"Bromantic Comedies": Wave of the Future

BuzzSugar — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:21:35 -0700

Disney just picked up a romantic comedy called Undateable, which tells the "real-life tale of romantic loser Brian Wolf, who launched a Web site (www.settleforbrian.com) as a last-ditch attempt at landing a girlfriend." On his site, Wolf (pictured) lists the pros and cons about himself, along with this practical reasoning:

I know what you're thinking. Settling is admitting defeat. Only losers settle, right? Wrong. Everybody settles. There are no perfect relationships. Do you think you're going to end up happy holding out for Mr. Right? You won't. You'll end up old, alone, and miserable. You don't want that. And I don't want that. So I'd like to propose an alternative.

This idea is funny, but it also has a cute ending: Wolf actually met his girlfriend through the site. So what do we have here? The makings of a new trend. Call it the "bromantic comedy," or a romantic comedy "that guys actually want to see," according to Undateable writer Jack Angelo. The 40-Year-Old Virgin is another example of this genre, and frankly, I think it's the next big thing. To find out why, read more

I'd love to see more "bromantic comedies." The films that are called romantic comedies have long been lacking in the actual "comedy" aspect, at least in regard to what I find funny (Two Weeks Notice? How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days?!). Similarly, the typical "bro" comedies strike me as lame (the Van Wilder films, for example). I loved 40-Year-Old Virgin, however, and so did many of the males I know.

Thus, I come to my official prediction for the summer: Knocked Up (by 40-Y-O Virgin guy Judd Apatow and starring Katherine Heigl) will be hugely successful - not just at the box office, but also with critics. That's a hard thing to do, but if it works, it's an indication that these "bromantic comedies" might be the best idea for the future since, miraculously, everyone's happy.

The next step? Chick flicks that guys want to see, or "brick flicks."