Curses, Wishes and Amazing Transformations: Male Maturation Tales

Transformation is at the heart of many fairy tale narratives, whether it be charting a protagonist’s journey from ‘rags to riches’, witnessing a haughty princess curtail her pride, or seeing an apparent beast return to human form: changes that include astonishing makeovers, rapid social climbs, dramatic changes of heart and magical enchantments. So far, this discussion has confined itself to romantic narratives featuring female characters, noting how a number of rom-coms have updated certain fairy tale motifs. This chapter adopts a contrasting mode of inquiry by evaluating romantic concerns from a male perspective; assessing how male coming-of-age tales have been depicted on screen, and asking how certain fairy tale tropes have accordingly been revised — especially in terms of the qualities deemed most desirable in men and the tests they are given. For the most part, popular comedies are the main focus of discussion, examining the changes characters undergo and highlighting some interesting role reversals. Particularly notable is the fact that examples of male pride, vanity and egotism are routinely taken to task in what might be considered a male variant of the ‘humbled heroine’ motif, while an emphasis on compassion and kindness is overtly fostered as a positive sign of male maturation. Put simply, if Cinderella has had a modern makeover in some films, how do male ‘coming-of-age’ narratives compare?