This year has been all about romcoms, from The Fall Guy , Anyone But You , and The Idea of You , no further proof is needed that they are back and better than ever, almost. While the very first romcom was released in 1924, it wasn’t until the 90s that they really had their moment, and oh boy, was it a moment. Known as the ‘golden age’ of the rom-com genre, the ’90s and early 00s saw many of us mark in our calendars that Fridays were for going to the video store and curling up on the couch watching a film that would no doubt leave us with a heart three sizes bigger.
There were the classics like Pretty Woman , Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You , all of which dominated the box office but were later found to have some rather problematic storylines. Julia Roberts ’ 1990 film, for example, has been criticised in recent years for its portrayal of sex workers and the power dynamic between Julia’s character, Vivian, and Richard Gere ’s character, Edward. As for Clueless, it was pointed out much later that the romance between Alicia Silverstone ’s character, Cher and Paul Rudd’ s character, Josh, was illegal as Cher was 16 and classed as a minor, while Josh was 18.
And the Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger -fronted film 10 Things I Hate About You, has been called out for misogynistic themes and for depicting physical and psychological abuse. But, it’s not all societal politics. A lot of favourites stood the test of time, including Four Weddings and a Funeral .
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