Julia's AICE Media Studies Portfolio: November 2021

Genre: Rom-com

A romantic comedy film, typically referred to as a rom-com, is the subcategory of two larger genres, romance and comedy. With this being said, it reflects a perfect balance of qualities of both genres, creating an amazing, entertaining outcome. These movies usually follow an extremely similar, if not the same, plot, share common themes, and utilize the same production conventions to truly portray and embrace the cheesy, emotional, funny elements of a true rom-com. The reason these films are as immensely popular as they are is because typically those watching love the false hope these movies provide in that they wish the events of the film could occur in their own real life as they are more realistic than a simple romance movie. Regardless, rom-coms are an extremely well-known, well-liked sub-genre.

Content Conventions:

The storyline of a romantic-comedy can differ or stray from the basic plot outline, however, it typically follows it somewhat. A guy and girl who either don’t know or typically don’t like each other have a “meet-cute” and start to spend more time together in order to solve a conflict they face. In the process, they start to become closer, use a more humorous dialogue, such as sarcasm, have a realization about the other being a great person, catch feelings for each other, and end up falling for each other even if they face an obstacle, which can be as simple as doubting their own feelings for each other to more obvious like a physical or other emotional barrier. In the end, they make up and can’t deny their feelings for each other, ending up together in whatever fashion that may be, married, just dating, engaged, etcetera.

All rom-coms include and embrace the same, cheesy theme: the idea of unexpected romance or finding love in unexpected people/places as most of the time none of the characters are looking for love, or they are fed up with the idea of finding of finding someone to love, and they end up becoming extremely close with the other main character, whether they be a friend, stranger, or enemy at first.

What separates this type of film from a typical romance film is the comedic element, which is best created through a more upbeat, sarcastic, ironic energy. This helps keep the film lighthearted and humorous. Also, it its always extremely obvious from the very start of the film, when the main guy and girl meet, that they are meant to and will end up together.

Production Technique Conventions:

Although most of the elements that make a film stand out as a rom-com are content related, there are a few that lie on the production level of the film as well. One of the most prominent falls around sound. Every rom-com includes background music, and live music as well if it’s a musical rom-com like “Mama Mia,” composed of upbeat, happy, popular, catchy pop songs. Most of the time, these songs even feature an idea of romance whenever the future couple is in the scene to help foreshadow the idea of it in the future. Also, since they are so upbeat, this adds to the comedic element of these films as well because it creates a lot less of a serious, dramatic energy that’s in a regular romance film. Also, to help reflect these pop songs and more comedic, romantic characters, bright colors are used in costume and set design whenever possible in order to create a more lighthearted mood throughout the majority of the movie.

Another significant production element of this sub-genre is the mise-en-scene, set design. These films are generally set in a big city or a very populated town to give it a more realistic feel, such as New York. Also, changes in lighting are heavily utilized to convey both genre aspects of a rom-com. The lighting is brighter and more vibrant when a more humorous and lighthearted scene occurs and it gradually shifts to a darker light when the more serious, intimate, romance-developing scenes take place. Also, although it’s not a staple in every rom-com, there is typically a more intimate, small location in which only the main guy and girl, couple, hang out and is advertised to the viewer as their most sentimental,romantic spot.

Institutional Conventions:

Having marketing techniques is a vital part of selling a romantic comedy movie to an audience. With this in mind, the target audience of romantic comedies tend to be young adults, more specifically female young adults. One could even simplify the most direct target audience even further by saying it is single, female young adults. This is important to marketing because these films are commonly referred to as cliché and “chick-flicks” because they pride themselves on their predictability in order to instill a sense of safety and hope that the romantic comedic events that occur on screen can be reciprocated in their life. Also, their predictability provides a sense of reassurance to viewers that the couple, against all odds, will end up together and happy. This also helps explain why most rom-coms follow the narrative/ story of the lead female role, as it makes everything seem even more relatable and realistic.

Film Sample #1:

“Ella Enchanted” (2004)

This classic film demonstrates the typical rom-com plot trope through a twist on Cinderella-type story between Ella of Frell (Anne Hathaway) and Prince Charmont (Hugh Dancy). Ella, a big advocate for equality in the kingdom, despises the prince as she believes he’s too caught up in his good looks to correct the larger picture issues in the kingdom. However, when she searches for her fairy godmother to take back the awful spell cat upon her in which she must do everything she’s told, she keeps finding herself in near death situations, in which the prince keeps saving her. He also faces his own conflicts, so the pair must travel and be in each other’s presence together to solve their problems. In doing so, they learn details about each other that make them out to be more similar and kind hearted than they originally thought to be. All seems to go well until the prince believes that Ella tries to kill him, because of the curse, however, in the end fate and saving the day brings them back together and they live happily ever after. This piece is an older, period piece rom-com allowing it to have classic rom-com features while still embracing its own qualities. For example, music is heavily used in this piece between songs like, “Strange Magic,” “Walking on Sunshine,” and “Respect,” which were all extremely catchy and popular at the time of the release of the film. In addition, the dialogue between Ella and the prince is constantly filled with sarcasm and humorous lines, such as Ella saying, “I was fine. I had things well in hand,” and the prince responding with, “Well, I could see that, as you were dangling over the boiling cauldron,” or when the prince remarks, “ It makes it so much easier rescuing you if I don’t have to commute.”

Film Sample #2:

“Friends with Benefits” (2011)

This film is another prime, more modern day example of a romantic comedy film. It follows the classic rom-com trope of two strangers, Jaime Rellis (Mila Kunis) and Dylan (Justin Timberlake) meeting in an unexpected way as she went to recruit him for a corporate job in New York. Once he accepts the job, the pair become much closer and resolve their personal conflict by having a sexual relationship with no emotional investment and all seems to go well. However, an intense argument breaks out and the friends grow apart for a short time. In the end, they realize their feelings for each other, there is a huge romantic gesture at a train station to express them, and they end up together as it’s revealed they kiss and start dating at the end. One specific element that makes this a rom-com is the idea that the main characters poke fun at the idea of the unrealistic expectations of rom-coms throughout, by making fun of a fictional rom-com being watched by Jaime and Dylan throughout the video. In the end, they recreate scenes of this “stupid, unrealistic” rom-com to fully embrace its effects and romance. Also, like all rom-coms, throwback and current, for the time, pop songs are utilized to elevate the comedic elements and still promote a romantic environment. These are used whenever the relationship is building. Also, besides the movie being set in two large cities, New York City and Los Angeles, Jaime and Dylan have a small, intimate spot that only they know about. Within the movie, they only visit this dimly lit, to create a more romantic theme, spot at night to get away from the crowded city and get some time to breathe. Also, when nobody knows where Jaime ventured off to at one point in the movie, Dylan’s first instinct was to look here because he knew she was upset and that she would be likely to go there to escape, proving how well he knows her. That being said, each time the couple comes to this spot their relationship progresses in some way. Throughout the movie, the pair make snarky, sarcastic, humorous comments to each other to truly liven up and embrace the comedic element, such as when Dylan says, “Why do women think the only way to get men to do what they want is to manipulate them?” and Jaime responds, “History, personal experience, romantic comedies.” Not only does this add to the characters' individual senses of humor and relationship, but also the aspect of making fun of the cliché romantic comedy film.