Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White


Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

Serving the campus of the University of Alabama since 1894

The Crimson White

    Romantic comedies have lost the heartthrob element over time

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    MCT

    The most recent tear jerker, “The Fault in Our Stars,” is a part of the new breed of films where if it’s not an action apocalyptic-based book or comic book-related movie, then it’s simply not being made. The latest romantic comedies to grace the big screen have been few and far between. “Blended,” with Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, didn’t quite pull in the big bucks executives were expecting, only grossing $14,284,031 in its ?opening weekend.

    To draw a comparison between romantic comedies and action movies, “X-Men Days of Future Past” grossed $90,823,660 opening weekend. That’s $76,539,629 more than “Blended” made. Film distributers are no longer looking for the next “When Harry Met Sally.” Now, it’s all about when audience testing met the foreign film market. If action movies don’t do well in the U.S., then maybe they will do better in China.

    Now films such as “That Awkward Moment” and “Friends With Benefits” are trying to depict how the social media age has dramatically changed how men and women communicate. It’s all about who can feel the least and stay the most unattainable because they are just too “damaged.”

    “When Harry Met Sally” remains a classic to this day not because it was from a different age, but because the characters throughout the story had a realness to them. Director Rob Reiner interviewed actual couples, asked them about how they met and then had actors tell their stories.

    The age of romantic comedy heartthrobs is over. Both men and women have complained about how romantic comedies are not realistic and could never happen in real life. A man could never run through the airport to catch the love of his life, because customs would stop him and strip search him before he even made it past the magazine stand. A woman would never be saved by a dashing gent just as she is about to be hit by a bus, car, biker or any other moving object. In reality, if she is about to be hit be any of the aforementioned vehicles, it’s because she’s too busy looking at her phone. I’m not saying romantic comedies are realistic, but can you honestly say big giant robots turning back into cars and saving the world are?

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