Components of a Good Rom-Com Part 2

Hello, today we continue to explore what makes a good rom-com examining several rom-coms that have stood the test of time: Freaky Friday (hello, it just spawned a sequel), Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Confessions of a Shopaholic and The Devil Wears Prada. Here are some things that make these movies so lasting (for more see yesterday’s post). 

Proving yourself:

• In Legally Blonde Elle Woods has alot to prove. First she has to get into Harvard Law (with  a major in fashion merchandising) which involves impressing the Admissions Board and getting a great score on her LSATS (which she blew off Greek Week to study for). Once she’s at Harvard she has to prove she belongs there which everyone is doubting including her ex boyfriend Warren and his new fiance. But Elle again proves to everybody she is not just a “dumb blonde” when she gets selected to help on a murder trial. Through sheer intuition and sharp deductive reasoning, Elle solves the case and is the hero of the hour.  Elle is also approached by her professor who hints that if she becomes physical with him she can go far in her profession. Elle rejects him, horrified and questioning her own abilities. At the end of the movie it is shown that Elle is class valedictorian.

• Andie is addicted to proving herself to Miranda and the staff at Runway where she is an assistant. Miranda gives her  impossible commands like to get copies of books that are not out yet or  being in two places at once or to give up every ounce  of a social life. Even though Andie thinks she is on the right path she is actually proving to her boyfriend and her friends that her job matters more than them.

Starting over:

• At the beginning of Mean Girls Cady Heron is starting at public school for the first time. Her entire year she has been homeschooled by  her parents in Africa where they are research zoologists before Cady’s mother gets a job at Northwestern University. Cady is very unfamiliar with the nuances of public school- that you need a lavatory pass to go to the bathroom during class, that just because you are African American does not mean you speak a foreign language and ,of course, the whole concept of popularity. Cady continues to navigate cliques, crushes and mean girls as she becomes accustomed to mainstream high school.

• Elle Woods attended UCLA before she was accepted into Harvard Law. She receives a frosty welcome from almost everyone including fellow students and professors. “Check out Malibu barbie” someone calls out as she steps out of the car onto Harvard grounds. She feels lonely and misses home and her old sorority. During her first week at Harvard, she is tricked into wearing a skanky costume to a house party. This is where she realizes that her once boyfriend (whom she had been trying to get back) would never take her seriously. She realizes its time she start taking herself seriously for her own sake not for someone else.

The importance of friendship:

• In Confessions of a Shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood is best friends and roommates with Suze (her parents pay rent). When Suze gets engaged, Rebecca is her bridesmaid. And Suze tries to help Rebecca get her shopping addiction under control. Things come to a head when Rebecca gets rid of Suze’s bridesmaid dress by accident. At the end of the movie Rebecca and Suze solve their rift and are best friends again.

The importance of family: 

In Freaky Friday not only do the mother and daughter understand each other better after switching bodies but Anna is able to appreciate Henry, her little brother a little more. He was always doing things like wearing her bra, reading her journal and invading her privacy. For a teenager nothing is more important than privacy. When Anna attends Henry’s parent teacher conference as her mother, she learns Henry actually loves Anna alot, he just doesn’t show it because they “have so  much fun fighting”. I think a similar situation evolved between me and my brother actually. Hey, maybe my life is a little l ike a rom-com too. I got the friends, family and the guy. But don’t expect me to go back to high school or Harvard law anytime soon.