“Slightly Overlooked Professionally”: Popular Music in Postmillennial Romantic Comedies Dissertation Presented in Partial F
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“Slightly Overlooked Professionally”: Popular Music in Postmillennial Romantic Comedies Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By Elizabeth Kirkendoll, MM Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2018 Dissertation Committee: Danielle Fosler-Lussier, Adviser Arved Ashby, Co-Adviser Sean O’Sullivan Daniel Goldmark Copyright by Elizabeth Kirkendoll 2018 Abstract In recent years film scholars has turned their attention to the cinematic conventions of romantic comedies. Tamar Jeffers McDonald, Deborah Jermyn, and Stacey Abbott have advocated for the scholarly merits of the genre; these scholars posit that through romantic comedies, we can trace developments in women’s rights and feminist critiques of hegemonic masculinity. Scholars have recently focused attention on popular music in film, as well, and argued for its inclusion in serious musical study in works such as The Sounds of Commerce: Marketing Popular Film Music (Jeff Smith, 1998), Soundtrack Available: Essays on Film and Popular Music (ed. Pamela Robertson Wojcik and Arthur Knight, 2001), and Pop Fiction: The Song in Cinema (ed. Steve Lannin and Matthew Caley, 2005), among others. Nonetheless, romantic comedies are largely missing from the discourse about popular music, possibly because of the common assumption that the genre’s conventions hold no merit as a subject for academic investigation. Based on information gathered from romantic comedy audiences this dissertation makes the case that postmillennial romantic comedies deploy popular song conventions to underscore character development, create irony, and question the validity of the happy ending. Thus, rather than conveying superficial messages of romance, songs in postmillennial romantic comedies destabilize a postfeminist ideology that asserts the achievement of gender equality. As they are deployed in the films, these songs are not a simple marketing ploy or entertainment intended for a mindless audience; rather they convey an argument for female autonomy and the continued need for feminist discourse. Films discussed in this dissertation include Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Love Actually (2003), Trainwreck (2015), and Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016), among others. i Dedicated to Nick and Izzy ii Acknowledgments I thank my adviser, Dr. Fosler-Lussier, for her guidance throughout my time at the Ohio State University and especially during the dissertation process. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Ashby, Dr. O’Sullivan, and Dr. Goldmark, for their willingness to contribute to my project and for their valuable feedback. Thank you to my cohort for their support and feedback. Thanks also to the music librarians at the Ohio State University and the Interlibrary Loan staff for their willingness to help me find resources. Thank you to my family, the Barnabys, and the Baxters for their emotional support and constant encouragement. Finally, thank you to Nick and Izzy for their willingness to support me on this journey. iii Vita 2009 ………………………………............... Keller High School 2013 ………………………………............... B.M. Oboe Performance, Texas Christian University 2015 ………………………………………… M.M. Musicology, Texas Christian University 2015 to present ……………………………… Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Musicology, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Music iv Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Vita ..................................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vii Introduction: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”: Considering Popular Music in Romantic Comedies .................... 1 Chapter 1: “All by Myself”: Establishing Postmillennial Conventions Through Song.... 36 Chapter 2: Film Case-Studies: Love Actually (2003), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), and Sweet Home Alabama (2002)............................................................................................ 60 Chapter 3: “Do My Thang”: Expanding Conventional Boundaries Through Popular Song ......................................................................................................................................... 110 Chapter 4: “Who Doesn’t Love a Happy Ending?” Conversations with Romantic Comedy Conventions .................................................................................................................... 172 Appendix A: IRB Materials ............................................................................................ 213 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 217 v List of Tables Table 1. Romantic Comedy Cycles and Conventions ........................................................ 6 Table 2. “Both Sides Now” Scene Analysis ..................................................................... 64 Table 3. “Re-Ignite” Scene Analysis .............................................................................. 160 Table 4. “Still Falling for You” Scene Analysis ............................................................. 167 vi List of Figures Figure 1. Deadpool advertisement .................................................................................. 190 Figure 2. Still from Can't Buy Me Love (1987) .............................................................. 201 Figure 3. Still from “Tweek X Craig” (2015) ................................................................. 201 vii Introduction: “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”: Considering Popular Music in Romantic Comedies It’s the week after the release of Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016), and a friend insists that I see the film with her. We’ll make it a “girl’s night,” she says, and even though I’ve already seen the film, I agree. We decide on one of the dine-in theaters in downtown Columbus. We’re sipping our margaritas and deciding on appetizers when two women sit in front of us. Within a few minutes they turn to us and are making small talk— “What size margarita is that? How’s the food?” We all quiet down as the previews end and the production titles appear on screen. As the Miramax production title gives way to that of Working Title Films, music begins: “All by Myself” (Jamie O’Neal, 2000). As if on cue, one of the women in front of me whispers “Yes!” to the woman on her left. “Working Title” changes to Bridget’s journal: “9th May/Birthday. 0h [sic] Christ!” The camera pans to Bridget, dressed in her iconic red pajamas, sitting on her couch, and staring at a cupcake with a solitary candle. As Bridget picks up the cupcake and mumble-sings “Happy Birthday,” her voiceover begins: “How in the hell did I end up here again?” Suddenly Bridget sets down the cupcake, exclaims “Oh, fuck off!” and changes the song to “Jump Around” (House of Pain, 1992). Holding her glass of wine, Bridget proceeds to lip-sync and jump around her apartment. I’m once again pulled out of my immersion in the film as the woman in front of me dances in her seat, only stopping when the scene ends. During the end credits, I talked to the woman about her impression of the music in the film. She said, “I felt like this movie really used a lot of songs from the first film, which made me remember how much I liked it. So, even though I don’t think this 1 film is as good, I liked how it made me feel.” When asked if the film gave her a sense of nostalgia for the first film, she agreed: “Yeah, definitely.” Bridget Jones’s Baby is the third film in the Bridget Jones series and is set fifteen years after the release of the first film (Bridget Jones’s Diary); thus, by recalling the first film and conveying a passage of time, this opening scene evokes nostalgia. In the third film, the re-creation of the mise en scène of Bridget’s living room from the first film (re)immerses the viewer into Bridget’s world, asking the viewer to recall the characters and their quirks, and the viewer’s knowledge of Bridget’s past relationships. Nonetheless, it was not the mise en scène that elicited a reaction from the women in front of me—it was the music. The woman’s exclamation was prompted during the production title—before Bridget was even on screen—when she heard the opening of “All by Myself,” the song inextricably linked to the image of Bridget alone in her apartment, drinking an entire bottle of wine and wallowing in her misery. This image of Bridget is recalled in the audience’s mind’s eye as the music begins, and the subsequent mise en scène merely reinforces this idea. At the moment when Bridget changes the music and dances rather than sulks, though, our expectations of Bridget “all by herself” are upended. We are introduced to a new, confident Bridget. Bridget’s assertive nature, refusal of misery, and sexual freedom throughout the film contradict our expectations not only of the character but also of romantic comedy heroines and the representation of older women in film. These contradictions beg the question: who is Bridget telling off in this opening scene? The