The secret life of romantic comedy offers a fresh approach to one of the most popular Hollywood genres in recent years and analyses the cultural impact of generic conventions in the construction of issues of intimacy and sexuality.

List of illustrationsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. The theory of romantic comedyRomantic comedy and laughterHappy endings, forgotten middles and the ideology of romantic comedyThe space of romantic comedyThe Sydney issueGenres and films2. Comic negotiationsI. Laughter, love and World War II: *To be or not to be*Love and the invasion of PolandA table for three: the love triangleLubitsch meets screwball royaltyThat great, great Polish actorPerforming love, performing warII. Romantic comedy in no man's land: Kiss me, stupidRomantic comedy in the 1950sSatire and comedyMoral standards and character identificationClimaxing in ClimaxBang, bangComic combinations3. Romantic comedy on the dark sideI. The other thrills of *Rear window*Look at meSociety callingIt started with a kissThe neverending storyII. The space of comedy and beyond: *Crimes and misdemeanors*Love, faith and the comic spaceInside the Statue of Liberty or love in the time of choleraSplitting genresThe fisher king and the future generations4. Contemporary romantic comedy and the discourse of independenceLove in real time: *Before sunset*The realities of loveWalking and talkingSex and the cityBibliographyIndex