History Main / RomanticComedy

How does the average RomanticComedy unfold? The story will start with an unusually good-looking man or woman ([[HollywoodHomely sometimes regarded as ugly]]) being dumped/divorced/widowed. His/her friends and family will urge him/her to find someone. They might even set the protagonist up on several dates. At some point, they will meet our unusually good-looking second protagonist (again, they may be "plain" in the movie's universe). Usually, this second character isn't an obvious match for the first; [[ManicPixieDreamGirl maybe she's wild and crazy and he's a CPA]]. Or he's rich and she's poor. [[OppositesAttract There's a glorious rainbow of possibilities]]!

* ''{{Casanova}}'' (the 2005 film with Heath Ledger)

** ''Leatherheads'' was also a throwback. Except it didn't work too well.

* ''TwoWeeksNotice'' (the quintessential Hugh Grant romantic comedy, stars Sandra Bullock, another Rom Com staple)

Compare RuleOfRomantic.

Of course, the genre also shares another problem with action/adventure and mystery genres, in that people doing the ''natural'' thing, the thing that people would actually do in real life, totally destroys either the tension of the story, or else any plausible chance of the couple working out. So some reason has to be provided why people don't do tha thing, and often it's a lazy and implausible reason. It doesn't ''have'' to be, though.

A RomanticComedy can be roughly defined as a comedy where the primary dramatic tension comes from a simple question: will the protagonist or protagonists find love? (The answer, by the way, is "yes." [[hottip:*:almost invariably]]) Other plot elements play roles, sometimes big roles, but generally, the work focuses on the love lives of the main characters.

How does the average RomanticComedy unfold? The story will start with an unusually good-looking man or woman ([[HollywoodHomely sometimes regarded as ugly]]) being dumped/divorced/widowed. His/her friends and family will urge him/her to find someone. They might even set the protagonist up on several dates. At some point, they will meet our second protagonist. Usually, this second character isn't an obvious match for the first; [[ManicPixieDreamGirl maybe she's wild and crazy and he's a CPA]]. Or he's rich and she's poor. [[OppositesAttract There's a glorious rainbow of possibilities]]!

How does the average RomanticComedy unfold? The story will start with an unusually good-looking man or woman being dumped/divorced/widowed. His/her friends and family will urge him/her to find someone. They might even set the protagonist up on several dates. At some point, they will meet our second protagonist. Usually, this second character isn't an obvious match for the first; [[ManicPixieDreamGirl maybe she's wild and crazy and he's a CPA]]. Or he's rich and she's poor. [[OppositesAttract There's a glorious rainbow of possibilities]]!

A RomanticComedy can be roughly defined as a comedy where the primary dramatic tension comes from a simple question: will the protagonist or protagonists find love? (The answer, by the way, is almost invariably "yes.") Other plot elements play roles, sometimes big roles, but generally, the work focuses on the love lives of the main characters.

-->--'''Becky''', ''SleeplessInSeattle''

-->'''Jason''', ''HomeMovies''

*** ''She's the Man'' (''TwelfthNight'')

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* ''HowToLoseAGuyIn10Days'': With Kate Hudson and Matthw McConnaughy, [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex how could it go wrong]]?

* MuchAdoAboutNothing: Old school RomanticComedy.
** As is AMidsummerNightsDream and several other Shakespeare plays.
** Let's just cut to the point and say that Shakespeare's comedies end in weddings. His tragedies sometimes include weddings towards the beginning, such as ''Othello'' or ''Romeo and Juliet'' and these weddings are a big indicator of how they're supposed to be treated as tragic, ''not'' [[MisaimedFandom comedic.]]

*** ''10 Things I Hate About You'' (''{{The Taming of the Shrew}}'')

* The ''{{Cinderella}}''-derived ''[[MaidInManhattan Maid in Manhattan]]'' with Jennifer Lopez-- she's poor, he's rich, obviously.

* TheUglyTruth: Stars [[ThreeHundred Gerard Butler]] as a foul-mouthed, sexist TV personality and Katherine Heigl as his producer.

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LoveAtFirstSight is rare. The two characters will often spend a good part of the movie [[SlapSlapKiss fighting]] their [[{{UST}} obvious attraction]] to each other. Eventually, they'll realize they're perfect for each other. Naturally, something will pop-up; maybe a ''ThreesCompany'' kind of misunderstanding, or [[ThirdActMisunderstanding a revelation in the third act]] about one of them lying. One of the two characters will storm off in a huff, the other chases after them and does something really romantic to win them back. The movie ends with the two characters ([[HookedUpAfterwards or more!]]) reunited in a romantic embrace. Maybe there'll even be a wedding montage in the credits.

** ''Ninotchka''

LoveAtFirstSight is rare. The two characters will often spend a good part of the movie [[SlapSlapKiss fighting]] their [[{{UST}} obvious attraction]] to each other. Eventually, they'll realize they're perfect for each other. Naturally, something will pop-up; maybe a ''ThreesCompany'' kind of misunderstanding, or [[ThirdActMisunderstanding a revelation in the third act]] about one of them lying. One of the two characters will storm off in a huff. But love conquers all, and the movie ends with the two characters ([[HookedUpAfterwards or more!]]) in a passionate embrace.

* ''[[http://ga.sbcr.jp/novel/nyaruko/index.html Haiyore! Nyarko-san]]'' is "love(craft) comedy that '[[BoyMeetsGhoul boy meets a devil]]'". Yeah, a parody of CthulhuMythos.

* ''InTheGoodOldSummertime" - ''The Shop Around the Corner'' (the novel, not the James Stewart film) re-imagined as a musical.

* ''ReturnToMe'': David Duchovny plays Bob, an architect whose wife dies in a car crash. Minnie Driver plays Grace, who has a heart transplant early on. About a year later, Grace is waiting tables at her grandfather's restaurant when Bob shows up on an abysmal blind date. Bob and Grace click and all seems to be going well, until Grace finds out just who her heart donor was..... Carroll O'Connor (yes, a.k.a. [[AllInTheFamily Archie Bunker]]) gives a solid supporting performance in his final role, playing Grace's kindly grandfather, who proves quite helpful to both parties.

** 1951's ''SingingInTheRain'' is an earlier throwback, also very successful.

** Eh, I wouldn't say either of those fit the Rom Com mold or come close to it, really. Not every movie with a romantic subplot about [[{{Tsundere}} Tsunderes In Love]] goes under the Rom Com heading.

*''ShaunOfTheDead'' is a "romantic comedy with zombies"