Cuteness is perhaps most commonly seen, in the world of film and television, as something to be grown out of. The sickly sweet ending is akin to picking your nose and overtly sentimental dialogue to using a sippy cup. There seemed to be a brief moment, though, when all this was starting to change. The early years of this decade saw Wes Anderson at the height of his powers, Amelie at near Pulp Fiction levels in college dorm rooms, not to mention the near rabid fanbase of "Gilmore Girls." So what happened? Amelie's reputation has never been lower, Wes Anderson's films (while still well-respected) have been making less and less money at the box office, and shows like "Wonderfalls" and "Pushing Daisies" can't bring in any viewers.
I find the trend troubling. I know that romantic comedies aren't going anywhere, they are as endurable as the medium itself but it's their lack of quality that is disappointing. Amelie and Science of Sleep hinted at the possibility that quality directors could be enticed to wade in, that the great films of the genre were not necessarily behind us. The greatest romantic comedies all seemingly came in the 30's (It Happened One Night, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, and Trouble in Paradise all make compelling arguments for greatness). I sort of half hoped that the recent recession, called the worst since the Great Depression, could also bring about a Renaissance for romantic comedy (and its sub-genre screwball comedy). Despite there not being a time in recent history when Americans could use a heartwarming tale more, this appears to have been a false hope.
I'm over-simplifying a bit here. Obviously screwball comedy is not exactly romantic comedy and neither are the films and TV shows I cited at the beginning of this entry (to those I could add many Tim Burton films, some Coen Brothers like O Brother Where Art Though?, Leatherheads, and maybe even Titanic). Rather, both screwball and the "cute" films I've been bandying about are something related. They play on conventions to sometimes startling effect, and sometimes none at all. Why I bring up romantic comedy is because I see screwball as the savior of the genre in the 30's and 40's and I had hoped that the "cute" genre could save it now. Think about it, a genre where sentimentality is so important and central that it can't help but make us introspect about its falseness. The sub-textual implications are enough to get me very excited. So what happened?
Perhaps I can chalk it up to the influence of advertising. Cuteness has so pervaded advertising recently that it can't help but drive it off the screen; AT&T has perhaps had the most effective commercial in this style, the NYS lottery has fit more cuteness into 30 seconds than I would have thought possible, talking and singing babies are everywhere, and even McDonald's is getting in on the trend with this, admittedly great, commercial in France. Perhaps even more obvious is the influence of youtube. Who needs cute television shows and movies what you can get your fix on youtube anytime you want... and free of meaning to boot. Frankly I'm not sure what confluence of events has led to this turn of events, but blaming commercials and youtube seems the easy way out... so I'll go with that.Speaking of cute, what could possibly be cuter than the premise of two people who are in love but can never touch. Its both so over the top cute as to be a criticism of itself as well as a surprisingly (and visually!) interesting set-up. What I'm referring to is the recent flash-in-a-pan show "Pushing Daises". A veritable collision of interesting ideas, it certainly has to be one of the best short lived shows of the last few years. The plot revolves around a Pie maker who wakes up his one true love from the dead and must navigate the murky relationship waters without ever being able to touch her. The fact that built into the romance-centric cutefest is a detective story that takes its cues from things like Chinatown and Vertigo makes it doubly interesting. Not to mention that it's a knowing wink at an audience (detectives are essentially a surrogate voyeuristic audience) that should be (but probably isn't) examining their reaction to the sugary plotting, imagery, and characters. The show is certainly a cross between the fantasy and romantic comedy genres (pretty common among the work I've been talking about) and its central fantasy conceit is that the main character can wake up the dead with a touch ("alive again") and then kill them again with a second touch. It sounds both ridiculous and promising and the show pretty much lives up to both.
Essential Episodes:
Pie-lette (Season 1 Episode 1)
The show starts off incredibly strongly. We have all the hallmarks of this short-lived genre: kooky characters, off-beat plots, and snappy dialogue. All written nearly to perfection. Perhaps most important to the genre though is how it treats romance. Romantic comedies have long dealt with the possibility of romance but it's usually through some sort of battle between the cynic and the romantic (often within just one person). This show, and others of the "cute" genre, accept romance as a given right from the get-go. The drama is in the execution. We need a roadblock, something that means our beloved characters have to appreciate their love. In this case its the fact that they can never touch.
Dummy (Season 1 Episode 2)
The second episode is where we get the first of the typical plot. Our characters are faced with a mystery to solve, one which will, in the end, strengthen all their relationships bit by bit. In this one a top scientist at a car company which manufactures cars powered by dandelions (cute right?) is murdered. The episode is a bit too focused on its 'theme' of secrets but manages to still provide those moments of bliss that the show has already made us expect.
Bitches (Season 1 Episode 6)
A polygamist is killed by one of his wives and our heroes have to discover which one. This is one of the more eventful episodes. Lots happens to our characters... issues are worked out and some new ones get thrown in. Ultimately this is the prototype for where the show was heading. I imagine that the writers, when finished with this episode, thought how this is exactly what they were striving for with middle of the season episodes.
Bitter Sweets (Season 1 Episode 8)
When a candy shop moves in across the street, Ned and Chuck (the main characters) are forced into a competition. Things take an unusual turn when Ned is accused of the murder and his name has to be cleared. The sub-plots of this episode are particularly good. Everything is strongly woven together and ultimately leads to some interesting revelations at the end. Although not the last episode of the season, it is more important than the season finale (episode 9).
Bzzzzzzzzz! (Season 2 Episode 1)
As a result of the writers strike, the first season was considerably cut short and much of the show's audience was lost. It only made it six episodes into season two before cancellation (although 13 season 2 episodes were produced) and I wish that I could blame the network but there was a definite decline in quality in season 2. It simply became directionless. This would be the last great episode that was produced.
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