Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2020
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
Department Chair or Program Director
Gary Richards
First Advisor
Adria Goldman
Major or Concentration
Communication and Digital Studies
Abstract
What can romantic comedies with satirical elements tell us about the romantic comedy genre and romance in general? This senior seminar paper explores two self-reflective films – Isn’t it Romantic (2019) starring Rebel Wilson and Playing it Cool (2014) starring Chris Evans – that simultaneously break and follow this genre’s norms, actively parodying genre conventions and themes. Montemorano’s examination of gender and agency uses a combination of content and comparative analyses in order to study if the gender of main characters impacts how a movie follows or breaks genre conventions, how satire reveals and perpetuates gender and filmic norms, and if characters’ actions and agency could impact viewer perceptions and experience of a film. Montemorano also reflects upon audience reception of romantic comedy media, a consideration of increasing importance as the creation and dissemination of media allows for the spread of social and cultural norms, particularly through increasingly digital methods of communication.
Recommended Citation
Montemorano, Cristina, "Leading Lad(y) in Love: Gender and Agency in Two Self-Reflective Romantic Comedies" (2020). Student Research Submissions. 320.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/320
Rights
Included in
Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons