I have never been a great fan of Romcoms. Maybe when I see the leads on screen, I know that is not me. When I saw Four Weddings and a Funeral, it was not even a life in Britain I could even recognise.
However writers Mark Kermode and Kim Newman have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the movies. Kermode guides you to the essential ingredients of what makes a good romcom; how they emerged from the musicals of the 1930s.
Kermode looks at the modern classics such as Pretty Woman, When Harry met Sally and Four Weddings, even though the movies try to subvert the conventions of romcoms to some extent.
Kermode broadens his horizon, he looks at Bollywood where characters still break out in song and dance numbers. Then there are darker rom coms, the David Cronenberg remake of The Fly or the Japanese film, Audition which subverts the genre for something more sinister.
One of the reasons I liked this episode is Kermode is always highlighting something interesting or offbeat. Such as the way he focuses on images in a film like Punch Drunk Love and then it neatly segues into Superman the Movie.
Nick Freand Jones is the Executive Producer of the series, many years ago he was heavily involved in Moviedrome.
