Editing Romantic comedy (section)

==Evolution==
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[[File:Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell in The Seven Year Itch trailer 2.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.4|[[Marilyn Monroe]] and [[Tom Ewell]] in the ''[[The Seven Year Itch|Seven Year Itch]]'' (1955) trailer]]
Over the years, romantic comedies have slowly been becoming more popular to both men and women.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} They have begun to spread out of their conventional and traditional structure into other territory, and to explore more complex topics. These films still follow the typical plot of "a light and humorous movie, play, etc., whose central plot is a happy love story"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/romantic+comedy|title=Romantic comedy – Define Romantic comedy at Dictionary.com|work=Dictionary.com}}</ref> but with more complexity. 

Some romantic comedies have adopted special circumstances for the main characters, as in ''[[Warm Bodies (film)|Warm Bodies]]'' where the protagonist is a zombie who falls in love with a human girl after eating her boyfriend. The effect of their love towards each other is that it starts spreading to the other zombies and even starts to cure them. With the zombie cure, the two main characters can now be together since they do not have a barrier between them anymore.<ref>{{cite web |first=Bill |last=Johnson |title=The Art of the Romantic Comedy |url=http://www.storyispromise.com/wromance.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306101425/http://www.storyispromise.com/wromance.htm |archive-date=6 March 2012 |access-date=13 February 2019 |work=A Story is a Promise}}</ref> Another strange set of circumstances is in ''[[Zack and Miri Make a Porno]]'' where the two protagonists are building a relationship while trying to make a pornographic film together. Both these films take the typical story arc and then add strange circumstances to add originality.

Other romantic comedies flip the standard conventions of the romantic comedy genre. In films like ''[[500 Days of Summer]]'', the two main interests do not end up together, leaving the protagonist somewhat distraught. Other films, like ''[[Adam (2009 film)|Adam]],'' have the two main interests end up separated but still content and pursuing other goals and love interests.

[[Image:The apartment trailer 1.JPG|240px|thumb|left|[[The Apartment]] has come to be regarded as [[List of films voted the best|one of the greatest films ever made]], appearing in lists by the [[American Film Institute]] and ''[[Sight and Sound]]'' magazine. In 1994, it was one of 25 films selected for inclusion to the [[Library of Congress]] [[National Film Registry]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=1994-11-15|title=25 Films Added to National Registry|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/15/movies/25-films-added-to-national-registry.html|access-date=2020-05-18|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|website=Library of Congress|access-date=2020-05-18}}</ref>]]

Some romantic comedies use reversal of gender roles to add comedic effect.<ref>The Big romance of Something Wild?: romantic comedy today</ref> These films contain characters who possess qualities that diverge from the gender role that society has imposed upon them, as seen in ''[[Forgetting Sarah Marshall]],'' in which the male protagonist is especially in touch with his emotions. It can also be seen in ''[[Made of Honor]],'' in which the female bridesmaids are shown in a negative and somewhat masculine light in order to advance the likability of the male lead.<ref>Guys Are the New Girls</ref>

Other remakes of romantic comedies involve similar elements, but they explore more adult themes such as marriage, responsibility, or even disability. Two films by [[Judd Apatow]], ''[[This Is 40]]'' and ''[[Knocked Up]]'', deal with these issues. ''This Is 40'' chronicles the mid-life crisis of a couple entering their 40s, and ''Knocked Up'' addresses unintended pregnancy and the ensuing assuming of responsibility. ''[[Silver Linings Playbook]]'' deals with [[mental illness]] and the courage to start a new relationship.

All of these go against the stereotype of what romantic comedy has become as a genre. Yet, the genre of romantic comedy is simply a structure, and all of these elements do not negate the fact that these films are still romantic comedies.