THE ROMANTIC COMEDY: How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days! It's a battle of the rom-coms, who will make the grade?

Now, what you all have been waiting for...The Romantic Comedy! This is the most standard of chick flicks and, sadly, where they get their bad name. Not all of them, of course, but a nice handful that might include: Catch and Release, Must Love Dogs, America's Sweethearts, Alex and Emma, and Autumn in New York and those are just off the top of my head. The romantic comedy has become what tabloids are to news world; completely without merit. But let's focus on the good, shall we? I'm sure there will be plenty of time to focus on the bad. These movies can range from extreme comedy and a little romance (like 50 First Dates and Forgetting Sarah Marshall) to mostly romance and a little comedy (like Kate and Leopold and Sweet Home Alabama). Many comedians are cast in these films and praised for coming out of their comfort zones (see Will Ferrell in Bewitched, Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer, Robin Williams in License to Wed and Ben Stiller in There's Something About Mary). These comedians are paired with America's sweethearts like Meg Ryan (with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally), Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Renee Zellweger and Reese Witherspoon.

The newest queen of the rom-com is Kate Hudson and her best rom-com by far is 2003's How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. When I told people that I was working on the rom-com, this is the movie that stuck out. This is, believe it or not, a good film. It takes on a battle of the sexes theme where Andie Anderson (Hudson) is an ambitious magazine columnist who aspires to be a serious journalist (you know, politics, religion, foreign affairs) but who must commit to her present "How-to-girl" position at the fastest growing women's magazine, Composure. She is really charming, funny, smart, and is such a good friend to poor Michelle, who just can seem to stay in a relationship. Michelle, who is brilliantly played by Kathryn Hahn, is really fresh and interesting even though her character is sad and pathetic. It's also really refreshing to see your lead actress as the wiser, consoling best friend who isn't so wrapped up in her love life that she risks her career to wallow. Bebe Neuwirth plays Andie's boss, who is an abomination to womankind. The horrific stereotype of a big city, magazine editor is a minor setback in an otherwise decent film

Benjamin Berry(charismatic Matthew McConaughey) is Andie as a man; an advertising representative that wants to branch out from booze and sportswear to a more high-class medium, maybe the feminine realm of diamonds. It's interesting to see the gender stereotypes played against men when Ben's boss (Robert Klein) picks two women to take on the diamond account while Ben must fight for his right as a professional. These two instances in Andie and Ben's work environments create the plot. I guess what I liked about these characters is that they aspire to do something more substantial with their careers. It actually reminds me of the purpose of my blog.

Ebert unfortunately seemed to take the premise of this movie a little too seriously and did not share my respect for people trying to get ahead in their careers. His opinion is understandable when we situate the plot in real life, a characteristic of his reviews, but while bets can be mean I don't think that makes this movie heartless. Some other critics that give fair reviews are The Cincinnati Enquirer, The New York Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle. What I really like about this one is that it continually makes fun of itself the entire way through. One of my favourite scenes is the Chick Flick Marathon that features the biggest, most macho looking guy beating up Ben because he interrupted his viewing of Sleepless in Seattle. The movie is made up of a juxtaposition of the stereotypical masculine and feminine from Celine Dion concerts to boy's poker night. This works really well with the bet/work experiment storyline because they are constantly driving each other crazy. So while appreciating the choices made I also have a really fun time watching them. All in all there are definite problems with this film that are rooted in the problems of the genre, but if you get a good one, you can be sure you're in for a laugh and some fun!

Favourite quotes: Another make-fun-of-itself moment with one of the cheesiest pick-up lines there is. "100 times more beautiful than 100 roses!"-Michelle, "He's in advertising, he can't help himself"-Andie
Watch the first half: If you aren't sure about watching this one than I suggest watching the first half. The ending is obvious so no need to worry about closure and the first half is a lot more compelling than the second based on the plot setup, character interaction and lack of angsty, weepy revelations that can bring down an otherwise upbeat movie.
Chemistry level: 6/5. If the movie sucked, the chemistry between Hudson and McConaughey might just save it. A pair of smart producers tried to bank on it again in Fool's Gold but I guess magic only happens once.
Best Performance: Katherine Hahn steals every scene she is in, definitely when she poses as a couple's therapist, but Kate Hudson is the best I've seen her since Almost Famous. She is the perfect insane, over-the-top girlfriend who must inspire women who watch it to pay closer attention to their relationship habits.
Misconstrued messages: While I honestly believe that this movie is goodhearted in its intent I did notice how a few messages could be taken the wrong way. Based on the plot resolution one might notice that if you wait long enough, the guy who dumped you for being too clingy will come back to you. As well as if you wait, your girlfriend will get less crazy and your boyfriend will do anything possible to save your relationship, no matter how premature. Another good one is, if your relationship is failing go meet the family because that will save it. And last but not least, I'm sure Ebert would approve, it's okay to take advantage of people to get ahead in your career.

List of Rom-Com Requirements
The catchphrase: A repeated phrase or word, for example bullsh*t, to create the perfect, symbolic moment between the characters at the end of the movie.
The chase scene: When someone chases someone before they leave town, maybe by motorcycle on a bridge. Isn't that what cellphones are for?
Reveal: A recurring location of a black tie event where an ignorant party reveals all the secrets that causes a dramatic exit.
Parallel lives: Ben has two friends and so does Andie. Andie's are female and Ben's are male. They both give advice and comic relief. Andie has a female boss and Ben has a male boss. Both bosses set up the situations of the bet and the story that creates the plot. But where is Andie's family?
For more check out the video on 10 Chick Flick Cliches that can be found in this film and many others.

THE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE: Nancy Meyer's The Holiday! Get swept away in a new kind of romance

The rom-com is a comedy with a romantic plot, right? But while trying to fit some of the best romantic comedies into this category I had some trouble. What about movies, called rom-coms in the media and even by their filmmakers, that don't seem to fit the mold. Take movies like The Holiday, P.S I Love You, Under the Tuscan Sun and The Lake House. If you take away the romance you don' have a comedy and it wouldn't be classified as such by critics or reviewers. So what do you do with these movies that have comic elements but have just as much, or arguably more, drama? Characters are divorced or widowed, have serious relationship problems, or have been rottenly cheated on. The rom-com has usually strayed from these ideas because of the intensity revolving around their conflicts. Is there a new form of chic-flick being developed by writers and directors or is it just the progression of the common romantic comedy into a new, more complex, form? All I do know is that these movies are different and I have decided to take a note from chick lit. and call them, The Contemporary Romance.

Another difference in this meta sub-genre are the roles of the secondary characters which are fantastically represented by The Holiday's cast. Not only are the main characters more complex and better developed but the secondary characters are more integrated into the plot with complexities of their own. Eli Wallach's Arthur has his own storyline about Old Hollywood that brings warmth and a lot of fun to the entire plot. Who would have thought a storyline beyond the predictable and mostly disappointing will-they-won't-they plot? It's pure genius and if that doesn't convince you of the new road this genre is taking than I'm not sure anything will.

Unfortunately the critics didn't completely agree with me and mostly complained about why this "romantic comedy" was over the 2 hour mark. You think that would have clued them in that this wasn't what they were expecting. Unfortunately, Ebert was having health problems when this movie debuted and was not able to tell all the critics featured on Yahoo! Movies that they have no idea what they're talking about. But I digress. What I really respect about this new development is that it is creating the Breakfast at Tiffany's and Roman Holiday's of our generation. Women can recognize and relate to a positive portrayal of a romantic storyline. All of the "in the olden days" and "when I was young" will no longer be the place we go for a decent story to sweep us away; it is now being explored in our own century giving women hope in their own, current love lives. I might call movies like these romantic dramas, but I realized I couldn't because, for some reason, dramas can't seem to have a happy ending, especially romantic ones.

Some surprises are from, usually, one of my least favourite actresses, Cameron Diaz. I'm sure you'll understand at the very beginning of this movie but don't let that discourage you. As the movie progresses, so does she. By the end she even has one pretty great scene in her limo before she goes gallivanting back to the English cottage, with a dramatic soundtrack behind her. Jack Black, an unusual leading man as Miles, is funny but in a mild, subtle sort of way that we have never seen before. He is just the nicest guy around who isn't treated the same. This different kind of leading man doesn't disappoint. Jude Law is perfection (and probably the most beautiful I have ever seen him). He seems like a player but stay tuned for an interesting development in his character Graham, that gives him real depth. This movie takes its leading men very seriously and thank god for that!

The biggest difference is the quality of the writing; it is just better than the mostly underachieving rom-coms. Nancy Meyer, writer, director and producer, is fantastic, bringing witty dialogue, interesting characters and original plots to the table. And the best thing about better writing is the quality of actors that become interested in these projects. I know I might still be battling with the skeptics, so chew on this: Hilary Swank (two-time Oscar winner), Kathy Bates (Oscar winner), Kate Winslet (multiple Oscar nominee), Jude Law (Oscar nominee), Diane Lane (Oscar nominee), Sandra Oh (Emmy nominee and Golden Globe winner) and Edward Burns (multiple award winning director and writer). I give all the credit to this new, improved and overall better genre to the writers who challenge themselves to make better films.

Other people agree: I will prove I am not the only one who believes a separate genre must be created for these movies. Check out comments from fearabdloathing155 and djagoon on the IMDB boards.
Best independent woman moment: Poor Iris makes some serious mistakes in her love life and is lured into a twisted, self-destructive relationship with evil Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell). It's true, she's smart, talented and independent woman, so why is this happening to her? But there is justice, and man is it sweet!
Best love story: Iris and Arthur. What's wonderful about Winslet's storyline is that half of her love story is with a man who makes her fall back in love with herself. Arthur teaches her gumption which opens her up for a love story with Miles. It's a give and take relationship and she also gives him the opportunity to experience something that has been a long time coming.
Best performance: Kate Winslet as Iris, who borders on pathetic in her love life but always seems to stay empathetic. She doesn't shy away from her characters complexities but embraces them her performance is better for it. Even though there were moments when I wanted to slap her, mostly I just wanted to give her a hug. Keep an eye out for her best scene as she pours her heart out to Miles after she sees a bit of herself in him.
Chemistry level: 5/5. I believed it all. Even the first and only scene between brother and sister, Iris and Graham, was completely natural. Especially well done to Black and Winslet for creating a subtle chemistry between their characters.
Setting the Mood: The music, including the score, soundtrack and Black's piano improvisations, really stands out. It adds to what I believe is the "take-you-away" factor. The setting was stunning in both ideal locations: the English countryside and upscale Hollywood L.A. What more could a girl want. An interestingly, there are no cops, doctors or lawyers in this cast. Meyer's must know the way to movie-goers hearts by creating characters with different and interesting careers. Check out the "Amanda trailers" in the film featuring the voice of the movie-trailer guy (the guy who voices, if not all, then most of the trailers in Hollywood).