Is the romantic comedy transformation complete?

By Sarah Sluis

Just last year, I thought the problem of terrible romantic comedies would never be fixed. Jennifer Lopez's The Back-Up Plan sent me into this depression. Even with a modern "obstacle to romance" like the fact that she was incubating another man's baby, the movie was awful. It seemed like the formula that worked so well in the screwball era would never be updated for the modern audiences.

Now, it seems that every romantic comedy in the works has a different take on the genre (Celese and Jesse Forever, Seeking a Friend at the End of the World, etc). Instead of starting with the "meet cute," building the plot around mistaken identity or a misinterpreted gesture, and sealing everything with a kiss, screenwriters have been going for the messy and undefined. Breakups and existing relationships are frequently the starting points, not the "meet cute." And in an age where the average age of marriage is rising, divorce is common, and premarital sex is no longer frowned upon, these stories reflect the modern era.

The Five Year Engagement, whose trailer released today, follows this trend. Jason Segel and Emily Blunt star as a couple whose engagement is dragging on, and on, and on. Director Nicholas Stoller co-wrote the script with Segel, and if their Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which started with a breakup) is any indication, this romance-comedy hybrid will innovate on the genre norms.

The trailer has some funny spots but doesn't altogether hint at how the plot will play out--probably a good thing. It appears that Blunt's job makes the relationship long-distance and delays them setting a wedding date. Blunt's heartfelt speech at 1:55 kind of feels like a reconciliation after a breakup. This hints at a more familiar narrative. For a big studio rom-com, this movie still speaks to a big shift in conventions. The traditional romantic comedy may be dead--for now.

Ron Howard to assemble Ludlum's 'Parsifal Mosaic'

By Sarah Sluis

Universal's looking for its next Bourne Identity, and it's chosen Ron Howard to lead the way. The Parsifal Mosiac, which is considered one of Robert Ludlum's best books, alongside The Bourne Identity, will be helmed by the Oscar winner. The globe-trotting espionage thriller centers on a man who sees his spy lover executed for being a double agent. The traumatic event makes him consider retirement, but then he encounters the woman, who wasn't really dead, in a chance meeting, setting off the typical twists and turns as he tries to get to the center of the intrigue. The international setting and intricate plot bring to mind Howard's earlier work on Dan Brown's two books, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. While both have been successes, particularly at the international box office (each earned about 70% of their gross abroad), they haven't been a sensation with domestic audiences. Perhaps the twists and turns seem more opaque when they're subtitled. Universal is hurting right now, so green-lighting a project from an author that has proven cinematic material, and bringing aboard a director who has successfully adapted a bestselling book seems appropriately risk-averse.

From the romantic comedy world, Jennifer Aniston signed on to Pumas, presumably a spin on the term "cougars," which refers to older women who "prey" on young men. She will play a thirty-something woman (Aniston herself is 40) who, along with a friend, has made a habit of dating young men. When they go on a ski trip, they run into a situation that "challenges their romantic expectations." My instinct is that this involves falling for an older man, which would be refreshing in that this would be portrayed as abnormal, as opposed to the usual May-December Hollywood age pairings (e.g. Six Days, Seven Nights). The screenwriter, Melissa Stack, found a place on 2007's Black List for her script I Want to ____ Your Sister, and, perhaps not coincidentally, the director signed on to the project, Wayne McClammy, gained acclaim for writing and directing the viral comedy short "I'm F------- Matt Damon" and its sequel "I'm F------ Ben Affleck." While this sounds like a fun set-up, I'm afraid it will hew too closely to the romantic comedy formula, in which a ridiculous hang-up (dating only younger guys) prevents someone from finding true love. One romantic comedy I am slightly more excited about is Liars (A-E), a road trip film in which a woman picks up forgotten items from a variety of exes on her way to President Obama's inauguration. While the inauguration inclusion could be a bit too nauseating a connection to young, spritely optimism, espeically a couple of years after it's happened, it's following the romantic comedy trend of focusing on a break-up instead of the initial connection. Emma Forest, recently named one of Variety's 10 screenwriters to watch, penned the screenplay after breaking off a year-long relationship with Colin Farrell. With Scott Rudin producing for Miramax, and Richard Linklater (School of Rock) directing, this looks like a niche romance that could ignite young audiences.

Audiences swoon for 'The Proposal'

By Sarah Sluis

Sandra Bullock had her best opening ever with The Proposal. It's been nearly two months since a romantic comedy debuted in theatres, and audiences turned out in force. The film made $34.1 million, $11,000 per theatre, a sign the showings were packed with laughing audiences.

Even with The Proposal's strong performance, The Hangover held strong, slipping just 16.1% from last weekend, an even smaller drop than last week's 27% dip. It brought in $26.8 million and grabbed the #2 spot. The jackpot film (especially for the studio, since none of the stars receive back-end profits) has coolly raked up $152 million. How the male-bonding film holds when the machine-bonding film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen releases this Friday is almost irrelevant. I've no doubt that any drop in performance will be a blip in its total box office, given its stellar results so far.

Up held onto its #3 spot, dipping 30% from last week. With a cumulative gross of $224 million, it already has surpassed the box office of last year's Wall-E, which finished 2008 at $223 million. Pixar always surprises: who would have thought the story about an old man, a boy scout, and a balloon-propelled house would beat the environmentally friendly, sci-fi comedy-action film? The studio's films are so original they defy comparison.

Opening at #4, Year One was the second primordial comedy to be received indifferently by audiences. Still, its $20.2 million gross surpassed Land of the Lost's $18.8 opening weekend. The Will Ferrell comedy has dropped 50% each weekend, now holding the #8 spot by bringing in $3.9 million. This summer, the teen comedy A-listers--Jack Black, Michael Cera, and Will Ferrell--just don't seem to be opening movies.

Despite its scathing reviews, Whatever Works ruled the specialty circuit this weekend. It brought in a stunning $31,000 per location, its nine theatres well-chosen for their proximity to Woody Allen fans.

This week, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen jumps the starting gun by opening Wednesday in 4,000 theatres. Interest for the sequel appears to be greater than for the first film. At MovieTickets.com, presales are outpacing all films with the top opening weekends. Transformers is going to open big. As a counterpoint, My Sister's Keeper will keep audiences in need of a good cry happy.