Has our generation’s notion of a romance film gone up in smoke?
Whether it was Harold and Kumar or Cheech and Chong that started it, the stoner film seems to have gained popularity in the last few decades. Certainly not fazed by 1936’s Reefer Madness (a thinly veiled public service announcement exaggerating the effects of Cannabis usage), our generation has seen its share of Hollywood stars stoned. Modern audiences can easily relate to the rebellious teenagers chasing the girl they met in an elevator, the deadbeat twentysomething, and even the father figures (thanks to Judd Apatow).
It is interesting to see how this fixation on the illegal substance has changed our notion of romantic comedies in the recent past. The 90s were littered with romance films in the chick-flick vein; Titanic was the decade’s highest grossing film, and the likes of Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing used tried-and-true formulas to pack theaters nationwide. But the romance comedies that fill most of our nostalgic memories of the decade seem to have lost their spark for today’s moviegoers.
Now, it seems, our generation prefers a more believable formula for its comedies, romantic or not. In the same weekend, Tina Fey’s Baby Mama and Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay were the two highest grossing movies. Both dealt with the topics of gender, race, pregnancy, and prodded at America’s general notion of acceptable subject matter. And Pineapple Express, a movie about a stoner that accidentally witnesses a murder, is poised for a successful debut this summer. Ushered on by the sharp-witted frankness of Judd Apatow, a thick haze has changed the character of new movies. Hapless, out-of-shape potheads have taken the place of dreamy Romeos. Strong-willed career women have taken the place of women in waiting. But why?
On the whole, our generation seems to be a whole lot more liberal. Political leanings aside, who would have allowed a movie called “Knocked Up” to hit the silver screen a decade ago? We are less tolerant of canned cinema than ever before, opting for movies with more plausible plotlines and more realistic dialogue. Events are exaggerated, of course. But I’m more inclined to watch a comedy, romantic or not, that could mimic a wild Friday night than one that is too saccharine to be believed.
We are also growing up in a generation that inherited the achievements of women’s lib, and a generation that is fairly open about sex and relationships. It would be irresponsible as well as unrealistic to portray the typical submissive female in a culture that no longer embraces that image. Whether or not the plot is driven by a love story, reality and all its associated grit and humor seems to be an increasingly profitable basis for a movie. In Knocked Up, Apatow creates dynamic characters, illustrating the changes that take place in Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl’s characters as they come to terms with the difficult pressures affecting their relationship. And we appreciate the complexity because it mirrors the real world. Shallow gender roles dredged up from your typical 1950’s household won’t fly anymore.
So why do we, the Northwestern student body, enjoy these films? Because they’re not too far off from the truth of our experiences. While not every college experience involves marijuana (realistically, only a handful of students call it a pastime), the archetypes of stoner movies remain true. I’m sorry to pass judgment on you, Northwestern, but we are what we watch. The girls at this school seem to fit the new women in these movies; strong personalities, and highly motivated. And the guys here may be talented and brilliant, but I feel like we enjoy the films because we can relate: I’ve seen my fair share of girls come back from parties empty-handed and annoyed (and, hell, even College Prowler gave us a C for our boyish good looks). Apatow’s image of the guy cautiously taking a step out of his league and landing safely seems to fit our school’s social character.
Although often surrounded by a cloud of smoke, this new wave of movies aims to bring realism back to cinema. They expose the difficult, awkward, inappropriate, and improbable aspects of life to audiences that no longer buy into predictable storylines. So while marijuana may be what lures us to the theater, it is the brutally honest but lighthearted storytelling that keeps us coming back. We don’t want a story with a happy ending anymore. We want reality.