Abstract

Examining the popular comic star, Paola Cortellesi, and her recent appearances in high-grossing romantic comedies, I will show how her comic performance and roles challenge and undo the construction of the "latin lover". I argue that the tension between being object of desire and comic agent has enabled her to develop a "star persona" that lends itself strongly to romantic comedy, marking a promising turn for women in the overwhelmingly male domination of Italian film comedy and challenging the configuration of the "latin lover". Her roles point towards both the desire for and difficulty in imagining an adequate male counterpart.