Disappearance of the thudding hearts

Where has romance disappeared from movies? Where have all the tender and mushy tales been driven to? Rom-com, meaning Romantic Comedy movie, used to be such a pleasant term, one that would make your heart flutter and bring that smile back on your face. I see it no more! Don't get me wrong. Romance is still there in movies. But it is intertwined with a bigger tale, a scheming story that would not let the lovebirds just be. So there was romance in The Hunger Games, there is always romance in The Twilight series, heck even Batman started seeing someone. But this is not the same. 

Remember Notting Hill. 1999 seems so far off now. A bookshop owner gallops through the busy roads of UK to reach in time to a female movie star who is departing to her homeland, to say that he had been a 'draft prick' and to accept her proposal, while blushing his way to the hearts of many a young women. Or When Harry Met Sally (1989, gosh!). When yet another guy rushed over to meet a girl to tell her how he loved the 'crinkle above her nose'. To tell her that 'when you realise that you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible'. I've only picked out two of my favourites. But there have been plenty of romantic flicks that have done well on the big screen and been a regular appearance on Valentine's Day. The Notebook, Love Actually, French Kiss, and plenty more as you run back the years. Romantic - comedy. Romantic - drama. Any combination. But it was all about the romance. 

But not much nowadays. While there have been romantic flicks releasing in recent years, hardly any with the A-list stars. And hardly any are grossing the big bucks. How many actually topped $100 million at the US box-office? In 2012, there was The Vow, a surprise hit. One that I haven't seen, though it does not come across as a classic. In 2011, it required Adam Sandler of all people to play the romantic hero, a somewhat screwed up one though, in Just Let It Be. In 2010, the aptly titled Valentine's Day grossed decent bucks, along with some poor ratings. The onus of keeping the romance alive might actually have fallen to Tangled, Disney's animated flick of 2010 which probably has spoken more about young loving hearts than anyone else in recent times. And eventually 2009 reveals the kind of romantic movie I am talking of, in the again somewhat surprise-hit The Proposal. Sandra Bullock played the feisty boss who has to fake a marriage to her assistant Ryan Reynolds to avoid deportation. No prizes for guessing that the fake love starts translating into something concrete and after a bit of drama towards the climax, the couple do live happily ever after. 

With superheros coming onto the big screens every few months and action / thriller flicks never having left them, romantic movies starring big stars which would hold presence on the box office still appear more of a thought than reality. Cannot think of any such star-packed rom-com movie for this year. Maybe an unknown one will surprise. Until then it falls onto the romantic movies of the old to keep the young hearts young...