Conventions of the Romantic Comedy Genre in my Own

(Rom Com) Narrative

Narrative 2Victoria Snow is in love with fairytales – because it’s her namesake – and is

going on lots of unsuccessful dates trying to find her Mr Right. Edward Wright is in an arranged marriage with someone his parents chose in order to advance the family company and he is resigned to do it because

he has not had a partner in a long time. Victoria and Edward work in the same office (but have never met) and meet

at a Christmas office dinner and get seated together – they have a bit of tension and do not get off to a very successful start but then they discover

they are quite compatible and start seeing each other more. Victoria Snow’s best friend reveals she’s seen Edward in town with his arm

around another woman and tells Victoria Snow. Victoria Snow asks her to do some snooping on Edward to find out who this woman is and what Edward has been doing with her and she discovers that

he is engaged to her – at his parents insistence. Victoria Snow dumps Edward loudly and in a public place and doesn’t let

him explain. They go their separate ways but eventually the pain of not being with

Victoria means Edward goes to grovel to Victoria and he proposes to her in a local park where they had their first date.

One convention that I will be employing into my own narrative is the fairytale and almost story-

like thoughts that the main female characters usually believer in – the true love trope that is expected in

romantic comedies. This can be seen in romantic comedies Ella

Enchanted; Definitely, Maybe; He’s Just Not That Into You; The

Holiday.

One convention of the romantic comedy genre that I am employing in my own narrative is the plot is focused on the main female character – Victoria Snow. This is effective as my target audience is female-leaning and so a narrative that is centred around the main female character is much more relatable for the audience. This convention can be seen in: Bridget Jones’s Diary; The Wedding Date; Easy A.

Another convention of romantic comedies that I have decided to employ in my narrative is the inevitable happy ending. In my opinion, this is vital as the target audience tend to watch romantic comedies for the conventional endings that leave you feeling warm and loved. I believe this is an essential feeling at the end of a rom-com and what makes a romantic comedy what it is. This convention can be seen in: The Prince and Me; Going the Distance; Two Weeks Notice.

Another convention of the romantic comedy genre is the typical “boy-meets-girl”/“meet cute” situation. This is appealing to the target audience as they get to see the development of the characters relationship. This can be seen in: Pretty Woman; What If; Hannah Montana: The Movie.

Another convention that I am employing into my romantic comedy narrative is the conflict between the characters that then develops into love. This is effective and successful as it tells the audience that love can come from even the most unusual places and helps to give them hope that there is love out there for everyone. This also aids the warm, comforting feeling you get at the end as you get to see the development of the characters and then their happy ending. This can be seen in the romantic comedies: The Proposal; What’s Your Number?; 27 Dresses.