It's hard to remember, but there was a time when romantic comedies weren't viewed with the same contempt as torture porn and Adam Sandler. This is a genre that saw the likes of Preston Struges, Billy Wilder and Woody Allen create some of the most iconic films Hollywood history; now it's a genre overrun by Dennis Dugans and Robert Luketics, filmmakers seemingly content to stomp on whatever happy, "boy meets girl" memories you might have. If the Hollywood machine has got you down in this lead-up to Valentine's Day, there is some hope: Resist buying a ticket for No Strings Attached (or, shiver, Just Go With It) and search out Luke Matheny's God of Love instead.
Matheny wrote, directed and stars in God of Love as Ray, a lovelorn lounge singer who pines for his female drummer, until one day he receives a mysterious package of magical, Cupid-like love darts -- which is convenient since Ray is also an expert at playing darts. Over the course of the whimsical short, relationships are formed and lost, hidden love is revealed, and Ray has a realization about relationships that would make Alvy Singer proud. It's no wonder God of Love was among the five films nominated for Best Live-Action Short by the Academy Awards this year.
God of Love feels at once both wholly original and totally familiar -- the type of romantic comedy that makes you yearn for the romantic comedies of yesterday -- but Matheny isn't all that convinced of his expert needle-threading. "It's kind of you to call the film wholly original," he said in an interview with Movieline. "From my perspective, it feels like I ripped off a ton of stuff -- from Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Woody Allen. Even the line, 'Dear God, whose name I do not know,' I stole from Joe Versus the Volcano. I guess the trick is to borrow so liberally, shamelessly and broadly that the end result becomes something new."
The self-deprecation aside, Matheny said he spent "two years on and off" working on the script for the film, which tackles the knotted theme of romance in a very concise period of time. "I prefer [the short length]," he said. "It means that the story moves quickly and the audience has to pay attention. I'm sure there's a way to do a slow-paced, languorous comedy, but I don't know how."
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, God of Love feels like the type of film that can restore your faith in the once-vibrant genre. In case you don't have time to search it out this weekend -- Love is out in select theaters as part of Shorts International's presentation of all 15 Oscar-nominated shorts; the film package is also available on demand -- Matheny was kind enough to offer Movieline four under the radar Hollywood romances that you'd be wise to watch -- for the first time or again -- in the coming days.
[Director's Note: Don't watch any of these unless you've already seen Casablanca, It Happened One Night, The Apartment, Philadelphia Story, Moonstruck, English Patient, Charade, Annie Hall, Broadcast News, Brokeback Mountain, Roxanne, When Harry Met Sally... or Teen Wolf.]
Joe vs the Volcano
Luke says: "I always seem to be defending my love for this movie, but I don't care; I think it's amazing. It's funny, sweet, romantic, strange and completely unpredictable. Tom Hanks is perfect. Meg Ryan is perfect three times in three different roles. And the screenplay from John Patrick Shanley has dialogue that is utterly unlike anything else in movies."
Paris Blues
Luke says: "This is only available on VHS, I think. And Turner Classic Movies only plays it very rarely, but look out for it. Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier are expat jazz musicians in Paris, where they meet and fall for U.S. tourists played by Joanne Woodward and Diahann Carroll respectively. Lots of great chemistry between the two couples and good bromance chemistry between Newman and Poitier. The movie has some nice French New Wave-ish touches in its style, and Louis Armstrong is great as a Louis Armstrong-ish trumpet legend named Wild Man Moore. It also features a great jazz score from Duke Ellington.
Miracle of Morgan's Creek
Luke says: "This is a great madcap comedy from Preston Sturges about a small-town banker (Eddie Bracken) who does everything he can to get his beloved Trudy (Betty Hutton) out of a jam when she has a little too much fun with a bunch of G.I.'s on leave. This is the best romantic-comedy couple ever, and Bracken is, for my money, a criminally overlooked comic genius."
The Bodyguard
Luke says: "By the time this movie came out, Whitney Huston had been so omnipresent for so long that I barely noticed her, and completely took her for granted. I rediscovered the movie a few years ago, and it turns out that she actually is amazing. Her diva thing works well with Kevin Costner's introversion, and they get to fall in love against the backdrop of a pretty compelling -- if familiar -- thriller plot. This movie is the No. 1 guilty pleasure for me and my girlfriend. I recommend re-enacting the bizarre samurai-sword scene with someone you love.
Luke Matheny is the Oscar nominated director of God of Love. He's currently working on a feature film comedy script called Ron Quixote.