We are always itching for that quintessential romantic comedy every Valentine’s Day. We go in, hoping we can find another The Wedding Planner or How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, but it doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. Still, we think we may have found the right formula to succeed. If a rom-com has at least these 10 steps, there’s a chance it’ll make us laugh and feel all warm and gooey inside.
Step 1: Pining for Mr. or Mrs. Right
Start with our leading lady/man, hoping they’ll meet that certain someone special. Maybe they are single, maybe divorced–or better yet, widowed. Maybe the girl is even a fairytale princess come to life and thrust into the cold, cruel world of New York City, like our lovely Giselle (Amy Adams) in Enchanted. Whatever the circumstances, they are sweet, funny, terribly attractive–and in Giselle’s case, can even sing–but they just haven’t found the right person yet. Where could they be?
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Step 2: How They Meet
How our two lovers meet has to be spontaneous and hilarious. Neither one of them see it coming, but usually they meet somehow at odds with one another. In The Wedding Planner, wedding coordinator extraordinaire Mary (Jennifer Lopez) meets handsome doc Steve (Matthew McConaughey) after he saves her from being hit by a runaway dumpster when her shoe gets stuck in the street. Their eyes meet, sparks fly and voila! Right? Wrong. Steve is getting married to someone else–and Mary is planning their wedding. Those are some big odds stacked against them.
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Step 3: The Wooing
So, our couple has met, but one of them just isn’t too impressed with the other one, leaving the one more smitten with a dilemma: How do you get the person to like you? It can be difficult, especially in the case of 50 First Dates when not only does Lucy (Drew Barrymore) think Henry (Adam Sandler) is a dork, she doesn’t even remember who he is the next day, due to a short-memory loss problem. No matter. Henry devises as many ways as he can to try to win her over every new day. So sweet.
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Step 4: The Best Friend’s Advice
Ah, then there’s the best friend. Both the girl and boy in the story has one–the quirky sidekick character who has all the great lines. They are usually supportive, but oftentimes they have to kick the main character in the butt to get them to follow up on this new love opportunity. In other instances, however, the seemingly best friend is actually a backstabbing bitch only out for herself. 13 Going on 30’s Lucy (Judy Greer) just wants Jenna (Jennifer Garner) to fail and tries to sabotage her chances with Matt (Mark Ruffalo). Here’s the kicker: It doesn’t work.
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Step 5: The Kid Factor
If there isn’t a best friend, then add a kid to the mix–a precocious tot who only wants their single parent to be happy. Say our leading guy is a single, divorced dad who hasn’t found the right person yet, leaving his young daughter to worry about her daddy. That’s exactly what happens in the upcoming Definitely, Maybe. At her insistence, Will (Ryan Reynolds) must tell his daughter Mia (Abigail Breslin) the story of the three big loves of his life, including Mia’s mother, and how none of them worked out. Or maybe he just gave up too soon and there’s still a chance with one of them. Mia hopes so, for her dad’s sakes!
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Step 6: The First Kiss
Eventually, our two lovers have to make that first physical contact. It should be sexy and sweet, maybe even a little awkward at first. Or it could just be downright steamy, like in The Wedding Date. Pinning her against a car, Kat (Debra Messing) gets a lesson in how to plant the perfect kiss from her boyfriend-for-hire Nick (Dermot Mulroney). It pretty much blows Kat away, and let’s just say, all the ladies in the audiences were feeling it, too.
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Step 7: Parents Pressure
At this point, things are still not all hunky dory with our couple to be. There’s stuff still brewing–and when there’s a disapproving parent to contend with, watch out. It could spell doom, particularly if the Monster-In-Law (Jane Fonda) is a conniving, clingy, overprotective mother who can’t let her son go. But Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) isn’t about to give up that easily; she’s going to fight for her man, come hell or high water. Let the games begin.
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Step 8: The Big Fight
Of course, every good romantic comedy has to have the big blow-up–the one huge fight in which it seems neither one will ever be able to recover from. Accusations abound, lies revealed, awful things said, doors slammed–and in The Break-Up’s case, an apartment divided. Gary (Vince Vaughn) and Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) are definitely headed for splitsville, but maybe they can learn a few things about themselves in the process–and find a glimmer of hope for a reconciliation.
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Step 9: The Make-Up
Unlike Gary and Brooke in The Break-Up, most couples in a romantic comedy realize their error and make amends. Take 27 Dresses, for example. Jane (Katherine Heigl) has been pining for the WRONG guy (that’s also a classic rom-com device) and when she realizes how wrong that guy is, she has to go convince the RIGHT guy–in this case, journalist Kevin (James Marsden)–how stupid she has been all this time. Laying it all on the line, Jane stands there, hoping Kevin will respond positively–and then he does, taking him in his arms and kissing her. Hurray!
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Step 10: The Happily Ever After
So, they’ve been through their ups and downs, but our couple has found their way to each other–and we can go home feeling just as warm and gooey as we hoped.
