Kiss Kiss Ha Ha

On Thursday last in The Times there was an article berating the sad fact that these days whenever you think of romantic comedies you immediately think "crap". I'm afraid that I have to agree with their view, especially after watching The Philadelphia Story on Saturday. This is a classic rom-com, back in the day when they were fairly new on the scene. But before anyone has a go at it being a boring black and white film with little action let me list for you the golden rules of romantic comedies which The Philadelphia Story follows superbly.

1) A good script: Now this is pretty obvious for any film, but for a rom-com it is essential that we understand and care about these characters and their lives. Most rom-coms today throw this out of the window.

2) Good acting: Ditto for this. Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart et al are superb. Grant shows true heartbreak, whilst Hepburn is a mixture of unlikeable and likable, and changes from one to the other so many times you get lost in it all, which is a good thing. Unfortunately there are very few good actors around these days.

3) Be romantic: There's plenty of love in this film - James Stewart has a lovely scene when he falls for Hepburn's character and has some wonderful lines as he tries to seduce her. Most modern rom-coms stick to the romance but make it unbelievable and slushy. You want some believability in it. Take When Harry Met Sally, for example - another great film. It takes the two leads years to get together, something which happens in real life!

4) Be funny - it's a rom-com after all: Most of these today have very few laughs or just add joke after joke of gross-out humor. The Philadelphia Story is fast-paced and witty. You have to really pay attention to catch every line sparred between Grant and Hepburn before been rewarded by a wonderfully funny scene between Stewart and Grant when Stewart is drunk.

Unfortunately many modern day rom-coms are lazy and boring. They don't follow these simple rules which seem pretty obvious when you're making a romantic comedy. Thankfully there is hope, in the shape of Conversations With Other Women, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhardt, which is about two married people meeting at a party. Apparently, it's funny, sophisticated and, at times, very dark. (http://www.worstpreviews.com/review.php?id=424) That's the direction rom-coms need to go today - we need to get some black comedy in there. Light and fluffy worked in the 90s but it rarely works today.

By the way, those in the know will remember that The Philadelphia Story was later turned into a musical, High Society, with Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Louis Armstrong. I urge you to either see this film or The Philadelphia Story. Just don't confuse the latter for the Tom Hanks Oscar winner - not so many laughs in that one.

Laters.