Rom – Com Analysis Portfolio

The first opening scene that I will be analysing is from When Harry Met Sally (1989) which was directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. When Harry Met Sally follows two friends who fear that starting a relationship with each other would ruin they friendship. The opening of the film starts with the credits and whilst this is happening big band jazz style music is playing which is conventional to the genre. The song ‘It Had to Be You’ is a song originally performed by Ruth Etting from the 1936 short film Melody in May and has been featured in many other films including Annie Hall (1977) and Casablanca (1942). When the credits are finished the music stops and there is a short scene where an older couple are being interviewed about how they fell in love and how they got married.  It then cuts to a long shot of a grand building “University of Chicago – 1977” is shown on screen, setting the scene for the audience. Whilst this is happening, we can see two characters kissing on the sidewalk. The camera then pans to a close-up of Billy Crystal’s character kissing another woman and then a car pulls up behind them. The camera then pans out to show the two characters kissing but now with Meg Ryan’s character sat in a yellow car, in the background and the corner of the shot. The two characters carrying on kissing and Meg Ryan’s character then coughs to get their attention and then two are introduced to one another. When they are introduced to each other there is a medium shot of Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) looking at Sally Albright (Meg Ryan), which is on the screen for a couple of seconds. This foreshadows that something might happen between them and that they are the two main characters in the film. Harry then puts his belongings in the back of the car and they drive away together. It is then revealed that they are travelling from Chicago to New York and the shots of them in car make them seem uncomfortable which can be seen through techniques such as their body language, long pauses and awkward small talk. Overall, the opening scene of When Harry Met Sally gives an insight into the narrative and sets the tone and genre of the film.

The second opening scene that I am analysing is from As Good as it Gets (1997), which was directed by James L. Brooks and written by Mark Andrus and James L. Brooks. The film follows Melvin Udall, an obsessive-compulsive writer who is rude to everyone he meets and it is inevitable that he will ever fall in love. The opening of the film starts by showing an older woman going out of an apartment but then a dark scraggly voice is heard but not shown on camera. There is then a close-up shot of the older woman and focuses on her scared reaction to voice. She then proceeds to murmur “son of a bitch” to herself and then proceeds to go back into the apartment she came out of. Her expressions and body language says everything we need to know about Jack Nicholson’s character, Melvin Udall, before the he is actually shown on screen. The camera then pans to person who said this and then presents the audience to Jack Nicholson’s character, trying to get a dog into a lift, in the midst of a grand, old-fashioned corridor. The dog then appears to go to the toilet on a corner within the corridor and the main character then gets upset and annoyed due to that. This then gives a glimpse to the audience that Nicholson’s character is easily irritated, pessimistic and his neighbours aren’t very fond of him. After Udall is irritated with the dog, his owner calls for ‘Verdell’ and he panics, putting the dog down the garbage chute. This then provides the comedy element of the genre and therefore sets the tone of what might happen throughout the rest of the film. Udall is then met with the dog’s owner and Greg Kinnear’s character, Simon. They are involved in a conversation in which we learn that Melvin is also racist and homophobic and through his body language we can see he doesn’t really like engaging with others. It then cuts to Simon, saying “you don’t love anything Mr Udall”, one of the most important quotes in the entirety of the film. The audience then knows what type of person that Melvin is and gives them an automatic rejection towards the character. This also foreshadows that the film might not be a rom-com but, like most films in the genre, there is always a barrier that the main character/s have to get over in order to gain the goal of films in the rom-com genre; love. Overall, the opening of As Good as it Gets presents the audience to the character type of Nicholson’s character and leaves them on question; will ever he find love?

The third opening scene that I will be analysing is from Notting Hill(1999), directed by Roger Michell and written by Richard Curtis. The film follows the life of a travel bookshop owner who is recently divorced, his world then changes when he meets the most famous film star in the world. Notting Hill starts with people shouting, and an American voice then says they will be interviewing Anna Scott. Although the audience don’t know who this is, it foreshadows that Anna might be one of the main characters in the film, but there is still no visual image. It is then revealed that she is a film star due to the dialogue in the first voiceover; “stay with us because later this afternoon we’re lucky enough to be talking to Anna Scott, Hollywood’s biggest star by far”. It then cuts to many close ups of Julia Roberts character while the song “She” performed by Elvis Costello is playing. When the close-up shots are on screen, the background lighting is low and there is bright lighting on her face. This then confirms that this is one of the main characters in the film and someone who the audience can focus on and follow. It appears that she is a famous and is seen being constantly bombarded with paparazzi. There is then a shot of a magazine cover with Anna Scott on the front. From this, we can see that her character is the most important in the narrative as it is only focusing on her. When looking at the quick shots of the magazine covers, we learn that she is really famous as she is on the cover on popular magazines such as Marie Claire. Another hint of her job role is the shot of her on a movie set chair which has her name “Miss Scott” on the back and on a red carpet, with paparazzi surrounding her. It then cuts to a tracking shot of Hugh Grant’s character walking down a street taking about Anna Scott, but not directly naming her. He then introduces the place of the film; Notting Hill, “a small village in the middle of the city”, a great shot of the juxtaposition between the two characters. It is then revealed that his character’s wife had an affair with another man. This foreshadows that he probably isn’t looking to fall in love as he has had a terrible experience. It also tells the audience that it is inevitable that these totally different characters would ever fall in love, let alone ever meet each other. In conclusion, just like other films in the Rom-Com genre, there is a disequilibrium to the two falling in love.

The next film opening scene that I will be analysing is from Bridget Jones Diary (2003), directed by Sharon Maguire, written by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. The film follows a British woman who is determined to improve herself while she looks for love in a year in which keeps a personal diary. The opening starts with a shot of a woman walking through snow, letting the audience know what time of year the film is shot in and also that the character is alone with no one around her. There is then a voiceover which sets the scene; “32 years of being single” and “once again, I found myself on my own and going to my mother’s annual turkey curry buffet”. This tells the audience what the narrative might be about; a single woman trying to cope with being alone. There is then a medium shot of Renée Zellweger’s character, which we learn is Bridget Jones, walking up to a house which it quite grand, and due to her accent, she seems to be middle class. She then arrives in the house and is greeted by her mother, straight from the get go her mum tries to set her up with a man. This is shown through the dialogue; “by the way, the Darcy’s are here. They brought Mark with them”. This then also foreshadows that Mark is very important to the narrative as he is mentioned straight away. Her mother then mentions and hints about setting the two up on a date and gives her fashion advice and she’ll “never get a boyfriend looking like she does”. Bridget then gives in to her mother’s advice and she walks down the stairs in an old-fashioned outfit. This scene is made to relate to audiences as many women who are single are constantly bombarded with questions about their love life and can connect to this. This also provides the comedy element of the genre of the film and the main character also narrates over the film, and comments “I was wearing a carpet”. This also shows that the Zellweger’s character might be reading off some sort of script or even a ‘diary’. She is then approached by another character and again is questioned about her love life, which is the only thing people are talking to her about. There is then a slo-mo shot of Colin Firths character, this sexualises the character and makes him the person of interest. When they speak to each other there is awkward small talk and she acts weird around him, creating a disequilibrium between the two. After they finish talking, Firth’s character, Mark Darcy is then seen saying stuff about Bridget behind her back which then foreshadows that something might not happen between them. When this scene ends, the song All By Myself is then played predicting that the film will follow the narrative of Bridget’s loneliness. Overall, the opening scene of Bridget Jones Diary foreshadows what might happen in the narrative and almost instantly creates a rapport between Bridget and the audience.

The final opening scene that I will be analysing is from Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, and written by Dan Fogelman. The film follows a middle-aged husband’s life when it changes dramatically when his wife asks for a divorce. To start with, there are shots of couples at restaurant tables, with high heels and nice leather shoes, touching each other’s legs. But then it pans to one couple who are wearing New Balance trainers and high heels, with their feet nowhere near each other. This then leaves a question to the audience whether they like each other or not. It then cuts to a boring conversation ending with Julianne Moore’s character telling her husband (Steve Carell) she wants a divorce. A quick cut then goes back to a house where there is a shot of kids running around a house with a teenage girl, who turns about to be the nanny. There is then a shot of a photo frame falling to the ground and smashing which has a picture of Julianne’s and Steve’s character in, suggesting that the kids running around are the main characters children. It then cuts to the teenager, covering Moore’s face on the picture, foreshadowing that this teenager has a hatred towards her character. After a couple of minutes, there is then a shot of the two characters making their way home from the restaurant, but their body language and lack of no communication means that the situation is awkward. Moore’s character carries on talking for no reason and Carell’s character is unresponsive. It is then revealed that Julianne’s character slept with someone who she works with and Carell, clearly angry and annoyed, pleads her stop or her gets out of the car. She doesn’t stop and then he gets out of the car whilst the car is still moving, providing both comedic elements and dramatic elements also. He then gets back in the car and he doesn’t fight to stay with her and just says he’ll go. Unlike the other films that I have analysed, the film starts with a married couple however it doesn’t last for long. This foreshadows that rather than following a story involving both of them being a couple, it will follow their individual stories and how they deal with this tragedy.

Filmography

Reiner, R. (1989). When Harry Met Sally. USA: Castle Rock Entertainment.

Brooks. L J. (1997). As Good as it Gets. USA: Gracie Films.

Michell. R. (1999). Notting Hill. United Kingdom: Polygram Filmed Entertainment. Working Title Films.

Maguire. S. (2001). Bridget Jones Diary. United Kingdom: Little Bird. StudioCanal. Working Title Films.

Ficarra. G. & Requa. J. (2011). Crazy, Stupid, Love. USA: Carousel Productions. Di Novi Pictures.