Archive: To All The Rom-Coms We Love: Diversity In The Genre
BARRY WETCHER/COLUMBIA PICTURES
Will Smith and Eva Mendes star in Hitch (2005) a box office hit earning $368.1 million against a $70 million budget, ranking it 3rd out of the top 15 highest -grossing romantic comedies of all time.
In a world of robots, aliens and superheroes, it’s safe to say the easy going romantic comedy has fallen by the waist side. With 2010 being the start of a serious downturn for the genre, major studios have been putting less and less financial backing into these types of films. This stems from the unrivaled prosperity of comic book adaptations and the disconnect between scriptwriters and their new aged audiences who feel classic romantic comedies perpetuate stereotypical depictions of love and gender roles. However, at its core the rom-com acts as a champion for the average Joe, highlighting people as just people and depicting the basic human needs of connection and understanding. Although modern twists of the quintessential troupes we all know and love can be seen thriving in the indie market such as in The Big Sick (2017) or Obvious Child (2014), Crazy Rich Asians (2018) seemingly resurrected the genre for mainstream studios by bringing in a whopping $174 million in the U.S alone against a $30 million dollar budget. The success not only brought the (mostly) female-centric narrative back into the public’s good graces but also was the very first all Asian American romantic comedy, aiding in disrupting a long-running history of widely recognized films in the genre having predominantly white casts.
When recounting rom-coms the general public typically think of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, all the way up to the final wave where Katherine Heigl nearly drowned in 27 Dresses (2008). Romantic comedies have been a part of the film landscape since the beginning of the business and yet we didn’t see our first person of color introduced to the genre until 1967. Stanley Kramer released Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, right in the middle of the civil rights movement. The film centered around an interracial couple and the man’s (Sydney Poitier) first encounter with the woman’s (Katherine Hepburn) parents. Regarded as a box office hit, and earning an array of award noms, including 10 Academy Award nominations and 2 wins, the movie was met with as much praise as criticism. On the one hand, Poitier and Kramer received death threats from viewers who didn’t like seeing the interracial relationship on screen, while university students complained it portrayed a racial tension which they believed was no longer a concern. As can be seen with many films related to nonwhite topics, the intense dissection of the movie led to an overshadowing of the plots light-hearted nature. The movie became less of a romantic comedy and more of an issue piece. This could be a reason why it took close to 20 years to see the next person of color, or POC, led rom-com beginning with Spike Lee’s 1986 film She’s Gotta Have It, Salma Hayek’s 1997 gem Fools Rush In, or Eddie Murphy’s 1988 classic Coming to America. But when the term “classic” is used, there may be a need to specify for which demographic.
Favorites such as Love & Basketball (2000) or Maid in Manhattan (2002) would certainly fall under the umbrella of rom-coms with their cute-meets and false starts. Jennifer Lopez’s film can even be found on the top 100 grossing romantic comedies list, a huge accomplishment as it is one of two films listed with Latinx leads, Hitch (2005), co-starring Eva Mendes being the second. However, these and many more are often left off the list when noting the staples of the genre. Even as recent as last year, Vanity Fair published an article which listed the 25 best romantic comedies of all time failing to list a single film with a POC as a lead. In this respect, people of color struggle to find their footing in the genre, as their films often get placed in the sub-category of their race versus sharing space with their white peers. Instead of being a rom-com, Tyler Perry’s Madea films are often categorized as “black-themed films” due to their predominately black casts. Tyler Perry, who recently was awarded the BET Icon award, spoke of this a few years back stating, “I still have issues getting screens in white neighborhoods believe it or not.” The act of selective marketing/distribution for films centered around people of color is no secret, as Hollywood executives often accuse the white public of not being interested in POC stories. In turn, this makes it difficult for culturally diverse films to reach the same number of eyes or earnings as a film marketed and distributed universally. In this way, the industry tips the odds against these films and inadvertently keep them off any Top 25 lists not written by a person of color.
Studies show that films shape audiences perspective greatly, and the lack of equal representation in the mainstream pop-culture proves to be detrimental to people of color. Only seeing white stars in romantic comedies results in a skewed view of love and who is able to experience it. This is taken a step further when within the few romantic comedies which feature POC’s, viewers are met with stereotypical and overly sexualized characters. A great example of that can be seen in Bringing Down the House (2003), the highest grossing romantic comedy with a POC female lead and she’s an escaped convict. However, the negative circumstances around the characters of these films don’t deter their POC audiences from embracing them whole heartedly. Bend it like Beckham (2002), Love Jones (1997), Chasing Papi (2003) to name a few, have no doubt inspired more than a few people looking for a familiar face on the screen. For years that in itself has been seen as a triumph for communities of color but in light of the recent successes with diverse films audiences are ready for more. As Hollywood slowly embraces its newfound glow of inclusion, the industry is having a great moment as the most recent UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report states, “diversity is essential for Hollywood’s bottom line.” Latinx, Black and Asian writers, producers, and directors are gaining more prominence in the industry bringing their stories to the forefront in refreshing ways alongside their white peers.
Does this mean Hollywood will finally make room for people of color to be “just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her?” With a number of rom-coms featuring people of color in the works and being released through major distributors like Netflix, there is a strong possibility the answer to that question is yes.
