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“Shortcomings” avoids romantic comedy clichés by not focusing on who’s going to be in a happy romance at the end. It’s a mostly entertaining character study of about a cynical grouch and his lesbian best friend, as they navigate the dating scene.
- Women being wildly transformed by a makeover. In real life, you might ask a makeup artist to spruce you up for a birthday or big date or get a new outfit for a major event.
- Someone making a bet about a potential love interest. Speaking of She's All That: One surefire way for a character to find true love in a rom-com is to make a bet with someone.
- Men making over-the-top romantic gestures to women they hardly know. Of course, over-the-top romantic gestures are also a thing in real life—their impact is why huge engagement rings and last-minute trips to Paris were invented.
- Confessing love to someone who's about to catch a plane or train. Rom-com characters can never seem to get their act together to tell people they love them in a timely manner.
- Two Lovable Leads
- A Meet Cute
- A Unique, Troublesome Situation
- At Least One Great Sidekick
- Super Fun Montage
- Relationship in Jeopardy
- The Lightbulb Moment
- A Grand Gesture Or Epic Line
- Happy Ending
Romantic comedies hinge on one crucial element: two completely lovable characters. By their very nature, rom-coms center around a romantic couple. And no matter the stakes, situation, or scenery, the audience has to root for those two characters. Whether it’s the idiosyncratic Harry and peppy Sally (When Harry Met Sally…), girl boss Charlotte Field...
Essential to the basic plot of every romantic comedy is the moment the characters meet — AKA: the meet-cute. This is the amusing, clever, charming, or utterly disastrous way that the two lead characters are introduced to one another. And since meet-cutes are so important to modern rom-coms, screenwriters must come up with an original interaction to...
The couple may take center stage, but there has to be a good, interesting reason for them to be there in the first place. In The Proposal, it’s the fact that Margaret basically blackmails her assistant into being her fiancé so she doesn’t get deported back to Canada. In Palm Springs, it’s that Nyles and Sarah are the only two people stuck in an inf...
There’s a reason everyone knows which animated Disney animal sidekick they’re most like. Oh… just me? Well, Disney knows what they’re doing because every great rom-com requires an incredible sidekick (or two). There’s unfalteringly loyal Marie in When Harry Met Sally…, hilarious Ula or always-flexing Doug in 50 First Dates, and purple-loving Kit Ka...
One of the components of screenwriter and producer Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat!” beat sheet is the Fun and Games section, which provides the promise of the premise, or, in other words, the essence of the movie. In romantic comedies, the Fun and Games equivalent is what I’ve dubbed the “super fun montage.” In the super fun montage, the main charact...
A key scene in every romantic comedy is the moment the core relationship is put to the test, pushed so far to the limits that everything is in jeopardy of falling apart. The main characters might be in love, but their path to happily ever after might just end in a fiery crash. Take Tim, who travels back in time and accidentally misses the moment wh...
While the characters may not be struck with a new idea, per se, the moment of realization is crucial to any film in the rom-com genre. This is when Harry realizes he should be with Sally. It’s the moment Mel’s hand falters and she can’t bring herself to sign the divorce papers in Sweet Home Alabama. It’s when Pat goes running after Tiffany in Silve...
“You had me at hello.” “As you wish.” “So I can kiss you anytime I want.” Though they take a variety of forms, every romantic comedy requires at least one big moment or epic line of dialogue that inevitably makes it into the movie trailer. Imagine Cal building that windmill in the backyard to win Emily back from David Lindhagen (Crazy, Stupid, Love...
Whether the couple finally admits their feelings for each other, starts dating, gets hitched, says “I do,” or finds a different kind of happy ending, a happily ever afteris a staple of all romantic comedies. -- Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules — 500 Days of Summer doesn’t have a strictly happy ending; Someone Great is more about ...
Feb 12, 2021 · Romantic comedies hinge on one crucial element: two completely lovable characters. By their very nature, rom-coms center around a romantic couple. And no matter the stakes, situation, or scenery, the audience has to root for those two characters.
- The chosen one: This is a character who is destined to save the world or accomplish a great task. This character is often given special powers or abilities that make them unique and powerful.
- Love at first sight: This is a plot device where the two main characters fall in love with each other immediately upon meeting, without any development or reason for their attraction.
- The villain monologue: This is when the villain explains their entire plan to the hero, giving them a chance to escape or thwart their plan.
- The final battle: This is a climactic fight between the hero and the villain, where the fate of the world hangs in the balance.
How to Avoid Romance Clichés. First and foremost: “love at first sight” does not exist. This isn’t a hot take, it just isn’t a real thing that happens. Love is complicated, and you can’t expect such a deep connection to develop on its own. It doesn’t simply manifest after one look.
People also ask
Do rom-coms combine love and comedy?
What makes a rom-com romantic?
Why is a cheesy romantic comedy a cliché?
Are romantic cliches a success?
For example, the plot of a cheesy romantic comedy might be described as cliché because its outcome is easy to predict. Clichés tend to make writing weaker because they reflect a lack of original thought, and should therefore be avoided. Read on for examples of clichés and tips for how you can avoid them in your writing.
