What Went Wrong with Hollywood Romantic Comedies?

Anne Thompson at Indie-Wire with Anthony D’Alessandro’s five reasons rom-coms failed this year:

Rom-coms aren’t dead, but they’re in need of serious repair. The excuses for each film’s failure are myriad, but here’s five bad habits the genre exercised in 2010:

1. Studios had expensive flings The majors may have curbed their spending on dramas to a $25-$40 million cap, but they miscalculated profit ratios on rom-coms. These films aren’t suppose to be expensive. They have minimal to zero VFX shots and are scheduled to be profitable on their home turf with foreign being gravy. Brooks didn’t need to shell out $50 million on his How Do You Know dramatis personae. Actors are clamoring to work with him. Like Woody Allen, he can name his own price for talent, just like he can demand final cut. Studios continue to foot higher rom-com bills as their leading ladies’ paychecks spike with each hit, simultaneously causing a surge in production budgets. As Heigl’s payday swelled from $6 million to $13 million between The Ugly Truth ($88.9 million) and The Killers ($47.1 million), so did their respective budgets from $38 million to $75 million. Likewise, Sex and the City 2 ($95.3 million domestic B.O.) was 54% more expensive than its first chapter which cost $65 million and grossed $415.3 worldwide. The real ugly truth is that while A-grade actresses are being paid more, their films are bombing. Marshall was able to keep a $52 million rein on Valentine’s Day by minimizing shooting days for Roberts and Hathaway. Those studios looking to launch fresh faces and break formulaic rules gambled less, such as Screen Gems which spent $8 million on Easy A.

2. Mismatched genres Comedy-dramas can pose marketing challenges and mislead audiences. Edward Zwick’s Love & Other Drugs ($30.2 million) was sold as an adult sexy comedy in its posters, but critics http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2010-11-24-loverevonline_ST_N.htm were thrown by the melodramatic Parkinson Disease plotline centering around Hathaway’s character. Moaning mid-life crisis protags proved unattractive and unfunny in How Do You Know. And what exactly is The Tourist ($30.6 million domestic B.O., $100+ million cost)? Sony’s trailers pitched it as a suspense thriller, but director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck told the Hollywood Foreign Press http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/race/tourist-comedy-directors-idea-60945 that it’s a comedy.

3. The wrong message was transmitted Rom-com ad campaigns fell short in shelling their plots lucidly without questions. What message was Paramount sending in its Morning Glory outdoor/print ads? The question asked in their one-sheets was: “What’s the story? Morning Glory” and the answer certainly wasn’t Bye Bye Birdie. Most Witherspoon vehicles carry a catchy title with a clear idea of her film’s premise, i.e. Legally Blonde easily conveys that it’s about a dumb blonde attorney. How Do You Know’s print ads were as confusing as the stars’ facial expressions. Sex and the City 2 pried itself from its roots and core fans by playing up its Abu Dhabi setting as opposed to New York in its promos. One distrib exec cried, “It’s not called ‘Sex and the Desert!’” One of the best posters that worked? Fox’s Date Night which displayed Carell and Fey muddied up and dressed to the nines — clear proof that the comedy was about a romantic night gone wrong.

4. Timing Rom-coms largely serve as counter programming on the release schedule. However, there were potholes on the calendar. Memorial Day weekend is primed for family/tentpole fare, not chick pics like Sex and the City 2. Warner Bros. succeeded with the bow of the first Sex and the City by making its non-holiday weekend an event for its fangirls. Love & Other Drugs and Burlesque could have padded their ticket sales by staying out of each other’s way during the crowded Thanksgiving weekend. Both attracted females over 25. On the other hand, Fox’s Date Night showed impeccable timing, catering to adults after kids’ spring break, remaining unopposed by frosh studio bows and chalking up a solid $25.2 million start during the April 9–11 weekend.

5. Star system tarnishes Leading actors are the insurance against bad scripts; the assets which guarantee financing and solidify decent projections. However, How Do You Know has thrown a monkey wrench into this film packaging formula: the teaming of Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson and Paul Rudd should have triggered a stampede. Its paltry bow only shows that audiences are getting savvier in the social media age, reading more web reviews and not simply duped by the appearance of pretty people. Nonetheless, the star system has shown to work when casting elements are carefully placed: Fox caught lightening in a bottle by toplining Date Night with two popular NBC sitcom stars, Fey and Carell. Strong box office leading men are essential to prop up their leading ladies, especially when they’re not an event-driven commodity like Roberts (which Eat Pray Love was sold on). As such, Josh Duhamel didn’t work lofty wonders for Kristen Bell (When in Rome $32.7 million domestic B.O.) nor Katherine Heigl (Life as We Know It $52.2 million domestic B.O.), however, Vince Vaughn is any leading gal’s box office savior (last year’s Couples Retreat, $109.2 million).

All you fans of rom-coms? What’s your take on this year’s slate of films? What suggestions do you have for rom-com success in the future?

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