Well, I'm diving in today, because , of course, I have an opinion about this! lol. And as uusal, I will answer my own thoughts and question my own answers.
Short answer, NO, they don't. They make you smile, and hope, and wipe away a few nostalgic tears, and quite often GUT laugh.
But short answers are no fun on a blog. (grin)
So, here goes. Romantic comedies are no more guiding lights in relationships than superheroes or slash/gore/maim/beat the hell of out everyone movies are guiding lights for anger management. They are sometimes, a welcomed suspension of belief that remind us that life CAN be fun in the romance department and we should never stop hoping because..and here comes a deep thought...HOPE is good. Feel-good movies are made to ...MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD. If they do both, and throw in some gut laughs or even inward chuckles...come on...how can this screw up your love life unless your love life was already screwed as you were walking into the theater?
I'm sure professionals hear all kinds of excuses, finger pointing and wildly desperate fantasies when a relationship sours. But balance and building inner strength have more to do with the *cure* than cutting out Romantic Comedies.
I saw the first Superman on cable the other night and this brings together two of the genres I mentioned up above. First of all, I got a very warm smile on my face seeing a young Christopher Reeves. It made me happy and sad at the same time in regards to the charming Mr. Reeves.( though his real life was anything but a feel good plot, he and his wife had one of the most amazing relationships I have ever witnessed via media voyeurism.)
With tremendous wit and yes, even a bit of realism in the form of Margot Kidder's delightfully contemporary Lois Lane, it beautifully tackled the far-out concept of a Superman who, when push came to shove, made the world go BACKWARD to save the woman he loved! ....sighhhhh .(And he really could FLY. He actually looked like he was FLYING. To those of us who are hovering around mid-century in age, that was an AMAZING screen moment.)
Did I expect the man in my life to sprout a red cape and tights and put a curly-que in his hair while saving cats out of trees, catching bank robbers and repairing earthquakes all in one evening? Obviously no. But it did make me think of all the little, mortal things that were very Everyman about him that brought a warm glow to the romantic innards of my heart. And though I could never BE Lois Lane, I embraced her feisty spirit and then the knee buckling hormonal OMG of seeing a man of steel who believed in truth, justice and the American way. (the old American way!...which is another blog topic entirely)
I HAVE had John Cusack *boombox* moments in my life. I will never forget them, ever, though the people involved have often slipped out of my steady stream of life. Never, ever forget them :)
The only persons who spoil any love life, are the ones involved in it. And I take exception to the word "spoil" because it doesn't account for growth, change and other outside influences. Being that humanity is flawed, we will always deal with changes of heart and mind. Life is never a two and a half hour capsule...and it doesn't come with a perky soundtrack, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying some very lovely two hour moments and music IN a life.
And though I am quite cynical at times, pure and not so pure romantic comedy lifts me up and helps me hold onto dreams ~which gets me through the complexities of reality. (but come to think of it...isn't laughter real?)
Some of my favorite *see again anytime* movies are in that Genre. Pretty Woman, Somethings Gotta Give, Love Actually, Music and Lyrics and the quite overlooked but delicious A Good Year.
No, we need more Romantic Comedies. Good ones. Well, come to think of it, even sappy ones can make you feel good, so, yeah...all of em!
That's my story and I am sticking to it!
Peace.
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