A Fine Romance

Not Here to be Loved, Anne Cosigny and Patrick Chesnais

Tedious and predictable happy endings; formulaic and sugary sweet : romantic comedies are often considered to be artistically second rate and the term ‘chick –flick’ isn’t much of a compliment. But now the tide is turning and the trend is that romcoms are getting a reality check. Vera Brozzoni investigates.

Until the late nineties it was almost pointless watching a romcom as you knew from the start how the story would end : female lead finds the love of her life and they all ( even the ‘bad’ guys ) live happily ever after. Think The Wedding Planner with Jennifer Lopez and ( the mother of modern British romcoms ) Four Weddings And A Funeral.
But  in a sign of the times, the little, cutie chicks have grown up to be mature, down-to-earth mother hens. Although the Big Day is still the focus around which the lives of the female protagonists revolve (be it a nuisance, a mistake, or the fulfilment of their personal path) more romcoms are now ending on a downtempo -  or more realistic – note. 
The bodice -ripping passion,  hand-tied bouquets and pearly - white smiles have been replaced with enduring, solid friendship.
In The Break-Up, Vince Vaughn seals his fast and loose play with Jennifer Aniston with a wink, as if to say “We’re not destined to be together, but I wish you all the best because you deserve it. " And that’s the most sensible ending the story could have.
And in  Not Here To Be Loved ( see review )  Françoise – played by doe-eyed Anne Consigny-  decides not to leave a pointless marriage to throw herself into her lover Jean Claude’s arms. Instead, in a sweet and moving final dance scene the the two agree to let their friendship and affection grow.
Even with mainstream movie The Holiday the ending is open and the audience left wondering what the two couples (Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black) will be up to.
The romantic subtext in Spider-Man 3 leaves plenty to the imagination: who is Mary Jane ( Kirsten Dunst) singing “I’m through with love” to? Peter or Harry? And is the final embrace between her and Peter a sign of love or just affection? As for those films that do boast a happy ending -  Garden State, the film that revealed Zach Braff to the world and showed him flirting with Natalie Portman, its spin-off Elizabethtown (more Kirsten Dunst) and The Last Kiss (more Zach Braff, this time flirting with Jacinda Barrett and Rachel Bilson) – there’s an interesting and compelling under-current.
All these films reflect a real life truth : we’re not so prone to falling head over heels in love any more. We’ve been there, got burnt and now our eyes are fully open to the realities of maintaining a relationship.
Another vital difference difference between now and the nineties is that, these days, romcoms are brought to life by strong, vital and eccentric female characters who are easily more charismatic than the depressed, ineffective blokes. Most of the time these apathic guys need to reconnect to their roots, re-discover their families or find themselves -  but they still need the women’s electricity  to get switched on.
It would be  too easy to see this trend as “feminist”, because actually, it’s simply an accurate reflection of a changing reality. What we should  take note of  are the hapless male characters and at how easily they put all the responsibilities on the girls’ shoulders. This is also a sign of the times, alas!
So don’t dismiss today’s romcoms. They actually offer  a deep and interesting reflection on our times. As Fanny Ardant put it in The Woman Next Door by François Truffaut   “I like stupid love songs. The more stupid they are, the more they tell the truth”.
Of course, certain films are stupid and remain so, but many others have a hidden treasure of wisdom underneath their glossy surface.
They deserve to be watched with more attention than we may think. And they might just teach us an important lesson about ourselves and the endless permeations of love.

• add to del.icio.us
• digg this article!