Stakes are High in Romantic Comedy

Romantic comedy was once a noble genre, a place to work out not only will they or won’t they, but why or why not, and should they or shouldn’t they? The Lady Eve may be a goofy romp about a conwoman and her beer-heir mark, but Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda’s spiky courtship is all about how much we can overcome deeply ingrained prejudices about class and sexual experience. 

In When Harry Met Sally, the two main characters talked their way through what makes a good relationship for a decade—and worked out their attitudes towards their careers and themselves as friends—before they got together. And movies like Annie Hall defied the traditional meaning of comedy—it ends with a breakup, not a marriage—to acknowledge both the power and potential for heartbreak of modern relationships.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Romance Gets Deadly Serious

Ah, the road trip. It’s been fodder for countless movie comedies, but the new British import Sightseers, opening in Atlanta May 31, ups the ante by working murder and mayhem into the mix.

Alice Lowe is Tina, a meek young 30-something who lives at home with her overbearing mom (a scene-stealing Eileen Davies). When her boyfriend Chris (Steve Oram) invites her on a holiday to visit some fun sites in the British countryside, Tina happily agrees, much to the consternation of her mom. Chris tries to win over the cranky matriarch with some pleasant small talk, but mum offers a curt response: “I don’t like you.”

True, Tina and Chris have only been dating three months, but what could possibly go wrong when visiting such innocuous destinations as the Crick Tramway Museum and the Keswick Pencil Museum? As it turns out, plenty. A run-in with a litterbug gets Chris’ dander up, and before long he turns the trash-tossing gent into road kill.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Romantic Bickerings at 'Much Ado'

If you all think back all the way to when I was in Toronto last fall, you'll recall I was very enamored with Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, the story of the bickering lovers Beatrice and Benedick. And now, months later, this morning, he was on Morning Edition to talk about it with NPR's Renee Montagne.

You perhaps know the story — how he shot it in less than two weeks after finishing the shooting part of his Avengers experience, how he shot it at home, how he used friends and actors he's worked with on his films and shows (including Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion, Fran Kranz and Alexis Denisof)

What I found most intriguing about it was that he discussed the fact that Beatrice and Benedick are the template for modern romantic comedy rooted in arguing — not just It Happened One Night, but Cheers and Moonlighting. In some of the most traditionally canonical art we have, you see the roots of some of the most well-worn tropes we have; high art helps create genre art just like high fashion helps create off-the-rack fashion.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Gearing Up For a Typical Bollywood Romance

 

“Gangs Of Wasseypur” actress Richa Chadda says “Ishqeria” will see her in a typical romantic role opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh.

“When I did ‘Gangs...’, everybody was asking me the same question — ‘When will I be seen playing a romantic film?’ So finally I did a film with Neil, which is a typical romantic film,” Chadda told IANS.

“I will be doing the typical song and dance, which is a prominent part of the industry. I am really looking forward to this film. The film is titled ‘Ishqeria’,” she added.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Romantic 'Package Deal'

 

TORONTO - New comedies starring Robin Williams, Rebel Wilson, Andy Samberg and Anna Faris are heading to City this fall, while violent dramas are being excised from the schedule in favour of a lighter lineup.

Rogers Media — which runs City as well as specialty channels including FX Canada, Sportsnet, OMNI and OLN — announced a 2013-2014 roster Tuesday that includes fresh laughs from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, "The Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre and "Parks and Recreation" creator/producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur.

"We want to be known as the place people come to laugh," Rogers Media president Keith Pelley said at a breakfast gathering that kicked off a full day of celeb-studded promotions.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

 

Wartime Romance Comedy Lands on Richmond

A battle of emotions in play Less Than Kind will be at Richmond Theatre this week following a successful UK tour last year.

Steel magnate John Fletcher has risen to the colossal challenge of out-producing the Nazi war machine in tanks for D-Day.

He meets Olivia Brown (Sue Holderness) in a comic tale that turns into despair as Brown is forced to choose between her true love and her son who has joined the rising tide of socialists and is outraged at the thought of his mum marrying ‘the enemy.’

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?

Romance in the Real Estate Business

There’s nothing like a little gentrification to get the sparks flying.

In her first-ever self-published book, “Million Dollar View,” author Silver Krieger explores the ever-changing demographics of New York City through a story about a real estate agent tasked with clearing out a Park Slope building of its artsy women residents — but instead finds himself in a tight predicament when he falls in love with a rebellious painter who has no intention of moving out.

“I wanted to write a romantic comedy and this is how it came out with little social, political implications,” said the native Manhattanite, who lived in Park Slope for 16 years before moving to Sunset Park more than a year ago.

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For more information about a wonderful romantic comedy please visit What Would Meg Do?