This is the third in a series of blogs wherein I work to create a “literary toolkit” on writing the Romantic Comedy screenplay by analyzing Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Some Like It Hot. This is adapted from an assignment I worked on for my graduate degree at SNHU.
What are they?
“Literary conventions” -- to me, a literary convention is a writing technique commonly used in certain genre of writing. Thus, different literary conventions exist in poetry, novels, fables, historical dramas, screenplays, biographies, etc. I think that there is a risk of literary conventions being confused with tropes; however, the literary conventions are functional versus narrative. I think today’s audiences are quite likely to make the error of conflating the two due to our culture of critique and analysis. Social media has created an outlet for anyone to put their own analysis out there, regardless of how knowledgeable they are about literary terminology. I’ve certainly, in my time, heard the term “trope” used to describe a literary convention/technique.
The literary conventions of this genre are easy to identify. One of my favorite conventions is the use of personal misconception and miscommunication, which are frequently central to the conflicts of these films. “Opposites attract” and make for great comedy and chemistry. And people never know what they want. The woman might have a list of things they’re looking for; the man may want a “certain type” of woman. But through the magical process of falling in love, the characters always discover what they really want. These conventions haven’t changed in too many major ways since the conception of the genre, just as the process of falling in love hasn’t changed all that much. It’s a major part of the human condition, and always fun to watch, whether the pair is meeting as members of competing advertising firms, or through an online dating app.
I especially like when b-story misconceptions/miscommunications are resolved in baffling and/or hilarious ways with little explanation. This happens a lot in the rom-com genre. The weird supporting characters also fall in love. It’s especially hilarious when the two characters are extreme oddballs. In Some Like it Hot, Jerry, the film’s other leading man, ends up being forced to go on a romantic date with Osgood, a millionaire, in order for Joe to sneakily use Osgood’s yacht to seduce Sugar. Naturally, Osgood falls in love with Jerry (aka Daphne in his female disguise), and asks Jerry to marry him. Jerry says yes, of course, receiving a diamond bracelet from Osgood. The whole mix-up is resolved in the end with Osgood, Joe, Sugar, and Jerry running away from the mafia together, Sugar and Joe falling in love, and this incredible exchange:
OSGOOD
I called Mama -- she was so happy she
cried -- she wants you to have her
wedding gown -- it’s white lace.
JERRY
Osgood -- I can’t get married in your
mother’s dress. She and I -- we’re not
built the same way.
OSGOOD
We can have it altered.
JERRY
Oh, no you don’t! Look, Osgood --
I’m going to level with you.
We can’t get married at all.
OSGOOD
Why not?
JERRY
Well, to begin with, I’m not a
natural blonde.
OSGOOD
(tolerantly)
It doesn’t matter.
JERRY
And I smoke. I smoke all the time.
OSGOOD
I don’t care.
JERRY
And I have a terrible past. For
three years now, I’ve been living
with a saxophone player.
OSGOOD
I forgive you.
JERRY
(with growing desperation)
I can never have children.
OSGOOD
We’ll adopt some.
JERRY
But you don’t understand.
(he rips off his wig; then
in a male voice)
Damn it, Osgood, I’m a man!
OSGOOD
Well -- nobody’s perfect.
Please remember. This film came out in the 1950’s. I think it’s one of the most perfect, hilarious endings to a romantic comedy of all time.
This brings me to the second convention utilized in rom-com screenwriting: tension and release. Romantic chemistry is vital for convincing your audience that two people are falling in love. You need to build the feeling of “will they -- won’t they?” even when we know from our genre choice that they will (end up together). But, regardless of our ending being predetermined as a happy one, you must include moments of near-misses for the couple. “Moments” must be interrupted by another complicating incident that keeps our lovers apart. You gotta build up that tension and release. Give the audience hope, then pull it away. Preferably in a way that makes us laugh.
In Forgetting Sarah Marshall, this happens over and over again in the form of Sarah and her new boyfriend. They show up at the most inopportune moments to remind Peter of his grief and block the progression of his relationship with Rachel. Sarah and William even show up during Peter and Rachel’s meet-cute. They’re a constant source of comedy and frustration for our main character and his blossoming relationship.
In my own writing…
As frustrating as these situations are in real life, I love narrative arcs based upon misconception and miscommunication. Especially when it’s well-founded, funny, or very unique to our characters. The premise of What’s Your Number? always makes me laugh because it’s based upon the misconception that our flighty main character has when she reads a magazine article stating that women who have had over 21 sexual partners are unlikely to marry compared to those who have had under that number. Of course, our main character here is at the 20 mark, so she becomes obsessed with the idea that she only has “one more.” Thus, she revisits every guy she’s ever slept with to make sure that they are not “the one.” Miscommunications, I think, are trickier than basic misconceptions about life or another person’s character. It requires one of your characters to be at least a little bit… well… shitty. The city girl has to write off the carpenter and inn-owner from the small town. The funny male lead has to write off the career-driven woman as a shrew for not laughing at his jokes. Someone’s gotta be a little bit shitty, and they have to grow over the course of the story.
In building tension, I think it’s important to select the correct setting. There needs to be a frenetic element to the goings-on of your story, or else the two characters would have ample time to sit down and talk out their problems. I think this is one reason that so many romantic comedies center around holidays, weddings, and other events. There is also usually a literal or invented “time limit” placed upon the characters’ lives. In some films, the time limit is very clear, for instance, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. In others, there’s a more general time limit of a holiday being over, or a wedding party going their separate ways, or the prospect that one has reached some sort of “limit,” sending them on a quest, such as the plot for What’s Your Number? Without some sort of limit, what spurs your characters into action? This is an issue that I, myself, have run into with some of my stories.
The comforting, and sometimes limiting thing about the rom-com genre is this need for time limit. Though some stories transcend this factor, they tend more towards the “rom” aspect of rom-com than the “com” aspect. (See The Notebook for an example of this. It’s humorous, but it’s more in the romance/drama/comedy genre with the comedy being the last and least important element). Slow burns work much better for drama than they do for comedy. Time-jumps, while they certainly occur, I think are much less important in comedy than drama. And they are usually a symptom of the story rather than a cause… if that makes any sense.
Brainstorm time: The Shut In
Feature film in which Charlotte, a novelist and shut-in, must overcome her agoraphobia and venture out into the world to attend her cousin, and best friend’s, wedding as Maid of Honor. Despite the fact that Charlotte has built herself a functional, if slightly lonely, life, she has finally run into an event which she cannot miss, and she cannot experience from her home. (While her cousin is perfectly willing to have wedding events at family homes, including the bachelorette party at Charlotte’s house, she must get married at the family Catholic church -- a cathedral-like massive church).
Upon hearing about the event, Charlotte’s best friend, Chris, who lives across the country, insists that she has to take him as her date to the wedding, as it is a perfect chance for them to meet for the first time in person, since they met almost a year beforehand in an online game. Chris doesn’t know that Charlotte has been a shut-in for the past three years. The subject, obviously, has been studiously avoided. The miscommunication here has been purposeful, though not spiteful. And I believe that I have somehow avoided the trap of making this miscommunication too shitty.
The first part of the film will include a montage of humorous attempts to get Charlotte out of the house, which eventually, will culminate in (limited) success by the time Chris arrives in town. Then, through a series of carefully-orchestrated events, in which Charlotte and her two best friends (one of which is the bride), design wedding events and dates around places which make Charlotte the most comfortable, and through the copious use of tranquilizers. While in comfortable settings, Charlotte and Chris have plenty of time to connect, though Charlotte is busy with helping out as the MOH. Then, during events outside of homes, Charlotte’s inebriation is covered by her friends, and her interaction with Chris is limited by this. We have cute moments of “will they, won’t they,” interrupted by friends, family, and wedding events. Chris finally discovers Charlotte’s “problem” when he surprises her the night before the wedding with a surprise movie date. He’s bought tickets, he’s rented a car, and he’s bought flowers. He’s decided he can’t wait to confess his feelings for her. Of course… she’s flustered, and she can’t go with him. The truth comes out.
In the end, Chris shows up at the wedding to find a sober Charlotte, terrified and shaking, and hiding in a closet. He convinces her to come out and join the wedding, which she does, and the two end the film with the decision to be together, Chris planning on moving to live in the area, and Charlotte promising to continue on the road towards rehabilitation.
Works Cited
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” By Jason Segel, directed by Nicholas Stoller, Apatow Productions, 18 April 2008.
Hay, Lucy V. “5 Important Elements of Writing a Romantic Comedy.” bang2write, 20 Mar. 2013, bang2write.com/2013/03/5-important-elements-of-writing-a-romantic-comedy-by-james-rogers.html.
“Some Like it Hot.” By Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, directed by Billy Wilder, Mirisch Company, 29 March 1959.
“Theme.” Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 12 March, 2020, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theme. Accessed 22 March, 2020.
Wasson, Sam. “Some Like It Hot: How to Have Fun.” Criterion, The Criterion Channel, 19 Nov. 2018, www.criterion.com/current/posts/6048-some-like-it-hot-how-to-have-fun.