The 1930s and ‘40s were the golden age of the ‘remarriage comedy’. The Drama and The Invite are their dark progeny
The golden age of the Hollywood remarriage comedy featured pairings such as Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Now, these films are back with a psychological twist.
The 1930s and 1940s marked the golden age of the "remarriage comedy," a genre that has resurfaced in contemporary films like "The Drama" and "The Invite." These films, while set in modern times, draw inspiration from the classic remarriage comedies of Hollywood's golden age. The genre, coined by 20th-century US philosopher Stanley Cavell in 1981, features couples who reunite after a threat of divorce, engaging in witty banter and playful dialogue.
Notable examples include Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant in "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) and Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable in "The Philadelphia Story" (1940). While these earlier films did not delve into psychological subtext, their modern counterparts, "The Drama" and "The Invite," explore the couples' psychological turmoil and their tumultuous attempts to reconcile.
The characters face an overwhelming amount of self-examination and scrutiny, reminiscent of the contemporary obsession with therapy. In these newer films, trust is a scarce commodity, and the characters' honest revelations often lead to destructive consequences. As these films delve deeper into the psychological aspects of relationships, one cannot help but wonder how much pathologizing is excessive and if there is still room for genuine connection and silent companionship in the modern world.
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