Overview

Romantic comedy has long been a mainstay of the movies, from the classic screwballs of the 1930s, through Woody Allen's 'nervous comedies' of the 1970s, to the current great Hollywood revival, featuring such movies as Maid in Manhattan and Lost in Translation ; yet rom-coms have often struggled to be taken seriously.This original anthology from an international collection of contributors updates, revisits and reflects on today's romantic comedies. It considers the films and issues that illustrate the breathtaking diversity of the genre, from the queer pleasures of Miss Congeniality and the rom-com persona of J-Lo and Bill Murray, to high school prom-coms and indie romantic comedies. It also explores the new male-centred romances like Wedding Crashers and looks further afield into the healing power of romantic love in the Bollywood hit Raji Hindustani .These themes and more are covered in a book that takes the romantic comedy seriously, while also examining the many pleasures of this continually regenerating film form.

Full Product Details

Author:   Stacey Abbott (University of Roehampton, UK) ,  Deborah Jermyn (University of Roehampton, UK)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   I.B. Tauris
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781845117719

ISBN 10:   1845117719
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   30 November 2008
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements and Dedication i-ii; List of Contributors iii-v; Introduction - A Lot Like Love:; The Romantic Comedy in Contemporary Cinema 1; Stacey Abbott and Deborah Jermyn; 1. I NY: Rom-Com's Love Affair with New York City Deborah Jermyn; 2. Music, Ritual, and Genre in Edward Burns' Indie Romantic Comedies. Robynn J. Stilwell; 3. Apres le coup de foudre: Narrative, Love and Spectatorship in Groundhog Day; Paul Sutton; 4. Prom-Coms: Reliving the Dreams and Nightmares of High School Romance; Stacey Abbott; 5. The Healing Power of Romantic Love in Popular Indian Romantic Comedies: Raja Hindustani: Home Elsewhere and Elsewhere Home; Sean Redmond; 6. A 'Special Relationship'?: The Coupling of Britain and America in Working Title's Romantic Comedies; Annabelle Honess Roe; 7. Transatlantic Exchanges and Influences: Decalage horaire (Jet Lag) Gender and the Romantic Comedy a la francaise; Brigitte Rollet; 8. Romantic Comedies and the Raced Body; Karen Bowdre; 9. Armed and Fabulous: Miss Congeniality's Queer Rom-Com; Claire Hines; 10. What a Difference a Gay Makes: Marriage in the 1990s Romantic Comedy; Kyle Stevens; 11. Hommecom: Engendering Change in Contemporary Romantic Comedy; Tamar Jeffers McDonald; 12. Lost in Transition: Problems of Modern (Heterosexual) Romance and the Catatonic Male Hero in the Post-Feminist Age; Janet McCabe; 13. A New Direction in Comedian Comedy?: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Punch Drunk Love & the Post-Comedian Rom-Com; Lesley Harbidge; 14. 'I believe that if I haven't found my Prince Charming already, that I will; or he will find me, if he hasn't already': Jennifer Lopez, Romantic Comedy and Contemporary Stardom; Alan Dodd and Martin Fradley; 15. Le Divorce: Romance, Separation and Reconciliation; Hilary Radner. Filmography; Bibliography; Index.

Reviews

'A collection of scholarly essays on Romantic comedy in Contemporary Cinema ? You're spoiling us.' - Steven Poole, GUARDIAN , 7th March 2009

<p>&#8216;A collection of scholarly essays on &#8220;Romantic comedy in Contemporary Cinema&#8221;? You&#8217;re spoiling us.&#8217;&nbsp; - Steven Poole, GUARDIAN , 7th March 2009

A collection of scholarly essays on 'Romantic comedy in Contemporary Cinema?' You're spoiling us. - Steven Poole, GUARDIAN, 7th March 2009

Author Information

Stacey Abbott is Senior Lecturer in Film and TV at Roehampton University. She is the author of 'Celluloid Vampires' (2007), editor of 'Reading Angel' and co-editor of 'Investigating Alias' , both I.B. Tauris. She is Series Editor of Tauris' Investigating Cult TV Series. Deborah Jermyn is Senior Lecturer in Film and TV at Roehampton University. She is the author of 'Crime Watching: Investigating Real Crime TV' (I.B. Tauris, 2007) and 'Sex and the City' (forthcoming).

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