Romantic Comedies

Pretty Woman is the ultimate rags-to-riches chick flick. Business mogul Edward cruises Hollywood Blvd. and picks up Vivian, a tough, mouthy call girl with gorgeous red tresses (under her blond wig). What starts off as a "business" proposition turns into an improbable romance that we never get tired of watching. There are so many memorable lines from this much-loved flick, but somehow we've managed to choose a few of our favorites. Check 'em out, then chime in with your own!

• "We have nothing for you here." — Rude saleslady
• "I want the fairy tale." — Vivian
• "You and I are such similar creatures Vivian. We both screw people for money." — Edward

Starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, Judd Apatow and Paul Feig's upcoming movie Bridesmaids is trying hard to be the female version of The Hangover. The just-released trailer (above) gives us a peek at the over-the-top Vegas bachelorette party, but it also features some wedding planning challenges — practically clichés by now — that any former bridesmaid can recognize. Here are five I spotted:

1. The Bride Says It Will Be Easy: After the bride assures Kristen Wiig's character that all she'll have to do is plan the bachelorette party, Kristen searches the Internet and finds a more realistic, and never-ending, list of bridesmaid duties.
2. You Have to Ditch Your Real-Life Budget: Judging by her broken-down car, Kristen's character doesn't live an extravagant lifestyle. But she still has to go on a trip to Vegas and fancy parties in anticipation of the wedding.
3. It Can Be Awkward When You're Single: When you're helping plan a wedding, it seems people can't stop talking about love, marriage, and why you're still single. That's why you should hook up with a Jon Hamm type and try to get him to come as your date! That'll surely shut 'em up.
4. The Bridal Party Can Be a Motley Crew: You can choose your friends, but you can't choose who they chose for their bridal party. There's a good chance that your new bridesmaid buddies have very different ideas about bachelorette parties or how much should be spent. Be prepared to be diplomatic.
5. It's Fun! Despite the humorous obstacles Kristen Wiig must navigate, you can tell this set of bridesmaids are going to enjoy themselves. And that's usually how it works out when you're helping a close friend or family member celebrate an important life moment.

"Why do all the women have to be klutzes? All these pretty women with no discernible flaws, so let's make them a klutz! Or what about all the skinny women shoving food in their mouth on dates? It would be so much funnier if the women weren't skinny. That's a great Onion headline: 'Actual Fat Woman Shoves Food in Her Mouth in Romantic Comedy.' "

— The Office actress and writer Mindy Kaling finally says what we've been thinking about female leads in romantic comedies. Maybe a swipe at Tina Fey's portrayal of Liz Lemon, too?

It's no secret that I'm a big champion of the romantic-comedy genre. Sure, the films are typically cheeseball flicks designed to make us desperate for a picture-perfect relationship, but when done well, there's nothing better than that warm, fuzzy feeling when the two leads finally get that happy ending you've been rooting for. Let's be frank, though: some rom-coms are really, really bad.

Writing for The New York Times today, Maureen Dowd bemoans the lack of solid romantic comedies and why they "reek." Harsh words, but it did get me thinking about some of the truly terrible ones I've seen in recent years. Fool's Gold, The Ugly Truth, and The Bounty Hunter are the first to come to mind, but I'm sure you'll have some suggestions for ones that are far more cringe-worthy. So tell me, what's the worst romantic comedy you've ever seen?

In her Tuesday column Maureen Dowd talked to Sam Wasson, author of pop culture expository Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman and my favorite person for all of today, about the decline of the American rom-com.

How could Hollywood continuously put out movies that are so removed from the reality of romance? Because they work — that is they make money. Even if a movie is a box-office flop, it finds profit in foreign distribution, DVD sales, and cable reruns. There doesn't need to be innovation because it's not broken from a fiscal perspective, and Sam Wasson doesn't even think female executives can save the genre.

“Even the studios that are run by women aren’t run by women. They’re run by corporations, which are run by franchises," said Wasson. "Unfortunately for us, Jennifer Aniston is a franchise. So is Katherine Heigl and Gerard Whatever-His-Name-Is, and even when their movies bomb, their franchise potential isn’t compromised."

We know romantic comedies send unrealistic messages about relationships, but now we're hearing they contribute to relationship problems. A survey of 1,000 adults in Australia found nearly half said rom-coms are ruining their views of an ideal relationship.

Maybe you've heard "if it was right, it'd just work," but that says more about Hollywood plots than real-life romance. So what myths do we have to watch out for? Here's eight to start.

1. You just know he's the one — and you're right: We've probably all felt this at some point, and most of us have been proven wrong.
2. Change yourself, and he'll fall head over heels: How often has the bland girl put on a dress and makeup only to dazzle the guy who didn't know her name 30 minutes ago. It's only like the entire plot of Cinderella!
3. Sex solves problems: Unless the problem is he'd like to have sex right now, then all it will provide is distraction.
4. Playing hard to get works: In reality, acting disinterested makes him think you're not interested. He may want you, but he'll probably be too scared to act.

Read the rest below.

"It wasn't that I didn't want to do comedy. It's just that I would only get offered girlfriend parts in guy comedies, which aren't exciting to me, or those offensive roles in romantic comedies where the woman has to have a job in fashion so that she can have nice clothes, and her goal is always marriage."

— Natalie Portman sums up why some one-dimensional romantic comedies are not fun for an actress, or the audience for that matter.