The really ridiculous thing about romantic comedies is their ability to annoy you and satisfy you at the same time. I can’t remember the last time I went to a romantic comedy and found myself witnessing something new and different in the genre. I have been to a few comedies as of late where I witnessed something hysterical brought to light via some innovative device (i.e. the storytelling of The Hangover) but not a romantic comedy.

Some could argue several years back, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, brought something quite extraordinary to the table. But it’s not a romcom. Where is the new point of view? Remember what Moonstruck did? It brought a newer face to the genre because it featured flawed, absolutely ridiculous characters and the film grounded itself in a fantasy that the audience believed and took in as a reality! My Big Fat Greek Wedding did something similar, but wasn’t as effective. In fact, Nia Vardalos is unfortunately turning out to be a one hit wonder (My Life in Ruins didn’t even make a blip at the box office this month). In fact, the majority of reviews I read on the genre highlight the same point again and again. They all state something along the lines of, even though the film has humorous moments, we again see the same clichés pop up that have been used many times before to greater effect. Entertainment Weekly just had an article about the twenty-something clichés in romantic comedies that need to be retired in this film genre. I agreed with about half of them.

Why didn’t I agree with all? Because I do think that there should be respect for the genre. It serves a purpose, and this purpose is an important one. The romantic comedies we love to enjoy lift us up when we are feeling low and can be enjoyed without having to think too hard about them. They are the ultimate “veg out” movie. Some people have their romantic comedies they love to blindly sink into an effortless enjoyment with; others have their action movies (Notice I didn’t limit either genre to a sex? Well, I’m a firm believer in not limiting genres of movies to males or females. Personally, I prefer action movies to romantic comedies most of the time). The difference is action movies garner much more respect than romance. And just as comedies rarely, rarely get critical respect (Ahem, Oscars!) romantic comedies often times are seen as junk.

Why am I making such a defense for the tiresome genre? Because it can still be enjoyable if you put the right people in the right roles. I saw The Proposal this weekend and really liked it. I didn’t LOVE it like I thought I was going to. Being a super huge Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds fan, I thought I was going to fall completely head over heels in love with it. But to my dismay, there were a couple of scenes that reminded me of the SJP/Matt McConaughey disaster Failure to Launch. But aside from the ten to fifteen minutes that were not fun to take in, the movie was a success.

The reason for the success was the undeniable chemistry between the leads. The ten year age difference is never even called into question, and, come to think of it, I never EVEN thought about it. Sandra Bullock looks fabulous for being in her mid-forties, and Ryan Reynolds was hot as ever. They were able to play off each other in a way that I haven’t seen on the silver screen in a long time. I remember reading somewhere when Two Weeks Notice came out that Sandy said Hugh Grant was the ultimate romantic lead partner. This is simply not true, not that I ever thought it was. Ryan Reynolds has finally been allowed the platform to showcase why he should have been taken seriously as a leading man a long time ago: the man has some serious charisma.

They spark off of one another and it is truly a joy to behold. Seeing as the movie gave both stars their largest movie opening ever by a very large margin (I’m not counting Ryan’s action movies where he was the sidekick), I see a pairing that will be around for quite a few more films to come. Think Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler or Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Sometimes, people just LIKE to see people work together and Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds may just be the new “It” screen couple.

It’s a shame that it took so long to get the two of them together. But hey, maybe they both are just reaching a new level in their careers. And this is something exciting and transcendent in Hollywood today. The fact that Sandra Bullock is again demonstrating that she can still remain a dominant force at the box office right now? She is ten years older than Reese Witherspoon (the current “reigning” RomCom queen and just as far into her career as Julia Roberts who hasn’t had a hit since Runaway Bride in the late nineties). Because of this new success, Sandy is changing the game for how women are perceived in roles once they reach a “certain age.” Actresses always complain when they get older they can play someone’s mother or the bitter person. It’s thrilling to see. It’s also surprising that no one else is raising this point. Women who are in their forties have NEVER led the box office with the lead role in a comedy. I challenge you to think of one and prove me wrong. Because from where I am sitting, The Proposal just proposed an interesting and enthralling change to the current to comedic woman thanks to Sandy Bullock.

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