Romcoms: Old or New?

Everybody loves a good romantic comedy (romcom). They are funny, sweet, feel-good and comforting. From “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” to “Anyone but You,” there is a movie out there for everyone. Most romance movies follow a similar formula: a catalyst (reason to find a relationship), the first meeting (banter and goo-goo eyes obviously), tension building along with potential reasons to not get together (love for each other increases, but odds are starting to work against them), the big kiss (all walls are broken down), the third-act-break-up (everything that has been building against the relationship finally breaks the characters apart), reunion and happily ever after. The plots may be simple and predictable with many slight variations of course, but this formula allows the movies to stay lighthearted and fun to watch.

However, as the years pass and decades change with each new trend and era, the movies change as well, conforming to the new hottest genres, actors and wants of the viewers. With the everchanging movie industry, it’s hard to tell whether the newer movies live up to the beloved masterpieces of the early 2000s such as “Pretty Woman,” “Love, Actually,” “A Cinderella Story,” “27 Dresses” and so many more. No new movie can seem to measure up to these nostalgic and beautiful stories, but they sure try. The top newest romcoms such as “Anyone but You” and “Invited” are packed with humor and fun. Both are gems and are hilariously sweet, but which do teens prefer? The older or newer movies?

“I prefer the ‘older’ movies because they portray what we want to see rather than explicit content. In my opinion, they're just more romantic too! They're cuter and have better plot and story lines, and they also all have my favorite actresses and actors,” said sophomore Hennessey Owensby.

No new movie can ever out-do those older stories, and how can any newer actors live up to the legends like Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere?

“Personally, I prefer old romcoms! As good as new romcoms are, they aren't the same as ones from the early 2000s. I loved watching ‘10 Things I Hate about You,’ ‘How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days,’ ‘She's the Man,’ and feel that nowadays the film industry just can't capture the same essence of humor and romance,” said sophomore Katherine Chang.

Maintaining the balance between romance and humor is difficult, and somehow the older movies perfected it while the newer movies are struggling to walk the line. The new movies seem to either focus too much on humor (which isn’t terrible), too much on romance (to where the movie seems too serious), or just forget the aspect of a romantic comedy and try to appeal to a more R-rated demographic.

Romcoms are a fun way to liven up just about any day. With their simplistic yet fun plots and comforting stories, it’s hard not to fall in love with the genre. Change in pop culture over the years has changed the movie industry too. According to some of the Bellevue High School students, the old romcoms are where the viewers need to be, but what do other people think? Are the older or the newer romcoms better?