non-wealthy person e.g.
It happened one night (1934). The movie won five Oscars for things
including best picture and director. The genre was known especially
for telling the depression-era audience that money does buy
everything.

4. SCREWBALL COMEDIES
The phrase comes from baseball where pitchers threw screwballs
that were known to move in unexpected ways. Therefore, screwball
comedies are films that move in unexpected directions. They can be
easily identified by both slapstick scenes and fast-paced witty
dialogue. To continue, in the 1930s sub-genre the female is both
the protagonist and the hero that drives the story. A good example
of Screwball comedies are Katharine Hepburn films such as Bringing
up Baby (1938).

5. SEX COMEDIES
Spanning from the 1950s to the 1970s, sex comedy movies focused on
the differences between men and women. Regularly the dispute started
between two professional rivals which then ended in a fierce competition
resulting in them falling for each other. Some films that show battle of
the sexes include Katharine Hepburn-Spencer’s Tracy classic Desk Set
(1957) and Charles Crichton Battle of the Sexes (1960). These changes
happened for a reason. Playboy magazine was released in 1953 which
gave men guides of how to develop relationships with woman and sexual
research was done by Alfred Kinsey which showed that woman do have
sex drives and engage in sex before marriage.

6. RADICAL ROMANTIC COMEDIES
In the 1960s the sexual revolution brought about radical romantic
comedies. Peoples viewing of rom-coms stopped compared to
previously and they started talking freely are sex and love without
the innuendos that were often present in earlier films. Happily ever
after was not a necessity in this new style of rom-com. The
narrative of these films now often focused on personal happiness
and the realization that love isn’t everything. A good example of
this is Annie Hall (1977).

7. NEOTRADITIONAL ROMANTIC
COMEDIESThese films were the complete opposite of radical romantic comedies,
focusing on compatibility. In this instance, compromises are made by both
the male and females to make the relationship work. There are often self-
referential moment that not to the romantic comedies of the last few year.
Films like Trainwreck (2015) are considered Neotraditional and continue in
this genre to this day.
Rom coms are made to represent the attitudes towards love and
relationships in the current society wherever it is set. The films have taken
many different forms through the years but has always portrayed the fact
that as a society we believe in love.

8. SOCIETY AND ROMANTIC
COMEDIES
In society in more recent years the attitude towards relationships with
partners with different skin colours, different backgrounds and the
same sex have become more reasonable in that they are now more
excepted. This can be seen in Little Ashes (2008) whereby a gay
couple and the protagonists.
There are also many multiracial couples present in films such as Born
to be Blue (2015) which earnt $1.5m in the box office and gained
excellent reviews on IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes and Empire.

9. MAIN ACTORS/ACTRESSES
1. Julia Roberts
2. Hugh Grant
3. Meg Ryan
4. Colin Firth
5. Jennifer Aniston
6. Matthew McConaughey
7. Reese Witherspoon
8. Anne Hathaway
9. Rachel McAdams
10. Ryan Gosling

10. MAIN DIRECTORS
1. Richard Curtis
2. Nora Ephron
3. Roger Michell
4. Garry Marshall
5. Nicholas Stoller
6. Rob Reiner
7. Gil Junger
8. Anne Fletcher
9. Peter Segal
10. P. J. Hogan

11. KEY CONVENTIONS
The main characters must be relatable to viewers in a way that two people come together
that have differences such as race, nationality etc. In most instances the audience will
have a connection with at least one of the main characters and because of this the
audience support them throughout the film. For example Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001)
where the young single females can directly relate to the opening.
They are usually set in large cities that are recognisable to the audience thus making
them more relatable to the audience. For example, When Harry Met Sally (1989) which
was set in New York.
The narrative of a romantic comedy usually includes two people meeting, an issue
occurring and a resolution happening that brings them back together.
However, some rom coms flip these conventions and have the couple not ending up
together in the end whether they are happy about it or distraught. The audience has to
be prepared for this however otherwise they may feel unsatisfied with the result. For
example, Before We Go (2014) where the couple end up parting at the end of the film

12. KEY CONVENTIONS CONTINUED….
Other rom com explore more adult themes such as marriage and
pregnancies. This is unlike many standard rom coms as often these versions
don’t include them meeting and the beginning of their journey together but
instead we meet them part way through.
Bromantic comedies has also become popular to show the bonding between
two men go beyond friends. These usually lack sexual interest but show the
true bonding that two men can have. For example Beautiful Thing (1996).
General there is high key lighting to represent the uplifting light-hearted
genre. This creates a natural look and if very flattering, increase
attractiveness of stars in the film. When problems occur in the relationship
the lighting tends to change to a lower key to mirror the mood.
Props such as roses, engagement rings, lipstick/makeup, candles and wine
glasses are regularly seen. This can be seen instantly in Devil Wears Prada
(2006) with multiple females getting ready for a job interview, applying
makeup.

13. KEY FILMS
Looking at the dates of the top 5 grossing romantic
comedies I can see that they are all reasonably old with
none from the last decade. This is why I chose this genre
as I wanted to bring back romantic comedies and make
a fresh, new representation using influences from the
current society. I will do this by showing an accurate
portrayal of young females in the morning and their
struggle in getting ready. Also using a strong female
character is a common feature in more recent films
across all genres so will likely attract people that are
interested in seeing the role of woman within a film as
being important and substantial. I can see from the
lifetime gross figures that the romantic comedy genre is
very successful within the industry with ‘My Big Fat
Greek Wedding’ making a total of $241m. I can also see
from this box office information that all the top 10 films
have been exhibited in a large number of theatres not
just in the opening weekend but in their lifetime
showing how theatres are willing to display romantic
comedies and feel as if they will bring in a large
audience.