They don’t make romantic comedies like they used to anymore. This statement may sound controversial, but is true in more ways than one. The 1990’s up until the early 2000’s brought forth a wave of romantic comedy masterpieces that have stood the test of time. These are the kinds of movies you would not mind watching over and over again. A mainstay in one’s feel good movie watch list”. It was a time when screenplays were simple, yet the stories heartfelt. One actress whose name stands out when iconic romantic comedy female leads are mentioned is Meg Ryan. The actress was easily one of the most bankable and successful stars in during the reign of romantic comedies, and for good reason.
Where It All Began
Ryan first propelled to international stardom in 1989, after starring in the timeless romantic comedy classic, When Harry Met Sally…, opposite Billy Crystal (The Princess Bride). The film revolved around male and female friendships, as it tried its best to address the quintessential question, “Can men and women ever just be friends?”. This project also commenced the start of Ryan’s collaboration with acclaimed romantic comedy filmmaker, Nora Ephron. This union gave birth to other works of art that include Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, both in which Ryan starred alongside Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips). The two hit things off naturally, and just had that magical onscreen chemistry that just seemed to ooze out of their pores. Ryan was already a household name at this point. It was impossible for viewers not to fall for her charming smile and girl next door appeal.
Hollywood’s Rom-Com “It Girl”
During the peak of her career, Ryan was basically dubbed America’ Sweetheart. The queen of romantic comedies that made our hearts swoon, and the butterflies in our stomachs flutter. She proceeded to star in a number of other films, until she decided to take a break from show business and lie low. It has been years since we last saw Ryan onscreen, and the wait has been a mixture of nostalgic and bittersweet at the same time. Nostalgic for the good old days, and bittersweet because we fans had hoped for her career to run a different course and take off further. It goes without saying that we’re still anticipating her much-awaited comeback, no matter how long this takes. You could imagine the delight of fans when it was reported last early 2019 that Ryan had a romantic comedy movie under her belt. After all, who better to write a romantic comedy screenplay than the romantic comedy queen herself? The years spent working with Ephron, as well as other notable filmmakers, must have rubbed of Ryan in one way or another. It’s only natural for her to want to come back to the genre that gave Ryan her first shot of fame, and made her name a mainstay in Hollywood. The project may not have taken off yet, but we are not deterred. It’s better to just eagerly wait for the right project to come at the right time, rather than rushing it and spoiling the outcome in the end.
Romantic comedies are well-received by a vast majority of viewers. It’s the type of film you choose when you want to go out of the cinema with a big smile on your face. Viewers tune in to romantic comedies not to be impressed with the advanced effects or heavy acting, but rather for the purpose to simply be entertained. A reprieve from the daily hustle and bustle of life, albeit temporarily. This is also backed by scientific studies that have proven that people are attracted to films, like romantic comedies and love stories, because watching these types of flicks increase the production of oxytocin in the body, which is also known as the “love hormone”. In short, it makes us feel good and puts us on a positive mood. Ryan has brought joy to so many households with her movies, as she attacked her roles so endearingly. The characters she portrayed did not live picture perfect lives, but were real and relatable to the average working woman, instead. She evoked the right emotions at the perfect time, and was never overboard nor too dramatic. We may have encountered romantic comedies that are quite cliché, or those that already have predictable endings, but these are in no ways reasons enough to deter our liking for this kind of movie genre, most especially if lead stars like Ryan are there to make it all the more memorable and heartwarming.The Princess Bride
Follow Us
