Monday, February 15, 2016

Dark rom-com

Just like tragedy is a necessary element of life, comedy also serves a purpose. Without both tragedy and comedy, we wouldn't have a full emotional spectrum. Of course, some of the best movies have a little bit of both. Throw a little romance in there and you get, not a rom-com, not a black comedy, but a..... dark rom-com? I can't think of a better example of this genre than Harold and Maude. This movie employs gallows humor and romantic tropes to make the audience laugh at an already-strange relationship.

The romance aspect of the movie does not fit the classic rom-com mold, as neither of the characters are conventionally attractive and one of them is elderly. The film deals heavily with the topic of death, yet somehow still manages to be lighthearted. It holds value as a comedy because it shows that a movie doesn't have to be all laughs to be funny and profound.

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