Showing posts with label Comedies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comedies. Show all posts

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Do Romantic Comedies Really Do Well at the Box Office?

Every year around the holidays, we are faced with a new slew of romantic comedies addressing holiday themes. But do these films really do as well in the box office as other genres of film? If not, why do they keep getting produced as steadily as films of other genres?

I recently looked at the list of the top 100 highest grossing movies of all time. On the list only a meager two films on the list were romantic comedies. Namely, Meet the Fockers, and Pretty Woman. So only 2% of the top grossing films of all time were romantic? Seems rather dismal. I suppose, two other films loosely could be called romantic comedies: Ghost and Mamma Mia. However in my opinion Ghost qualifies more as a supernatural romantic film than a romantic comedy. Mamma Mia qualifies more as a musical.

So why does the box office year after year turn over whole new slate of romantic comedies when only two romantic comedies have been considered massive box office successes? How does any filmmaker get funding for a film, if its pretty much guaranteed to make less money than other films of other genres. In my opinion, the main reason that romantic comedies keep getting made is that romantic comedies are cheaper to produce than other genres. Therefore, it is easier and perhaps quicker to turn a profit on these films.

The genres that are the hugest box offices successes are also, no surprise, much more expensive. We have our massive budget blockbuster, record-breaking successes like Titanic and Lord of the Rings (loaded to the gills with special and visual fx, action, stars, and elaborate sets and costumes. Then we have our intensive animation category ie Lion King, Shrek and Cars, also very expensive to create(sometimes taking massive animation teams years and years to produce.)

Additionally, the Hollywood industry wants to make sure seats are filled once the film is released to theatres. Producing romantic comedies, or yes let's just go ahead and say it, why don't we, "Chick Flicks," are a very safe bet. Women, year after year, are guaranteed to drag men into the theatres to watch romantic comedies.

Before you go ahead and view me as being sexist in this viewpoint, I just want to point out that I am a woman. And I am a woman who doesn't really enjoy romantic comedies very much. Yet I too have to profess I have, on quite a few occasions, dragged a man, kicking and screaming even, to see a "Chick Flick." Sometimes the occasion is just perfect for a romantic comedy and no other film will suffice. For example, romantic comedies are an enticing pick for dates and romantic occasions such as valentines' day. You can bet (and Hollywood can bet too) that every single weekend there are countless couples on dates. Countless couples settle on the relatively safe bet of seeing a romantic comedy.

Romantic comedies do not fare so well at the box office when you look at the top grossing films of all time; however, it is easy to understand why they are churned out year after year. When adjusted for how much romantic comedies cost to make vs. how much they gross, I am certain the statistics would be much different. These films cost nowhere near as much to make as action films, animated films or fx-driven films and they have a steady and reliable built-in audience. Hollywood always enjoys a safe bet, and "chick flicks" are no doubt safe. There is always some newly dating couple out to see a movie, looking to choose something innocuous, yet romantic.

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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Romantic Comedies That Make Men Laugh

Most of the men I know take their wives or girlfriends to see the newest romantic comedy with less than enthusiastic hearts. I wanted to share this little bit of advise to the men and women out there who love movies, but maybe not the same genre of movie. There are romantic comedies out there that most assuredly amuse both men and women.

The films are written and/or directed by two women; Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers. If a new comedy has either of these names connected to it, we are off to the theater. As more mature adults (gray-heads), we don't venture to the theater for many movies these days because we generally leave the theater with a bad case of culture shock.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and it's a day when we want to do something particularly romantic for one another. There are a ton of romantic ideas floating out there, but if your life is filled with busyness, just sitting down and watching a movie can be a real treat.

Here is a short list of Nora Ephron films:

Julie & Julia (2009)

Meryl Streep & Amy Adams: the parallel lives of Julie (a New York blogger who cooked every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook in 2002) and Julia (masterfully played by Meryl Street) whose life in France with husband Paul and the Cordon Blue Cooking School are chronicled. Lots of great laughs.

You've Got Mail (1998)

Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks: this is a remake of an old Jimmy Stewart film called, "The Shop Around the Corner" that was released around 1936. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are emailing one another after meeting in a chat room even though they are both book sellers (Tom Hanks puts Meg out of business) they don't know the identity of one another for quite some time in this story line. Delightfully funny and romantic.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks: Do you believe in destiny? How can two people who live on either side of the country be romantically connected even though they have never met? If you believe it was destiny who shoved you together with your mate, then you'll love the monumental hurdles these two overcame to get together.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Meg Ryan & Billy Crystal: This lovable little romantic film is chuck-full of barbed quips between two people who meet in college and run into one another every five years until they become good friends. Can a man and woman remain good friends after having sex? That is the threaded discussion played out in this film.

Here is a short list of Nancy Meyers films:

It's Complicated (2009) still in theaters

Meryl Streep & Alec Baldwin: My husband I have been to the theater twice to see this one; it's absolutely hilarious. Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin have been divorced for 10 years, but get back together at their son's college graduation. Even though Alec Baldwin is married to a much younger woman, he longs for the family he left behind. However, there is plenty of hilarious conflict to keep any man awake and laughing to the end. Do they stay together? This one is a MUST see!

The Holiday (2006)

Cameron Diaz & Jude Law; Kate Winslet & Jack Black: The trailers for this film didn't interest us, so we waited for it to come out on DVD before seeing it. Kate Winslet has been dealt a blow by her foolish boyfriend in England as has Cameron Diaz in L.A. Through the magic of the Internet, they swap houses for the Christmas to New Year holiday and find love when they weren't looking for it. The plot may be simplistic, but the masterful editing keeps your interest to the end. Do they maintain their long-distance relationships after the New Year? Delightful.

Something's Gotta Give (2003)

Diane Keaton & Jack Nicholson: Jack Nicholson is playing himself in this film (based on everything I've read about his reputation). He is a philandering bachelor who is fast-approaching later life. He ends up at Diane Keaton's beach house because he is dating her daughter (Amanda Peet). He suffers a heart attack while there and Diane Keaton is left in charge of his recovery. They fall in love (much to their suprise), but Jack has some huge commitment issues to overcome before making it all work out. Another belly laugh for all!

What Women Want (2000)

Mel Gibson & Helen Hunt: Mel Gibson is an ad exec who has to market women's products but is too macho to know how to pull it off. Through a bathroom accident, he is given the ability to hear the thoughts of women. It's cute and funny. The actors pull it off with comedy that keeps your watching to the end.

So check your DVD collection for these and more by Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers. These films never grow old because they are extraordinarily written and directed.

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