I’d Really Like to See…Kristen Wiig in a Romantic Comedy

This originally appeared as part of Zoom In Online's weekly "I'd Really Like to See..." blog series.

It's that time of year again. Love is in the air and Hallmark is cashing in on it. And of course, the fellows out there are more frequently getting roped into watching the lowest form of supposed American art: romantic-comedies. There are exceptions to the rule that rom-coms are awful - The Wedding Singer, There's Something About Mary, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Forgetting Sarah Marshall - but these are few and far between. Seriously, if I see one more lame rom-com, I swear to the Lord I will slay it.

Actually no, that would be far too much slaying. Romantic-comedies are one of the genres that studios can and do mass produce because they can be made on the cheap and follow a simple formula (is it ironic or sad that this can also be said about the horror genre?). Directing my efforts to slaying rom-coms would require a Batman-like dedication and frankly, I have neither the time, finances, nor British butler to accommodate such demands. It seems something needs to happen to mix it up a bit with the rom-coms. I'm not necessarily talking about just making it movies guys can like, but movies that are actually hilarious. Enter: Kristen Wiig.


I've been fond of this actress since her days on the “The Joe Schmo Show” as Dr. Pat, but she's earned quite a reputation in recent years playing insane people on “SNL.” Now think of taking an oddball character like the Target Lady, or even Wiig's rendition of Suze Orman, and putting her in the lead of what would normally be a bland movie. Many rom-coms will have the fish out of water male lead trying to find the right woman for him, or simply rely on an 'opposites attract' mentality. When the female is the main protagonist she'll often times just be goofy, dorky, and 'movie ugly,' which translates to a mere step below super hot in real life (think about how a girl's transformation from ugly to pretty in movies often simply requires her to remove or glasses or let her hair down).

However, Wiig has a knack for playing characters that are genuinely bizarre and allowing her to bring this tendency to the big screen could help mix up rom-coms in two ways: first, it could just bring an off-beat, awkwardly hilarious vibe to the genre - I'm thinking “Kids in the Hall” type of feel here. Second, it could add a much-needed unpredictability to a genre that has become obnoxiously plotted. If you see a character like “Weekend Update” correspondent Judy Grimes looking for love, there's really no telling where she would be able to find it. If done right, the bizarre person could be endearing. If the audience were to genuinely care about this hopeless case, it adds a level of emotion that is all too artificial throughout the genre. After all, how many times can we believe/tolerate Jennifer Aniston as a middle-aged single who is STILL naive about relationships?

And frankly, the Wiig's a brilliant comedic actress. She's arguably the star player of “SNL” at the moment so it's only a matter of time before she gets to shine on the big screen. Also, I'd kind of like her to be my valentine this year. (Editor's Note: he's not kidding).