I really love to view films through the lens of genres. I have certain genres that I love more than others, and there are usually reasons other than simply taste that I rank genres the way I do. Taste certainly plays a factor, but one of the things about film that I pay close attention to is formula. Not all formula’s are bad, for instance the standard “3 act” formula that many films follow usually works quite well (although its not always necessary). This formula can be misused, as in “Australia” where the 3 acts felt more like 3 different movies, bust most films use this formula so effectively that most people don’t even notice that the formula is in play (which is often proof that it’s being used effectively).
However, some formulas are very much damaging to a film when they are used too often in other films released within a few years of it. And this plays in with genres because some genres are guiltier of rehashing formulas over and over again than other genres are. For example, the horror genre is terribly guilty of using the “gore/porn” formula far too much over the past ten years. What this has done is that it has made the entire genre too predictable and watered down, meaning most horror films released in the past ten years are unwatchable, and when a horror film is released that doesn’t follow the “gore/porn” formula it is probably praised and welcomed more than it should be simply because it is refreshingly different in this era than most films of its genre.
Romantic comedy (although more of a sub genre) is also very guilty of formula abuse. Think about it: guy meets girl, guy and girl don’t like each other much, circumstances put guy and girl in unrealistic awkward situations where they have to get to know each other, guy and girl almost let love escape them, guy and girl realize their love for each other and pull it together in the end (Recently think “The Proposal” and “The Ugly Truth”). Romantic comedies are even guilty of more than one formula being used all too often. Then when a romantic comedy comes along like “500 Days of Summer” it’s easy to love because it’s different.
The list goes on. How many recent disaster flicks have used the whole “normal guy evades natural disaster to save his family…and accidentally saves the world at the same time” formula? How many sports films have used the “underdog beats the odds to take down a team fifty times more talented then them to win the title” formula?
Some people don’t mind these formulas, but for me, I’ve found that when I rank genres from favorite to least favorite that the genres that are the guiltiest of an overuse of formula are also the genres that end up at the bottom of my list. I guess, like many people, I just get tired of the same old thing.
Maybe sometime soon we will do a show on Film in Focus where we rank our favorite genres and sub genres. What are yours?
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I will agree with your assestment. I really liked Ugly Truth and have no interest in watching the proposal (largely because of Bullock). Saw 1 was of the gore/porn type thing however it showed none to little at a time until the end. its more of a thriller than a pure horror movie. all sequals went root of gore/porn root. # 4 and 5 show evidence of going closer to original.
ReplyDeletemy favorite genres are history, comedy, science fiction with some fantasy, rom com to a degree and good thrillers or scary movies.
I saw The Proposal in theaters (I let my mom pick the movie.) and it was abysmal. It was really funny though because I can see all the points of those kind of romcoms a mile away and timed it pitch perfectly when she was gonna have "that scene where she tells the rest of the cast what she did wrong and the moral lesson she learned" and I couldn't help but remember that exact same scene ten years ago in "While you Were Sleeping" (a significantly better film even though it had the same formula. I think I liked it because it addressed class distinctions pretty nicely and subtly) and just couldn't believe it- how many times has Bullock done that scene?
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, formulas are like tropes sometimes they are great and you love them- otherwise they feel tired and overused it all comes out in so much of the charm of the film, the acting, and the writing. I can't condemn formula completely (I think Romancing the Stone is the perfect romantic comedy btw) but at the same time they can come off really clunky.