I KNOW You Are All Looking Forward To This...

So I had to write this essay about the components of a romance movie. I broke my essay down more specifically into romantic comedies. The only problem with is the fact that it was supposed to be an expository essay, and mind mainly falls into the persuasive essay category.
So if you are interested at all in reading essays, especially essays about the formual of romantic comedies, you should enjoy it. If not, tune in later tonight when I am going to post a blog about this freaky, FREAKY dream I had while I was napping an hour or so ago.

There are many genres of movies that are over made. Fast-paced action/adventure films are always finding their way into the movie theatres, alongside the ubiquitous ‘slasher’ flicks, as well as the very overdone ‘gross-out comedies.’ However, the one genre that always seems to surpass these above-mentioned films in not only amount of movies produced, but also in their box office revenues, is the infamous romantic comedy. Most movies, be it drama, comedy, action, thriller, or sci-fi, have some form of romance worked into its plot. Yet, filmmakers have taken another step by combining the comedy aspect and romantic aspect into a lethal combination of sugar and sweetness that keeps audiences coming back for more. What many moviegoers fail to realize, however, is that each of these movies is exactly the same. Romantic comedies follow a very specific pattern that is barely changed from movie to movie, sometimes only the setting and the backgrounds of the characters being the main difference. All romantic comedies follow the same formula; two people who would inevitably be an unlikely couple meet, run to problems that keep them apart, but finally overcome adversity so they can live happily ever after.

When making a romantic comedy, filmmakers realize that there really is no such thing as a perfect couple; as many similarities as a couple may have, they also have their differences which set them apart as individuals. Wanting to give audiences something to relate to, filmmakers make sure that the two eventual lovers are incredibly different. Often times, these variations are taken to the extreme. For example, in You’ve Got Mail, Tom Hanks’ character Joe Fox is the owner of a large book franchise, while Meg Ryan plays Kathleen Kelly, his fierce competitor, and the owner of a small homey bookstore. The two obviously clash, yet in the world of cinema, they make a perfect couple. Another prime example is in the movie Sabrina, which demonstrates the idea of one character being from the wrong side of the tracks. Julia Ormond plays Sabrina Fairchild, the daughter of the chauffer for the Larrabee residence, who is pining after one of the Larrabee sons, David. Her eventual ‘perfect match’ of course will turn out to be David’s incredibly successful, business-oriented brother Linus Larrabee, despite the fact she is simple with a schoolgirl crush, and he is refined businessman, devoted heavily to his work. Another type of relationship that is commonly explored is the Romeo/Juliet dynamic, where either one, or both sides of the family does not approve of the relationship. My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding falls perfectly in this category as Toula Portokalos, played by Nia Vardalos, falls deeply in love with non-Greek Ian Miller, a huge shame to her proudly Greek father. While this movie was based off of the actual real-life events of Nia Vardalos, the story has been dramatized as well as over exaggerated so it would generate revenue once it hit the silver screen. Romantic comedies thrive on the fact that they show ‘average’, ‘everyday’ people discovering unexpected romance in the place they least expected to find it.

In order to draw out the movie to a suitable length, the couples in all romantic comedies are faced with the fact that there are many problems in their very separate lives that threaten to keep them apart. Once again, filmmakers want to emphasize that, even on the big screen, characters do not lead flawless lives, and are faced with hardship and troubles that they must learn to deal with before finally reaching the goal, in this case, true love. In another Meg Ryan movie, Kate & Leopold, Meg plays Kate McKay, who meets handsome Leopold Mountbatten, a man who has accidentally traveled forward in time from the 1870’s. Partially because of her fast-paced career and life, in combination with his disgust with the ways of the future, they are separated despite their growing connection. In many cases, filmmakers like utilize the differences between the personalities of the characters as the controlling conflict in the film. In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray is cynical, sarcastic Phil Connors, who finds that during his repetition of February 2, he falls in love with sweet, gentle Rita, the producer of the news show he works for. This stark contrast in personalities keeps them apart time and time again, until Phil can truly learn what goodness is. Another ploy used by filmmakers to create conflict is have the characters come from very different classes of people, as in Maid In Manhattan. Jennifer Lopez plays Marisa Ventura, a hotel maid, who, after a case of mistaken identity falls in love with Christopher Marshall, an heir to a political dynasty. Once realizing her true position in life, the couple feels that they are worlds apart, despite the fact they live in the same city. If the on-screen couples did not have familiar, or even remotely conceivable problems, audiences would not be interested in their story, and would not spend money to see these movies over and over again, the obvious goal of the filmmaker.

Finally, a good romantic comedy would not be complete if the couple was not able to find a way to overcome all adversity and be together forever. Usually, this involves a form of sacrifice on the part of both characters, though usually falling more heavily towards one than the other. Some characters choose to give up the familiarity and comfort of their chosen life to be with the one they love. In Along Came Polly, Ben Stiller plays a risk-avoiding insurance salesman who gives up all his worries and anxieties to be with Polly Prince, a klutzy, carefree woman. Even back in the 70’s romantic comedies followed this formula. In Grease, Sandy Olsson gives up her past life, not to mention past values, to be with her high school sweetheart, Danny Zuko. Also occurring very commonly in romantic comedies is the idea of a person giving up an ungiving and uncommitted fiancé(e)/boy/girlfriend to be with a new person that they have chosen to be the center of their life. In The Wedding Singer, audiences see Julia Sullivan giving up her creepy fiancé to be with Adam Sandler’s character Robbie Hart, despite the fact she was on a plane headed to Las Vegas to be married. Despite the unrealistic ways some of these couples get together, audiences are touched by the fact that these particular characters find a way to come together. The blissful endings that these movies provide also makes for huge income at the box office, and also provides assurances that people will be back to see unbelievably similar movies again and again.

Following such a strict blueprint, romantic comedies have become more of a business venture than an art form. The things that are supposed to make audiences feel warm and fuzzy inside have been degenerated into a pile of Hollywood clichés, acted out by overly famous faces. Despite having lost their realism, romantic comedies, like romance novels, will continue to be produced for the masses to enjoy, as long as there are people willing to pay their entrance fees for an escape from reality, and an opportunity to believe in the existence of true and perfect love.