This blog post examines how romantic comedies, centered on the film Pretty Woman, harmonize conflict and humor to win the public’s affection.
Introduction
As spring gradually finds its colors and approaches, movie theaters also begin to decorate themselves in vibrant hues. Dull melodramas step aside for a moment, and monochrome horror remains far off. Instead, a season arrives filled with the lovely smiles of actresses who make you feel good just by meeting their gaze. The season of romantic comedies has begun. Romantic comedies are the genre audiences feel most familiar with and can enjoy without burden. While I’ve always watched them with this casual attitude, approaching them seriously and systematically this time felt challenging and unfamiliar. Particularly, genre films must be evaluated precisely within their own genre’s characteristics and perspective. One must be careful not to fall into the error of devaluing a film by applying the same standards to different genres. This is also one reason romantic comedies often fail to receive their full recognition. Keeping this in mind, the discussion proceeded cautiously. Like other cultures, a film’s meaning inevitably varies depending on the viewer’s interpretation.
Understanding Screwball Comedy
Before diving into the main discussion, let’s briefly summarize the characteristics of screwball comedy to provide an overview of the romantic comedy genre. Screwball comedy necessarily includes plots and themes centered around lovers in conflict due to sexual, social, and economic differences. To overcome narrative illogicality and arrive at an ending that avoids cynicism or excessive naivety, screwball comedies must skillfully handle the conflicting couple and their differing values. One of the genre’s charms lies in its ability to produce an ambivalent conclusion that seems to resolve cultural contradictions while simultaneously celebrating them. A fundamental ambiguity inherent in the protagonists and their attitudes characterizes this genre. Capra leads the couple to conclude that resolving the conflict itself is impossible, rather than resolving the larger social conflict. Sexual contact is rarely the primary focus in screwball comedies; instead, it provides a good context for visual gags and wordplay. In screwball comedies that do address sexual contact, sexual union precedes the union of emotions and attitudes; lovers must align their hearts and minds before their bodies. While classic screwball comedies portray the protagonist’s eccentric behavior as an individual trait, later screwball comedies show the protagonist’s actions and attitudes influenced by social environments or domestic issues.
‘Pretty Woman’, the art of that tightrope walk!
In romantic comedies, obstacles appear that hinder the fulfillment of love. Differences in gender, class, age, ideology, and the like are such obstacles. These obstacles manifest as conflict, and protagonists shed tears, fight, or sometimes turn to alcohol. Protagonists sometimes shut themselves indoors, staring blankly at the TV, or express anguish while showering. These scenes may seem ordinary, but when linking the identity of romantic comedy to its comedic nature, such conflict scenes carry a distinct nuance compared to other genres. These scenes, containing humor within melancholy, are like the S-shaped white foam patterns drawn on the surface of coffee. Audiences become immersed in these scenes, shedding tears while simultaneously anticipating that laughter will soon be nestled within those tears. Romantic comedy is a genre possessing the aesthetics of the middle ground. This presupposes that the comedic nuance changes depending on how deeply one engages with the conflicts contained within the film. Consider ‘Pretty Woman’, hailed as a 1990s romantic comedy masterpiece. ‘Pretty Woman’ earned Julia Roberts a Golden Globe for Best Actress and propelled her to global stardom. This box office success is not unrelated to our perception of romantic comedies. ‘Pretty Woman’ features a social class difference between Edward and Vivian. A scene where Edward’s lawyer taunts Vivian, causing conflict between them, illustrates this class divide. However, the film does not delve deeply into this conflict. Instead, it focuses more on the inevitability that led Vivian to become a prostitute. Class-based conflicts are inherent in the film: the judgments of those around them, Edward’s internal struggle, Vivian’s inferiority complex, and the appearance of her past lovers. Yet the film avoids addressing these issues directly. If it were to get too close to the conflict and make the friction palpable, the romantic comedy risks losing its genre appeal. If the film succumbs to external pressures and shows despair, it would take on melodramatic tones. Yet, if it conveys warm laughter while still feeling the friction, it would possess a dramatic character. If ‘Pretty Woman’ had excluded these social conflicts, could its lighthearted music and Julia Roberts’ charming performance truly shine? Both melodrama and romantic comedy use love as their subject matter, yet the love in these two genres forms different relationships with the conflicts within the film. In melodrama, love intensifies conflict and leads to a tragic conclusion, whereas in romantic comedy, it acts as a lubricant or catalyst to resolve conflict. Therefore, to persuade audiences, it’s necessary to maintain an appropriate distance from the conflict. A balanced, middle-of-the-road perspective helps audiences elevate the protagonists’ love into fantasy. In this sense, romantic comedy is a popular genre. The public watches the news to feel connected to the world they live in, but rarely feels an obligation to solve those problems themselves or engage in multifaceted analysis. Romantic comedies are no different. The public doesn’t want love stories to be completely detached from reality, yet they also don’t want to see characters fiercely overcoming that reality. This likely relates to the public’s identity—wanting to be disconnected from social conflicts while simultaneously not wanting to engage with them. When romantic comedies successfully navigate this tightrope walk of public demand, they can better realize their identity as a genre.
