MUNCIE, Ind.-American romantic comedies are becoming increasingly serious, reflecting the country's shift to more conservative values, says a Ball State University researcher.   

In researching his 17th book, "Romantic vs. Screwball Comedy," telecommunications professor Wes Gehring found that romance on the silver screen is no longer light hearted.

Instead, moviegoers prefer to watch more serious issues at the movies-even in their comedies, he said.

"We are in very conservative times and the movies reflect that," Gehring said. "Dating rituals have changed. Views on marriage have changed. People are getting very serious about their lives.

"Romantic comedies have incorporated intense issues such as a person losing a spouse and then looking for love as was found in 'Sleepless in Seattle,'" he said. "The love lives of people with special needs was examined in 'Benny and June.' These are topics we didn't see until the last 10 to 20 years."

Gehring said the events of Sept. 11, 2001 and rumblings of war in the Middle East have young adults looking for more meaningful relationships. Filmmakers are attempting to tap into that market by producing romantic comedies with serious tones.

Gehring's 222-page book, which was released last December, provides a detailed historical review of two types of comedies - romantic and screwball.

"Critics and historians use the two interchangeably, but while they are related, they are very different genres," he said. "Romantic comedies are light-hearted stories filled with serious tones about love. Screwball movies parody romantic comedy."

Comedy films were first popularized during the Great Depression when the nation needed to forget the horrific times, Gehring said.

Other main differences between the two genres include:

• Screwball comedies create an "almost anything goes" atmosphere while the romantic comedy resembles a board game with the characters using strategy to find love.
• Romantic comedies have flaky supporting characters while screwball movies are filled with unbelievable eccentrics.
• In the dating ritual, a screwball comedy might have a zany heroine who finds herself in a triangle with a sought-after male and his life-smothering fiancé. A romantic comedy is more traditional and realistic.
• In comparing the plot pacing, a screwball comedy escalates as it comes to a close while the romantic counterpart slows to turtle's pace.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Gehring at wesgehring@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1495.)