The most up-to-date study of the Hollywood romantic comedy film, from the development of sound to the twenty-first century, this book examines the history and conventions of the genre and surveys the controversies arising from the critical responses to these films. * Provides a detailed interpretation of important romantic comedy films from as early as 1932 to movies made in the twenty-first century * Presents a full analysis of the range of romantic comedy conventions, including dramatic conflicts, characters, plots, settings, and the function of humor * Develops a survey of romantic comedy movies and builds a canon of key films from Hollywood's classical era right up to the present day * Chapters work as discrete studies as well as within the larger context of the book