Common Scenes in Romantic Comedies

Friends

There is often a scene between the lead character and their friends to discuss the other lead character, usually a love interest. The following slides will analyse the locations of these scenes

Health and Beauty

• Shows a stereotypical aspect of possibly non-stereotypical female

• Shows her as part of a group

• Shows her as caring about her health/appearance

27 Dresses(2008)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days(2003)

What Happens in Vegas(2008)

Leisure• Hitch (2005) shows this scene in

a bar• This may be because the lead is

quite unstereotypical, and a bar is the opposite of health

• Confessions of a Shopaholic (2008) shows it in the shared apartment of the two characters, however this may be due to the theme of money in the film (can’t afford to go elsewhere)

• These two lead characters are more unstereotypical than the others

Hitch (2005)

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2008)

Workplace

• The Ugly Truth (2008) shows this scene in the workplace, with the lead characters assistant, as the lead is portrayed as very unstereotypical in this, so we don’t see a group of friends

The Ugly Truth (2008)

Males

The lead character isn’t always female, sometimes the film is mainly (or half and half) from a males point of view.

Therefore this friendship scene is with the male and his friends, as a group of friends is more unstereotypical for males, the locations for these are usually very ‘manly’, for example: sport.

Made of Honour (2008)

What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Bosses

Another common scene is a scene with the boss of the lead character, usually in an office and discussing some sort of promotion. In the next few slides I shall analyse the character of the boss.

Older• Stereotypically, a boss is

older and male, and these two things represent power.

• Both characters to the right have grey hair and look older than anyone else in the shot

• Being juxtaposed next to younger characters, also emphasises this

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)

The Ugly Truth (2008)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

• In How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, we see the bosses of both the lead female and male. The gender of these characters reflect the gender of who’s boss they are.

• For example, the lead female, Andie, works at a women’s magazine and has a female boss (top image), Ben, the lead male, works at a Sport magazine and has a male boss (bottom image)

Attractive

• Incorporated into storyline as a love interest, less likely to have ‘promotion scene’

• Same age as lead character-• May be the opposing lead

character- making this character predominantly male

• Ultimate goal to please him

Confessions of a Shopaholic (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

Decisions

• From this, I have concluded to have both these scenes present in my trailer

• The friend scene with a health theme- to conform to stereotype

• The boss as younger, however, not as main character or love interest, but still a goal- which breaks the stereotype