Romantic Comedy

It’s the story of an average guy.

But he’s so average that if this comic were a movie, we’d cast Ben Stiller to play him.

You know, the kind of guy who’s nice but lacks self-confidence.

The kind who’s full of good intentions but tends to mess up a lot.

A Ben Stiller kind of guy, basically.

💡 One day, for a reason just as random as he is, the character finds himself in a completely random place where he shouldn’t be.

▶️ He then stumbles upon a charming young lady, by chance.

The young lady will be played by a model who will be made to look like an ordinary young woman by giving her a tousled hairstyle and a sweater (usually, the illusion is highly convincing).

Think Keira Knightley.

They click, they’re super cute, and you want them to end up together even though they’ve only been talking for 3 minutes.

⚠️ Oh yeah, because here’s the crucial point: the guy DOESN'T tell her that he was just there by chance and that he’s neither a saxophonist nor a fan of head cheese.

We’re not really sure why, actually, but anyway, he doesn’t tell her.

And so, pretty quickly, it becomes obvious that he doesn’t know anything about it.

But he keeps up the lie because he wants to keep seeing the girl.

Oh my! What a series of misunderstandings in store, you might say!

▶️ And how right you are! You can now fill a good hour of a movie with this kind of stuff.

⚠️ Feel free to load up the cast with the usual characters, like the young woman’s macho-jerk rival suitor or the gay friend (played by Rupert Everett, always available when you need a gay supporting role*).

✷ A common trope in the world of romantic comedies: the gay character is always a supporting role. If he’s the main character, it’s not a romantic comedy, it’s a gay movie.

(Yes, the heroine is always wearing just a bra when she's with her gay friend, otherwise, I mean… what's the point of having a gay friend?)

▶️ Through a series of twists and turns, and despite his clumsiness, the character manages to convince everyone in the young woman’s circle that he’s a decent guy, and of course the two of them fall in love. Basically, it’s a dream come true.

Haha! No.

It could end there, but no.

There’s still the boring but unavoidable part of the romantic comedy: resolving the initial lie.

⚠️ One day (about twenty minutes before the end of the movie), the guy slips up and proves that he knows nothing about the saxophone and has been lying from the start.

Drama, nervous breakdown, the world is falling apart.

This whole beautiful relationship was built on a lie. In a last-ditch effort, he confesses everything, trying to apologize.

The character is kicked out of the young woman’s family, it’s a disgrace, blah-blah-blah.

I swear, it would be less dramatic if it were a family in The Godfather.

▶️ Now there’s a boring little montage where the boy and girl are each sad on their own, with THAT depressing piano song playing in the background (played by the singer of a band that usually plays punk rock).

▶️ Anyway, for a reason just as stupid as the original lie, the guy manages to redeem himself in the eyes of the young woman’s loved ones.

And therefore in her eyes too, since she has absolutely no judgment when it comes to choosing her own partners, it goes without saying.

(Yes, the gay friend has to try to hit on the hero at least once, otherwise, I mean… what’s the point of having a gay friend?)

And then, BOOM!

A grand romantic gesture, then a reconciliation as sudden as the fight

(possibly followed by making fun of the macho-jerk rival who was trying to win her back in the meantime)

And all’s well that ends well.

THE END!

Then they get married and have lots of kids.

And that’s a good thing, because that way, we can make a sequel.