Hitting the Right Note in Today's Romantic Comedies

Today in The New York Times, Brooks Barnes reports that the death of the romantic comedy has been greatly exaggerated . . . sort of.

As Barnes points out, big-budget rom-coms used to be as ubiquitous at the movies (especially in the summer) as superhero movies are now. But in the last few years, something has changed. These movies can be expensive to make—lavish sets, big stars—but they have flopped.

I pointed this out as well in an article earlier this year here at Christianity Today, and I posited that what's taking their place is a new breed of comedy-with-romance-(or-not): movies in which the leads do not ultimately end up together, but they learn something new about love. Or movies in which romance is just one piece of a larger lesson about love. I wrote about movies like Drinking Buddies and About Time, and having seen it this summer I think you can add Begin Again (and director John Carney's previous film, Once) to that list.

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

 

 

Katherine Heigl Wins Best Dressed for Summer TCA

Every woman loves her little black dress. It’s slimming, chic and can be worn to pretty much any event imaginable. But when summertime rolls around, we love trading in our dark hues for our other favorite frock: the little white dress. It appears that many celebs broke out their LWDs for the red carpet this week, but ultimately, PEOPLE readers voted and Katherine Heigl took home the win on our Most Loved Looks page in her fit-and-flare creation.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the actress on the red carpet, but she certainly knows how to come back with a bang. She attended NBC Universal’s Summer TCA Tour wearing an A-line cap-sleeved Michael Kors dress, which she belted and paired with some brown snakeskin Manolo Blahnik pumps. She kept her hair up in a mini pompadour and finished with a subtle smoky eye and glossy lip.

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

 

Why Romantic Comedy is Never Over in Hollywood

In summers past, Hollywood used to give audiences a break from all the action-packed sequels targeted to teenage boys. Usually, that came in the form of counterprogramming known as the romantic comedy. For most of the late ’90s, Julia Roberts carried the genre: she opened 1997’s “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” which grossed nearly $300 million worldwide, against the disastrous “Batman and Robin.” She was also the star of such summertime hits as 1999’s “Notting Hill” ($364 million worldwide), “Runaway Bride” ($309 million) and 2001’s “America’s Sweethearts” ($138 million), which marked the end of her reign as the queen of romantic comedies.

One of the reasons that the summer of 2014 has been so catastrophic, with box office grosses down 18 percent, is the glut of indistinguishable product. Every movie, from “Transformers 4” to “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” feels like a photocopy of something that came before it. But the biggest profit margins aren’t always tied to CGI or comic book stories. For proof, look no further than the weepy melodrama “The Fault in Our Stars,” which has so far grossed $263 million worldwide despite its tiny budget of $12 million.

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

 

Taking a Peek at Katherine Heigl's Music Playlist

Katherine Heigl, our cover star this month, reveals exclusively to Marie Claire the tunes she can’t stop listening to right now - and neither can we… 

 

Boom Clap by Charli XCX

 

If you haven’t heard of this girl yet, you will soon. Only 21, her catchy feel-good anthem Boom Clap was featured in this summer’s tearjerker The Fault in Our Stars. Fresh from her collaboration with Iggy Azalea on Fancy, this weekend she’s set to storm the charts with her first Top 10 single as a solo artist. She has said she wants to shake things up in the industry. ‘I just want to be written about in 50 years' time as someone who helped make pop cooler than it is now,’ she said to Digital Spy.  

Sam Smith's remake of How Will I Know

 

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

 

 

Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan Talks about Falling in Love in 'What If'

Relationships between men and women make for great movie fodder.  The romantic comedy may, in general, have an established set of rules, but audiences still flock to theaters to go see how a couple finally gets together.  That isn't to say, however, that all romantic comedies are identical, and "What If" certainly falls into that somewhat different category.

Opening in select cities week, "What If" stars Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan.  Directed by Michael Dowse, it also features Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, and Rafe Spall.

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

 

Katherine Heigl's Reign Over Romantic Comedies

One of the best romantic comedies ever made. It’s hard not to fall in love with Heigl after watching her in 27 Dresses, delivering lines like: 'I feel like I found out my favourite love song was written about a sandwich.' Things we learnt from this movie:

1. Bo Peep-style bridesmaid dresses should not be a thing.
2. Karaoke will always sound better to you when drunk.
3. Planning someone else’s wedding is, mostly, not fun.

Heigl plays a hopeless romantic and Gerard Butler a chauvinist in The Ugly Truth. An onslaught of arguing and mis-matched ideas on love makes for hilarious watching. Oh, and Heigl gets to kiss Gerard Butler. We’re not at all jealous. Right?

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

'Visiting Sam' RomCom Opens at Churchill Theatre

CHURCH HILL — Local playwright Earl Lewin brings his contemporary take on romantic comedy to Church Hill Theatre with “Visiting Sam,” playing the next two weekends, Aug. 1 to 3 and 8 to 10.

Written and directed by Lewin, the play features a young couple, Ed and Rhoda, who met in college and have kept in touch. The play begins after they have gone to a play-writing seminar given by a minor playwright. The title, “Visiting Sam,” refers to the Samuel French publishing company, where the seminar was held.

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