by ANDERS GUSTAFSON
Valentine’s Day is upon us, which means it’s time for generic rom-com movies to shine.
Rom-coms, or romantic comedies, are one of the largest genres of movies.
They have been popular in theaters for more than a century, and are the go-to movie choice for people around the world thanks to their accessibility and understandable plot lines.
However, rom-coms often leave us disappointed.
For starters, the plot of the typical rom-com is generally very predictable. The basic formula involves two people that have an awkward first interaction but grow to love each other.
Eventually, something prevents the two from being together, whether it be a physical or emotional barrier, such as an argument or a third character.
In the end, the two principals end up together and love each other more than ever.
Elf, a popular 2003 Christmas rom-com, serves as a prime example of this overused plot.
Although Jovie (Zooey Deschenal), the love interest, is initially not interested after an awkward first conversation, she grows to love Buddy (Will Ferrell), the main character over the course of the movie. Eventually, as Santa’s sleigh falls in Central Park, the wall between the two is formed as Buddy needs to fix the sleigh, separating the two lovers on Christmas night. In the end, Buddy and Jovie are together once again and live happily ever after.
Another notable example of this formula is The Princess Bride (1987). Several walls are formed between Buttercup (Robin Wright)and Westley (Cary Elwes), such as at the beginning when Westley leaves the farm that Buttercup lives on.
Later, when Westley saves Buttercup from her kidnappers, she hates him before finding out he is the same person that worked on her farm.
The two grow to love each other as they spend time together. The second wall is formed when Westley is taken into captivity as a prisoner and Buttercup is reclaimed by Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Westley is later freed and sabotages the wedding plans of the prince so he and Buttercup can have a happy ending.
This plot has been recycled for more than a century now in cinema, and despite its success, it is still boring. Characters in these films lack development and personality. Several character tropes are constantly recycled and painted over with a semi-fresh coat of paint to make them seem brand-new.
Aside from the protagonist and love interest, there’s usually a third character competing with the protagonist for the love interest.
This character is frequently one of the more interesting personalities in the movie, as they have more variety than the protagonist and love interest … although they are usually shown to be bad people near the end of the movie.
They compete for the love interest and win until near the end, when the protagonist’s love invariably prevails.
This trope can be found in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), a staple of the rom-com genre. The movie features two main romance plots, but only one of the two has the third character.
Protagonist Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) falls in love with Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), but has to compete with and even seek help from Joey (Andrew Keegan), who also pursues Bianca. In the end, Bianca falls for Cameron. Another common trope is found in one of the two love interests, where one will claim to not have enough time for love, but eventually makes time for it.
The genre also doesn’t have a lot of diversity in its characters. Until recently, rom-coms usually featured a straight, white, male protagonist who falls in love with a straight, white, female character, evident in all of the movies mentioned above.
This lack of diversity makes many of the older movies that feature the stereotypical character duo all blend together. Over the past two decades, however, the genre has become more inclusive of different races and sexual orientations.
It’s also a genre that has changed what we, as humans, think romance should be like, and how we should approach relationships. The media that we absorb influences our lives and how we think of love, and the people watching these films may believe that they need their relationship to be picture-perfect.
This may also lead people to feel negatively about themselves because they can’t find these idealized relationships manufactured by large studios.
So this Valentine’s Day, don’t waste your time watching boring, predictable romantic comedies. The characters, plot and endings are one-dimensional, and may not be worth your time or money.
The Mainsheet 