the romantic comedy

the other night i had a conversation with a friend of mine about the credibility of the romantic comedy formula. the reason this came up was because the "suddenly 30" (starring jennifer garner) dvd had just been released and of course, i went out and bought it.

i knew i enjoyed it when i saw it at the cinemas, but i got a lot more out of it when i watched it a few times on dvd. not only little things in the story, but also the whole notion of the 'romantic comedy' and why some are just good, and others great.

basically, you have one character who is chasing the love of their life, usually the best friend or some other close person who, in the past, had a completely platonic relationship with one another. either one of these two usually have some kind of quirky personality traits which add to the 'comedy' element of the combination.

and the other main protagonist is usually the reluctant hero, modest, witty, and shy.

throw in a fiancee or a job offer, and there you have the main obstacle for the two main protagonists to get over.

and that's about it.

in the end, the guy gets the girl and all the people hurt on on their path to 'true love' just have to deal.

"suddenly 30" follows this formula, but alters it slightly to allow the film to take a different direction when it comes to romanic comedies. if you haven't seen this film, this little insight to romantic comedies will have some spoilers, but if you don't mind then keep reading.

in the end, the guy doesn't get the girl. the whole film is about jenna trying to get back her best friend and her true love. but, according to the formula, he's already engaged. "suddenly 30", despite having a fantasy-type story, puts a realistic tone on the perils of love and life and the choices we make.

matt, though in love with jenna and has been pretty much forever, chooses to go on with his wedding to wendy, someone he cares for but not necessarily loves. and c'mon guys, this is what would happen in the real world. none of this "true love conquers all" bs that only ever works in the movies. there is a key scene where matt (played by mark ruffalo) tells jenna that you "just can't turn back time". this scene i believe adds that realistic dimension to the film that most romantic comedies lack.

see "suddenly 30" and perhaps it'll make you think twice about the concept of romantic comedies. in the end it does make you feel good on the inside, which i think is the main goal of these kinds of film. like i said in my review a while back, this film might not rock your world but it'll make it it that much more enjoyable (3.5/5).