“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, “The Notebook” and “Dear John” DVDS The Xavierite
A huge part of early 2000’s culture was its collection of romantic comedy, or rom com films such as “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”, “The Wedding Planner”, and “50 First Dates.’ Films of this genre were known to have wildly corny plot lines with famous movie stars like Kate Hudson and Drew Barrymore.
Aside from corniness, it leaves us with a classic happy ending (we all know that’s what happens). Without fail, halfway through the movie we have that moment of will they, or won’t they? Although these movies were corny, they still delivered a good giggle, a healthy cry, and a heartwarming feeling to their viewers.
These movies delivered such cliche storylines, yet they were adored by audiences. With current rom com movies today some completely miss the mark, while others get it right on the money. They can come across as too modern or lack chemistry on set. Some aren’t focused on small details like music, which can make a huge difference.
What exactly makes a good rom com and what aspects chase the audience away?
With any movie, the casting is important for a multitude of reasons. Different actors deliver different performances. One might be better at giving an emotional performance and touching the audience’s hearts. While another actor does an excellent job with delivering comedic lines with the right timing.
The male lead in The Proposal was given to Ryan Reynolds, which can only make you imagine the amount of witty one liners he says. His character keeps a good balance of comedy throughout the film. Typecasting is the roles actors usually end up taking on, which is dependent on the producers who cast them.
Reynolds is type casted as someone who’s quick witted and humorous, while someone like Matthew McConaughey is type casted to be attractive and charming. This makes some actors more memorable than others, making viewers more pushed to watch a movie since they are familiar with an actor’s previous roles.
Similarly, Rachel McAddams is known for her romcom roles, so audiences would be more inclined to watch an up and coming one with her as a lead. Using a typecast actor can become tricky if they’re usual roles aren’t in this genre. It could confuse viewers and distract them from the storyline.
Even with keeping this in mind there is still math behind cast selection. You can have two amazing actors, but that wouldn’t matter anymore if they end up having horrible chemistry on screen. A good chemistry between the lead actors is the key ingredient for making the movie feel real. Bad chemistry can take the eyes off the story and have people focus on the awkwardness of scenes.
The audience should feel like the connection shared between the love interests is authentic instead of forced. On screen chemistry isn’t the only thing that shouldn’t be forced, references to pop culture or modern day trends can be overdone to a certain extent.
Some movies can care too much about leaning into certain trends, but by the time they are released it’s “out of date”. For example focusing on trendy language, clothes, technology and dating apps, since that is more modern in dating for the present. Older rom coms don’t really focus on those factors and I think that’s what actually makes them feel more genuine.
The characters don’t deal with dating apps, social media and the problems that come with it. You see the characters putting in more effort for their love interests, since they have to work harder to communicate. They aren’t just a FaceTime or D.M away. It takes face to face interaction.
Since “love at first sight” is a common idea among a lot of rom com lovers, they don’t want to see a main character meet the love of their life through an app like tinder or hinge. Of course it’s okay to incorporate modern day dating problems, but directors should focus more on something that can become a forever classic.
A good pick of a song can always make a rom com more memorable. I’ve noticed this in a numerous number of movies like “10 Things I Hate About You” (Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Vallie), “She’s All That” (Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer), and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (You’re So Vain by Carly Simon).
I’ve seen a more recent rom com attempt something like this perfectly. “Anyone But You” starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell use Natasha Beddingfield’s 2004 hit “Unwritten” as an end credit scene. This helped in giving it that old 2000’s movie ending feel and made it a more memorable ending.
Placing trendy songs in a movie can be tricky since they are usually overplayed, making it harder for audiences to associate it with just that movie.
I know I’m not a director, but I’ve seen too many rom com movies to understand the math behind making a memorable one. With careful details in the actors, on screen chemistry, song selection and authenticity, the perfect romcom is out there waiting to be created.