Overview

Explores contemporary expressions of these two genres, and their continuing relevance, in recent Hollywood films. Stanley Cavell's influential philosophical work on American cinema concerns itself with the thought that some of the most popular movies of Hollywood's Golden Age constitute two related, but previously undefined, genres that he names ""the comedy of remarriage"" and ""the melodrama of the unknown woman,"" respectively. In this collection, the first devoted to the subject, leading figures in philosophy and film studies provide detailed readings of more recent Hollywood films that show how these two genres continue to be inherited in American cinema, not least by the films' participation in a certain moral outlook—concerning personal and cultural transformation—that Cavell calls ""Emersonian Perfectionism."" The films discussed include Rich and Famous, As Good as It Gets, My Best Friend's Wedding, Revolutionary Road, On the Rocks, Palm Springs, and Tenet.

Full Product Details

Author:   Paul Deb
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.70cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.658kg
ISBN:  

9798855804720

Pages:   398
Publication Date:   01 December 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction Paul Deb 1. The Question of Sex: Thoughts on the Cavellian Couple Inspired by Rich and Famous Catherine Wheatley 2. Asking for More than As Good as It Gets Daniel Varndell 3. Contesting Marriage: My Best Friend's Wedding Sandra Laugier 4. Imagining Life Together: Psychosexual Intimacy, Social Roles, and Contemporary Comedies of Remarriage Richard Eldridge 5. ""I Saw a Different Life. I Can't Stop Seeing It"": Perfectionist Visions in Revolutionary Road Paul Deb 6. I Love You, Man: The Bromance as Remarriage Rex Butler 7. The Time of Their Lives: Before Midnight and the Conversation of Marriage William Day 8. Golden Years: Generational Contest, Terms of Talent, and Remarriage in Noah Baumbach's While We're Young David LaRocca 9. Staging Unknown Women Murray Pomerance 10. Moral Imperfectionism and Ethical Melodrama: The Case of Carol Robert Sinnerbrink 11. The Same Only a Little Different: A Star is Born is Reborn (Again) William Rothman 12. An End of Wandering: Coming to Believe in Palm Springs Steven G. Affeldt 13. The Comedy of Remarriage in the Age of Lean-In Feminism: Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks Fiona Handyside 14. The Proving Window: Inversion, Perfectionism, and the Unknown Woman in Christopher Nolan's Tenet Stephen Mulhall List of Contributors Index

Reviews

""This collection demonstrates that Stanley Cavell's writings on films and cinema are more important now than ever. Key writers on Cavell offer comprehensive reflections on the nature and form of contemporary films, showing that his approach to cinema is essential for our understanding of the significance of film and its relation to philosophy."" — Richard Rushton, Lancaster University

Author Information

Paul Deb is Research Associate in Philosophy at New College, Oxford.

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