Characteristics and conventions of romantic comedy film

Romantic comedy film genre has been around almost since the inception of film as we know it, and before that in countless theatrical productions and even prose and poetry that predates the romantic comedy theatrical genre. Essentially, life and love are two of the most essential areas of self-discovery that are universal to human existence and therefore call audiences from every human condition to look for models and standards. Additionally, comprising the two, human romance, with comedy is essential in the fact that many wish to see and seek out imagery and thoughts that simplify and therefore make approachable the convoluted and difficult reality of human love relationships. In other words, we all, rich-poor, majority-minority, complicated-simple seek love and are much more willing to approach it and listen to the messages it has for us when it is given to us in the form of satire.

Comedy, i.e. satire is the element within the genre that makes even complicated human emotions approachable to all, even when it only remotely represents the real life experience of romance. Satire, allows the individual to approach complicated social issues, surrounding love and romance that transcend the human condition, including but not limited to race, class, distance, difference, betrayal, trust and complacency and even violence or fear of it in such a way that human lessons can be learned without fear or real difficulties can be ignored and/or suspended by being put into the context of fictional lives and characters.

Gehring 118) Siska, in the Handbook of American Film Genres describes the formula of a romantic comedy as; "man wins woman, woman expresses dissatisfaction with being dominated and leaves man, man undergoes series of trials to win woman back" (363) Though this formulary may be over simplistic it still tends to override the genre and build the plot of a good, romantic comedy film.

The film genre has also realistically evolved over the years to incorporate modern social issues, such as divorce, adultery, technology, single parenting, human sexuality, crime or fear of crime, object worship or consumerism and so forth, all of which offer rich fodder for social commentary in romantic comedy as well as opportunity for comedic events and circumstances.

Siska 363) Within the genre there are literally thousands of examples but when thinking of consummate examples of romantic comedy in the modern era three films come to mind; the Breakfast Club (1985), When Harry Met Sally (1989) and You've Got Mail (1998). Each of these films has at least one message regarding modern romance that is parodied to allow any viewer to commiserate with the characters and conflicts in the film.

The Breakfast Club which hit theaters in 1985 and served as a coming of age film for many served the purpose of challenging social class and stratification. In the film a group of unsuspecting and relatively diverse (although all Caucasian) high school students meet for Saturday detention and proceed to challenge the social clicks of their particular high school by forming bonds through varied and comical communications and actions. When Harry Met Sally which had its film debut in 1989 followed a pair of unlikely romantics through a long friendship that ended in a romantic relationship, surrounding the very modern concept that women and men can never really be friends, without having some inkling of romance in mind for each other. And finally, You've Got Mail which debuted in 1998 transverses the then relatively new concept of technology-based relationships, and how anonymity of the internet can mask reality and (here's the romantic part) end in a union of modern soul mates.

Each of the three films represents modern individuals living modern lives in individual worlds. The isolated lives of individuals and the preconceived notions of who and what we are and who and what we want are discussed frequently in romantic dialogue and unlikely, unexpected ways. They also share commonalities in context, as each has a modern setting (for the era they were filmed) rather than a period or futuristic setting. Each film allows characters to break down first impression characteristics of self and other and build hopefully strong relationships as a result.

In order of the age of each film surface differences begin with the age group being characterized, with Breakfast Club discussing relationships between relatively immature, high school aged individuals seeking to build self-awareness and identity, through unlikely relationships, as all the characters are from different social clicks. When Harry Met Sally comparatively discuses the personal relationship, as it evolves through early college age to the present, when the individuals are in their late 30s early 40s having built careers and had serious relationships. Finally, You've Got Mail details the lives of people who are late 20s early 30s and seeking romance after beginning careers as a central focus to life. Though all the works develop these themes in a single cultural perspective i.e. that of majority community members the challenges are still relatively universal and thematic of many people in the film demographic of high box office traffic. The exception is the issue of class in Breakfast Club, as the two main characters are of significant socioeconomic difference lending greatly to their difference as character opposites in the film. Each film contributes to the genre in varied ways as the age and setting as well as the demographic of majority community members is stressed and therefore the films seek to bring satirical messages of improbably romance to the screne, all with different main obstacles as central to the work. In Breakfast Club the thematic obstacle to romance is class and social stratification, found in youth and later. In When Harry Met Sally the thematic obstacle to romance is preconceived notions about men and women, and gender roles in the modern world, probably the film among the three that best fits Siska's simple romantic comedy formulary, above. While in You've Got Mail the thematic obstacle to romance is modern social disconnect created by an emphasis on career and technology as higher social order issues than family and human connectivity.