From Humphrey Bogart uttering “Here’s lookin’ at you, kid” to Ingrid Berman in “Casablanca” to “I’ll never let go, Jack. I promise”, Rose’s final pledge in “Titanic”, romance has always been an essential element in film.
What an audience labels as “romantic” has changed drastically in the last century, though.
Early films such as “The Prizefighter and the Lady” (1933) relied on the stereotypical man saves the day and gets the girl. Women were perceived as graceful, but wholly dependent on the masculine sex.
“[Old rom-coms] – to varying degrees of success – typically follow a formula: White heterosexual boy meets white heterosexual girl, problems and hilarity ensue” CNN’s Leah Asmelash said.
1950s
During this era of romantic films, the man, or cad, had his pick of the women who flocked to him, and even in some cases played the field a bit. In the classic “Indiscreet” (1958), Philip Adams (Cary Grant) creates an ingenious plan of flirting with women without having to commit to anyone by simply using the excuse of already being married.
“Romantic comedies have long been a staple of Hollywood, but they originally were a misogynistic punchline,” Asmelash said.
This idea of men culling the female pool elevates the “ideal woman” concept of old. Now a shattered theory, this essentially created impossible beauty standards for women. Starting with Marilyn Monroe in “Some Like it Hot” (1959), it continued into the next decades with Raquel Welch in “Fantastic Voyage” (1966), Bo Derek in “10” (1979) and even Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman” (1990).
1960s and 1970s
When the ‘60s and ‘70s arrived, so did the appeal for sexual liberation. A movement swept America to remove the stigma behind personal intimacy, and movies followed as such, like “The Graduate” (1967) and “Starting Over” (1979).
Multiple barriers were broken, and directors began to think outside the box. For example, “The Graduate” featured a major age gap between the college graduate, Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) and the infamous older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft). .
Women were also sloughing off all vestiges of domesticity and becoming more independent, like Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961).
The first interracial relationship in a major studio film was featured in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1977). Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hughton’s memorable portrayal of John and Joey fighting society’s prejudice and bigotry grounded the romance film genre into realism.
1980s/1990s
The ‘80s and ‘90s are home to many of the cult classic rom-coms. Director John Hughes created stories that became both a window and a mirror for the younger generation. “Sixteen Candles” (1984) and “Pretty In Pink” (1986) are both high on the list of all-time flicks. These movies focused on teenage angst and romance that went well beyond the light, fun romantic films of the 1950s.
“I remember Ducky from ‘Pretty In Pink’ acting a lot like Ferris Bueller,” senior Ari Kiger said. “You can tell it’s a John Hughes movie with the cast choices. It’s funny and entertaining enough that I’d watch it again.”
2000s
Since then, the rom-com craze fizzled out a bit, but some gems still made their way to the big screen, like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004) and “500 Days of Summer” (2009). These went outside the box of typical rom-coms, becoming more fictional and less relatable by using flashbacks and other elements of different movie genres.
Dramatic romance films also topped the box office during the 2000s. Films like “The Notebook” (2004) brought in 235 million explored love affairs from the beginning to end of life. The top-grossing romance of the decade“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” (2009) raked in 711 million worldwide.
TODAY
Beauty standards continue to disappear with the progression of feminism, and in turn, have created new narratives for cinema to follow. Over time, women have much stronger roles in relationships,and sometimes become the hero the men flock to.
“Culture shifts have taken the genre beyond simply hoping ‘the cute guy likes me back’ and into the realm of reality,” Asmelash said.
Relationships stereotyped as the cunning man with the graceful but weak woman from the mid twentieth century began to evolve to include the graceful yet strong-willed woman with the bumbling punchline of a man. This is intentionally dramatized and exaggerated in “Isn’t It Romantic” (2019).
“Men during this time are often slovenly and directionless,” wrote Amanda Rebekah Roskelley in her dissertation The Modern Mr. Darcy: An Analysis of Leading Men in Contemporary Romantic Comedy Film. “Even the ambivalent films feature men who are not confident in their decisions regarding love and relationships.”
Romantic films branched out into musicals with “La La Land” (2016). The Oscar-winning masterpiece pays homage to another musical romantic comedy “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).
“It’s brilliant the way both leading characters get what they started the movie desperately trying to achieve, yet lose what they had gained along the way,” senior Evan Reneau said.
There even are modern examples of women reversing the role of the playboy. The “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” film trilogy based on the novels by Jenny Han, follows this idea. The main character, Lara Jean, writes letters to past crushes for closure, and when they inexplicably get sent out, each respective crush gets back in touch with her; – some more than others. Lara Jean, while still getting a happy ending, hurts all of them to some degree.
“Personally I love this movie,” junior Ariana Morrison said. “ I am a huge hopeless romantic, and I think the whole concept of the movie is adorable. But, I also love the movie because it’s very real. The characters fight and there is drama, but everything ends up alright, which gives a lot of hope for real life relationships.”
In the same way feminism has been more visible in movies, so has the LGBTQ+ community. Films are using the relatability of coming out to shed new light on the community while also appealing to their audience. For example, “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) broke barriers by featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as cowboys having a secret affair. A more modern example is “Love, Simon” (2018), a film about a gay high schooler struggling with love and his identity.
“The reason rom-coms have been so successful is because they appeal to one of our most basic desires-to be loved,” Asmelash said.
