As someone I can't remember once said, "90% of everything is shit." But there are wildly varying degrees of quality in everything, and I wouldn't lump ALL reality TV and ALL romantic comedies together in a shitpile. Some of the best movies ever made are romantic comedies, and some of the most compelling television comes from reality shows. I like to watch things that are good, and I don't think quality is decided by genre.
This sums it up for me, as well.
I think, when most people consider the romcom, they're thinking of any of a thousand super-sugary, unrealistic fantasies whose creative qualities are lacking (to say the least). They're formulaic and pandering, neither memorable nor relatable.
Films like
The Ugly Truth and
No Strings Attached would fall under this category. I really,
really fail to understand how anyone might find them to be a worthwhile use of their time.
However, some of my favorite films might be labeled "romantic comedies," depending on whom you talk to. Woody Allen comes to mind;
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is one of my favorite films of all time, and will likely remain so. It contains romance, and some comedic elements, but it's still mostly asymptomatic of the fluffy romcom genre. It's a film about people and the complexities of relationships, or as Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) states early on: "It's about...why love is so hard to define." It feels more like an existential observation, one that simply refrains from getting too heavy. It seems that others have struggled to define its flavor, so they apply "romantic comedy" and leave it at that.
Another film that carries a similar tone, for me: Sofia Coppola's
Lost in Translation. A little bit of romance, several amusing moments - but the overall taste in my mouth is, again, existential and probing, not at all what comes to mind when "romantic comedy" is thrown on the table. I love this film very much, and while I personally don't think of it as a romantic comedy...one could probably make a case for it.
Likewise, when I think of reality television, my initial reaction is not a positive one. Immediately, my mind goes to very dark places, indeed -
Dancing with the Stars,
The Voice,
American Idol,
Undercover Boss,
Keeping Up with the Kardashians, etc. With a laundry list of atrocities like these, it's no wonder that I almost never watch TV.
But already, I've gotta stop myself, because there's a prime time reality show that I'm guilty of occasionally following:
The Amazing Race. In fact, I watched the most recent season in its entirety. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but it's not the worst thing, either. And, hey, my preferred team won, so that was cool.
Hockey, FTW.
Then you've got the gamut of reality shows concerning, seemingly, every hobby and profession imaginable. While I have a little more respect for shows like
Storage Wars and
Pawn Stars (as compared to the aforementioned celebrities in sequins, dancing in unison for a
trophy because charity's apparently too much to ask for), I find these topics dry and ultimately, I really just have better things to do with my day. Actually, pretty much anything else is more stimulating to me than watching some redneck inquire about the value of his grandmother's antique collection of dried beetle carcasses, or whatever the hell.
Still, I have my interests and I therefore have my exceptions. I like
Man vs. Wild. I like
Storm Chasers.
cry: Rest in peace, Tim and Paul Samaras, and Mr. Young.) One of my favorite shows ever is
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. (I was so bummed when it was wrapping up, but fortunately we now have
Parts Unknown.) I'm watching a
No Reservations episode as I type this. And now I really want to visit Dubai. That skyline with the Burj Khalifa just blew my mind!
Regarding the trashy variety, I suspect a large portion of the target demographic includes people who like to watch it because they love to hate the people involved, or they compare it to watching a trainwreck. Most of the people I've talked to who has admitted to watching something like that has always given that kind of response.
I believe this is absolutely true for most viewers, although I can't imagine how dull or disappointing one's circumstances would have to be in order to take solace in others' drama. Seems like ego reassurance, or something - "At least I'm not as ridiculous as that bitch on
Bridezillas!" I think people watch
Dr. Phil for the same reasons.
I can't relate. If I hate something, I don't want to watch it. It bums me out that this is what society's come to, makes me hate the human race. I'd much rather watch and look at things that make me excited and happy for the diversity and creativity in our world.
Some surface level of me wants to say reality TV is the epitome of what the old folks warned us to stay away from, regarding television. But I watch cartoons. How much better are cartoons? The same surface level of me says much, much better. But I wonder.
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but I'll throw
Family Guy under the bus, too. There are talented people involved in the show's production, so why is it so formulaic, predictable, and overdone? It's post-post-modernism, the byproduct of a culture forced through its own recycling plant. Honestly, it gets my juices flowing about as well as those antique dried beetle carcasses do, and when I see every joke before it happens, I'm just out. I'm over it. Fuck you,
Family Guy.
I'll head back over to NBC Sports Network and watch hockey while I do my thing at the gym, thanks.