“If you’re a bird, then I’m a bird” (The Notebook). This quotation by Ryan Gosling in the popular movie The Notebook offers romance and comedy combined. Where did this mix of comedy and romance originate? Romantic comedies were developed through art, poetry, and literature. It has urbanized over the years from several cultural influences such as war and the Renaissance, which happened throughout Europe beginning in the fourteenth century and lasting into the seventeenth century (Spielvogel). There were many artistic influences throughout the history of the European Renaissance that have helped create and increased the need for romantic comedies.
The European Renaissance was a period where art and literature flourished in Europe. The word renaissance means rebirth. A number of people believed they witnessed the rebirth of ancient Greek and Rome during this time. Sometimes the European Renaissance is referred to as the Italian Renaissance. The reason for this is because, the Renaissance began in Italy and then spread throughout Europe (Spielvogel). The European Renaissance was a major event in the development of romantic comedies.
Romantic comedies typically revolve around two people who are falling in love. These two characters meet through a combination of circumstances and obstacles. At first these characters deny having any emotional feelings for each other. The reason for this denial is usually that one of the characters already has a partner or because of a social standard. Eventually, this problem is put aside, and the characters end up dating or, in some instances, getting married. Romantic comedies almost always have a happy ending for all the characters involved in the movie, book, or play (Berkowitz 867).
Romant...
... middle of paper ...
...s of Ben Johnson. Ed. 2011.467. Print.
Just Go With It. Dir. Dennis Dugan. Pert. Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker. Columbia Pictures, 2011. DVD.
Merchant of Venice. Dir. Michael Radford. Pert. Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins. Movision, 2004. DVD.
Shakespeare, William. “William Shakespeare: The Complete Works” Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1996. Print.
She’s the Man. Dir. Andy Fickman. Pert. Amanda Bynes, Laura Ramsey, Channing Tatum. DreamWorks SKG, 2006. DVD.
Spielvogel, Jackson, and National Geographic. “World History Modern Times.” Ohio: Glencoe, 2005. Print.
The Notebook. Dir. Nick Cassavetes. Pert. Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands. New Line Cinema, 2004. DVD.
Thompson, Kristin. “Lubitsch, Acting and the Silent Romantic Comedy.” Film History. Vol. 13. No. 4. (2001): 390-408. JSTOR. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.
Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Samuel Goldwyn Company and Renaissance Films, 1993.
Nunnari, Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann, and Jeffrey Silver. Perf. Gerard Butler and Lena Headey. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2007. DVD.
Pride & Prejudice. Dir. Joe Wright. Perf. Keira Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Jena Malone.
Dracula. Dir. Francis F. Coppola. Perf. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins. Columbia Pictures Corporation, 1992. DVD.
Inglourious Bastards. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. Perf. Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz. The Weinstein Company, 2009. DVD.
Jacob, played by Ryan Gosling has taken a lead in the movie parallel to Steve Carell’s effortless humorous performance. The appeal for divorce lying bare the pieces in which a marital relationship happens to be in after 25 years seals into the sprouting of an unlikely bromance. The alchemy between the player (Jacob) and his protégée pushes the plot further into what becomes a beguiling chick-flick, thanks to Gosling’s sculpted abs that earned the movie its genre.
Coppola, Sofia, dir. The Bling Ring. Perf. Katie Chang, Israel Broussard, Claire Julien, Taissa Farmiga, and Emma Watson. A24, 2013. DVD.
The genre of romantic comedies, or rom coms, tell light hearted and humorous stories which appeal to a wide audience. An example of a romantic comedy is Never Been Kissed which explores the life of the protagonist, Josie Geller, who is very career driven and is yet to have her first kiss. This film appeals to people as it offers enough laughs and touching moments to please the audience.
John Q. Dir. Nick Cassavetes. By James Kearns. Perf. Denzel Washington. New Line Cinema, 2002. DVD.
Shakespeare In Love. Dir. John Madden. Perf. Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. Alliance Atlantis, 1998.
Many of Shakespeare's plays show a strong theme of love. Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing deal primarily with the issue of true and false love. Romeo and Juliet, tragic play, is about two lovers who struggle, sacrifice, and defy their families and society for the sake of love that changes them completely. Although the end of Romeo and Juliet's story is death both of the lovers, their love turns to be immortal. Much Ado About Nothing, comedy play, is about two lovers who their relationship starts as child like and develops to be true love that motives the lovers to sacrifice in order to keep their love. The two plays deal also with the idea of false love. Romeo, the hero of Romeo and Juliet, thinks that he loves Rosaline, but when he meets Juliet, the heroin of Romeo and Juliet, he falls in love with her, forgetting his love to Rosaline. In Much Ado About Nothing, the relationship between Claudio and Hero's, main characters in the play, is based on wealth and appearance attraction. Conventional love is another kind of that is shown in Romeo and Juliet, where it develops in social situations without any consideration to emotions.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Dir. Michel Gondry. Perf. Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet. Focus Features, 2004. DVD.
The Proposal. Dir. Anne Fletcher. Perf. Ryna Reynolds, Sandra Bullock, Betty White, Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson. Touchstone Pictures, 2009
The Pianist. Dir. Roman Polanski. Perf. Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Emilia Fox. 2001. DVD. Universal Studios, 2003.
Fantastic Mr. Fox. Dir. Wes W. Anderson. Perf. George Clooney and Meryl Streep. Twentieth Century Fox, 2009. DVD.