What We Really Need

 

There’s been a lot of discussion lately about how life has changed because of things like political correctness, Woke Culture, and Artificial Intelligence. It occurred to me that what we really need right now is more intelligent romance in entertainment, especially in the movies. Intelligent, witty romantic comedies have pretty much disappeared. I’m talking about thoughtfully-written mainstream films aimed at grown-ups that combine romance, intimacy, laughs, and happy endings.  

 

Do you remember movies like “You’ve Got Mail,” “Bridesmaids,” “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Splash,” and “When Harry Met Sally”? These were cute romantic comedies that weren’t crude, controversial, or obnoxious. They contained humor that people over 21 could appreciate, along with the realistic ups and downs of contemporary relationships. There was enough sexual innuendo and tension to keep things interesting, along with the burning question “Will they, or won’t they?” Buried somewhere in the script was a message about what it takes to make a relationship work, but they didn’t beat you over the head with it. 

 

Go back in time for even better examples. The sexual revolution in the 1960s gave us sophisticated bedroom comedies like “Pillow Talk,” “Lover Come Back,” “The Thrill of It All,” “Move Over, Darling,” and “Who Was That Lady?” The plots usually revolved around a guy with seduction on the brain chasing a beautiful woman, with some zany plan to get her between the sheets. To make it seem legitimate, they fell in love by the closing credits. Adult situations and sexually-charged dialogue abounded, as much as the censors would allow. Luckily, we had charming actors like Rock Hudson, Doris Day, James Garner, Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood who could pull it off with a wink and a smile, without being offensive.

Most television offerings lately have shied away from this concept as well. Older romantic comedies like “Moonlighting,” “Cheers,” “Mad About You,” and “Who’s the Boss?” contained enough sexual tension to keep you tuning in every week to find out what happened between the lead characters. While their humor appealed to everyone, these shows were geared more toward grown-ups, as opposed to family fluff like “Full House.” An earlier example of a sophisticated romantic comedy is “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1960-65). The happy couple may have had separate beds because the censors dictated it, but there was definitely something going on after lights out. After all, their son, Richie, wasn’t left on the doorstep.   

       

What do we have to take the place of these witty relationship comedies today? We have action-packed shoot-‘em-ups that mandate one car chase, shoot-out or explosion every 22 minutes. Reality shows with preposterous concepts vie for our attention, along with intense dramas and police procedurals. Some current network sitcoms may include romance, but there isn’t much in the way of good-natured sexual teasing.      

   

Romantic sex comedies at the multiplexes have been pushed aside in favor of loud, splashy spectacles featuring buff superheroes and explosive action. Regarding the modern blockbuster, film writer R.S. Benedict noted “Everyone is beautiful and yet, no one is horny.” I used to enjoy films like those when they weren’t so commonplace, and seeing one on a big screen with surround sound was a major event. That was a special experience you couldn’t get at home.

 

Luckily for everyone, romance and sex are alive and well in books, including those written by the talented contributors to this blog. E-book and audio book sales continue to increase every year. A recent study noted that divorce was down 22%. Perhaps those couples read our books or watched a few romantic comedies and took notes.

Tim Smith is an award-winning, bestselling author of romantic mystery/thrillers and contemporary erotic romance. His website is Tim Smith-AllAuthor.