What is “Rom-Com”?
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice-of-life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily". Another definition suggests that its "primary distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and well-matched lovers are united or reconciled".
Romantic comedy films are a certain genre of comedy films as well as of romance films, and may also have elements of screwball comedies. However, a romantic comedy is classified as a film with two genres, not a single new genre.Some television series can also be classified as romantic comedies.In a typical romantic comedy the two lovers tend to be young, likeable, and seemingly meant for each other, yet they are kept apart by some complicating circumstance (e.g., class differences, parental interference, a previous girlfriend or boyfriend) until, surmounting all obstacles, they are finally reunited. A fairy-tale-style happy ending is a typical feature.
The basic plot of a romantic comedy is that two characters meet, part ways due to an argument or other obstacle, then ultimately realize their love for one another and reunite.
There are many variations on this basic plot line. Sometimes, instead of the two lead characters ending up in each other’s arms, another love match will be made between one of the principal characters and a secondary character (e.g., My Best Friend’s Wedding and My Super Ex-Girlfriend). Alternatively, the film may be a rumination on the impossibility of love, as in Woody Allen’s film Annie Hall. The basic format of a romantic comedy film can be found in much earlier sources, such as Shakespeare plays like Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
HERE ARE TOP 5 TEEN ROM-COMS
1.High School Musical
Cast : Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale.
High School Musical is an American media franchise centered on a series of musical romantic comedy-drama films created by Peter Barsocchini. The franchise also includes stage musicals, books, comics, live shows, video games, and a television series. The first film was released simply as a Disney Channel Original Movie, but after its huge success, it was followed by a television sequel. The third film received a theatrical release. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, and Monique Coleman starred in the trilogy. Tisdale and Grabeel reprised their roles as Sharpay and Ryan Evans in a spin-off on the series titled Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure, ultimately released as a both a direct-to-video film and a Disney Channel Original Movie.
In November 2017, a television spin-off of the franchise was announced to be in development. In November 2019, the series, titled High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, was released on Disney+.
The franchise has developed a cult following.
Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens weren’t exactly low key about their feelings for each other on set. Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel "hated each other". Ashley Tisdale originally auditioned for the role of Gabriella. The school mascot was originally going be a leopard, but is was changed to a wildcat. HSM 2 is the highest rated Disney Channel Original Movie premiere ever. The pink piano used in Sharpay's performance of "Fabulous" was repainted white and used in the performance of "Everyday" at the end of the movie. HSM 3 was originally called Haunted High School Musical and it was going to be a Halloween movie. All of the songs from the movie were eligible for an Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Song, but none ended up getting nominated.
The new 2019’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’s; aired on Disney Plus, a show about teenagers who perform HSM as their high school musical. Oh, and the students also go to the high school where the entire HSM franchise was filmed. How cool! The cast are teenagers who actually record themselves singing, post videos on their social media like instagram. That’s how they got a chance to be in a High School Musical series.
2. The DUFF
Cast : Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne.
The plot is simple , When Bianca realises that she is being used by people to get to her popular friends, she decides to change. She begs her former friend to rebuild her image in exchange for teaching him science. And you’re probably wondering what DUFF stands for , watch the film to know what it exactly is.
The screenplay for this film was featured in the 2011 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year. During the introduction scene where it is shown that Bianca is an honor roll student you see that she is calling out the answers to questions. One of the answers she gives “Antidisestablishmentarianismos” which is the longest non-coined, non-technical, real word in the English language with 28 letters. Filmed with an R rating in mind. It was then decided during post-production to make it more "family friendly" and it was edited to obtain a PG-13. Bianca’s house was filmed in the same house as The Fault in Our Stars (2014), she also has the same colored car. When Bianca is with Jess and Casey in her room, she is watching The Fault in Our Stars (2014) on her computer.
Bella Thorne auditioned for the role of Bianca which went to Mae Whitman. The producers liked her so much they wrote in the role of Madison for her. Mae Whitman was eight years older than the average senior at the time of filming. When the "Duff Love" video begins to go viral, we hear different ring-tones from other people’s phones. One of the ring-tones heard is the ringtone that Disney’s Kim Possible (2002) had for "The Communicator".
Bianca uses Batman and the Joker as a metaphor during her narration. Both Mae Whitman and Ken Jeong have provided voices for DC Comics animations. One of the students that said "I’m a DUFF" is the book’s author.
3. Clueless
Cast : Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy.
This film is based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, with a modern-day setting of Beverly Hills. The plot centers on Cher Horowitz, a beautiful, clever and rich high school student who befriends a new student named Tai Frasier and decides to give her a makeover.
The film was well received by critics.Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a score of 81% based on reviews from 68 critics and judged it "Certified Fresh" with an average rating of 6.92/10. The site’s critical consensus reads: "A funny and clever reshaping of Emma, Clueless offers a soft satire that pokes as much fun at teen films as it does at the Beverly Hills glitterati." On Metacritic, the film has a 68 out of 100 rating based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally positive reviews".
The film was seen as a teen flick that had a strong influence on fashion trends and lingo.Fashion as a form of self-expression played an important role in the narrative and character development of the film, television series, and novels, which are topics examined by Alice Leppert.
The film became a surprise sleeper hit of 1995. Clueless opened in 1,653 theaters on July 19, 1995 and grossed $10,612,443 on its opening weekend, which led to a ranking of second behind Apollo 13.The film grossed $56,631,572 during its theatrical run, becoming the 32nd-highest-grossing film of 1995. This box office success brought the then-largely unknown Silverstone to international attention. The film also developed a strong cult following after its release.
Principal photography for the film began on November 21, 1994. The film had a 40-day filming schedule. Producers sat in on classes at Beverly Hills High School to get a feel for the student culture. Herb Hall, the real drama teacher at Beverly Hills High School, had a short scene as the principal in the film. Scenes depicting the high school campus, including the tennis courts, the outdoor cafeteria, the quad, and various classrooms were filmed at Occidental College in Los Angeles. The mall scenes were filmed at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks, California.
Reese Witherspoon could’ve played Cher Horowitz in Clueless. Sarah Michelle Gellar was offered the role of Cher Horowitz in Clueless. Paul Rudd wanted to play Christian or Murray. Amy Heckerling has a clueless cameo . Clueless is part of an unofficial trilogy. Amy Heckerling and Alicia Silverstone re-teamed for a vampire comedy.
4. 17 Again
Cast: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann.
This film is directed by Burr Steers. The film follows 37-year-old Mike (Matthew Perry) who becomes his 17-year-old self (Zac Efron) after a chance accident. The film also stars Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg and Sterling Knight in supporting roles. The film was released in the United States on April 17, 2009. The film received mixed or average reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 56%, based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site’s consensus reads, "Though it uses a well-worn formula, 17 Again has just enough Zac Efron charm to result in a harmless, pleasurable teen comedy."
On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4.The film was predicted to take in around $20 million in its opening weekend. Opening in 3,255 theaters in the United States and Canada, the film grossed $23,722,310 ranking #1 at the box office, with 70% of the audience consisting of young females. By the end of its run, 17 Again grossed $64,167,069 in North America and $72,149,811 internationally, totaling $136,316,880 worldwide.
Zac Efron called Matthew Perry for help on his lines and mimicking some of his movements to give a more authentic performance. In one scene, Mike wakes up and begins describing his "dream" of being in high school again only to find his daughter, Maggie, caring for him. This is an homage to the counterpart scene in Back to the Future (1985), in which Marty McFly wakes up and finds his teen-aged mother caring for him. Visual effects were not used when Zac Efron does the basketball tricks during the cafeteria scene, he really did accomplish them on his own. Although they play mother and daughter in this film, Leslie Mann is only thirteen years older than Michelle Trachtenberg. When Scarlet looks at the old picture of Mike in the yearbook, you can briefly see Scarlett’s picture in the book before it scrolls up to Mike’s. If you watch closely, you can see that her maiden name is Porter. Zach Efron wears the same outfit in this film as he does in High School Musical 3 (which was released in 2008, one year previously than 17 Again) during the "Boys Are Back" musical number. The outfit is a red plaid shirt with a white V-neck tee underneath. The only difference is the color of jeans, one is black and the others are blue. He also wears a bandanna in High School Musical 3. The outfit in 17 Again can be seen during the party scene, especially when Zac Efron's character is talking to Leslie Mann’s character on the balcony. The plot is similar to Big and 13 Going On 30, but only in reverse in which an adult is transformed back into a kid/teenager instead of the other way around.
The film takes place in 1989 and in 2009, which is five years before and after the premiere and finale of TV series Friends starring Matthew Perry. The film references "The Lord of the Rings" extensively. The films of the three "Lord of the Rings" books were made by New Line Cinema, which also made this film.
5. 10 Things I Hate About You
Cast: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
This film was directed by Gil Junger and starring Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. The screenplay, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, is a modernization of William Shakespear’s late-16th-century comedy The Taming of the Shrew, retold in a late-1990s American high school setting. In the story, new student Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) is smitten with Bianca (Oleynik) and, in order to get around her father’s strict rules on dating, attempts to get bad boy Patrick (Ledger) to date Bianca’s ill-tempered sister, Kat (Stiles). The film is titled after a poem written by Kat about her bittersweet romance with Patrick.
Much of the filming took place in the Seattle metropolitan area, with many scenes shot at Stadium High School in Tacoma. Released March 31, 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You was number two at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, behind only The Matrix, and was a moderate financial and critical success. It was a breakthrough role for Stiles, Ledger, and Gordon-Levitt, all of whom were nominated for various teen-oriented awards. Ten years later, the film was adapted into a television series of the same title, which ran for twenty episodes and featured Larry Miller reprising his role as Walter Stratford from the film. The original script for the film was finalized in November 1997.Many of the scenes were filmed on location at Stadium High School and at a house in the Proctor District of Tacoma, Washington. The prom sequence was shot over three days in Seattle.
Costume designer Kim Tillman designed original dresses for Larisa Oleynik and Julia Stiles, as well as the period outfits for Susan May Pratt and David Krumholtz. Gabrielle Union's snakeskin prom dress is a Betsey Johnson design. Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's vintage tuxes came from Isadora’s in Seattle. The film received generally positive feedback from critics. Geoff Andrew from Time Out praised the film’s leads, stating, "Stiles grows into her character, and Ledger is effortlessly charming". Brad Laidman from Film Threat said the film was "pure of heart and perfectly executed".Ron Wells, another critic from Film Threat, expressed, "Of all the teen films released this year, this one is, by far, the best."
Roger Ebert gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying that he "liked the movie’s spirit, the actors and some of the scenes. The music, much of it by the band Letters to Cleo, is subtle and inventive while still cheerful." Entertainment Weekly listed the film at #49 on its list of Best High School Movies.
10 Things I Hate About You provided breakthrough roles for stars Stiles, Ledger, and Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt, Stiles, and Oleynik each received Young Star Award nominations for Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy Film. The movie was nominated for seven Teen Choice Awards: Choice Movie: Breakout Star (Stiles), Choice Movie: Comedy, Choice Movie: Funniest Scene (featuring Krumholtz), Choice Movie: Love Scene (featuring Stiles and Ledger), Choice Movie: Hissy Fit (Gordon-Levitt), Choice Movie: Villain (Andrew Keegan) and Choice Movie: Soundtrack. The film’s casting directors Marcia Ross and Donna Morong won "Best Casting for Feature Film, Comedy" at the Casting Society of America in 1999. In 2000, Stiles won the CFCA Award for "Most Promising Actress" for her role as Kat Stratford (tied with Émilie Dequenne in Rosetta) and an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance. The same year, Ledger was nominated for Best Musical Performance for the song "Can’t Take My Eyes Off You".
The Binge Flix Conclusion
We have binge watched the five films above countless number of times, so much so that we now know each and every dialogue there is in the movie. We at The Binge Flix decided to just go with Teenage Rom-coms and are definitely planning on doing some other great lists of more adult Rom-coms in the future. As per the availability of the 5 classics that we have listed above are as follows, High School Musical can be easily found on the new streaming site, Disney+ whereas Clueless and 17 Again are available to stream on Netflix and The Duff is easily available with your Prime Membership. 10 things I hate about you is not available on any platform as of yet, but we mostly predict it's gonna end up on HBO Max because of the Studio Wars.
Comments
Post a Comment