This is the fourth (and last) 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?
MERRIAM-WEBSTER DEFINES THEME AS “a subject or topic of discourse or of artistic representation.” I hate this definition. Talk about BROAD. It almost never helps me to think about the theme as a starting point because it’s so broad. Besides, the themes of screenplays are so open to interpretation that sometimes the films made from them have a different theme. Additionally, for rom-coms, the theme is generally something pretty obvious and related to the cliches surrounding romance, love, friendship, and family. Time and audience perspective can also change how the theme of certain films are interpreted.
Let’s take Some Like it Hot as an example. Back in “the day,” this film would probably have been interpreted by it’s author(s) as a film “about the Machiavellian lengths to which people will go to get what they want, which is never much nobler than money, sex, or self-preservation” (Wasson). The film is meant to please and entertain. Cross-dressing wasn’t some big political statement, it was a sight-gag. The lessons our characters learn are minimal, and honestly, they don’t change much from the beginning of the film to the end of the film. The whole film is about reversal and ironic humor. Nowadays, however, you can very easily draw the conclusion that the “enlightened” gender politics of the film were vastly ahead of their time, advocating for gender being a continuum rather than a binary -- a very modern idea, and one that is not even fully mainstream to this day. The film is so lacking in commentary that it can be interpreted in any number of ways. I personally think that’s some amazing writing.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Forgetting Sarah Marshall has absolutely no nuance. This isn’t necessarily a criticism, but it certainly limits the ways that the film can be interpreted. I think the general theme one will come to realize about this film will be some variation on this: “The process of getting over a breakup is messy, and takes time, even when one is leaving a flawed, abusive, or deeply unfulfilling relationship.” The only debatable point there is probably the last part. You could argue that Sarah and Peter’s relationship wasn’t unfulfilling for Peter. But honestly, that difference isn’t particularly important. Getting through the breakup is the part that really matters in the story. This message, and the comedy of the screenplay, are communicated by the constant return of Sarah Marshall into Peter’s life. Just as he forgets about her, she comes back in. Much like how our minds always return to heartbreak when we’re mourning a relationship.
In my own writing…
Theme is probably always going to be a subconscious aspect of my writing. I can’t yet see a future where I will start from a theme as inspiration. I will say, however, that theme plays an important role for me when I'm outlining. I sometimes like to follow Blake Snyder’s beat sheet as a starting point to brainstorm my story structure, and one of the beats in that is “theme stated.” I don’t think it necessary for one’s characters to state the theme in every work one creates, but in practice, it is a good exercise to try to figure out a way to write the theme into the film’s dialogue. I may keep it and I may not, but it’s good practice. I think perhaps theme is much more important in other forms of creative writing than screenplay, but it’s definitely not completely beside the point. I’ll always keep the theme at the back of my mind while I’m writing so that I don’t write a scene completely out of left field… but it’s definitely in the back of my mind.
Also, I’ll certainly make sure to pick an appropriate theme for the appropriate genre. It’s not possible to write an effective romantic comedy with the theme “Love is overrated, you should put your effort into your career instead.” It would be extremely improbable, if not impossible, to write a rom-com in which your audience will feel satisfied if you choose an inappropriate theme.
Brainstorm time:
I like the two themes of Some Like it Hot and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I find it interesting to think how these two themes could be combined. I’m not sure it could actually work, though. Perhaps this pitch using the theme would make for an interesting screenplay:
A genderfluid ex drug dealer who presents as a female decides to get out of a dangerous game in which they have found themselves. In order to escape this life, they break off their longtime relationship, move to a different area of the city, change their name, and try presenting as male instead.
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.