Golnaz Taherian | Contributor
Featured image: How romantic comedies affect and influence the way people view relationships and love. | Basma Elbahnasawy
Romantic comedy (rom-com) films usually start with two people with polar opposite personalities who encounter an unexpected obstacle or conflict that leads to an unlikely relationship, and then a breakup or argument, before they eventually profess their love for each other.
There are many rom-coms that have been released, all of which have influenced the genre and society’s perception of relationships, love, and sex, and Jeffrey Blitz’s 2017 film ‘Table 19′ is no exception.
The funny, impulsive, and emotional Eloise (played by Anna Kendrick) declines her maid of honour position for her old friend Francie’s (Rya Meyers) wedding, after being dumped via text by her ex-boyfriend, Teddy (Wyatt Russell), Francie’s brother.
After moving past her indecisiveness, she finally decides to attend the wedding, but finds herself at table 19, which happens to be full of people that the hosts had hoped would not attend.
People seated at the table include: Jerry (Craig Robinson) and Bina (Lisa Kudrow) Kepp, distant friends of the groom’s father, who own a small diner and haven’t made love for three years; Renzo Eckberg (Tony Revolori), a high school student who comes to the wedding hoping he can meet a girl; Jo Flanagan (June Squibb), Francie’s childhood nanny; and Walter Thimble (Stephen Merchant), the bride’s cousin, who stole $125,000 from his uncle’s company.
Throughout the film, they all become great friends, helping each other fix their various problems in life, including Eloise’s messy love life.
“It was so modern. It shows that not all relationships work out. There are different circumstances that play into relationships, like having a baby. Bearing a child doesn’t fix things, but it also doesn’t necessarily end them. It also shows the true, raw feelings both sides feel when it comes to unexpected circumstances, and the toll it may or may not take on the relationship,” says Caitlin Wilbur, a fourth-year English major.
As is the case with many rom-coms, ‘Table 19′ doesn’t shy away from awkward encounters between the main characters.
In the film, Eloise runs into Teddy and his new girlfriend, and while they’re dancing and kissing, throws the cake on him. Afterwards, Eloise realizes she still loves Teddy, and vows to give their relationship another chance.
There’s always that drizzle of cheesiness in any rom-com, making the genre so addicting yet frustrating at the same time.
“The influence of romantic comedy on pop culture is crucial, I believe. It helps to represent different types of people in relationships, all the various types of relationships, and that romance isn’t always gifts, flowers, and chocolates. It entails so much more, and not every relationship or partner are the same, so don’t expect them to be,” Wilbur adds.
These movies are heavily idealized, giving viewers unrealistic expectations and beliefs about relationships; the highly anticipated ending gives the illusion that fixing broken relationships and problems can be easily done in a single night—and oftentimes, through an overly dramatized confession of love.
However, in reality, fixing a damaged relationship is not always that simple; there’s no formula or script when it comes to winning someone’s heart, or reestablishing trust. It takes time, and it’s not always successful.
Frazielle Agtarap, a third-year Global Health undergraduate, explains the truth behind rom-coms: “The thing is, rom-coms have a way of getting our heads warped into a certain kind of mentality of what is romantic and what is perfect; that we forget that we live in an imperfect world, and that our significant other might not care as much about romance.
“To make things simple—just go for the kiss, plan a date, and just let things happen themselves. Stop trying to look for the perfect and romantic moments, because you might just end up breaking your own heart and getting upset if it doesn’t go the way you wanted, like in the movies.”
