"The Rules of the Game" A RomCom even guys can enjoy

More often than not when my girlfriend wants to go out to the movies or stay in and rent one for a quiet night alone to enjoy each other’s company, she usually lobbies for the newest romantic comedy that has come out. You see romantic comedies are the easiest genre of film that is not limited to seasonal release such as the box office action smashes of the summer, or the Oscar bidding dramas that are released in the dead of winter. Romantic comedies are the safest bet for a quick cash in at the box office. To my unfortunate displeasure it seems the RomComs of today seriously lack any creative appeal or worthwhile story capable of keeping me enthralled in what’s going on. RomComs have effectively become the tail end of cinema and maybe falling above the genre of comedy. But then I had the pleasure of sitting in on a film made in 1939 named “The Rules of the Game,” which is in its own right the first romantic comedy delivered to us by acclaimed film director Jean Renoir. The story is fairly simple enough following the quirky and unconventional lifestyle of French aristocrats just prior to the invasion of France by Nazi Germany. A love quadrangle is exposed when a close group of rich friends meet at a French chateau along with their servants. Debauchery runs rampant; chaos brings the chateau to its knees, and hilarity ensues all of which carries the light tone of the theme to a morbid and abrupt ending. But what was most striking to me was the smirk I carried on my face from beginning to end and the awe I was left in while I laid my eyes upon the alluring soft glow which radiated of each of the actors gentle facial features. The noire atmosphere coupled with an engaging and lighthearted screenplay that doesn’t have to try and keep you engaged so much as keep you strapped to your seat while it takes you on a ride. Even compared to the standards of today, "The Rules of the Game" somehow seems to outdo contemporary RomComs through its lighthearted and a carefree approach to the trials and tribulations of the aristocratic lifestyles and relationships of those who lived in pre-WWII France.