The Evolution of the Rom Com

The Evolution of the Rom Com

Welcome to MsMojo. Times change, and trends come and go, but the romantic comedy has proven to be one of our most resilient movie genres. So today, let’s dig in and take a look at its long and ever evolving legacy.

The Roots of the Rom Com

Basically, for as long as human beings have been telling stories, we have loved to hear about people in love. And though we enjoy a good star-crossed tragedy, we have always had a special place in our hearts for witty banter and happy endings. Rom-coms can trace their origins all the way back to the Satyr plays of ancient Greece. What started as salacious Dionysian sex comedies gradually shifted into light romps where two lovers meet only to be divided by various scenarios, and eventually reunited for a happily ever after.

By the European Renaissance the genre began to take shape as we recognize it today, due in no small part to the work of William Shakespeare. As one of the most influential figures in western history, Shakespeare’s various comedies would become a primer for later writers tackling romance. Wacky mixups? No one does it better than “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Enemies to Lovers? “The Taming of the Shrew” forged the way. Love in disguise comes in with a side of potential Queer romance in “Twelfth Night”and “As You Like It.” Even the trope of ‘There’s Only One Bed’ can be seen in the much more problematic Bed Trick in plays like “Measure for Measure” and “All’s Well That Ends Well.” Meanwhile, multiple tropes converge elevated by some of the best banter ever written in “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Shakespeare’s popularity would ebb and flow over the following decades, but his legacy would loom large forever after. As stage comedy continued to evolve, audiences showed up time and again to see tales of true love delivered with humor, chemistry, and witty repartee.

Founding a Film Genre

It’s no surprise that filmmakers started putting romantic comedy on screen practically from the beginning. The first recorded rom-com was the now-lost short, “All For a Girl” all the way back in 1912. The movies that followed in the industry boom of the 1920s were most notable for Vaudevillian style slapstick humor, and, often, for risque content, reflecting the irreverent mood of the decade. That is until the Hays Code threw cold water on the party. Implemented in 1930, the Code enforced strict content standards on the film industry. Problematic and restrictive as it was, though, it actually proved to be an unexpected boon for the rom-com.

Unable to show anything steamier than the occasional chaste kiss, writers and filmmakers had to get creative in how they depicted the development of a relationship between two people. And so they took physical comedy, merged it with the kind of sharp dialogue that stage plays had perfected, and voila. The Screwball Comedy was born.

As its name might imply, the Screwball Comedy is noteworthy for its use of farcical or over the top scenarios to create friction between its leads. Friction that is frequently ignited by a classic Meet Cute, and furthered along by things like differences in social class, disguised identities, and a few well placed sexually charged moments. 1934’s “It Happened One Night” established these ingredients as fundamental to the Screwball Formula, and even decades later remains the gold standard for this style of romcom. As Peter and Ellie flirt with each other, the film also flirts with the restrictions of the Hays Code, giving us something that feels delightfully subversive even all these years later.

As in “It Happened One Night,” the Screwball Comedy is also notable for how good it was for women. They were still very much of their time, but many centered confident and headstrong female leads. Unsurprisingly, Katharine Hepburn’s career hit its stride when she was able to combine her clever, self-assured demeanor with her comedy prowess in these kinds of films. One of her best is “Bringing Up Baby,” which also featured fellow master of the subgenre, Cary Grant. Grant would demonstrate his knack for romantic comedy several times throughout his career. However, it was 1940’s “His Girl Friday” where he and co-star Rosalind Russell would show off their chops at the kind of rapid-fire banter that further defined Screwball Comedies.

While these kinds of movies were meant to put people in a good mood, they were not entirely removed from the realities that existed outside the theaters. As the Great Depression raged through the 1930s, socio-economic concerns were at the forefront of many minds, and were not absent on the screens either. 1933’s “Three-Cornered Moon,” frequently cited as the first Screwball Comedy, dealt directly with a wealthy family that had lost their fortune in the crash of 1929. These movies did not ignore reality, but they didn’t get bogged down under its heaviness either. Rather, the Screwball Comedy reframed most of life’s knocks as something that could be laughed about, which certainly contributed to their box office success. In hindsight, perhaps movies like the Screwball classic “The Philadelphia Story” were a little too forgiving of the ruling class, but with charm to spare we don’t blame anyone for overlooking that.

Crescendos and Blue Notes

With a successful formula established, and audiences on board, the romcom continued to flourish even as economic prospects improved in the United States. Hollywood entered a Golden Age defined by powerful studios, glamorous stars, and big budget spectacles. The rise of the musical as one of the industry’s most popular genres generated an onslaught of romantic musical comedies. These films were not totally divorced from their Screwball predecessors, of course. Movies like “Singin’ in the Rain,” made ample use of physical humor. And the Antagonists to Lovers concept was everywhere from “Kiss Me Kate” to “Guys and Dolls” and beyond. But, musical rom-coms generally had a gentle earnestness at their core that rang a bit sweeter than the tart wit of the Screwball. Even direct adaptations like “High Society,” and “Silk Stockings,” smoothed their edges down even as they kept the Screwball alive.

That’s not to say that Golden Age Hollywood went soft. By the mid-1950s the Hays Code was weakening significantly, a process only accelerated by the rise of television. And though it wasn’t no holds barred yet, changing popular attitudes and the erosion of content standards allowed for the rise of a cheeky new frontier: The sex comedy. Sex on screen was still alluded to rather than being frankly depicted, but these movies ever more boldly winked at the audience with their true intentions. From verbal double entendres to camera angles, it was clear what viewers were meant to be thinking about when they watched movies like “The Seven Year Itch” or “Pillow Talk.”

Squeaky clean Doris Day exemplified the plausible deniability of the early sex comedy. But Marilyn Monroe was its subtext made text. She built her career on a series of these films, showing off her bombshell looks as well as a canny comedic talent. Monroe frequently imbued her characters with some degree of knowing wit in keeping with the subgenre’s subversive qualities. Films like “Some Like It Hot,” would push boundaries even further, taking on gender norms directly, albeit through the lens of humor. Not only were Monroe’s male co-stars, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, dressed as women for much of the movie, but the film boasts a final scene that is still strikingly progressive today.

Tony Curtis continued making bold choices as the sexual liberation movement of the ‘60s further liberated the rom-com. One of the highest grossing films of 1964 was “Sex and the Single Girl,” adapted from Helen Gurley Brown’s seminal book of the same name. The plot, which features Curtis’s Bob tricking Natalie Wood’s Helen into falling in love with him, doesn’t exactly hold up. However, the madcap plot and the more overt sexuality in the script are a good illustration of how the romcom was reshaping itself with the times while maintaining its roots.

Changing Tides

By the late 1960s, both the Hays Code and the studio system had collapsed. Mirroring the rapidly shifting social and cultural landscape of the world at large, the New Hollywood movement ushered in a radical transformation of cinematic storytelling. The lighthearted romcom quickly fell out of fashion in a period more interested in gritty realism, and morally gray characters. However, they didn’t vanish from the landscape entirely. 1967’s “The Graduate,” took the building blocks of romantic comedy and gave them a dramatic remix by integrating themes of post-adolescent alienation. In 1971, the May/December romance of “Harold and Maude” underpinned its sweetly eccentric love story with meditations on the meaning of life. And 1977’s “Annie Hall” made use of the familiar tropes of the screwball romantic comedy, while also actively deconstructing them. Notably, none of these films feature the typical happy ending, opting instead for varying degrees of ambiguity. If anything, though, this more realistic approach showed the versatility romantic comedies were capable of if given the right approach.

By the end of the 1970s, audiences were clearly ready for a bit more optimism. 1950s nostalgia had exerted its influence throughout the decade, and it all came to head in 1978 when “Grease” became an instant classic. The story of two high school lovers separated by social expectation is a fascinating combination of the era it mimicked and the one it existed in. In some of its more nuanced characters like Rizzo it shows shades of a very 1970s critique of romantic comedy norms. And its raunchy humor definitely puts a realistic spin on a time period that had depicted itself in its most sanitized form. On the other side of the coin, you’ve got a stacked soundtrack of infectious songs, and a plot that resolves into a tidy Happily Ever After, seemingly brushing aside all semblance of a gray area. It shouldn’t have worked, and yet, inexplicably, it does. And the success of “Grease” would set the stage for the next big evolution of the rom-com genre.

A New Generation

Teenage love stories had existed before, from the MGM Andy Hardy Series to the B-tier beach movies of the ‘60s. But the school age romances of Rydell High were the precursor to the rise of an entire rom-com genre geared towards the under-25 crowd. And there is no man more synonymous with the teen rom-com than John Hughes.

Between 1984 and 1987, Hughes wrote several films centered on the adolescent romantic exploits of average suburban high schoolers. Some skewed more to the sex comedy end of the spectrum, like 1984’s “Sixteen Candles,” which notably features a teenage girl openly lusting after her crush. And that’s to say nothing of the hormonal teenage boys around her. “Pretty in Pink” on the other hand, took a more dramatic turn. It balanced the rom-com triangle of Andy, Blane, and Ducky with serious discussions about class differences, showing the effect that the real world has even on young love. The connective thread of all Hughes’ movies regardless of tone, is an exploration of identity, which he always manages to deftly infuse with a relatable vulnerability. Even at their zaniest, his teen rom-coms show how his protagonists grow and learn about themselves. Many people count their first love as a formative experience, and John Hughes manifested that experience on screen in a way that has now resonated with generations of audiences.

Adults weren’t entirely left out in the 1980s. The decade featured a number of memorable entries from “Risky Business,” to “Romancing the Stone,” to “Splash.” In 1987 “Dirty Dancing” bridged the world between teen and adult rom-coms, with the story of Baby, an 18 year old whose love affair with Johnny motivates her first steps into adulthood, and onto the dance floor. That same year, “The Princess Bride” drew in viewers of all ages when it transported everyone into an irresistibly entertaining fairytale where True Love conquers all. And right at the end of the decade, “When Harry met Sally…” would firmly establish itself as the flagship for the modern rom-com.

This movie didn’t shy away from the conventions of the genre. There was forced proximity. There was the years-long slow burn of antagonists to friends to lovers. There was the relationship breakdown, and the grand gesture that put everything right again. Harry and Sally explored the idea of friendship between men and women in a naturalistic style that was both accessible to audiences and utterly charming thanks to the chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. The movie frankly tackles sex, love, and the natural progression of relationships, becoming an icon in the process.

Just a year later, this merging of realism and fantasy would further crystallize in 1990’s “Pretty Woman.” With the grit of New Hollywood and the shine of late ‘80s optimism, it functioned as a contemporary interpretation of a rom-com fairytale. Even after the end of the Hays Code, sex workers like Julia Roberts’ Vivian were frequently depicted as salacious Jezebels, or as fallen women to be pitied. “Pretty Woman” allowed her to appear as a winsome, and surprisingly wholesome, romantic heroine, one with a self-confidence that would have made Katharine Hepburn proud. The love story between Edward and Vivian may not feel as grounded as Harry and Sally, but the success of both films made something very clear: Audiences were as eager as ever to fall in love. Or at least to watch two appealing characters do it.

The Rise and Fall of the Rom-Com Empire

The 1990s heralded a golden era for romantic comedies. Each year featured multiple new entries in the genre, with many going on to make a lasting impression on popular culture. Though the stories weren’t revolutionary, so many of these movies were engaging, well written, and, all-importantly, well cast. If the ‘90s rom-com can boast anything, it’s the top tier talent that was springboarding to stardom off of these films.

With a string of rom-com successes Meg Ryan was a mainstay. Her notable highlights teamed her with the irrepressibly endearing Tom Hanks for 1993’s “Sleepless in Seattle” and 1999’s “You’ve Got Mail.” Former child actor Drew Barrymore became a bona fide star due in part to her turns in “The Wedding Singer” and “Never Been Kissed.” In 1994, American audiences met a befuddled Brit named Hugh Grant in “Four Weddings and Funeral,” and fell for him as hard as Julia Roberts’ character did during their inevitable collaboration. Hailed as a Queen of the genre, she easily traded between rom-coms and serious dramatic work, culminating in the late ‘90s hot streak of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Notting Hill,” and “Runaway Bride.” Her characters were complicated, and sometimes even unsympathetic, but fueled by Roberts’ charisma, audiences lined up to root for her happy endings time and again.

While most rom-coms of this era skewed light, stepping away from the thematic complexity of the ‘70s and ‘80s, characters across the board were getting more layered, and the portrayal of gender roles was slowly broadening. Plus, the sheer volume of romantic comedies being made in the 1990s meant that the genre cast a wider net on the kinds of audiences it catered to. The Indie crowd got “Reality Bites.” For people that had always sought more comedy than romance, Bill Murray answered with “Groundhog Day.” In “Jerry Maguire” Tom Cruise appealed to both men and women in the story of a sports agent finding his humanity and falling in love. The whole decade had an air of positivity, and the movies reflected it. And as for the teen audience?

Following a slight lull in the post-John Hughes years, the teen rom-com rose again with a vengeance when Cher Horowitz arrived on the scene in 1995. “Clueless” updates Jane Austen’s novel, “Emma” for the modern day, following a shallow, yet kind-hearted rich girl as she becomes a better person through a series of matchmaking attempts gone wrong. The classic plot and unique aesthetics didn’t just reinvigorate teen romance, it started whole new trends in fashion and slang.

Literature was a fertile source of inspiration throughout the decade. 1994’s woefully underrated “The Cutting Edge” was loosely based on Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations,” spinning the novel’s cross-class love story into a white hot rivalry between skating partners. 1999’s “She’s All That,” offered a contemporary take on George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion,” while appropriately perfecting the oh-so-rom-com staple of the makeover scene. Several movies reached even further back to the genesis of the rom-com itself. In 1998, “Shakespeare in Love,” delivered a stellar period rom-com depicting a backstage love affair between the bard and his muse. And capping off the decade, “10 Things I Hate About You” would improve on Shakespear’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” and go on to be considered one of the best rom-coms of all time, teen or otherwise.

The new millennium kept the literary influences coming with “Bridget Jones’ Diary.” Renee Zellwegger’s Bridget was a messy and hilarious re-imagining of Lizzie Bennett, opening up space in the rom-com ecosystem for leading ladies whom audiences saw as closer to their own experiences. Bridget ultimately got her happy ending, but the world outside the movie theaters was an increasingly uncertain place in the 2000s. As in the 1930s, though, that just seemed to make audiences more receptive to the solace of the romantic comedy. The movies of this era are peak comfort viewing. We grinned as Jennifer Garner and Mark Rufflo saved the company soiree through the power of Michael Jackson. As Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughy tricked each other into developing real feelings. As a dozen intersecting love stories played out over the course of one holiday season. In 2002, the indie upstart, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” became the highest grossing romcom of all time with its heartfelt and humorous depiction of the culture clashes within a family as a woman prepares to marry outside her community. Audiences were eager for the cozy escapism provided by these stories and many more. After all, real life is no match for a world where a plucky true love and little ingenuity can solve any problem.

Younger audiences also continued to have plenty to enjoy, with some excellent additions to the teen rom-com canon. But like many of the projects aimed at their adult counterparts, the biggest hits were more a continuation of what had worked in the past than any attempt to break new ground. Hillary Duff became the next in a long line of cinematic Cinderella’s, with the classic fairytale transported to the email age. And Amanda Bynes would reach her teen film peak in “She’s The Man,” an adaptation of Shakespeare's “Twelfth Night.”

And then midway through the 2000s, the gentlemen came to play. 2005’s “Hitch” was a big success for Will Smith. But it was “The Wedding Crashers” that marked a new frontier in the romantic-comedy, with a whole string of movies that not only centered men in the narrative, but filtered rom-com signifiers through traditionally male humor. The Brom-Com, if you will. Judd Apatow was the most influential figure in this subgenre, which heavily featured bawdy sensibilities, explicit language, and liberal depictions of sex and substance use. While the trappings were more in line with the sex comedy, the coming of age elements of teen rom-com also frequently came into play, as developmentally arrested male protagonists matured through their relationships. Above all, Apatow’s movies never lost sight of the genuine emotion at the heart of its stories. While “Knocked Up” or “The Forty Year Old Virgin”’s Bro-oriented sensibilities could have easily alienated half the potential audience, the vulnerability they allowed their male characters to explore lent them universal appeal.

2009 would take a different approach to the male-driven rom-com with “(500) Days of Summer.” The story of Tom, an idealistic romantic who is disillusioned after his dream girl dumps him, has frequently earned comparisons to “Annie Hall.” Both stories are told out of sequence, and both end with the central couple definitively split up for good. Tom’s story concludes on a hopeful note absent from “Annie Hall,” though. The choice to end with optimism is in line with the feel-good aspirations of the decade, but the bittersweet, deconstructed nature of the story would prove a harbinger for the rom-com’s decline.

Streaming Age

While the 2010s continued to produce romantic comedies, the quality and quantity were both in noticeable decline. So were audiences just tired of them? Possibly. 20 years steady supply had flooded the space, and it was getting harder for creatives to find engaging new angles on the tried and tested format. However, there’s likely a bigger culprit at play.

As the MCU became a cinematic phenomenon of historic proportions, studios rushed to get their own piece of the lucrative superpowered pie. The ever-swelling budgets of these would-be blockbusters ate up more and more studio resources, gradually starving out the mid-budget stalwarts like romantic comedy. At the same time, rising ticket prices for the theaters and the growth of streaming services were making it harder to get audiences into the theaters. In a shockingly brief amount of time, the number of Hollywood rom-coms plummeted.

Down, but not out, the genre still showed some signs of life. But it was going to take something new and different to tempt audiences back. And perhaps the sudden rom-com vacuum helped in this regard. Earlier decades produced a number of excellent rom-coms that spotlighted diverse perspectives. Black audiences had enthusiastically embraced movies like “Brown Sugar,” “Deliver Us From Eva,” and “The Best Man.” And queer love stories like “In & Out” and “But I’m a Cheerleader” had long been cult hits. However, non-white, non-hetero love stories had struggled to gain mainstream success, especially when studios tended to promote their competition more favorably. The internet gave diverse communities a platform to call out these problematic trends and to demand better. Though it took too long, eventually, Hollywood listened. And wouldn’t you know it? Everybody won.

2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians'' was the first Hollywood film since “The Joy Luck Club” in 1993 to feature an all Asian cast in a modern setting. And what a setting it was. The lush, extravagant Singapore of the titular hyper wealthy characters was the kind of escapism people want to show up at a theater to enjoy. What’s more, the influence of Asian creatives behind the camera was felt in the nuanced, thoughtful depiction of class, ethnicity, and family dynamics. As specific as the story was, it didn’t feel niche. Its core themes and dreamy love story resonated with a wide variety of audiences. Not only was “Crazy Rich Asians” a critical and commercial smash success, it became the 6th highest grossing rom-com of all time.

Though viewers had proven the appetite was there for diverse rom-coms, the greater film industry landscape still kept many of them from getting the signal boost of a major theatrical release. Yet, interestingly, streaming, one of the factors in the rom-com’s decline, has also become one of its saving graces. Desperate for content, many streamers have seen the value in this genre which used to fill up mid and lower budget tiers on studio slates. What’s more, in their desire to cultivate as many viewers as possible, streaming services have been far less squeamish than traditional studios about platforming different kinds of love stories.

Netflix especially has stepped up to the plate. We’ve enjoyed a refreshingly diverse array of rom-coms centering people of color courtesy of the platform. Ali Wong and Andrew Park won everyone over as childhood friends turned lovers in “Always Be My Maybe.” Holiday rom-coms became their own industry on Hallmark, but the most popular in recent years has been the Vanessa Hudgens-led franchise “The Princess Switch,” where viewers have enjoyed two romances for the price of one. Meanwhile Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani leaned in on the comedy half of rom-com as an emotionally estranged couple whose spark is reignited by a brush with murder and blackmail in “The Lovebirds.” If you’re looking for unbeatable chemistry, look no further than Lana Condor and Noah Centineo in the “To All the Boys,” franchise. Their effortless on screen connection will transport anyone back to the days of their first love.

The Queer rom-com is finally getting more space at the table as well. “Love, Simon,” the first gay teen romance to be released by a major studio, was only given a modest and, frankly, anemic theatrical run, but would go on to become beloved after it hit the digital space. Maybe its popularity helped encourage streamers when it came time to develop their own original rom-coms. Released on Hulu, 2022’s “Fire Island” proved a wonderful addition to the ranks of Jane Austen adaptations. The modern re-imagining of “Pride and Prejudice” loses nothing in translation, proving just how timeless the story is even if the society it examines looks very different to the one Austen depicted. “Red, White & Royal Blue,” another book adaptation, took off on Amazon Prime in 2023. While reviews were mixed, fans crowned the movie a royal success. In fact, it did so well that Amazon announced a sequel in mid 2024.

Renewed Success

Not all of the streaming romcoms have been worthy of note, but the demand for new content has kept the mill churning and the genre alive. And no matter what else has happened, audiences have never totally fallen out of love with the genre. In hindsight, it’s obvious that it was only a matter of time before another rom-com would sneak up and steal everyone’s heart.

In 2023 the surprise hit “Anyone But You,” got people really talking about a possible rom-com revival. It would be appropriate in a way. As an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” “Anyone But You,” represents the kind of satisfying full circle moment that you would expect in, well, a rom-com. It’s a return to form in many ways, giving us plenty of the genre markers we’ve come to love and expect, but its team embraced social media to build a groundswell of support that propelled it from critical dismissal to pop culture sensation.

Have we just been tricked by its charming leads and clever viral marketing campaign, though? It’s possible. Then again, the rom-com perhaps more than any other genre, is one that has always adapted itself well to changing times. In figuring out how to succeed in this drastically altered media landscape, “Anyone But You” is simply the latest in a long line to crack the formula that will win hearts and box office dollars. The culture may change, but the way we love a love story never does. We can’t say for sure what’s in store for the rom-com, but we know we haven't seen the last of it.

Which is your favorite era of the rom-com? Let us know in the comments.