No kidding. This is why modern romantic comedies are generally made of suck, and McDonald is painfully aware of its slide toward oblivion.
It's not that the genre is inherently weaker; a love story, combined with humor to create empathy, is one of the staples of human interest. Not my usual cup of tea*, preferring hardassed Westerns and cynical films noir, but I recognize its validity.
It's that the modern RomCom suffers from the same malady nearly every other movie does: a fear of losing money due to alienating audiences. One does not dare to buck any trends, so movies are now subject to the formulaic cranking-out of clichés. Stick to what sold the first time, whether it be a celebrity matching-up, a happy ending, or screamingly obvious symbolism.
The romantic comedy of the 1970s, while grim and neurotically fatalistic, introduced new concepts: perhaps it doesn't work out at the end. There IS sex involved. There ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy, there's only you and me and we just disagree**.
After that point Hollywood retreated. You can't reference an older movie without "showing the audience" earlier what movie it was. You can't have an ending where the scripturally indicated Guy gets the Girl. Gay people are still suitable only as the supportive comic relief. And due to a weird uprising with a prudish "Protect the Children!" mentality, there can't be any sex before marriage, unless you portray it as a mistake.
Eek. NeoComs. I knew there was an ugly buzzword lurking somewhere.
* Or shot of whiskey, considering.
** Apologies for the Dave Mason lyrics, but it's the '70s.
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