Unit B321 - Comparative Analysis

1. 1
Unit
B321:
Foundation
Portfolio
–
Comparative
Analysis
Topic
two
–
Film
Genre’s
–
“Romantic-­‐Comedy”
Genre
Compare
the
representation
of
gender
in
the
romantic
comedy
genre
with
reference
to
‘Knocked
Up’
and
‘Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall’.
The
generic
and
typical
romantic
comedies
‘Knocked
Up’
(2007
–
Judd
Apatow)
and
‘Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall’
(2008
–
Nicholas
Stoller)
obey
the
rules
of
rom-­‐com
conventions
and
display
two
instances
where
the
female
in
the
relationship
is
‘’superior
in
terms
of
looks,
prospects
and
everything
else’’(Gauntlett
-­‐
2008)
to
the
man.
‘Knocked
Up’
presents
a
‘’hedonistic,
carefree’’
(Mortimer
-­‐
2010)
male,
Ben
(Seth
Rogan)
in
juxtaposition
to
a
hardworking
woman,
Alison
(Katherine
Heigl),
who
has
‘’the
challenge
of
dealing
with
men
like
this’’(Gauntlett
-­‐
2008)
after
getting
pregnant
with
his
child.
Similarly,
‘Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall’
compares
to
the
audience
a
lazy
‘’new
man’’
(Corrigan
-­‐
2012)
in
the
form
of
Peter
(Jason
Segal)
with
Sarah
(Kristen
Bell),
who
is
of
a
higher
standing
in
society
and
breaks
up
with
him,
thus
leaving
him
comically
emasculated.
This
Comparative
analysis
will
focus
on
how
these
two
contemporary
rom-­‐com
texts
represent
both
the
male
and
female
gender
to
the
audience,
and
the
similarities
and
differences
between
the
ways
the
texts
do
this.
In
comparing
similarities
within
these
texts,
both
males
are
presented
as
being
examples
of
the
‘’new
man’’
that
exists
in
society.
First
of
all,
there
is
a
clear
connotation
of
Ben’s
‘’hedonistic,
carefree’’
lifestyle
when
the
audience
sees
the
non-­‐
verbal
code
of
Ben
lying
in
bed,
uncaring
of
the
fact
that
his
bottom
is
exposed,
and
too
lazy
to
get
out
of
bed
as
Alison
attempts
to
wake
him.
This
is
similar
to
the
introduction
scene
of
‘Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall’
where
Peter
eats
an
un-­‐necessarily
large
portion
of
cereal
(see
image
left),
which
connotes
his
laziness
that
he
can’t
even
make
several
journeys
for
more
cereal.
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2. 2
The
next
sign
of
Ben’s
lazy
lifestyle
is
when
he
is
in
the
restaurant
and
he
explains
how
he
doesn’t
pay
taxes
and
just
scrimps
off
money
from
the
Canadian
government,
signifying
that
Alison
has
‘’the
challenge
of
dealing
with
men
like
this’’,
especially
as
she
then
explains
that
she
is
in
fact
pregnant.
Later
when
the
Doctor
reveals
pregnancy,
the
burden
of
the
unfamiliar
responsibility
renders
Ben
speechless.
‘’Caregivers’
(Maslow)
could
feel
sympathy
for
these
characters
who
aren’t
in
very
good
situation
of
their
lives,
or,
as
the
movie
intended,
they
would
feel
repelled,
put
off
or
disgusted
by
the
way
these
males
live
their
lives
and
can
clearly
see
the
juxtaposition
between
them
and
the
females.
The
non-­‐verbal
code
of
Ben
attempting
to
reassure
Alison
with
a
patronizing
pat
on
the
back
connotes
his
incapability
and
lack
of
dominance
within
the
relationship,
and
the
end
of
his
‘’hedonistic,
carefree’’
lifestyle.
The
previous
scene
(see
image
below)
provides
an
enigma
clue
(Roland
Barthes)
to
how
the
non-­‐
verbal
code
of
his
black
shirt
acts
as
a
deathly
’signifier’
to
this.
Both
male
protagonists
(or
indeed
antagonists
dependent
on
the
make-­‐up
of
the
audience)
indicate
a
level
of
misogyny,
for
example
when
Peter
demands
to
know
why
Sarah
cheated
on
him,
and
when
Ben
when
accuses
Alison
of
sleeping
with
random
men
on
a
weekly
basis
through
the
antagonistic
question
“and
I’m
the
Father?”
in
an
aggressive
tone
of
voice.
Both
of
these
connote
that
the
men
and
women
are
engaged
in
a
debate,
a
‘’battle
of
the
sexes’’
(Mortimer
-­‐
2010)
and
present
to
the
audience
a
part
of
the
‘disequilibrium’
(Todorov)
for
the
relationships
of
the
characters
within
each
of
the
texts,
as
the
technical
code
of
the
low
angle
shot
from
Sarah
to
Peter
at
the
confrontation
connotes
he
feels
dominant,
and
feels
misogyny
towards
Sarah
(see
image
left).
The
non-­‐verbal
code
of
Ben’s
angry
facial
expression
during
his
argument
with
Alison
connotes
his
clear
disliking
and
misogyny
towards
her,
especially
when
she
reveals
her
pregnancy
and
he
replies
“with
emotion?”
presenting
him
as
dim-­‐
witted
compared
to
Alison,
which
could
be
subtle
reference
to
the
role
men
now
play
in
relationships
from
a
female
perspective.
Ben’s
puzzled
expression
in
response
to
the
pregnancy
news
can
easily
be
compared
to
Peter’s
confused
yet
defeated
face
as
he
looses
the
argument
against
Sarah,
presenting
the
males
as
dimwitted,
again
presenting
females
as
the
superior
sex,
continuing
to
conform
to
David
Gauntlett’s
theory
that
females
are
presented
as
“superior
in
terms
of
looks,
prospects
and
everything
else’’
and
obeying
the
general
rom-­‐com
rules
and
conventions,
making
for
generic
scenes
but
keeping
audiences
watching
by
using
“instances
of
repetition
and
difference”(Steve
Neale)
-­‐
the
similarity
being
the
characteristics
and
personalities
of
the
male
protagonists,
the
difference
being
the
character’s
circumstance
within
each.

3. 3
Ben
and
Peter
are
both
presented
as
fairly
comical
characters,
with
the
“laughter
generated”(Mortimer
-­‐
2010)
often
coming
from
their
“new
man”(Corrigan
-­‐
2012)
personalities
and
the
“emotional
role
reversal”(Morency
-­‐
2010)
that
the
viewers
see
in
each
rom-­‐com
text.
Ben’s
lazy
lifestyle
and
dim-­‐witted
projections
for
future
living
create
humorous
scenes
for
the
audience
at
his
“carefree,
hedonistic”
lifestyle.
Peter
is
also
a
humorous
character,
as
the
audience
can
see
in
the
post
break
up
the
non-­‐verbal
code
of
“suffering
and
tears”
(Jeffers
McDonald
-­‐
2007)
over
the
loss
of
Sarah,
crying
to
the
verbal
code
of
a
sentimental
and
melancholic
song
“Nothing
Compares
to
you”
–
Sinead
O’Connor
and
burning,
as
expressed
through
the
diegetic
and
emotional
verbal
code
“everything
that
reminds
me
of
her”
(see
image
right)
forging
an
anti-­‐stereotype
to
the
idea
of
the
sensitive
female,
causing
laughter
amongst
the
audience
towards
this
feeble
man,
however
this
could
provoke
feelings
of
sympathy
from
the
audience
of
‘’caregivers’’(Maslow),
in
particular
men
who
can
‘personally
identify’
(Katz)
with
what
he
is
going
through.
The
female
gender
also
present
similar
stereotypical
traits
that
are
expected
to
be
visible
in
the
rom-­‐
com
genre,
for
example,
both
female
protagonists
are
presented
in
comparison
to
the
male
protagonists
as
‘’superior
in
terms
of
terms
of
looks,
prospects
and
everything
else’’.
The
differences
between
male
and
female
gender
roles
are
put
into
perspective
in
certain
scenes
within
both
texts,
like
the
restaurant
scene
from
‘Knocked
Up’
where
the
verbal
diegetic
code
of
a
full
scale
argument
connotes
the
idea
of
romantic
comedies
including
an
element
of
‘’battle
of
the
sexes’’,
which
creates
a
misogynistic
mood
for
both
of
the
male
characters
and
audience
within
the
romantic
comedy
texts.
The
females
in
these
rom-­‐coms
are,
rather
stereotypically,
represented
as
‘’princesses’’(Propp),
although
they
are
different
as
one
chooses
to
leave
a
relationship
to
create
the
disequilibrium,
while
one
is
forced
into
one
by
the
disequilibrium
(Pregnancy).
Also,
Sarah
is
sometimes
portrayed
as
the
‘villain’
(Propp),
but
Alison
is
still
the
‘’princess’’.
The
audience
see
their
princess
nature
by
their
jobs,
on
TV,
where
they
are
both
objectified
for
the
male
audience
with
their
blond
looks,
especially
Sarah
Marshall
who
is
in
the
introduction
is
(diegetic
sound)
described
as
a
‘’sexy
crime
fighter’’,
connoting
that
the
media
objectifies
her
as
simply
nothing
more
than
“sexy”.
This
objectification
is
an
attempt
to
appeal
to
the
male
audience
and
hopefully
create
a
satisfactory
‘diversion’
(Katz)
for
them.
Both
have
the
‘’challenge
of
dealing
with
men
like
this”(Gauntlett)
as
Alison’s
disgusted
facial
expressions
and
‘’suffering
and
tears’’(Jeffers-­‐McDonald
2007)
at
the
news
of
the
babies
impending
arrival
clearly
connote
she
does
not
want
to
have
to
deal
with
Ben,
as
does
the
distance
each
stand
apart
and
the
non-­‐verbal
code
of
Ben
(see
image
left)
who
is
left
shocked
and
bewildered
by
what
has
just
occurred.
Similarly,
the
difficulty
and
challenge
Sarah
experiences
when
trying
to
break
up
with
Peter
connotes
the
challenge
she
faces
and
that
she
doesn’t
want
to
have
to
deal
with
him
anymore.
Alison
is
forced
into
the
relationship
with
Ben
as
she
has
no
choice
but
to
be
with
the
man
who
will
be
the
father
to
her
child,
yet
Sarah
decides
herself
that
she
wants
to
leave
Peter,
from
what
was
once
a
loving
relationship.
This
affects
the
empathizing
audience
especially
the
female
audience
(Hartley)
as
they
may
relate
to
having
to
deal
with
men
like
this,
so
can
also
help
forge
a
‘personal
relationship’
(Katz)
with
the
females
of
the
text.

4. 4
Although
Alison
argues,
she
is
never
presented
as
‘villainous’,
however
Sarah
is,
as
she
caused
the
text’s
‘disequilibrium’
and
denotes
some
disregard
for
Peter’s
feelings,
a
clear
difference
between
the
two
different
female
protagonists.
The
‘’suffering
and
tears’’(Jeffers
McDonald)
Alison
experiences,
unlike
Sarah,
will
cause
the
‘caregivers’
to
feel
sympathy
for
her
and
the
relationship
she
will
now
embark
on
with
this
‘far
form
typical
rom-­‐com
hero’
(Mortimer
–
2010).
However,
the
’’suffering’’
Sarah
causes
Peter
may
cause
the
female
audience
to
dislike
her,
and
Sarah
Marshall’s
looks
are
to
be
objectified
to
the
male
audience
and
will
therefore
appeal
to
them.
They
audience
will
feel
most
empathy
during
the
scene
where
the
doctor
reveals
pregnancy,
and
also
may
desire
to
see
some
form
of
‘re-­‐marriage’
(Cavell
–
1981)
and
resolution
to
the
tough
times
they
are
no
doubt
about
to
embark
on,
in
particular
Alison.
Similarly
to
Alison,
in
‘Forgetting
Sarah
Marshall’
the
viewers
see
how
Sarah
is
superior
to
Peter
when
she
explains
why
she
cheated
on
him.
The
audience
see
him
at
first
in
control
of
the
confrontation,
but
then
she
emasculates
him
with
her
opinion,
and
this
emasculation
is
connoted
by
the
non-­‐verbal
code
of
his
guilty
body
language,
and
the
technical
code
of
the
camera
angles
from
looking
up
at
Peter
from
Sarah’s
perspective
to
an
over
the
shoulder
shot
from
Sarah
(see
image
right),
which
clearly
present
to
the
audience
the
‘’emotional
role
reversal’’
as
Sarah
assumes
the
position
of
the
dominant
character
in
the
confrontation,
thus
intentionally
establishing
how
the
female
gender
in
moments
of
antagonism
have
the
anti-­‐stereotypical
alpha-­‐female
qualities
to
come
out
on
top.
A
verbal
code
that
represents
her
misandry
towards
Peter
to
intensify
a
shift
in
feelings
the
audience
have
towards
her
–
from
resentment
to
pity
–
is
“it
got
really
hard
taking
care
of
you
when
you
stopped
taking
care
of
yourself”,
which
connotes
that
she
shows
pity
towards
him
yet
is
also
angry
for
the
way
he
was
a
‘new
man’
(Corrigan)
during
their
relationship.
There
is
also
misandry
towards
Ben
in
the
form
of
Alison’s
view
of
him
that
is
made
evident
through
some
of
the
facial
expressions
(see
image
right)
and
things
she
says
in
their
first
encounters,
and
when
revealing
that
she
is
pregnant.
The
question
“Have
you
got
a
real
job?”
asked
in
response
to
Ben
telling
Alison
about
him
and
his
friend’s
bizarre
internet
website
is
an
example
of
the
misandry
Alison
shows
towards
Ben.
This
is
a
very
emasculating
sentence,
but
Alison
shows
that
she
clearly
doesn’t
care
about
Ben’s
reactions
or
feelings
towards
this,
presenting
her
as
showing
misandry
to
Ben.
Add
this
together
with
Ben’s
misogynistic
statements
and
there
is
a
generic
theme
of
‘battle
of
the
sexes’.
(Claire
Mortimer-­‐
2010)
In
conclusion,
having
compared
these
two
media
texts,
some
main
similarities
and
differences
have
been
established
between
the
male
protagonists
of
each
text,
whilst
seeing
some
differences
and
similarities
between
the
representation
of
the
male
and
female
gender.
Each
film
includes
‘’suffering
and
tears”,
yet
both,
true
to
their
name,
include
comedy
and
a
stereotypical
‘’new
man’’
to
laugh
at
and
not
with,
thus
establishing
to
the
audience
two
successful
films
that
provide
‘’mass
entertainment’’(Mortimer-­‐2010),
especially
as
they
are
unsure
whether
their
underdog
status
in
gender
hierarchy
will
ever
change
or
stay
the
same.