ShareThisBy CARLA MEYER
Sacramento Bee
Thursday, May 24, 2007
There's nothing like a great romantic comedy. Flirty, witty and filled with great clothes and swank interiors, it's the classiest of popular cinematic forms.
Unfortunately, there hasn't been anything like a great romantic comedy out of Hollywood in some time. The romantic comedies that can be found at all, amid all the thrillers and horror films, feature random pairings (Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore) that don't quite click.
"Waitress," out this week, offers hope, at least in a small, independent-film kind of way. "Knocked Up" (opening June 1) also looks fun, but it's in the mode of broad/romantic-comedy hybrids like "Wedding Crashers" and "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."
Those of us in touch with our inner Nora Ephrons and Norah Joneses still yearn for traditional, easy-viewing romantic comedies -- movies where gags stop short of slapstick, love scenes fade out after the kiss and everyone wears cashmere scarves.
With a goal of trying to resuscitate these glossy romances, here's my list of dream pairings:
Christian Bale and Penelope Cruz
An intense actor who always seems to be keeping a secret, Bale might be the co-star to finally help translate Cruz's great appeal in Spanish films to American movies. Cruz could be kooky and play off Bale, who would be a stoic, Colin Firth-type romantic lead. Or a Richard Gere-style straight man a la "Pretty Woman," but with even better suits and less prostitution.
Halle Berry and Will Smith
A pairing with Berry might pull in the five or so moviegoers who thus far have resisted Smith's films. Smith could hone the charm he showed in "Hitch," one of the few romantic comedies of the past few years that worked. And Berry, who was adorable in "Boomerang," could make a movie in which her character isn't in peril.
Amanda Bynes and Shia LaBeouf
These graduates of kids' television have displayed impressive talent on the big screen. LaBeouf, who shows real depth along with fine comic timing, could both play into and help calibrate Bynes' wacky approach. Think about it: Bynes and LaBeouf. Not quite Tracy and Hepburn or Lunt and Fontanne, but it still sounds great once you learn to pronounce "LaBeouf."
George Clooney and Virginia Madsen
People compare Clooney to Cary Grant, but he's not known for his romantic comedies. But Madsen, retro-glamorous before she grew more earthy on-screen, could perfectly complement Clooney's old-school charm.
Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley
We'll know soon what the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment offers. But in the second film, Depp and Knightley sizzled so inappropriately that you wanted to shield the kiddies' eyes. Perhaps they could transfer that heat to a romantic comedy set in an insurance office or a hospital.
Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren
Freeman would play a widowed businessman who suddenly must raise young grandchildren. Mirren would be the opinionated Cockney nanny with whom he argues about the content and consistency of "pudding." Tempers flare. Sparks fly. And Mirren and Freeman will become the first actors in history to pull off one of those silly romantic-comedy scenes where people spontaneously break into lip-sync and dance.
Brad Pitt and Renee Zellweger
A blight on the face of modern romantic comedies, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" showed that Pitt would do better with a more down-to-earth partner than Angelina Jolie on-screen, if not in life. And since Jennifer Aniston is probably out of the question, Zellweger will do.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger
Because romantic comedies, unlike "Brokeback Mountain," have happy endings.
(Carla Meyer can be reached at cmeyer(at)sacbee.com)
