Portfolio Project Genre #2

    Right behind coming-of-age comedies, romantic dramedies would have to be my favorite and most-watched genre of film. Both commonly leave a lot of leeway for the plot and don't have many constraints for how the story may go. 

    There are many genre conventions of a romantic dramedy that helps to cement films into the genre. While there are obvious ones like having two lovable leads, a break-up conflict, and a happy ending, there is one thing that can make or break the effectiveness and success of the movie. If the two-leads move forward through a typical romance plot but lack the chemistry to go along with it, the movie falls flat and usually loses the audience. This chemistry is a product of two very important factors: good writing and good acting. These two are necessary for the audience to truly feel the connection between the characters and want to root for them to stay together. 

    Film inspiration:

    Eternity is a romantic dramedy with fictional elements that follows Joan in the afterlife as she decides who to spend eternity with, her first husband that died tragically young or her second husband who started a family with her. This film, although including heavily fictional elements, provides an insanely raw and authentic look at love and loss. I usually hate romance films with love triangles as it always seems pointless and just a cheap way to create conflict, but the afterlife element this film adds real stress and tension to a completely fictional complication. The romantic scenes between Joan and her husbands, Larry and Luke made it so I truly had no idea who she would end up with. Joan's scenes with Luke and Larry felt like two completely separate dynamics and helped the audience to understand Joan's difficulty with the decision. 

   

    (500) Days of Summer is also a romantic dramedy. It follows main character Tom Hansen, a helpless romantic, before, during, and after his relationship with Summer Finn, a girl he believes to be his soulmate. This film is a very unique one in the genre as it subverts the crucial convention of having a happy ending. While the plot is centered around Tom's relationship with Summer, it feels one-sided. The entire film is from Tom's perspective as he narrates the emotional rollercoaster he'd gone through in the past 500 days with Summer. Although having fun, comedic moments the conflict in this film is extremely complex and nuanced. It is also very stylized and creatively snaps between Tom's fantasies and reality in a visually interesting way that adds more to his character while also getting the audience to relate and sympathize with him as the events in the plot unfold.

Backstage. (n.d.). Acting chemistry: Definition and examples. Backstage. https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/acting-chemistry-definition-examples-76453/

IMDb. (n.d.). 500 Days of Summer (tt1022603). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1022603/

IMDb. (n.d.). Eternity (tt24950660). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24950660/

Medium. (n.d.). Why (500) Days of Summer is a masterpiece in exploring the complexities of modern relationships. Medium. https://medium.com/@vinurish/why-500-days-of-summer-is-a-masterpiece-in-exploring-the-complexities-of-modern-relationships-125a7d3eae1e

ScreenCraft. (2025, June 13). The 9 elements of all great rom-coms. ScreenCraft. https://screencraft.org/blog/the-9-elements-of-all-great-rom-coms/

The Hoya. (n.d.). Review: Eternity is an enchanting yet imperfect romance. The Hoya. https://thehoya.com/guide/review/eternity-is-an-enchanting-yet-imperfect-romance/