Romantic Comedy

Four Weddings and a Funeral (Mike Newell)

Why does it work so well ? Love, Comedy, Writing, Acting
Love – marriage ‘if you love the person with all your heart’
Audience
Consider the different audiences for the film
Research the cost to make - £6 million
Box Office UK
Box Office US
Worldwide $250 million dollars
DVD sales
Industry
What is the formula for a successful romantic comedy
Research Working Title films
Representation
Representation of England – heritage , history, churches, institutions, countryside, stately homes, 7th richest man in Britain, 137 rooms, castles, tudor pubs, public school, reserved, unable to communicate or show emotion, large churches, choirboys, traditional weddings, Indian tea plantations, funeral on council estate in rain, Gareth from different section of society, Auden, Morris Minor, Mini, inoffensive swearing and sex
Homosexuality – gay men at the funeral, quite an iconic moment, most memorable speech, used in schools, great performance, no music, just close ups, very moving, real love in the film
Hegemony - The English are presented as normal and the Scots and Americans as outsiders and trying too hard. Promoting a comfortable and aspirational lifestyle of the upper and upper middle class.
Representation of Scotland – lakes, mountains, Hamish, Lairds, Kilts, Kirk, Fire, bagpipes, estates, highland jigs, ‘its brigadoon’, landowner as politician
Nice feeling, may get things wrong and say things out of turn but at the end no-one really cares or remembers so don’t take life too seriously, life is meant for fun and not to take too seriously, English trait, sign of a highly civilised society that we can laugh at our foibles.
Writing – Richard Curtis, clever set pieces, revises the script until perfect comic timing, best man funeral speeches, weddings comedic moments, obvious but well written and performed, memorable scenes, how many is a good run
Hugh Grant – upper class English twit, eccentric, loveable, nervous tics, sweet natured,
Andie MacDowell – Marquee name, US appeal, love interest,
Narrative
Define the 3 Acts
Follows classical Hollywood Narrative
Apply the narrative theories of the following
Todorov
Propp
Levi Strauss
Barthes
Research critical reviews