Teen Romantic Comedies: Analysis

 

 

She’s All That (1999)

‘She’s All That’ is an American comedy film directed by Robert Iscove. It was one of the most popular teen films of the 1990’s and reached #1 at the box office in the first week of its release. Due to this, it won and was nominated for many awards despite only being rated 5.5/10.

 This film follows the narrative of a teen romantic comedy. This is when a boy and a girl meet and for one reason or another they are torn apart. Throughout the film, they realise that they are meant to be together and try to get back with eachother. To conclude the film, the characters meet up and resolve what problems they may have had and live ‘happily ever after’.

There is a theme of ‘true love’ where the characters overcome the challenges and problems which keep them apart. This is much like the typical codes and conventions of a teen rom-com.

This film begins with loud stereotypical teenage music consisting of instruments such as guitars and drums. It focuses on big city buildings with bright lights before introducing the film company’s name: MIRAMAX Films. This is shortly followed by a blank black screen before the scene is introduced. The words of the soundtrack start playing whilst the first scene is being shown. Whilst the film continues, the name of the company is shown again. During this time, the credits are still rolling ( these are shown as an artists work as the paint tube squirts paint which then transforms into letters). This is shortly followed by the title of the film and then the continuing of the names of the actors.

The characters in this film are the typical popular and attractive male (high school jock) and female who happen to be in a relationship. The main character is the ‘geeky’ girl who isn’t well known nor liked. The main characters in films such as this are made to be relatable, likable and somewhat fragile as the intentions are that the audience support them. The two main characters are of different classes in terms of popularity and appearance. This is highlighted to be one of the important factors which keep them apart. The popular boy’s two best friends are shown fairly frequently as well as the popular girl’s close friends.

The stock settings of this film are the main characters home where quite a large proportion of the film is shot. This is either in the basement where she spends a lot of time painting or around her home. This is a conventional setting as the audience is given a sense of the characters personality and lifestyle. Another conventional setting in this film is a ‘high school’. The majority of films of this genre (teen rom - com) include this setting because it creates verisimilitude as attending school is part of a teenagers life. Other settings include the party which many people from the school went to and the ‘high school dance’. Also, the beach. This conveys the stereotypical teenager as being fun-loving and out going.

The traditional props commonly seen in a film of this genre are backpacks (this relates to one of the setting as the characters attend high school). A school bus is also shown to create verisimilitude. There are also other props such as make-up and appropriate clothing depending on the setting.

The overall lighting of the film is designed to capture the mood of the character as well as well as realistic lighting of the characters surroundings. A majority of the film is daylight as the tone of the film is calm and natural lighting is appropriate for the genre of the film. Dark lighting will make

it appear slightly scary and inappropriate for the genre. Some lighting is used the main character’s face after she had been transformed to emphasise her beauty as this makes her appear very feminine. There is darker lighting when the characters are indoors at a party. This is appropriate as it is night time and sets a more mysterious mood.

                                        A Cinderella Story (2004)

‘A Cinderella Story’ was directed by Mark Rosman and starred Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murrey. It received negative reviews from critics possible because of how cliché it appears. This film begins with the title of the film company 'Warner bros pictures' which is shortly followed by a blank black screen. In orange and yellow font, the film company's name is shown again. The soundtrack is a non-diegetic instrumental adventurous sounding music. This ties in with the genre of the film as well as the typical style of rom-coms as they are generally designed to be like fairy tales (fantasy). During the instrumental, there is an areal view of a 'fairy tale world' where there is snow on rocks. This has later been edited to look as if it is in a snow globe. The main character's name is then shown (Hillary duff) shortly followed by a palace and then the title of the film 'A Cinderella Story'. 
The film is introduced by the voiceover of the main character where she introduces herself as well as her life. As the film continuous, the credits are shown in a feminine style and colour font (pink). This links with the fact this film is predominantly aimed at young females.
There is non-diegetic sound of the stereotypical teenage music which generally consists of loud instruments such as drums and guitars and sang by a male. There is later another song of a similar type but this time sang by a female to make it seem as though it is the main character singing about her situation because of the lyrics of the song.

The characters in the film follows Propp's theory. The main character is a teenage girl (unpopular) who lives a somewhat sad life because of her life at home and how she is treated. Though her father left his wealth when he died, she lives as though she hadn’t inherited any of the wealth as her 'evil stepmother' spends all the money. A character like this is a convention of a genre of film of this genre because she is unhappy until she meets her 'prince charming'. Another conventional character is the attractive and popular boy who ends up with the 'unpopular girl'. There is also the 'bitch' of the film. Like many similar films, she has a few close friends who are also 'bitches'. These tend to be the popular and attractive girls. One of them happens to be dating the main attractive boy and so she is one of the causes of the problems between the 'couple'. 

The stock settings of this film are the main characters house as this one of the main places she is shown to be when not at school or work. The audience is given an idea of the main characters lifestyle as we see her attend to the needs of her 'evil step mother' and 'evil step sisters'. Another stock setting is the high school that the main character attends which is the same school her 'prince charming' attends. This is a conventional setting because teenagers of that age are expected to be in school and so this creates a sense of realism. Another setting which I think is important is the hall in which the high school dance is set. This is an important part of the film as this is when the two main characters first meet. Another important setting is the work place of the main character. though this is not a stock setting, it is vital to the film as it shows the hard work of 'Cinderella' and gives the audience an idea of the sadness of her life as she is not allowed to live completely as a 'normal' teenager due to torture of her step mother. 

There are many props in this film which are conventional such as mobile phones. This is an important prop because it shows teenagers today to be highly interested in technology. This is also used to give a sense of realism as it is expected that they have mobile phones. The characters are also shown to use computers to email each other. This re-enforces the stereotype of teenagers being highly fascinated with technology. Other props include back packs. This is used in the setting of the high school as this creates realism and a typical prop to have in a film of this genre as the characters are expected to attend school. Another prop is a car. Many of the students drive due to their age and so this is an expected prop. 

The overall lighting of this film is bright and natural though there are many disruptions and moments of sadness. Soft lighting has been used to make both characters seem attractive, calm and innocent as well as setting a romantic mood.

                                 Easy A (2010)

'Easy A' was written by Bert.V.Royal and starred Emma Stone. It was partially inspired by the novel ‘The Scarlett Letter’ a book 'Olive' is currently studying in school.

This, like many films of this genre begins with a non-diegetic soundtrack and company name. Shortly after this are the names of the characters and different destinations. Similarly to many films of this genre, the main character is introduced by herself in the beginning. However, in this unlike other films, there is a voiceover in other areas of the film. This is illustrated by the main character and is shown as flashbacks whilst coming to the present once in a while. 

This film follows Todorov’s narrative theory but is not as conventional as other teen romantic comedies.

The main character is a teenage girl who is rumoured to be very promiscuous. This is an unconventional theme of a teen rom-com. This is because they are usually fantasy style themes of a boy meeting a girl and falling madly in love. Though this film doesn’t follow Propp’s theory of character, the main character could be said to be a ‘rebel’ due to her reputation though she doesn’t actually do anything bad. She also becomes popular but not for the right reasons.

The stock setting is the high school of the main character. This is where most of the action takes place as the main character is a teen and so shows her life at school and what she goes through which is the primary focus of the film. Another setting is the main characters home. Here, the audience is introduced to her family and her life when she is not in school. There is also a party. This is another conventional setting of a film of this genre as this is where the teenagers get up to all sorts of activities.

Much like the mise en scene of many films of this genre, this film has students carrying backpacks when they are in high school. This creates realism. Also, cars are seen to be a conventional prop in films of this genre as the students drive.

The themes of this film are family, school and love. The main character seems to have a good relationship with her parents and seems to be able to communicate with them as if they were her friends. Due to this, there is a relaxed atmosphere in their household. In school, due to the rumours, the character becomes ‘popular’ consequently making her best friends (Rhiannon) jealous and turning against her. Despite these rumours, she is admired by a boy who she used to have a crush in many years ago and they end up in a relationship.

Due to the fact that students don’t have to wear uniform, they are able to express themselves and their personalities through their appearance. In order to keep her reputation of being a promiscuous person, the main character (Olive) begins to dress in a way which could be seen as provocative. She also wears a red 'A' which symbolises adultery (relating to a book she is styding in class). This shows that she is proud of her reputation. A long shot is used to show her whole outfit as well as a mid shot later in the film to get a closer look at the character and show what kind of person she may be.

The overall lighting of the film is natural and bright as it is filmed in daylight. This gives it an innocent and calm feel as nothing seems mysterious or out of the ordinary.