Four criteria for a great romantic movie
Romantic movies are timeless. Everyone has their favorite romantic movie. Most of the time, romantic movies serve a purpose, primarily as escapism. One thing these movies do is they keep the idea of romance alive. No matter how happy or tragic the ending is, viewers love romantic movies for entertaining them and keeping their dream alive.
A question arises … what makes a great romantic movie? There are some actors and actresses who are great for romantic movies and some who are not. There are some stories that are simply remarkable and there are some stories that make you wonder who did it in the first place. I think there are at least four criteria for a great romantic movie.
1. Likability of the Leads
First of all, the protagonists of the film must be “nice”, which means that the target audience loves them and believes that they are lovers or that they can be lovers in real life. Which means they must have chemistry with each other. When there is chemistry, it makes the interactions in the movie enjoyable and believable. And it is important that the audience like the protagonists so that they “get” the movie.
This factor made Meg Ryan the queen of romantic comedy in the late ’80s and early’ 90s. Her two main performances in ‘When Harry Meet Sally’ and ‘Sleepless In Seattle’, along with two great leads, Billy Crystal and Tom Hanks, they were a great tour de force. In both films, he ‘clicked’ with both, which gave the films commercial and critical success.
2. Simple and clear story
Another important criterion is the plot. It has to be simple and clear, so that the viewer can understand what is happening in the film, that is, who are the parties in love and what is the situation. Romance movies are not a good reason for plot twists and turns as they will turn off viewers as they will interfere with viewers’ enjoyment of romance. An example of a good plot was Jane Austen’s 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The film did an excellent job of portraying the romance of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Darcy, showing the ‘games’ they both played with each other until eventually fell in love in the end.
3. Location / background of the film
The role of the location and background of the movie is to support and enhance the romantic movie. It’s not very important, but it does play a role. The background refers to the cast that surrounds the protagonists, for example, family members or office colleague. The location of the movie refers to the location of the movie. Usually it’s the movie locations that bring the romance to life. A good example of the movie’s background is the cast of Four Weddings and a Funeral. In the film, Charles’s eclectic group of friends praised his ‘adventures’ in chasing Carrie. A good example of a movie location would be the Venice and Positano location in Only You, starring Marisa Tomei and Robert Downey, where he made the romance in the movie magical, with glorious location scenes, Italian language, and songs.
4. Excellent song / movie soundtrack
And finally, the decisive criterion would be the song or soundtrack of the film, as it enhances and reminds the viewer of the experience of the romantic film. Usually it would be a pop song sung by the popular artist and it becomes one of the hit charts. An obvious example would be the song “My Heart Will Go On” sung by Celine Dion from the movie Titanic. The song functions as a killer hook that propels the success of the film and helps the commercial success of the film’s soundtrack and the film itself. In the movie, the song usually appears as a short music clip or becomes an instrumental background.
Well, those are the four criteria that I think make a great romantic movie. There may be others, but these are the four main criteria and when all four criteria appear in a romantic film, the film is almost certain to become a critical and commercial success.