“I regard romantic comedies as a subgenre of sci-fi, in which the world operates according to different rules than my regular human world.”
– Mindy Kaling (The New Yorker, 2011)
Okay, bear with me on this one.
Science fiction and romantic comedies are perfectly compatible with one another, and several recent movies have shown this to be true.
Many of the articles I found this week discuss the science fiction genre as something that needs to “save” the romantic comedy genre. From this, it seems that the only way that rom-coms can find fresh tracks is through science fiction. But what is it about science fiction that drives rom coms forward? This week, I’m reflecting on four of the small handful of rom-com sci-fi movies I’ve seen to draw out similarities between them.
Her (2013), dir. by Spike Jonze
Joaquin Phoenix as Theodore in “Her”
This movie is like the gold standard of sci-fi rom-com. It’s funky, adorable, and awkward in all the best ways. What I love about this movie is its totally unique view of futuristic Los Angeles. Compared with the bleak and depressing future visions that we have seen in classic films like Blade Runner, Alien, and Total Recall (as well as most science fiction, to be honest), we have such a wholesome vision of the future. People have not been ruined by technology, but they live comfortably within a deeply-technological world; new technology has enabled them to be better humans, both kinder to themselves and others. Everyone appears to be wealthy, healthy, and extremely comfortable. This setting works perfectly for the romance at the core of the film. The relationship between Theodore and Samantha new and unusual, but that doesn’t make it any less real or authentic.
About Time (2013), dir. by Richard Curtis
Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams in “About Time”
About Time is definitely the most rom-commy rom-com flick on this list, and I’m not sure if it totally qualifies as science fiction. Because it relies on a novum that is not actually based in science, it’s probably more along the lines of magical realism than science-fiction. But regardless, it’s a wonderful departure from both genres. Really, nothing bad happens in this movie, and there isn’t really a plot either except a time-traveler dude just trying to find love. It features great chemistry between the well-matched leads, as well as the best father-son movie relationship I have ever seen in a movie. It’s just so damn cute.
The Lobster (2015), dir. by Yorgos Lanthimos
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in “The Lobster”
I saw this movie with my parents. They hated it. Absolutely despised it. I think the reason why they hated it is because it is weird. So, so, so weird. I don’t really know if it’s science fiction or a romantic comedy. But it’s too odd to not be science fiction, its plot centers around romance, and for some reason it made me laugh so we are gonna call it a sci-fi rom-com.
But I think you just have to kind of embrace the weird in this movie. There is so much that you have to accept when watching this movie, from the bizarre novum of animal transfiguration to the awkward and too-direct comportment of every single one of the characters. However, once you put yourself in that mindset of “okay, this is weird,” there’s a really sweet undercurrent to this film. It’s an epic tale of going to extreme lengths to deny destiny and do insane things in the name of love (best summarized in a dramatic and ambiguous final scene). This film is weird, but that’s what I kind of love about it. In order to make a romantic comedy this strange, I believe the director had to draw from science fiction as a medium to facilitate it.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), dir. by Michel Gondry
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet (in a Barnes & Noble without any titled books) in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”
This is a little bit more of a romantic tragedy, but tragedy and comedy are still on the same spectrum, and the film has bits of both. I feel like this movie is both subtle and totally bombastic, where everything that makes sense is flipped on its head. This is embodied in both the understated but disorienting special effects used throughout the film. It’s also expressed in the odd pairing of the two leads, with the usually low-key Kate Winslet playing the aloof and flighty Clementine, and the usually over-the-top Jim Carrey playing the quiet and temperamental boyfriend Joel. In short, everything you think is normal is made abnormal in this movie, which lends itself well to both its rom-com and sci-fi elements. The result is incredibly powerful, melancholy, confusing, and thought-provoking film that is unique enough to make an impact on the viewer without being too pretentious as to alienate them.
Conclusion:
I have a bit of a confession to make. I implied that I picked these four movies at random because they had romantic elements in them. But in reality, I absolutely love all three of these movies.
In considering these films looked at together, I see two salient themes common to all of their endings: they all end on a very bittersweet note, and it’s unclear what is going to happen to the lead(s) after the film ends. The sense of melancholy undergirds the endings of all of them so strongly, but in such different ways. The melancholy comes from a deep-seated emotion imploring the character and the viewer, what comes in store? In The Lobster, will David blind himself to be with the woman he loves? Will Theodore move on from the loss of Samantha in Her, and will Tim move on from the loss of his father in About Time? In Eternal Sunshine, will Joel and Clementine reconcile their broken relationship, or are they doomed to repeat their same mistakes.
Traditional romantic comedies replay the same narrative, over and over again. They don’t usually look to the future because that betrays the perfection of the present, which is usually the appeal of the rom com. Science fiction is a genre that necessarily looks to the future, so its injection into the rom-com genre forces it to go beyond its traditional boundaries.
Other movies I didn’t get around to writing about
- Wall-E (2008), dir. by Andrew Stanton
- Groundhog Day (1993), dir. by Harold Ramis
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012), dir. by Lorene Scafaria
