Real life is messy. I don't know about you, but I don't happen to live in a formulaic fantasy world where the love of my life just happens to appear and my romantic fate is sealed in the span of two hours. I am disappointed to report that I have never bumped into a handsome stranger in Java City and exchanged witty dialogue only to end up in love with him days later. And to my even greater dismay, the day where Matthew McConaughey shows up out of the blue to pursue me has yet to come.
The only place where any of these scenarios come true is on the silver screen. If you're Kate Hudson or Katherine Heigl or Ashton Kutcher, a writer has penned your perfect mate, and all you have to do is say your carefully written lines and smile at the camera until you end up happily ever after. That's how life works in a romantic comedy.
Now, before you assume this is another rant by another bitter girl who has nothing better to do than bash romantic comedies, bear with me. I happen to love romantic comedies. They are cute, witty and guaranteed to have a happy ending. They are my go-to films when I'm feeling down, and they make up at least half of my DVD collection.
But as much as I adore romantic comedies, they are probably the laziest and most predictable pieces of cinema ever made. All you have to do is plug in big name actors, a flashy setting, and a recycled storyline and you are good to go. There's a reason why Hollywood cranks them out so quickly.
If you are unfamiliar with the romantic comedy formula, allow an expert to educate you. Boy and girl are both in a slump (i.e., recent breakup, too consumed with work, etc.). Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl have a falling out. Boy and girl realize they were meant for each other after all. Boy and girl have a confrontation in the last five minutes of the movie, usually somewhere scenic. Boy and girl live happily ever after. Cue cheesy pop song and end credits.
There is usually some sort of twist, but you get the main idea. The same movie comes out over and over again (Anybody else notice that "No Strings Attached" and "Friends with Benefits" are basically the same movie with different actors?) and the same people buy tickets at the theater and purchase the DVDs, myself included. Why do people love cheesy romantic comedies so much?
I think the reason why romantic comedies are popular is because they are so predictable. Audiences love a happy ending, and almost any movie starring Drew Barrymore or Jennifer Aniston will give them just that. Life is unpredictable, but romantic comedies give people a sense of safety and security.
While it is comforting to know that everything will end up not only okay, but perfect, in the end, that isn't always the case. While it is great to have an optimistic outlook, there are some romantic relationships that go through too much strife to last. Romantic comedies, however, consistently put two characters through extremely complicated situations that are often pretty unhealthy.
Now I am going to throw my all-time favorite romantic comedy, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," under the bus. Andie (Kate Hudson) and Ben (Matthew McConaughey), the two main characters, are faced with challenges at the beginning of the film. Andie needs to prove herself to her boss at Composure Magazine by writing an article about how to lose a guy in 10 days, and Ben needs to prove to his boss that he can make a woman fall in love with him in 10 days. From the start, it's obvious these entangled bets are going to ensue in a mess.
Andie and Ben are clueless about each other's missions and just happen to pursue each other. While Andie goes to every possible length to drive Ben away after they begin dating, Ben does all he can to keep Andie around and entice her into falling in love with him. In true romantic comedy fashion, the deceptive pair actually falls in love with each other, making their challenges even more challenging. But I think you can guess how it all turns out.
While "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" is original and witty in its own way, it still follows every part of the romantic comedy formula. Andie and Ben completely betray each other multiple times, and if someone had a relationship like theirs in real life, most people would say it was toxic. While many circumstances can be forgiven in relationships, that does not necessarily mean the relationship is healthy enough to continue.
I'll be the first to admit that it warms my heart when the two main characters sort out their problems and declare their love for each other in the end. But in the real world, there is no actual end to problems in a relationship. Maintaining a romantic relationship means patience, understanding and constant hard work on both sides. A cinematically breathtaking scene with a carefully selected song doesn't solve everything.
An example of a romantic comedy that doesn't stick strictly to the formula but still has the quirkiness and sweetness of most films of the genre is "(500) Days of Summer." While the ending may not be quite what avid romantic comedy viewers are looking for, the movie is incredibly realistic yet heartwarming at the same time. I wholeheartedly recommend it to people who are no longer satisfied with typical romantic comedies.
At the end of the day, romantic comedies garner large audiences and won't be going away anytime soon. And that is more than okay with me. I just hope audiences realize their lives will probably not start resembling romantic comedies in the near future — or ever.
Happily ever after does not come easily, and true love does not work according to formula. So instead of waiting around for our favorite romantic comedy stars to sweep us off out feet, we should just live and know while our lives may not have a cinematic ending, we may end up with something even better. We just can't predict what that will be.