Romance on Screen and in the Presidential Bedroom

Have the Obama Lovebirds already make their imprint on American culture? Or are they just a sign of the times?

While our new First Man and First Lady inspired Main Street, if not Wall Street (given the over 300 point drop in the Dow yesterday), they ignited romantic dreams across the land . . . and not only among women.

Men, too, can go for a good romance, if our new President is any indication. Perhaps "starting over" will impact American bedrooms and not only race relations.

Indy film makers are ready and willing to stoke our desires. In fact, Sundance, too, is changing.

The Sundance Film Festival is not known for romantic comedies. Let's distinguish these films from guy-bashing chick flicks, which suddenly ring just a bit hollow in our ears, given our inspiring First Couple.

Reuters reports a slew of romantic comedies, devoted to exploring the challenges of being in a meaningful, romantic relationship:

• the Rose Byrne/Hugh Dancy feature "Adam"

• Jay DiPietro's "Peter & Vandy"

• "An Education," an offbeat romance involving a young girl and older man in tumultuous 1960s London

• "Paper Heart"

• "Adventureland"

One of the most talked-about movies, "500 Days of Summer" sums up the evolution of this film genre. Like all Sundance films, they explore the complexities of human emotions and relationships. Life is not sugar-coated, but when is it?

I suspect this is a topic  -- the challenges of modern marriage -- that the Lovebirds will take up on occasion . . . in a reflective and serious way. My professional and womanly instincts tell me that there's a whole lot of 'lovin going on in the Presidential bedroom.

Via Sundance films reflect a new affection for romance: Reuters