By Nina Heyn — Your Culture Scout
During WWII, Hollywood turned away from hard-hitting dramas toward lighter fare—mysteries, comedies, and musicals—resulting in such classics as The Philadelphia Story, The Maltese Falcon, Meet Me in St. Louis, and His Girl Friday.
Perhaps the pandemic offers a similar explanation for the current revival of a genre that was a rarity during a lengthy period dominated by hard-hitting action movies, superhero stories, and gritty dramas. That genre—a sort of warm-feeling movie that disappeared almost entirely for the first two decades of the 21st century—is suddenly reemerging, with a few “cozier” movies appearing in theaters. People of all generations seem to be seeking low-stress entertainment more so than during the hard-charging, but more optimistic 2000–2020 period. Or at least this is my explanation for some new movies that I would dub “cozy entertainment”—a genre that seemed to have left the big screens for streaming services.
