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James Clive Matthews is the author of two books of film criticism, a reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement and blog editor for the BBC's Pocket Films site. Here he picks five romantic comedy films every home should have. Click to view Top 5 Best Romantic Comedies.
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Best Family (Lady and the Tramp) |
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 For half a century, this has been most children’s introduction to romantic comedies – even though most won’t realise it at the time. After all, when you’re the age of Lady and the Tramp’s target audience, members of the opposite sex are mostly thought to be the disgusting home of cooties or fleas, and to be avoided at all costs. |
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Herein lies the genius of Disney in making his romantic comedy for kids star a pair of dogs. How much closer a metaphor could you get for that childlike fear of boy/girl interaction that to have the two leads of a species well known for having fleas that can be passed on, just as we were always told in the playground about that person we secretly fancied – even while not really knowing what fancying someone was.
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 Beyond the cunning way of dragging children in to a romantic story that can appeal to boys as well as girls – largely through the supremely likeable and cocky Tramp, whom every young boy should admire and want to imitate – this is also a wonderful example of the kind of concise yet compelling filmmaking that seems increasingly rare these days. The story itself – the high-born girl falling for the boy who is, in this case literally, from the wrong side of the tracks – has been done countless times. But considering that the film also tells – albeit metaphorically as the star is a cartoon dog – the story of a young girl from birth (well, being given as a Christmas present while a puppy) through to marriage and children, it is remarkable that it clocks in at only a little over an hour and a quarter long. These days it’s rare to get a film much under two hours, and rarer still to find one that doesn’t feel too long, let alone one that can pack in almost an entire lifetime.
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| And then, of course, there’s that kiss. You know the one – it’s just about the most famous in cinema history, and has been imitated and spoofed countless times. Sitting together, sharing a romantic Italian meal on their first date, too embarrassed to look directly at each other, and then they’re both eating the same piece of spaghetti, getting closer and closer, until… |
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Of course, what with being a Disney film, much of the emotion comes through the master manipulator’s uncanny skill for leading his audience into precisely the right reaction to every moment. The wide eyes of the protagonists, the precise movements of a cast that have been directed frame by frame - it all conspires to suck you in to what is, if we’re honest, a fairly superficial tale of love, loyalty and family values.
But this too is all part of the art of romantic comedies – building up a genuine attachment to the protagonists over an hour or two’s short involvement with their lives, even though you already know the outcome. Yet rarely has it been done so charmingly that even while you know full well that you are being manipulated into caring for the two leads, you can happily sit back and enjoy the tranquil, predictable ride, time and time again. Films don’t become classics unless they’ve got something special – and this has been a classic for, in children’s cinema terms, generations. |
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