romantic comedies celebrated by the Forum des images
“Do you know what you are, Miss I-don’t-know-who?” A sissy. (…) People fall in love. People belong to each other because it’s the only chance to find happiness,” Paul asserts to the irresistible Holly (Audrey Hepburn) in Diamonds on sofa . The year is 1961, and romantic comedies have been capturing hearts in cinemas for around thirty years.
“At the turn of the 1930s, talking cinema marked the arrival of romantic comedies directed by Ernst Lubitsch, Preston Sturges and Billy Wilder,” recalls Marc Cerisuelo, professor of film studies (1). They reveal a generation of actresses with strong personalities such as Katharine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell and Claudette Colbert. Called the fast talking ladies because of their very rapid delivery, these daring, funny and independent heroines rival in intelligence the characters played by Cary Grant, James Stewart, Clark Gable… forming jubilant duets on screen. »
Thus, it has been almost a hundred years since “rom-coms” (romantic comedy) bring millions of spectators to the cinema. Of Roman holiday (1953) Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) via Pretty Woman (1990), what is the secret to a good romantic film? “Love, seasoned with a nice dose of humor,” replies Marianne Levy, novelist and screenwriter (2). First look, first kiss, first obstacle to love, turnaround and guaranteed happy ending, the pattern is known. The story must be both credible, moving and move us from laughter to tears, as in life. »
Sentimental mirrors
The genre has crossed the ages because it has been able to adapt to the evolution of romantic relationships, particularly at the end of the 1980s, the period of a new golden age. The Americans Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers contributed greatly to this.
The first features lonely city dwellers looking for a soul mate in When Harry Met Sally (1989) and Sleepless nights in Seattle (1993). Sentimental mirrors of millions of spectators, his romances achieve worldwide success.
In Anything can happen (2003) and Not so simple (2009), Nancy Meyers, for her part, stirs another fiber of sentimental crowds, by featuring middle-aged characters. True love remains possible after 60, affirm these two romantic comedies in which Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton shine alongside Jack Nicholson and Steve Martin.
Meanwhile, Richard Curtis is renewing the genre across the Channel with Four weddings and a funeral (1994), Love at first sight in Notting Hill (1999) and Love Actually (2003), which exploded the career of a certain Hugh Grant, the incarnation of the mischievous seducer of the 2000s: “I wanted to write films that produced the same effect as listening to a pretty good Beatles song,” declared the screenwriter. And if all these feature films have become immense successes, “it is because they depict the relationship with others which is THE subject of our lives”, underlines Marianne Levy.
Intimate films par excellence, romances continue to attract twenty-somethings, both at the cinema and on platforms. Fabien Gaffez, artistic director of the Forum des images in Paris, sees “a return of feeling among young people”. Would they find there a form of love education? Marie, 23, confides: “Watching a good romantic comedy helps me believe in love. It’s like taking a good dose of optimism in a world where anxiety about the future predominates. »
A renewed genre
While romantic relationships are today affected by the #MeToo revolution, gender and minority issues, sentimental films lightly accompany societal developments. “We underestimate their psychological effects,” declares Marianne Levy. Very comforting, these works offer a vision of the world where meeting others helps us become better. By projecting us into a thousand existences, they allow us to reflect on our projects and our hopes. »
Young screenwriters have understood this well and have now taken over the genre, telling personal stories around racism (Chewing gumon Netflix), mourning (You & Meon arte.tv) or even religion (We are Lady Parts, on Prime video). “The fundamental motif of the romantic comedy is the question of the path that we are capable of taking towards the other, even if different,” explains Marianne Levy. In the current climate of war, I perceive it as a political genre telling us in essence: the other remains an opportunity and not a problem. » Another excellent reason to succumb without complexes to a good romantic comedy.
- Author of American comedy(ies)Ed. Capricci.
- Author of the book romantic comedies, Ed. Gallimard.
Our selection of platforms for romance lovers
Nuggets for everyone
Classics
- Cinetek offers a catalog of nearly 1,000 films classified by genre. Rental per unit or by subscription.
- FilmoTV develops a choice of classic or recent works “which make up heritage”. Thematic classification. On subscription, 1 month free trial.
A choice of contemporary comedies
- UniversCiné offers a selection with a catalog of 6,000 works. Rental per unit or by subscription.