"Genre texts have sometimes been criticised for being predictable and unimaginative". Discuss.
A Neill quotation says that "Genre requires repetition and difference", meaning that for a genre to say popular amongst audiences it needs to both have original elements, such as plot, characters etc. and still have recognition amongst audiences as that certain genre, for example gross-out comedies all should have cringe-worthy and shocking moments that audiences will remember. Another example of why repetition is used is explained in the quote "Genre is a tacit contract", meaning that actors are often recognised with just one genre and rarely ever explore away from that genre, for example Ben Stiller is known for roles in romantic/gross-out comedies and is never seen in straight dramas or horrors for example.
However, there is a problem with trying to invent new genres, especially in this post-modernist time where nothing is deemed original anymore. New or changed genres are generally criticised by both the press and the public, as it isn't the norm and what people are used to and they get very uncomfortable with them. An example of this would be the Danny Boyle rom-com 'A Life Less Ordinary' starring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz. It's billed as a romantic comedy, however it also adds in elements of action and fantasy as well, something not normally seen in a romantic comedy, so people who went to watch the film expecting to see one would be vastly disappointed with it's changes. So this shows how films that try to be unpredictable and imaginative are also criticised.
As mentioned, 'A Life Less Ordinary' is a romantic comedy, a genre which Marshall sums up as "Two people from opposite sides of the track get together". In this way, romantic comedies can become predictable, as we expect that these two will find each other and, by the end of the film, be with each other. But this doesn't make it unimaginative at all. You can portray this quotation in any way you want to, e.g. meet in space, have the same best friend, rivals in a competition, or like in 'A Life Less Ordinary' through a kidnapping. This way it disproves the point made in the question.
As well as this, gross-out comedies have also been criticised. The main key to a gross-out comedy is to 'push the envelope' to new and unpredicatble extremes every time, such as in 'There's Something About Mary' with the 'hair-gel' incident, which is unpredictable because of the use of clever camera angles just after Ben Stiller has 'played pocket pool with himself' and doesn't know where the 'end result' has gone as he looks around, then when he answers the door we eventually see it dripping from his earlobe. However, one could criticise that gross-out comedies that keep trying to push the envelope further all the time aren't really being imaginative and can get prett
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