Bad Rom-Coms vs Good Rom-Coms (Writing Advice)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2024
- Learn what separates bad romantic comedies from good ones. Examples from Shrek, Groundhog Day, The Break-Up, 50 First Dates, and more!
Get Brandon's horror/thriller novel BAD PARTS:
- AMAZON (USA - Ad Link): amzn.to/3esTFYC
- AMAZON (UK): www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QLMWKW
- AMAZON (CAN): www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QLMWKW
- AMAZON (INDIA): www.amazon.in/dp/B088QLMWKW
- AMAZON (AUS): www.amazon.com.au/dp/B088QLMWKW
- BARNES & NOBLE: tinyurl.com/BadPartsBN
- AUDIBLE: www.audible.com/pd/Bad-Parts-...
- OTHER RETAILERS: books2read.com/badparts
Get Brandon's supernatural thriller novel ENTRY WOUNDS:
- AMAZON (USA - Ad Link): amzn.to/2XL737v
- AMAZON (UK): www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B097YGX2DH
- AMAZON (CAN): www.amazon.ca/dp/B097YGX2DH
- AMAZON (INDIA): www.amazon.in/dp/B097YGX2DH
- AMAZON (AUS): www.amazon.com.au/dp/B097YGX2DH
- BARNES & NOBLE: tinyurl.com/EntryWoundsBN
- AUDIBLE: tinyurl.com/EWAudible
- OTHER RETAILERS: books2read.com/EntryWounds
NOTE: Some of my links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos. This does not affect my review of products. All opinions are my own. Thanks for the support!
Follow Brandon McNulty:
WEBSITE (Join my mailing list!) - brandonmcnulty.com/
TWITTER - / mcnultyfiction
FACEBOOK - / mcnultyfiction
SUBSCRIBE to Writer Brandon McNulty here: / @writerbrandonmcnulty
#WritingAdvice #WritingTips #Writing #author #betterstories #authortube #booktube #authortuber #howtowrite #BrandonMcNulty #WriterBrandonMcNulty #BadParts #WritingCommunity
=======================================
CHECK OUT MY OTHER VIDEOS:
Mastering Scene Structure:
• Mastering Scene Struct...
Writing Scenes that Flow:
• Writing Scenes That Fl...
5 Fatal Mistakes that New Writers Make
• 5 Fatal Mistakes that ...
5 Time-Saving Tips for Writers (And Readers!)
• 5 Time-Saving Tips for...
5 Scientific Inaccuracies in Movies, TV, & Books
• 5 Scientific Inaccurac...
The BEST Writing Exercise Out There
• The BEST Writing Exerc...
How to Write a Book Pitch
• How to Write a Book Pitch
Writing Villains #1 - Start with Your Hero
• Writing Villains #1 - ...
Writing Villains #2 - Goals
• Writing Villains #2 - ...
Writing Villains #3 - Motivation
• Writing Villains #3 - ...
Writing Villains #4 - When to Introduce Your Villain
• Writing Villains #4 - ...
Writing Villains #5 - Plot Points for Villains
• Writing Villains #5 - ...
Writing Villains #6 - Impacting the Hero
• Writing Villains #6 - ...
The Anatomy of Story REVIEW:
• The Anatomy of Story R...
Save the Cat Writes a Novel REVIEW:
• Save the Cat Writes a ...
=======================================
"Thank his father for being a plot device." Brilliant.
It's good to see a son who actually appreciates his plot device.
You ok or not
@WriterBrandonMcNulty "I came to this world for a reason son. And it's to be in that stupid bed for some contrived reason! I wasted my life, so thanks for nothing!"
I laughed so hard
Beat me to it! 😂
LOLOL!
"Adam visits the hospital to thank his father for being a plot device."
I love early in Groundhog Day where Rita says: “I know you’re egocentric, it’s your defining characteristic.” For a movie with a LOT to do in two hours, it establishes what he needs to change and moves on.
That was a fantastic movie, very good character development, good exploration of him going through the essentially the stages of grief, and I love that they didn’t get bogged down in trying to explain why he relived the day over and over and rather focused only on that he was and how he reacted, fought and eventually grew
the bad vs good videos are my favorites
Mine too. Just wish they took less time to make haha
I 100% agree.
Honestly we appreciate it, such a good way to crystalise the key issues@@WriterBrandonMcNulty
same lol
The best rom-com is The Princess Bride by far. :) It's unconventional and genuinely hilarious. Nothing has come close to comparable to it.
"As you wish" is my favorite not so obvious "I love you".
The title of this video was "good" rom-coms, not "perfect" rom-coms.
@@jameskingsbery3644 :D You know it!
Absolutely
That movie had everything, including rodents of unusual size. What more could you want.
One of my favorite rom-coms is My Best Friend's Wedding. It's funny and original and even subversive in how the protagonist is actually the villain, and she gets to go after what she wants and in turn creating all this chaos, only to learn things are as they should be. It has such a bitter sweet ending but it was perfect.
It's like an anti-romcom, and honestly even the couple that ends up together is hinted at to fail, he comes across as manipulative and abusive while the young girl is naive and desperate for love that she'll change herself to be who he wants instead of growing as a person. I think the ending was actually supposed to come across that no one is happy in the end and rom-coms are unrealistic
I remember the initial argument from The Breakup and was wondering "how did these 2 even move in together in the first place?"
I'm gonna say this, Brandon, you're like a dad to us writers
Heavily agree!!!
Hahahhaahah!
But not a dad that's a plot device.
Thank you for this comment
Have to disagree. I’m 51. But I am learning a lot.
You're right about the flaw being irrelevant to the story in 50 First Dates, but I can't seem to make myself care. I love that movie, warts and all.
It's the last good Adam Sandler movie that I've seen.
I’m doing a course on the psychology of memory as shown in film, and 50 FIRST DATES is on the syllabus!
It shouldn't work but it does
Another topic could be bad red herrings vs good red herrings
"To thank his father for being a plot device"
😂😂😂😂 that killed me!
Okay, I'm buying your books, you win.
❤
Estimated delivery: Tuesday, Feb. 13
Can't wait to read them!
@@theQiwiMan yo, that's tomorow
@@theQiwiMan 25 minutes actually
@@Pharaoh_Tutankhamen both books arrived yesterday afternoon!
Favourite romcom: About Time. The way that they show that time travel won't magically help you get a girlfriend is so well done, and how there are more elements to the movie than just the romance was great to see after the trailer portrayed the love interest as the most important part of the movie.
It's also my favorite. I made my wife watch it, and we both sobbed when he started going back for more time with his father.
@@michaelnewton1754 Oh man, it gets me every time when they both go back to when Tim was kid... So sad and so beautiful.
so glad to read this comment. i love Gleeson
Groundhog Day is my all-time favorite film. I know it led to Bill Murray and Harold Ramis having a falling out, but it came out just perfectly.
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite films too (The Princess Bride just edges it out of the top spot for me). February 2nd is therefore one of my favorite holidays because I watch Groundhog Day every Groundhog Day, creating a Groundhog Day loop of my own 😂 like you said, it came out perfect, and I will never tire of watching it!
Ironically it's the competing visions that combined to give it it's heart
I like While You Were Sleeping. Yeah, the premise is wonky, girl falls for guy who doesn't notice/know her and winds up with his family thinking she's about to be family, but it gets me in the feels every time. I love Lucy's relationship with the Callihan family on the whole, and how her fantasies about romance with Peter change into the chance for a real relationship as she gets to know the brother, Jack.
Good advice but I loved 50 First Dates. I saw Adam's character's flaw as enjoying the chase. So he never overcame it. He didn't have to. Every day his love had forgotten him and he had to win her all over again. Still it was a fun movie.
That was kind of my take on the movie. Their flaws complimented each other. He got to seduce her every day.
Great point. And I think this movie, well any romance with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, are an example of one of the good traits on this list. They match each other's comedic energy so well.
I thought this, too! Yeah, great, he decided one woman was worth the effort, but it's still a woman who forgets they've ever met every time she wakes up in the morning, so he has to put the same "first time meeting" effort in for at least a little while every day.
I also love 50 First Dates, but now Brandon has me wondering if the story would have been better if initially Henry saw Lucy as the perfect date because she wouldn't remember him, then in the process of trying to get her in bed (a challenge!), he fell in love and became committed to the relationship. I think it could work and might even be stronger than the original.
Agreed.That would make it better.
When Harry Met Sally is the gold standard, of course, but I also love While You Were Sleeping and You've Got Mail. I could watch any of those films over and over again.
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY I’ve probably seen several hundred times in my life.
Romcoms isn’t really my genre, so I usually keep romance as a beta plot line. My favorite movie couple has gotta be Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Flynn isn’t just some handsome dream boy (even though he’s definitely _the_ Disney dream boy to many😂), but he’s the one who made Rapunzel’s dream come true. He will always mean something to Rapunzel and likewise Rapunzel will always have been the one to change him back to Eugene. That’s the kind of romance I love, where the events of a movie are the catalyst for a couple getting together rather than love itself being what the characters were looking for. That’s what makes the love feel like destiny rather than right place right time, thus making the romance feel larger than life. But that’s just my preference
Favorites: When Harry Met Sally, Eternal Sunshine (does that count?), Groundhog Day, While You Were Sleeping, lots more!
Least favorite: Love, Actually 🤮
Eternal Sunshine absolutely counts. It's the first one on my list.
Harry and Sally is a perfect movie. Brilliant writing and acting.
Some of the screwball comedies are also very good rom-com's. Anime also has a wide variety of rom-coms 🙂.
I would love to hear some recommendations of good anime rom coms! I’ve never heard of them
@@marmantole Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is one of the best out there.
@@CrazyHand7894 Thank you!! I'll check it out!
Yep. Harry Met Sally is such a great movie. Really sweet and touching and also very funny.
I think my favorites are The Shop Around the Corner and MegaMind. My least favorites are the trite, carbon-copied “they fell in love because the script said so” movies, usually heavily sprinkled with girl pandering such as scenes of friend-bonding food rituals and super secret club names and discussing male genitalia and the like. Formulaic. They’re what I think of as chick flicks.
Anyway, one I particularly dislike is Practical Magic. It’s particularly vexing because it introduces a novel scenario which turns out to be an overlay for a standard chick flick formula. Girl bonding, midnight margharitas (food ritual that comes out of nowhere and shows up for no good reason except to show more girl bonding), the entire plot being about a man. Yeah, it’s a definite twist on that but it is. And now the whole town loves us because reasons.
But there’s a definite market for this schlock. I remember watching a lady do a reaction to a movie and she was a big fan of romances. I wish I could remember which movie because she went on a tiny rant about how the people needed to sit and eat a meal and share their stories. That was how a romance needed to be developed, she was sure. Eat a meal and share your story. Bruh. Every time?!? I don’t have a problem with knowing from the start who will end up together. But for the love of Bob can we make the journey interesting?
Almost included Shop Around the Corner in this video! I was gonna compare the memorable supporting cast in Shop vs. the forgettable supporting cast in You've Got Mail
yes! scanned through the comments to say Shop Around the Corner too. Also the merit of an interconnecting subplot too with the boss' story, and 'real' supporting characters, who have their own goals
I'm not really a rom-com person but one I genuinely love is Green Card with Andie McDowell and Gerard Depardieu. (Yes it's older, 1990 I think, so the actual "getting a green card" part isn't true to life anymore.) But I love it because the two main characters are very well fleshed out: we understand them and their goals. Andie's character wants a beautiful apartment where she can work with plants and develop her charity work. Gerard wants to live in America and work on his music. While there is comedy, the development of their (initially unwanted) relationship actually involves the development of their characters and some tender, thoughtful moments. Getting a bit long winded here, but it's an excellent one!
When Harry Met Sally is the absolute PERFECT rom com and by far a favorite for me. The dialogue is so quotable and the acting is superb. My other favorites are The Wedding Singer, The Holiday, Music and Lyrics, Notting Hill, and one I NEVER get tired of watching is She’s Out of My League. The Truth About Cats and Dogs is also a lovely romcom movie that does a great female friendship as well. Valley Girl is also one of the BEST romcoms of all time and a great flashback to 80’s music and style… and a VERY sexy Nic Cage.
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is a good one
This movie is so underrated. 'Them college kids started killin' themselves all over my property...' Or something like that 😂
It's been a doozy of a day
The script is flipped
Usually it's psychotic Hillbillies and Mountainwilliams that inexplicably are deranged cannibals chasing the plucky college tweens and they just brutalized messily
There, though
Tucker and Dale are just humble country boys looking to fix up a cabin, and Dale starts crushing hard on the girl they saved
A perfect meet cute when she wakes up
Imagine getting pissed because someone purchasing the wrong amount of lemons... The break up was ahead of its time!
It is interesting to think that 50 First Dates and Groundhog day are the same movie, told by two different authors with different skillsets.
Groundhog Day is prob my favorite as well. How it didn’t get nominated for Best Screenplay is beyond me. I also love It Happened One Night which is a classic movie and is one of the greatest movies of all time.
It’s absolutely criminal that Danny Rubin (who came up with the idea for the plot and cowrote the screenplay with Harold Ramis) is so obscure. He should have become one of the top screenwriters in Hollywood after _Groundhog Day._
Oh, It Happened One Night is a great one! The wall of Jericho 🎺
When Harry Met Sally is so good, but my favorite is The Wedding Singer
I don't find too many romcoms too entertaining or memorable. I did like Romancing the Stone. Sort of an action romcom. Definitely a genre mix film, but I think I would classify it as a romcom at its base.
Groundhog Day and When Harry met Sally are the quintessential romcoms to me.
Some recent good ones:
Palm Springs
Always Be My Maybe
Love Hard
I agree with many that have been listed above: Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, etc. I also love How to Steal a Million, Some Like it Hot, and what I consider a lesser know gem: One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney.
Purple Rose of Cairo is a brilliant, hilarious, touching rom-com.
So good that Barbie recycled its entire plot.
When Harry Met Sally is the unassailable champion.
So many bad ones, but Must Love Dogs sticks out as particularly awful.
Harry/Sally is ridiculously well-done. Even while re-watching it, I still wonder if they're actually gonna get together or if they're gonna be like Jerry and Elaine till the end.
There’s a lot of bad ones but there are plenty of good ones. Dumb and Dumber is good (though more of a bromance perhaps). The Forty Year Old Virgin is good. Also Something About Marry. And I’d put Annie Hall above When Harry Met Sally.
Of course so many great ones: The Philadelphia Story, Say Anything, While You Were Sleeping (a bit flawed, but Sandra Bullock at her most charming). WHMS just shines in virtually every scene, and every single character is memorable.
If we're throwing in bromances, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles ranks up there for me. It's structured exactly like a great rom-com.
Crazy Stupid Love is my absolute favorite rom-com. I love rewatching it once in a while
I love Notting Hill. Great humor and love story.
Groundhog Day rates as one of my top fave romcoms, I watch it religiously every Feb 2nd! (And sometimes use "ten...nine...eight...car...six...five...quarters...three...two......." as my personal countdown). Another comment mentioned The Princess Bride, which I usually view more as an action/adventure comedy but can see it falling into romcom, similar to Shrek.
While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock is another one of my favorites (I watch it every Christmas season!) I think the message is simple but well executed - Life doesn't always turn out the way you planned - and I enjoy the romance between the two leads, as they get to know each other and develop feelings as a result. The premise is a bit silly, but I think it's handled well, and there are moments when you really feel for Lucy (Bullock), when you understand how her deep loneliness keeps her in her situation longer than may be logical.
Another commenter just mentioned While You Were Sleeping. I really need to check that one out
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Yay, I'm glad to hear someone else mentioned it as well! It's a movie I watch every year, it's become one of my favorite holiday season traditions. I don't generally like most Christmas romcoms for being too sugary sweet, so I enjoy WYWS because I feel it balances the heart with the comedy really well. I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to watch it!
Thank you for your videos, by the way, I really enjoy them and how you provide both good and bad examples to illustrate your points. I think it helps to see the writing tips you provide in action. I also really appreciate that you warn for spoilers at the start of your videos. Keep up the great work! 😃
500 days of summer - easily one of the most original rom coms out there (and a great nonlinear narrative to boot)
Love that one! I actually hoped to include it in this video as a good example, but I was aiming to keep the video short. My favorite scene is the side-by-side with reality vs. how he imagines things will play out.
Ah Shrek, a masterpiece.
to be fair i never view The Break up as a Romcom but as a Drama comedy. It not a love story it a break up story.
The two main not suppose to be in love but they have to learn that they not realy in love and it better for them to be separate.
The reason they so obnoxious and alway fighting is because they not mean to be together. They bring out the wrost in each other.
It's like an anti-love story.
Best Rom-Com for me is About Time (2013). It's not structurally ideal, and might even be more family drama than romance... But it's just so wholesome, and the sci-fi twist is fantastic
Groundhog Day is one of the best movies ever. Thanks for using this one!
Hey! Thanks so much for these videos. I'm actually thinking about writing a romantic subplot into my superhero story. Basically one of the heroes ends up being rescued by one of the villains, and the villain ends up having an arc where he goes from bad to good, but has to prove himself to the hero. It's a mix of Zuko's arc and most romantic subplots. Your videos based around romance and romantic subplots have been helping me out with that.
Hope your Valentine's Day goes well!
16:30 Another perfect example of humor not matching romance occurs in the game Devil May Cry 4. In it, the game's humor occurs with the former protagonist Dante, where he fights while mocking his opponents. However, in this new game, the new protagonist Nero has a romance with the extremely emotionally fragile Kyrie. The problem I see with this is that: it's very difficult to take her emotional drama seriously right after seeing Dante doing the most absurd things while crushing his enemies.
I would've loved to see a romance between Dante and Lady instead. They work well together and it could've worked well with Dante being crazy kooky self and Lady being level-headed but secretly enjoying Dante's zaniness.
17:30 There are some stories, though, that as the characters grow/change the genre may shift. I’m not trying to say this one is a good one but look at something like the videogame Doki-Doki Literature Club, designed to look and feel like a choose your own adventure, rom-com, visual novel style videogame but as certain characters develop for the worse during the game (and for reasons of not spoiling anyone I’m going to write it like this) it shifts to a completely different genre and the plot and goals of the characters shift dramatically from the main character being this bachelor looking for love, to being the hero of the story trying to save the world. I won’t get too into it because the twist is too good to spoil if you haven’t played it. But I think they do a wonderful job of mashing two genres together that couldn’t feel further from eachother. Not to mention the writing is pretty good too! I guess they don’t bounce between the two though - once it shifts it doesn’t go back ever.
OUTSTANDING! FLAWLESS VICTORY of a breakdown. im gonna get one of your books.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy it! Please leave a brief review when you finish
Honestly, I think my favorite rom-com is either Shrek or Shrek 2. I love the theme of self-acceptance because it’s something that I struggle with. In fact, the protagonist of my novel struggles with it too, and it just so happens that Shrek is her favorite movie.
Thank you for teaching me about love, Mr. McNulty
I will use these tactics to ask out a girl on Valentines Day. Wish me luck!
Last favorite has to be Love Actually. It makes all the mistakes you mention, but 5 times over, one for each of the stories. My theory is they had to shoot a movie, but didn't have 1 good script, so they threw a bunch of crummy scripts together and shot that.
Cinema Therapy has a video on Love Actually that you might like about how unloving and toxic a lot of the relationships are.
Ugh, yes, I loathe that movie. The only good part is the scene with Rowan Atkinson, gift wrapping the present at the jewelry counter. That was pretty funny! But the romances were, for the most part, awful.
Shallow, frustrating couples. That sums up exactly how I felt while reading "Love on the Brain".
Thank you for such a perfect, simple statement Brandon!
A favorite of mine is “Kate & Leopold,” which has two fabulously charming actors, Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman, a SciFi angle, and a nice message.
Not my favorite rom-com movie, but appropriate for analysis: "The War of the Roses".
Very dark, but the characters match. Lots of tension.
Thanks for reminding me I need to watch Crazy Stupid Love again. That movie is so chaotic and amazing.
'A Knight's Tale' is both a bad and quite good RomCom. I left the theater at 'We Will Rock You,' but now it's one of my favorite RomComs.
I felt the same the first time I watched A Knight's Tale - the postmodernist style was so jarring to me! But it's really grown on me since.
Funny, when We Will Rock You started playing, I knew I was going to love that film. It is one of my absolute favorites to this day.
@@EmonEconomistintentionally anachronistic movies are a subgenre I wish more filmmakers would explore. The Favourite did a fantastic job of this.
@@erakfishfishfish Yes, done well. If you do it, you have to own it. the recent persuasion was, i don't know, insert your own synonym for abysmal.
I agree with the analysis on all of these except for 50 First Dates. I don't consider that one a rom-com because it was so sad it almost made me cry. I am glad to know that someone else disliked The Break-Up and No Strings Attached as I kind of hated both of those movies.
A good way to tell a funny romantic comedy (even in satire) in 6-7 minutes is this 1959 Looney Tunes / Merrie Melodies cartoon, "Really Scent". The Pepé Le Pew cartoons typically follow a simple formula about a female cat getting a white stripe on her tail and this attracts the skunk thinking she is "la femme female skunk fetale".
"Really Scent", directed by one of Chuck Jones' animators, Abe Levitow and written by Michael Maltese decided to do something different with the story. It establishes that the black cat born in New Orleans, named Fabrette, is born with skunk stripes and she is very unlucky to fall in love because of her appearance. Pepé stowaways to New Orleans from Paris looking for love completely unaware that his odor lingers around him. Fabrette sees him and the two start running towards each other finding love at first sight.
Regardless of pacing, the idea is very clear. Fabrette (who is later named Penelope) is put off by his odor while he is making over the top romantic gestures. Fabrette tries to hold her breathe and even spray perfume on him but it does not work. When Pepé finds out what "pew" means, he gets devastated briefly. Now both try to solve the problem as Pepé deodorizes himself while Fabrette locks herself in a limburger factory. The formula in the cartoons typically follow Pepé chasing his love interest, but in a role reversal like "Really Scent", Pepé would run away from Fabrette because of her new odor.
In a nutshell, both would do anything to be with each other but there are always going to be setbacks. It is not so one-sided and it is quite wholesome and sincere balanced with the typical cartoon comedy of the time.
You give such great advice. Thanks for making these!
I’m still a fan of the 80’s comedy Working Girl. While the meet-cute doesn’t pass modern standards, but the way the characters connect over mutual admiration and respect, as well as attraction. Both engage in some deception of the other for their own reasons, and the miscommunication is actually quite valid - she is pretending to be something she’s not in order to move her career forward rather than being constantly dismissed as ‘just a secretary,’ and it’s actually less plausible that she would confess that than hide it. The ‘breakup’ comes when the truth is revealed, but there’s no fight or drama, only him asking if she was faking the romance too. The makeup happens when he risks his own career by standing by her as the real talent behind the business deal about to go down: she may have faked her title but not WHO SHE IS. That spurs her to keep fighting and finally get her break, and the two ending up together seems a natural extension.
I'm so happy you used When Harry Met Sally as a good example. It is my favourite movie ever. Not favourite rom-com. Favourite MOVIE 😊
This video was excellent. Thank you. I'm learning so much and hopefully my story will be frickin fantastic after watching your videos
Another amazing video, you rock!
I dont think The Breakup is a good example of the first flaw. The movie was not trying to be a romcom, it was trying to deconstruct one.
Finally!!! A new video 🤠
look forward to all of your next ones
Thank you!
I like The Break Up..but I see what ur talking about. Shallow Hal is the best rom com I've ever seen, I'm surprised u didn't mention it.
Great advice once again Brandon🎉. Love your videos❤. Quick suggestion for next video, try tackling the challenges of writing in 3rd person both limited and omniscient pov please🙏🥺 Would appreciate it if you did❤
Perhaps it would be a good idea for to review books and movies from a writer's perspective, showcasing what works and what doesn't, with an emphasis on why these elements work or not, and how new writers can employ these lessons in their own writing. I know that there are a million story review channels out there, but most of them give a fairly shallow analysis, only occasionally diving deep into the mechanics of storytelling.
This is one of your best videos!
Great video as always! I really appreciate your efforts to make short, concise videos - they're extraordinarily helpful.
My favorite rom-coms are While You Were Sleeping and When Harry Met Sally! :)
A friend of mine just recommended While You Were Sleeping to me the other day. The concept sounds funny--I need to check it out
@@WriterBrandonMcNulty It's very wholesome! And the story behind the writers is quite inspiring - they spent years working on it while in different cities before it was finally picked up. I hope you enjoy it! :)
Brandon your channel is great and I am learning a lot and I think your examples on this video were very good. I just love how some of these comments are of people who are really butt hurt because you said some of the writing in their favorite movies suck. I love the realness and the honest truth you gave with them. 😂😂😂. People have to learn that you can love a movie but realize there are elements about it that can suck 🤷🏾♂️
Shrek is the absolute best flick of all time and I never get tired of watching it -- for the romance a bit, but mostly the comedy and the personal growth the characters undergo
Awesome as always!
Favorite rom-com: "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (minus Mickey Rooney). Also, there are a lot of Korean dramas that are great romcoms - "Crash Landing on You" is a really fantastic one.
My favourite is The Philadelphia Story, i love the character growth of the main character Tracy Lorde.
I actually think most of what happens in The Breakup is intentional. They focus on how a relationship can spiral and turn into petty arguments. I think the frustration that viewers feel while watching these petty fights is probably intentional, and meant to reflect lot of real life relationships, and the mistakes people commonly make. I think what a lot of people don't like about the movie is that it's too real.
I think it was a failure of execution. The War of the Roses did this so much better. It established why the couple fell in love and how the marriage slowly broke apart. Also, the film wasn’t afraid to get much darker and nastier than The Break-Up, which felt toothless by comparison.
@@erakfishfishfish But that's exactly what makes The Breakup so real imo. It's not overly dramatized. It's a lot more like what most relationships are. Two people who end up together through some chance, stay together probably simply due to inertia. And then slowly start to resent each other. If it was darker and nastier, it would be less relatable. I think it was supposed to be uncomfortable to watch.
There’s so much more going on in crazy stupid love too, it feels like a deep real situation because there are so many moving parts
I like "While you were sleeping" with Sandra Bullock where she thinks of this guy she saves as the perfect prince and by a confusion she pretends to be his girlfriend when he's in a coma.
Not only the guy turns out to not be the perfect man she had thought, she meets his family, start spending time with them and she falls in love with the guy's brother, who's a more regular type guy.
Hi brandon. I have to say I realy enjoy your videos! I want to suggest "Bad Vs Good Magic System"
Keep up the good work!
Thank you! And I’m hoping to do a Bad vs Good Fantasy video in the future, so I’ll try include magic systems as one of the points. Thanks for the idea
thanks for the tips.
Thank you for a deep dive into rom coms and exploring their flaws and how writers can use their talent to create a compelling story
Very informative ❤
I feel like every 'good' romcom, I can relate to. A sign that the writing is strong, because it's realistic, despite some escalated humor. But -
I had a breakup where I tried my hardest to get back together. I went through a period of self-loathing where I was repeating bad habits. I have dated a couple women who were long time friends first.
However, I do also have a 'Good Luck Chuck' thing going, where a LOT of my ex gfs got married to the next guy they dated.
And finally, I am an ogre.
Hahaha... Thrilled that I finally made a video that someone can fully relate to. Here's hoping your father gets out of the hospital and stays off the cough syrup
I love the Rom-Com "Shallow Hal"
The best is When Harry Met Sally, but I also love Bridget Jones's Diary. You've Got Mail is also good, but problimatic. Notting Hill will always be a favourite because it has the best friend group ever
Excellent as always, love your videos and this one's no exception.
However, I do have a small reservation: "The Breakup" in my opinion has a VERY unique aspect to it. I've never seen such a rom-com movie where a couple tries and tries but eventually fails staying together. The fighting in the movie might be a bit excessive, I agree. However, it is so relatable because it's real. That's how couples who have a bad relationship fight. I remember being shaken by that movie as it brought back bad memories from my own failed relationships. So I think this story is actually quite unique.
Also, their unwillingness to change is actually the surprising and interesting part for me. I expected a natural character arc and instead got two stubborn characters who broke my expectations. I know this sounds counter intuitive but in a way, this LACK of change was the surprise for me.
I wonder what your thoughts are on this.
❤
Never been a huge fan of rom-coms in general but this reminded me what a great film Groundhog Day is, so I guess that is my favourite!
Favorite Wedding Crashers. And The Proposal
Favorites...off the top of my head, Annie Hall, Manhattan, Eternal Sunshine, Metropolitan. (How about Taxi Driver? Does that count? hahahah). Also...Her...The "Before" trilogy (Before Sunrise, et. al.). Do screwballs count? If so, Bringing Up Baby goes on the list. After Hours? (What's that but a rom-com gone horribly awry?)
Crazy Stupid Love is my favorite romcom. Obviously this wasnt the topic of today's video but besides being so well done in how they handle character arcs of flawed couples, they manage to balance 3 different romance arcs between side characters that are all tied up more or less in the main character's resolution, which is not only well done but it's way more ambitious than most stories in this genre with that amount of screentime.
It's genuinely funny without being vulgar. I love it, and I am not a fan on the genre!
I love the twist at the end. Plus, if you do the math in the spot where the husband states a year as the answer to a question and subtract that from the year the movie came out, you get a detail of the twist. Sorry, purposely vague to prevent spoilers. It's a really good twist.
I like this movie also, although interestingly Jacob (Gosling) suffers from the same sudden overcoming of a character flaw that McNulty talks about - if his was the MAIN romance of the movie, it would be a less satisfying story (Though that bar kiss is pretty satisfying…😊)
@@meganc1539 That's a great point! He does have a pretty rapid turnaround and then has little where else to go, but personally I felt it worked out alright in the context of the film.
I feel like all of Adam Sander's characters suffer from weak character flaws that are so easily outgrown that they are irrelevant to the story (except Uncut Gems).
Hey, I have been a fan of your channel for a few months now, I really like how you analyze writing. I have a recommendation that you should read One Piece i would really like to see what a conventional writer thinks about One Piece.
The Princess Bride is my second favorite movie of any genre. It has a lot of comedy in it, and it is about romance.
Aww I actually love 50 First Dates. I'm sad it is one of the examples of "suck". My favorite rom com would be Bridget Jones' Diary
It is a fun movie, no doubt. I loved it. The point Brandon is making is that the writing could could have been so much better if the character arc of Adam Sandler does not finish one-third of the way in.
@@dragonbane44I disagree. Is it abrupt? Sure. But it’s a complete arc and allows us to move on to the important parts of the story. The story was never overcoming his flaw. Whereas in Groundhog Day it was a bigger theme than the time loop.
In 50 First Dates, what scenes should have been cut to make way for this additional plot line?
I think 50 first dates works because Adam sandler's character is forced to take a relationship serious. The drama comes from him really wanted something, but having no idea how to do it
@@dragletsofmakara1120 so what was the point of tge story? How Adam wins Drew over and then Drew forgets and rinse and repeat?
@@dragonbane44 He pretty much wins her over right away. The movie is more about him earning her families/protector’s approval and learning how to how make a relationship involving a disability work.
Ok i dont care what you say i still love 50 first dates. Love your videos they have been very helpful. SUB
Hey brandon I was wondering if you had any writing advice for the following topics
1. A good vs bad of corruption or madness arcs (characters becoming evil or crazy)
2. How to write Group dynamics, (characters getting along, drama between characters, and how to resolve or end conflicts)
I've never considered the break up to be a romcom in the traditional sense, and I didn't realize we were supposed to think of it that way. I thought it was about two people navigating a break up.
Princess Bride and Howl's Moving Castle are my two favorite rom-coms by far.
Buttercup is one of my favorite damsels in distress. Even though she has little to no agency in the movie, she never feels stale because her personality is dynamic. She's doing what she can considering the situation she finds herself in. And Westley is just.... he makes me FERAL.
Sophie is all about using her agency. I like how Howl is the damsel in distress in the books, not physically, but emotionally. It's such a good twist imo.
A video subject after my own heart! I don't suppose you do script consultations? 😂
Well my biggest problem with any rom com is when the bride to be is in an arranged marriage and the groom to be has to disrupt the wedding and confess his love. You showed shrek but that one I don’t mind as much because I like the characters so much. An example I can give is from a Christmas movie called “Santa girl” when Santa’s daughter is set to marry the son of Jack Frost or something but this one guy who she just randomly helped at the beginning comes in and saves her from marrying him. My problem with it stems from it’s unrealistic nature and how sad and upset the other family would be if they found out their son’s fiancé left him at the alter.
Shallow Hal. I enjoy it.
I'm going to let my Weeb flag fly and mention Rumiko Takahashi's 1980's RomCom "Maison Ikkoku". One thing it does particularly well is give its two lead characters different takes on the same flaw: they're both too immature for a serious relationship until the final act. The difference is that main man Godai knows he needs to grow up and act like a man but regularly fails to do so, while Kyoko holds Godai to impossibly high standards while constantly excusing or ignoring her own shortcomings. This deadlock exists for most of the story, but breaks in the final act when Godai (after a lengthy character arc) gets his act together, which in turn forces Kyoko to face the mirror.
There's a reason that series is a classic.
I was worried I’d have some spoilers, but it turns out I’ve seen all these movies and just suck at remembering titles. 😂