Does the World Really Need a "Dating Doctor"?

Hitch's allergic reaction on bad date number two.

The 2005 movie, "Hitch" starring Will Smith and Eva Mendes, tells the story of Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) who makes a living as a professional dating consultant. His job is to help men woo women who otherwise would have never noticed them. Hitch is tasked with helping Albert (Kevin James), a sweet but clumsy/dorky man, woo Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta), a celebrity who barely knows of Albert's existence. In the mean time, the "date doctor" himself is in the process of trying to woo Sara (Eva Mendes), a gossip columnist workaholic and all around most standard female lead in a rom-com. All of his dates with her end very unfortunately, whether it be reminding Sara of a terrible family legacy, or accidentally discovering Hitch has severe food allergies. Despite all of the misfortunes, the dates still end with the other wanting another.

The dating consultation service that Hitch provides is the central detail that the plot is based around. His service involves creating a meet-cute, encouraging a scene where the woman is more likely to notice the man, and then coach the man on how to be cool through the first two-three dates. After the first kiss, Hitch leaves his clients to build the relationship from there. Hitch also makes a clear distinction between the types of clients he will take. His service is about helping men start a genuine, romantic relationship with a woman they care about. He makes a scene where he turns down a man who wanted Hitch to

Hitch coaching Albert through how to get Allegra's attention.

help him get a girl to sleep with him. The main question throughout the story is whether or not the dating service is socially acceptable. Does this service help men manipulate women? Does it lead to women getting hurt? Can a woman trust her partner after discovering that he used this service? Hitch makes the argument that his service just provides men with the opportunity to make themselves noticed. The rest of the service isn't about changing the man to make the woman fall for him, but to help him get through his awkwardness so that he is given a chance.

The movie has an interesting discussion on the treatment of women. The service can feel very creepy and manipulative while at the same time also makes sense in a way. After his service being outed to the world, Hitch explains that the reason his service is needed is because women are so guarded that good men are unable to make themselves noticed. At the same time, Hitch doesn't blame women for being guarded. He acknowledges that the reason women are so guarded is because of the men who manipulate women into sleeping with them just to dump them the next morning. It is the same reason why he does not offer his service to men like that. He explains that he just makes the opportunities

Hitch and Sara

happen, he doesn't orchestrate the entire relationship. The movie ends with Hitch helping Sara's best friend woo a beautiful man at the end, showing how he set up the opportunity for her to be noticed. The movie asks a complicated question about how far is too far to gain a woman's attention.

The movie doesn't flip too many expectations about gender. Sara is a feminine woman with a job as a gossip columnist. Hitch is literally so well known for being a calm and collected ladies man that he makes money from it. The side couple shows a little more flips in gender expectation. Allegra wants more control in her investments and wants to be in control. Albert is not an assertive man at all. At the same time, his character is the average caricature of the male nerdy character, socially inept, unable to talk to women, and extremely quirky. These features are what women are supposed to fall over.

This movie uses so many of the standard romantic comedy tropes. Sara is a fairly textbook example of the female lead in a romantic comedy. She is a workaholic, dating cynic, who thinks that love is a myth. She has a gay best friend whose role in the film is to encourage her to get out in the world and open herself up to dating. Thankfully though, we do know that this character has a job and we can assume a life that exists outside of the main characters. The characters also have a dance montage at the end of the movie, my personal favorite trope in romantic comedies. While it sticks to some of the tropes, the movie tries hard to break a few as well. Instead of the lead woman hating her female coworkers simply because of the perpetuated myth that women can't get along, Sara is best friends with her female coworker and that friendship never waivers throughout the entire movie.

This movie was very interesting to watch. It might not be smashing any gender barriers or rewriting the genre but it does discuss how the dating world has become more complicated, especially by men who hurt women. It asks a lot of important questions about how to treat women respectfully while still having an honest chance.

Blog #2: Set It Up

Netflix's Rom-Com Set it Up Needs to Step It Up

Movie Poster

Two overworked assistants, two lonely bosses, and plenty of romance. Charlie and Harper concoct an elaborate scheme to get more time off of work. The plan? Set up their equally picky bosses Rick and Kirsten! But as Charlie and Harper are working together for the common goal of freedom, they end up falling in love with each other. What could go wrong? Apparently, a lot.

Although the movie makes subtle jabs at the cliches found in romantic comedies, it's hardly different from others.

The Meet-Cute

As Harper herself said, "We need a meet-cute. Like, every great romance has a meet-cute."

Rick and Kirsten at a Yankees game

Rick and Kirsten's meet-cute is, simply put, a disaster. Placing their bosses in an elevator, the assistants bribe someone to stop/crash the elevator. However, when another person enters the elevator, the controls stop working! Forced to watch a claustrophobic mail-carrier panic in the elevator, causing Rick and Kirsten to argue over how to handle the situation, the meet-cute is deemed an unromantic catastrophe.

 After a failed attempt to spark flirtation between the two, Charlie and Harper resort to manipulating the Kiss Cam at a Yankees game. This proves to be an equally frustrating situation since their bosses refuse to kiss each other, much to the dismay of their assistants
and the entire stadium crowd.

Although, these instances are framed as the opposite of the stereotypical meet-cute where fate pushes the couple together instead of tired assistants, the movie's second couple (Charlie and Harper) are victim to fate.

Harper and Charlie's first meeting, dividing the dinner order.

Charlie and Harper first meet in the lobby of their office building, both rushing to deliver dinner to their respective bosses, Rick and Kirsten. After arguing over food and explaining the severity of the situation they reach a compromise, which later sparks a friendship between them. Throughout the movie, their relationship slowly becomes romantic.

The Gay Best Friend

Even in 2018, it seems that rom-coms can't escape the use of a gay man as a protagonist's best friend. Meet Duncan, Charlie's best friend and roommate. While Set It Up doesn't exactly follow this cliche, placing Duncan as the male lead's best friend instead of the female lead's, Duncan is still a side character who exists only to provide much-needed romantic advice and make comments about his sexuality.

Charlie (left) receiving advice from Duncan (right)

Duncan appears in approximately 6-7 scenes, as expected for a side-character, but the overwhelming point of these scenes is just to re-enforce stereotypes about gay men. "Not all gay men are about sex all the time," Duncan explains after Charlie asks him if he has a guest over. Charlie's assumption is actually correct, proved seconds later as someone walks out of Duncan's room. Despite such a proclamation being Duncan's first line in the movie, for the majority of his scenes he is frequently presented in sexual situations: At Suze's (Charlie's girlfriend's) pool party Duncan is sitting eye-level to the crotches of men in swim-wear. He makes multiple comments about it yet receives no response from any character, main or otherwise. Later, Charlie and Harper go to the apartment to eat pizza. Charlie quickly runs out of the door and refuses to let Harper in because, "Duncan's playing Third Eye Blind in there, that means he's got a guy over. We can't go through there."

Duncan's second role is that of a "love guru," as he mentions to Charlie that Suze and him never talk and therefore are not a good couple. This advice prompts Charlie to realize the connection he lacks with his girlfriend and instead finds in Harper.

The Airport Scene 

SPOILERS BELOW! Skip the following section to avoid spoilers.

Charlie at the airport

Another scene Set It Up flips on its head is the 'airport scene', this scene plays on what the audience would expect after the male lead runs through the airport. Instead of running to reconcile with the female lead, Charlie runs to catch Rick and Kirsten before they leave for a vacation. Why? To break them up, of course!

After discovering that Rick was cheating on Kirsten, despite them being engaged, Charlie and Harper get into an argument. Harper believes that they should tell the truth, especially since Kirsten seems to actually like Rick. Charlie disagrees, claiming that Rick cheating/lying shouldn't matter since the entire relationship was fabricated by them (Charlie and Harper).

Eventually, Charlie realizes his mistake and runs to break off the relationship, also using the situation to quit his job as well. This scene pokes fun at the romantic movie classic, as many background characters shout that Kirsten should leave with Charlie instead of Rick, with the assumption that they are actually caught in the middle of a reconciliation--not a breakup.

The Gender Problem

While Set It Up attempts to modernize rom-coms to the millennial/Gen-Z viewer, exampled by Harper's use of the hook-up app Tinder, it falls flat in many ways, most prominently in its presentation of gender. A multitude of interactions between the characters often reference one of these two concepts: fragile/toxic masculinity and women in the workplace. Conversations about these two topics are more common these days and, more often than not, current media is expected to contribute meaningfully to these discussions. Obviously, Set It Up is a romantic comedy first and may not necessarily be providing social commentary. However, even if it was, this movie still has a multitude of problematic scenes and lines.

Masculinity

Charlie convincing Rick to call Kirsten back

The majority of the scenes exhibiting behavior related to fragile/toxic masculinity feature Rick. Although they are relatively subtle, they are still important to the overall conversation of gender treatment within Set It Up.

Firstly, the most common insult used against men in this movie relates to the size of their penis. While yelling at an intern in passing, Rick calls him a "pencil-dick" before promptly firing him. The unnamed intern defends himself to Charlie; "Pencils can vary in length and girth, so joke's on him." 

Later when Charlie attempts to "subtly" convince Rick to call Kirsten back he claims that "dating has changed so much these days. You used to wait three days before calling back. Now, the longer you wait, women think that...your penis is small." In both instances, the reference to somehow "inadequate" genitalia is used to imply ineptitude (in the intern's case) and cowardice (in the case of Rick not calling Kirsten). These comments add very little to the plot (Charlie could have easily found another excuse for Rick to contact Kirsten again) and serve as the basis of jokes and misconceptions that must be fixed for the sake of the character's masculine identity.

 

Femininity

Kirsten in the hallway outside her office. Note the word wall.

Like the above mentioned scenes, these scenes are often subtle and short. These clips often reinforce stereotypical ideas about women and romance but are far more numerous than any scene that represents fragile masculinity.

Kirsten is undeniably the boss, she's at the top of her game and she runs her own sports website successfully. As a female sports reporter, Kirsten is most likely viewed as an "anomaly" of sorts for taking an interest in a typically "male" interest. Like her boss, Harper is also a super fan of sports, which Charlie comments on at the Yankees Game Set Up, after taking a picture of her in Yankees themed clothing to supposedly add to the Tinder profile he's making for her: "Guys like girls who are into sports." Harper replies that "Guys do not like girls who are into sports. They like girls in tight jerseys who they can correct..." adding that said women wouldn't know what they're talking about. It's unclear exactly what Harper meant, whether she was implying that "she's not like other girls" or not, however it's clear that her comment was defensive. This scene is interesting to note as it succeeds Charlie and Harper's comments about Kirsten.

Kirsten and Rick announcing the news about their relationship.

When discussing how to make Kirsten "desirable" to Rick, Charlie advises that Harper's boss should be represented as a "really good deal," comparing her to a business contract. Harper then suggests mentioning Kirsten's work ethic because "...she treats her website like her baby." Charlie responds with "Probably because she can't have any." Harper agrees.

Multiple times throughout the movie, Kirsten is named as Harper's hero and role model and is clearly established as a successful woman. However, when presented with the chance to defend Charlie's sexist comment Harper does not defend her boss in the same way she defended herself at the Yankees' game. Despite being an incredibly successful businesswoman, Kirsten is still expected to be a mother first. These comments reinforce the idea that women must choose between the "female sphere" or the "male sphere" (working outside of the home). If Kirsten had kids she would be expected to leave work and become a full-time mother, regardless of her passion of being a reporter. This scene is not the only time Kirsten is expected to conform to Rick's ideas for women, or the only time Kirsten's importance is defined by ability to conform to typical ideas about women.

Charlie and Harper discussing their plans

When Rick casually mentions to Charlie that he despises body hair on a woman, and would likely feel sick and break up with her because of it, it's up to Harper to get Kirsten waxed. Harper then "reminds" Kirsten about a non-existent waxing appointment, framing the hair-removal as Kirsten's idea instead of Rick's. Later in the movie when Rick and Kirsten are together, Kirsten asks Harper to "uncancel" her invitations to a multitude of baby showers and engagement parties from estranged female friends. Her reasoning? Kirsten will "...finally be able to talk about something they're interested in."

Harper also expresses a seemingly problematic idea about women and love when Charlies suggests she plays hard to get with Golf Guy, Harper's Tinder hookup turned 2-week boyfriend whose name we never learn. "Play hard to get? That's like evolutionarily impossible. What guy would date a girl who's like 'Go get me food and maybe there'll be a cave for you when you get back or maybe not.' [Harper uses cavemen as a reference]. Men should want women who are going to keep the coziest, warmest caves. Men need shelter."

Throughout this movie, anything concerning love, romance, and family is subtly presented as the job of a woman. Rick is described, by Kirsten, as having mansplained Korean barbecue to her, even though he claimed that the cuisine was his favorite. After Kirsten realized he had, in fact, never eaten Korean barbecue she attempted to explain the situation to him, resulting in Rick refusing to listen or apologize after offending her. Rick is not expected to apologize when Kirsten wants him to but Kirsten must have absolutely no body hair for Rick. 

Kirsten is critiqued for not having any kids. However, Rick is actually a father! There are no comments made about his the fact that he spends more time at work than as a father. It's expected of Kirsten to sacrifice her passion for kids that she seems to not want.

Conclusion

Sneaking into Charlie's apartment. Note the fairy lights.

Although Set It Up is a modern romantic comedy, released in 2018, it still seems incredibly old-fashioned. While it may attempt to, or pretend to, rewrite the romantic comedy, this movie still keeps a majority of the cliches found in the genre such as: the accidental slow dance, romantic (and unrealistic) New York at night time, the camera pan out for the final scene, etc. 

However, my greatest critique of this movie is its message. Although Rick and Kirsten do not work out (thankfully!), it is only because Charlie and Harper discover that Rick is cheating on her. That is the instance where Charlie and Harper realize they do not want Kirsten marrying Rick. The many, many, sexist ideals Kirsten is forced to conform to, often at Rick's request, are not seen as offensive or as deal-breakers. They're normal.

Secondly, commenting on a person's genitalia to "threaten" their masculinity is also extremely problematic. Yet, no one mentions these public comments in the movie. They're also normalized. 

Netflix's Set It Up may be one of the many praised modern romantic comedies on the service but after a closer examination it fails to live up to expectations of a "new generation" of rom-coms. In a time where conversations about gender, sex, and sexuality are becoming especially prevalent, modern romances should at least attempt to catch up. If not now then when?

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

What key concepts go into a rom-com? We’ve all seen the classics; The Wedding Singer, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s the Man. What do all of these movies have in common? Aside from the actors and actresses, pretty much everything. How many girl protagonists have a gay side kick, and how many men have a best friend supplying him with typically terrible advice? What about the flowers and constant sunshine with birds chirping? And a steamy make out session? Add some rain to that scene and its game over. It’s all there, we’ve all seen it. But it works, doesn’t it? One way or another we find ourselves hooked. Why is that? Could the answer simply be that, deep down, we all want the same intensity and passion in our own love lives? No way the answer can be that simple…

All of the classic cliché moments we gag a little bit to can be seen throughout My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). We gag at how cheesy they are, yes. But you’d be lying if you said you don’t secretly think it’s all adorable. The movie starts off in typical rom-com fashion. The lead female role, Toula, grows from being a nerdy outcast little girl into an awkward outcast adult. Wearing thick framed glasses and frumpy clothes, Toula works as a hostess in her family’s Greek restaurant. After coincidentally running into Ian Miller several times, the two begin dating and quickly fall in love. While the couple can’t seem to stay away from each other, they face many challenges surrounding the differences in cultures. Though Ian comes from a non-religious, conservative, quiet, and small family, Toula comes from quite the opposite. Her family is large, loud, and in your face. Despite Ian’s many efforts, Toula’s father is incredibly hesitant in accepting him into their Greek family. Love conquers all, and viewers see this by the end of the film. Regardless of the cultural barriers Ian and Toula face, the couple presses onward to get their happy ending; marriage and merger of families. Get this. Her father gives the happy couple a house as a wedding gift at the end of the movie. A freakin’ house. Yeah, sure, makes sense. And, to make the ending even better, Ian and Toula have an adorable little girl and live right next door to all of Toula’s relatives. Yay for family and happy endings!

We’ve all seen movies where the shy and nerdy band geek is noticed by the quarterback of the football team, right? Yeah, cause’ high school boys have the mental capacity at that age to look under the skin of females around them. Mhmm, sure. Ian isn’t a quartback, and Toula doesn’t play in a marching band, but the same storyline is applied here. Toula proves to be awkward and somewhat shy, but Ian sees right through those characteristics and expresses his interest in her way before she changes her physical appearance. She isn’t the traditional pretty girl we typically see in romance movies, but Ian loves her regardless of her quirks. From the initial meeting in the Greek restaurant when Toula serves Ian she is completely love struck. What else can you do in a situation like that but stop and stare for an uncomfortable amount of time? And to make it better, duck behind the counter and pretend not to be seen. That’ll make it better, right? It worked for Toula. Before having a real conversation, the couple exchange awkward and funny looks. It’s clear from the beginning that they are drawn to each other. What’s that? Love at first site? I believe it is. But wait, it gets better. When he finally approaches her to have a conversation, guess what happens. She trips and falls face first on the ground only to be met by a charming smile from Ian. A clumsy girl attracts a smart, kind, and charming man? Shocking. After one conversation, Ian asks Toula on a date. It can’t really be that easy, can it?

After dinner, the lovely couple find themselves taking a nice little stroll on a dock by the water underneath the night sky and sparkling lights. He tells her she’s beautiful, and BAM, they kiss. It isn’t just a peck on the lips either. You bet your ass it was full of passion and intensity. Do you even have to ask? Obviously, there was soft piano playing in the background to set the mood. It doesn’t stop there though. A make out session? Duh. After the date is over and Ian drives her home, they sit in his car and have a steamy make out session. The honeymoon phase is initiated from there, and the couple can’t keep their hands off one another, ultimately leading to an engagement. We can make fun of the predictability of movies like this all we want, but at the end of the day, none of us would really mind if life actually happened like this. As corny as these concepts are, they’re experiences we all wish to have whether we want to admit it or not. It’s a normal human desire to want to be loved entirely and selflessly by another individual. Maybe we don’t all need our significant other to learn Greek and get baptized to make a marriage work, but we all want someone who will go the extra mile for us and see us for who we really are. Love is human nature, it’s a necessity. And that fact alone is what makes us incapable of holding a smile back during these oh so cheesy scenes.

We’ve all seen the montage of the pre-date makeover hundreds of times. The nerdy girl takes off her glasses, gets plucked and prodded at by a beauty team, throws at least ten outfits on the floor of her bedroom before finding the perfect choice, and is revealed to be a new and improved version of herself. Viewers get to see this transformation happen in this film, but in a more powerful way. While female characters typically run around like chickens with their heads cut off looking for the best way to impress their crush, Toula’s transformation is entirely self-motivated. Before even being introduced to Ian, Toula chooses to leave her glasses and baggy clothing behind and transforms into a new woman after being granted the opportunity to attend classes. She proves to be an independent woman and chooses to take her life into her own hands. She never considers changing her appearance for a man, she simply chooses to do so for her own happiness. You go girl!

While much of the film is focused on the traditional values individuals held regarding women and their domestic duties, Toula does everything in her power to defy these constraints without disrupting the order of her big happy family. At the beginning of the movie, her father expresses the desire he has to see his daughter marry and start her own family. Being as he is the head of the household, what Mr. Portokalos wants, he gets. Or so individuals would traditionally believe. Toula’s mother and aunt make a point to use their combined wit to outsmart Mr. Portokalos, and eventually gain his approval for Toula to attend school and pursue her dreams. While these women are aware of the fact that the female’s traditional role would be to obey man’s orders, they are also aware of the power they have to outsmart men when needed. With conjoined efforts, they find a way to keep Mr. Portokalo happy while supporting the independence Toula strives for. It can also be seen throughout other parts of the film that while the female figures in Toula’s life obey and respect the word of their male counterparts, they remain vocal in their opinions and desires. During one discussion between Toula and her mother, her mother says, “the man may be the head of the household, but the woman is the neck, and she can turn the head whichever way she pleases.” While the female characters in this film appear to be inferior to men, they are fully aware of what they’re capable of.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding has everything any viewer would enjoy; steamy make out sessions, grand gestures of love, family, quick witted humor from sneaky relatives, and awkward interactions that make you belly laugh. And for you females that enjoy seeing a woman take control of her life and find love after accepting her own quirks and oddball qualities, yup, that’s there too. Yeah, I get it, its all super corny. But what would life be without love, acceptance, support, comedy, and a little bit of passion?

Extra Extra! "His Girl Friday" is a hit. Read all about it!

Current DVD cover art for the film.

His Girl Friday stars Cary Grant who plays a journalist named Hildy Johnson accompanied by Rosalind Russell who plays her boss Walter Burns. Hildy and Walter were previously married. However, their first marriage was anything but conventional. Instead of going on a honeymoon, Hildy and Walter traveled to a caved-in mine to get the full story. Hildy is convinced that the newspaper business is what’s keeping her from having her happily ever after. Flashforward to the start of the movie, Hildy decides to settle down and is engaged to a steady man named Bruce Baldwin. Walter can’t stand to see Hildy give up the job she loves, and if she follows through with the marriage, he will likely never see her again. To prevent this from happening, Walter comes up with the craziest schemes in order to keep Hildy in his life. On the other hand, Hildy is sharp and knows his tricks. The two of them battle it out in a war of wits and dry sarcasm to determine who Hildy will really end up marrying in the end.

Hildy is an eccentric and hilarious journalist that will do anything to get her story. She is willing to do the craziest things in order for her to get the jump on the story and out-write her male competitors. The movie is persistent in reminding the viewers that her true element is in the newspaper business. To my surprise, the men in the press room mock her for even entertaining the idea of being a simple house wife. One of them says, “I’ll give it six weeks until she gets the itch again”. Turns out it only takes Hildy six minutes until she darts out the door ready to chase after an escaped fugitive. It was awesome how the movie revolved around romance without decrowning Hildy of her power. She is known to everyone as an unstoppable force, and she’s never asked to change who she is in order to experience true love. Although she works under Walter, she’s her own boss in her own rite, and following the story of a woman with this much agency was a tall glass of water for me. The resulting at the end was extremely fitting for Hildy’s strong personality, and I was satisfied with it. Walter and Hildy become high off of chasing a good story and decide to get married for a second time the next day. The situation seems to solve itself so matter-of-factly, which is how both Hildy and Walter deal with anything during the movie. It’s a fantastic ending!

Hilda is on the phone with Walter who has caused a lot
of trouble for her fiancé. She is a force to be reckoned with 
and even intimidates her male colleagues. 

In most of the romantic comedies that I’ve watched, the leading lady always starts out with a seemingly normal (sometimes dorky) and averagely datable man. However, in the end, she is whisked away by the man she least expected, even though the audience knew he was the better choice the entire time. His Girl Friday executes this perfectly and in the most hilariously belly-busting way. Although Hildy deflects some of his schemes, Walter is a mischievous man who knows what she really wants. More than anything Hildy wants to be a successful journalist, and he uses the allure of a great story to win her back. He distracts her fiancé long enough to give Hildy a taste of her old life in the fast lane.  In the press room Bruce tries to snap Hildy out of her excitement by telling her that he’s leaving the city without her. As Walter is shouting into one of the phones to be connected to various offices, Hildy is furiously typing a draft of a groundbreaking front page story. In the heat of the moment she tells Bruce to hold on until she done. After he accepts his defeat, Bruce walks out of the room without her even noticing.

Hildy and Walter are in the middle of writing a front
page story, but Bruce is more concerned with Hildy
catching the 9 o'clock train to Albany NY where they'll be
getting married tomorrow.

His Girl Friday also nails the chaos before the kiss. Just before the happily ever after, there’s a chaotic sequence of events that sends Hildy into wherlwild, only for her to land into Walter’s arms. A criminal that Hildy had interviewed earlier that day makes his escape. She tackles the warden and hides the fugitive in a writing desk in order to get the juiciest details for her story. Her and Walter are almost arrested for the trouble they cause. This isn’t her first rodeo however. Trouble finds Hildy as often as Hildy finds trouble, and with every crazy thing that happens, Hildy is calm and strategic. She’s aquanted with a life in the fast lane, and she knows what she’s doing. So, when the biggest story in years comes to light, Hildy is ready to take the heat. I love the combinations of ridiculous scenarios that arise and Hildy’s casual reactions to all of them. I also love how her dull housewife fantasy juxtaposes her exciting life of journalism. Every seedling of her housewife fantasy that gets caught in the tornado of her career is spit out with fury and is never seen again. For example, Hildy’s future mother in law tries to confront her for turning her son away, but she is soon carried out of the room by Walter’s right hand man. A “normal” life is not what fate has in store for Hildy. After many (and I mean many) loud phone calls and lots of speedy type writing, the chaos ends with Hildy and Walter agreeing to get remarried and to finally have a real honeymoon.

Hildy and Walter franticly make phone calls to get their
story on the front page of tomorrow's paper.

This movie is the perfect romantic comedy package. It has all of the qualities that rom con fans crave and more. His Girl Friday doesn’t rely on lovey-dovey fluff. Instead, it keeps you on your toes with fast-paced humor and a pair of great minds trying to outsmart each other. It’s certainly worth a rewatch.

Blog Post #2

"I guess in this society being a male and an asshole makes you worthy of our time" - 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999

Heath Ledger? Who wouldn't love that heartthrob? Romantic comedy classic, 10 Things I Hate About You, has had hearts bursting for years. The famous story line spinoff of Shakespeare's play, The Taming of The Shrew, revolves around a pretty, popular teenager can't go experience dating until her snarky older sister does. The personality clash between the two sisters and helicopter father causes some hiccups for the Stratford sisters. Their worlds are rocked when bad-boy Patrick enters the story, and he chases after Kat, the rebellious feminist of the family.


"It's not everyday you find a girl who'll flash someone to get you out of detention..."


The approach on gender roles throughout this film is quite the treat. Between the decline of Kat's sass to form her relationship with Patrick, Bianca's need for a significant other, and their father's vision of the female body, the strong willed female is put in a very narrow box. Kat's actions show the reinforced idea that a headstrong woman should shift their personality traits to something more mellow to obtain a relationship. In the beginning, Kat is standoffish and so intimidating that not many men will date her. Once Patrick makes an appearance and she realizes she does have feelings for him, her soft side is developed and from there on they are able to form a relationship. The idea that women need to be softer and fall behind to a man is prevalent in this love story.

Bianca follows suit for the idea that every girl needs a man to feel complete. All she wants is the permission to date boys, be the fun popular girl, and have a good time. She is looking for approvals from all of those around her. However, her father's approval is the most important, and he has different plans for his sweet little girl. It isn't a coincidence that their father happens to be a OB/GYN doctor, and his strict dating rules fall over his daughters. His number one concern is always what they are wearing, who they are seeing, and not getting pregnant. He is worried about how his little girls present themselves to others. As he says himself, even group studying can be a code name for a group orgy!


"She's meeting bikers. Big ones. Full of sperm."


One last jab at the female figure this movie presents is the idea that forgiveness from a woman can be bought. First, Patrick is cashing out to even begin his relationship with Kat. While he does end up developing true feelings for her, the reasons from the jump were because of a pretty paycheck from a friend. When Kat figures this out, she is indeed pissed off at him. The one item that leads to forgiveness for her is the new guitar that Patrick buys her. The gift is a great idea on his end, and that may not be the only thing that made her forgive him. However, when she confronts him for buying gifts to get her to forgive him, he responds with how many more instruments there are in a band that he can cycle through. Before she has the time to tell him how he can't just do that, he is already using the silent kiss. While Heath Ledger is a dreamboat, and many of us wouldn't mind any instrument or silent kiss from him, this scene identifies the issues of silencing the woman with what she wants to hear or see for a moment.

While this movie is one of my all time favorites, the treatment of gender is quite impossible to ignore. I will continue to swoon over the one and only Heath Ledger, but for now, enjoy this video of him returning the cash to show Kat how far he is willing to go for her.

Always remember: No drinking, no drugs, no kissing, no tattoos, no piercings, no ritual animal slaughters of any kind. OH GOD, now I'm giving you ideas!

Hitch

Hitch is a 2005 romantic comedy with a cast full of big stars like Will Smith, Eva Mendes, and Kevin James. It was a very well-received film with great ratings, prided on its fantastic mix of romance and comedy. What more would you ask from a rom-com?

Movie Poster
via IMDb

Alex Hitchins is a dating coach that helps men not only find the women of their dreams, but more importantly, helps them keep them. He comes to the rescue of Sara Melas, a tabloid journalist, when a guy wouldn't leave her alone at the bar. There is a spark in the air and Hitch won't give up until he finds out more.

There is kind of a double plot going on throughout the movie. We watch as Hitch helps his friend, Albert, pursue a very well-known woman, Allegra Cole. The two don't look like they would ever be seen together, but with Hitch's tactics, Albert manages to woo her. Although we are watching this relationship grow, the true plot was between Hitch and Sara. Because she works for a tabloid, she is determined to find out who this secret dating coach is that is helping all the men in the city score women and expose him. Once she finds out it's Hitch, their relationship suffers. But like any romantic comedy, they work things out and
end up living happily ever after.

Gender Roles

The roles of the two main characters, Hitch and Sara, are not your typical man and woman. Sara is a savvy tabloid journalist, which are typically read by women, but she is very devoted to her work and not really actively looking to add a man in her life. She sat at a bar one night and while her friend stepped away for a second, a very confident man approached her and started to hit on her. She was used to all of the cheesy pick up lines and pushed him away with the help of Hitch, who jumped in and came to her rescue.

Hitch on the other hand, doesn't really portray a "manly man." Only because it's kind of against the norm for men to be really sentimental and sappy. He is a relationship expert, so to speak, and coaches other men on how to get the woman of their dreams.  It is usually hard for a lot of guys to open up and show their softer side, but for Hitch, that is the key to relationships. 

This film's depiction of gender kind of came as a surprise when considering the expectations of society, although, it isn't rare for romantic comedies to base their main characters on personalities like Hitch and Sara. For example, both Juno and The Forty-Year-Old Virgin showcase characters that are different than you would assume. They are not typical fairytale stories with a beautiful girl getting swept off her feet by a handsome man. After all, these are supposed to be comedies which is why they work so well.


Check out a few of the funniest scenes:

This GIF made for a laugh-out-loud moment. Hitch had an allergic reaction to seafood which lead to his face swelling up to a hilarious size. To stop the swelling, he chugs a bottle of Benadryl and gets pretty intoxicated. It was such a funny scene, I had to watch it twice!

Another great scene worth mentioning was when Hitch was testing Albert's dance skills. He broke out in some crazy dance moves like "making the pizza" and "the Q-tip." Although Hitch didn't approve of any of these, Albert performed them anyway on the date, but only when she wasn't looking.

What makes it a rom-com?

The opening monologue really sets the mood for a love story. Hitch goes on a long rant about relationships including, "basic principles: no woman wakes up saying 'God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today.' Now she might say 'this is a really bad time for me' or something like, 'I just need some space' or, my personal favorite, 'I'm really into my career right now.'" These are all pretty typical ways to get someone to leave you alone. Hitch goes on to explain how to get around these and "get in." 

Another rom-com tactic is a "meeting scene" where the main characters meet in some cheesy way. For Hitch and Sara, that was when he swooped in to rescue her from an annoying guy that wouldn't stop hitting on her. (Clearly he didn't know Hitch's basic principles that all add up to her not wanting to talk to you.) 

A lot of rom-coms feature the plot line where they shouldn't end up together, but of course they always do. Sometimes they go years without talking or see other people, yet somehow always find their way back to each other. Hitch and Sara have a little falling out, but you guessed it, end up together in the end. 

Most feature some sort of confession of love towards the end. Hitch's big moment is when he jumps on top of the car that Sara is driving off in to chase after her. He viewed this as his last chance to show her how he feels. He goes on a long rant about how they are meant to be and it ultimately ends in a kiss.

Last, but not least... the final dance scene! Albert ends up marrying the girl of his dreams that Hitch helped him reel in and at the wedding, they all get in two lines and take turns dancing down the middle of the crowd. It made for a very happy ending and if you're wondering, of course Albert broke out in his classic moves. 

Although these rom-com tactics seem over-used sometimes, it is the consistency that keeps viewers watching. The cheesy moments are what make these movies so good and once you add some comedic moments, they are gold. 

Works Cited:

GIF #1 from https://tenor.com/search/hitch-gifs 

GIF #2 from https://giphy.com/gifs/dance-hitch-7DR19c25GNcbK 

Not Your Typical RomCom (But I'm a Cheerleader)

Unlike what we’re used to seeing in a romcom, But I’m a Cheerleader is vastly different, because, well, it’s about a homosexual pair and gender identity.  I was surprised to see that this film was released in 1999, but my social expectations for the decade I was born in remain grim from those young years I can’t recall as clearly. But I’m a Cheerleader is a satirical gem of a movie that is refreshingly clear on it’s overarching message, “Don’t be what society wants you to be, only you can be yourself.”

Megan is a high-school cheerleader leading a seemingly normal life. She has a 2-year relationship with a jock boyfriend, a loving and religious mom and dad, and friends that hang out with her- until she arrives home to a “sexual intervention” that reveals she is probably a lesbian and needs help to “find her true path in life as God intended”. Her parents pay for her to be enrolled in a 2-month rehab that will make her into a heterosexual. Everything might’ve gone smoothly—had she not met and fallen for the charmingly devious Graham. Throughout her time at True Intentions, Megan comes to terms with her homosexuality after finding love with Graham. After they have sex, Megan is kicked from the program but Graham stays to please her dad and step-mom. Megan, after having freed herself from the constraints of social construct, rushes in during the “graduation” and has a pleasing happily ever after with Graham as they elope in the back of a pick-up truck driven by their fellow gay runaways, Clayton and Dolph.

Gender roles are extensively explored throughout the movie. Megan is suspected to be homosexual because she is a vegetarian, has pictures of swim-suit women in her locker, has a poster of a woman singer, and lots of, as Mike the interventionalist says, vagina motifs on her furnishings and possessions. The vegetarian bit had me slapping my leg in laughter, because one of the earliest scenes is Megan at the dinner table with her parents and they’re eating meat but her and her dad says, “That’s some beef,” while the camera closes in on Megan starting to chow down into her meatless plate. Beef is a slang word that people use to refer to a penis, so I thought the imagery and the metaphor was brilliant. When Megan kisses her boyfriend it’s disgusting, he himself doesn’t know how to kiss, but she zones out and thinks of the other cheerleaders’ breasts and butts as they kiss to get her through it.

There is a 5-step program for the rehab, much like the 12-step process in alcoholic anonymous. They are 1. Admitting they are homosexual 2: Rediscovering their gender identity 2. Finding the root of their homosexuality 3. Demystifying the other sex and 5. Simulating heterosexual intercourse

The boys and girls are split into groups to rediscover their gender identity. The girls do traditionally feminine tasks such as cleaning and taking care of babies. The cleaning scenes are very sexualized, and funny to watch, as they move the vacuums up and down, back and forth, and scrub the floors which is likened to the boys having to learn traditional masculine roles like chopping wood and fixing cars, in which Mary’s (the woman who runs the program) obviously gay son Rock comes out and tempts the boys and the “ex-gay” counselor Mike with an axe and later on, a chainsaw.

The entire color scheme of the movie is genius, with different shades of pink and blue to represent the two gender roles of females and males. All the males are made to dress in blue, while all the females dress in pink and must wear skirts/ dresses—no pants for the ladies! The entire property of True Intentions is pink and blue, both inwardly and outwardly, which is what Mary wants to be the same for the bodies and minds of her students. The sexual motifs throughout the movie are funny in themselves, like the tree that is essentially a giant cock cutout in the woods , to the “shock” wand the students were given to use when they have inappropriate thoughts being used as a vibrator, to the nude costume they wear in the sexual simulation with fig leaves covering their privates, but the one over the girls vaginas has a flower. There are way too many to list, but I am cracking up thinking about them!

I love how this movie wasn’t the classic rom com of girl meets boy, falls in love, something breaks them apart, then they get back together. The main theme music added so much to the humor with its gentle tinkle like a lullaby, as if being a reminder that we’re all human, we’re all born human, but each and every one of us is our own unique person. Following other romcoms, the main character, Megan, was not in love with Graham from the moment their eyes met. They both didn’t get along at first, which gradually turned into a mutual attraction and their coming out with their feelings when they sneak out (with Megan finally breaking her role-model, good-girl image) to the gay club, Cocksucker. The sex scene was sweet and did follow the standard formula for a romcom with the dim lighting, cutting of moments, and not showing the characters’ entire bodies. The language was PG-13, no heavy swear words, not even a bitch, but the delightful humor was outstanding without all that baggage. I am so incredibly glad I watched this movie, as it speaks so much about our society today and the problems we are still facing with LGBTQ rights and being more accepting of who people are rather than what they are. Although there has been immense progression like with the Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage, society in itself still has a long way to go until the LGBTQ community is fully accepted and seen as more of the norm than an outlier. If you are a looking for a sweet, insanely hilarious romantic comedy to devour in an hour and 25 minutes that isn’t like what you’re used to, I highly suggest preparing your face muscles for lots of laughs and smiles if you decide on But I’m a Cheerleader.