Mariana's Blog: Genre Research

Genre is a term used to way categorize pieces of media. Comedy is one of the most popular genres in the film industry with about 28% of all films released between 2016 and 2018 being comedies. A substantial amount of them being romantic comedies (romcoms.) These kinds of films generally target woman and girls ages 13-40. Conventions often seen this genre is a hyperfeminine lead or supporting character, sunny settings, heart-to-heart moments, and cultural references/archetypes. With every genre comes its institutional conventions for romcoms these include:

A meet cute
A comedic relief character
A transformation of a character (whether it be emotional or physical)
Pop music and bright colors.
Big party/event
Grand gesture

This is likely what has earned them the nickname "Chick Flicks"

One very popular Romantic Comedy, directed by Gil Junger and released in 1999, is 10 Things I hate About You. This film starred Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles and grossed at $53.7 million dollars. This film starts out with the pop-rock song "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies and is tuned out by the hit, rock song "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts illustrating the difference in characters. Throughout the coarse of this film we see plenty of conventions such as the lead character, Katarina "Kat" Stratford. She is perceived to be a loner, having very little friends, and having a "grunge" or "alternative" style, seen by her choice of clothing, music taste, and hatred for those deemed "popular." This film features your classic grand gesture when Ledgers character, Patrick Verona, sings "Cant Take My Eyes Off of You" to Kat in front of a football field filled with people. This film is also praised for Kat Stratford's poem at the end of the film which gives the film its name and is what many people know the film by.

Another Romantic Comedy that takes a slightly different approach at the genre is the movie Clueless. This movie starts with the lead character Cher, played Alicia Silverstone, describing her life in Beverly Hills and fashion choices. Throughout this film characters not only have a transformation within themselves but also have physical transformations. This is seen when Cher gives a makeover to, Brittany Murphy's character, Tai. Consequently this caused one of the main conflicts in the film as Tai gains popularity. Cher on the other hand, has an emotional transformation later on after she realizes the boy she liked was gay and she starts to realize her feelings about her ex-stepbrother. This film features pop music and bright colors giving it a nostalgic feeling when watched today. Furthermore, the film is known for Cher's iconic yellow plaid costume even being the background of the movie poster.

Other films that embody this genre include: