Romance films are very popular in the film industry as they appeal to mainly a female audience. All of these films have similar traits which sets the story line in each film. These films would not be the same if they didn't have these qualities as it is what the fans of this genre expect to see. They are made to make the audience feel good about themselves, and the predictability of these films is what makes them appealing.
One of these is the music played at the beginning of the film in the opening scenes. This music is slow, meaningful and the audience often feels happy and relaxed when they hear this. This music sets the genre of the film as it is associated with love and features in many films. 'The Holiday' and 'Notting Hill' both start with this music which immediately suggests to this audience that this film is about love.
Another feature of a romance cliche is that the main character of the film normally introduces themselves with a narrative voice over of the opening scenes. This draws the audience in and the character becomes somebody they can relate to as they normally talk about their failed relationships. This aspect of romance attracts single women who may have just come out of a relationship as it makes them feel better about themselves as they feel they are not the only ones.
In romance films the main character often has a faithful sidekick who is there to reassure them and make them feel better. These are often portrayed as humorous slobs, who may actually be holding the main character back in life. The film normally results in the main character going through a dramatic situation and the best friend surprisingly pulling themselves together and making the situation better. This adds a humorous side to the film which always attracts an audience, however when the best friend results in actually helping the main character this makes the audience feel affection towards this character. Main characters in the film often include the gay friend, who is helpful and knows what the main character is going through. This is often a character loved by the audience and he will be amusing but highly supportive which makes you think fondly of them. The parents in romance cliches are always portrayed in the same way. There will be the pushy mother, who will set up many dates and just wants her daughter to get married. The mother will always appeal to the audience as you can see she has her daughters best intentions at heart, but she never seems to get it right. The father is normally portrayed as sub-ordinate and just follows his wives decisions, whilst trying not to get too involved. This is a relatable character for most girls as many fathers don't want to get involved with all the drama of their daughters relationships.
Throughout the film you see the main character and their 'mr right' develop a relationship. At the beginning of the film 'mr right' often finds the main character initially annoying, this makes the audience want to keep watching the film as they want to find out what happens between them. As their relationship develops throughout the film, many 'will they, won't they moments' take part. This builds suspense within the audience as they wonder whether these two people will actually come together. However, as the film progresses the main character normally has to face an ex - girlfriend of her love attraction. This is when normally the background of her partner is bought to the surface and results in whether the main character can oversee his past. This makes the film more interesting for the audience as it adds a dramatic, but expected, twist. At some point in the film you often see the development of the relationship through a montage. This shows clips of the couple doing romantic things like going for walks in the park, going out for dinner etc. This makes the audience feel happy that there could actually be a happy ending to this film and for the main character.
Dramatic irony is often used throughout cliche romantic films as it involves the audience. It also makes the audience more emotionally involved as they feel themselves shouting at the screen telling the main character that shes with the wrong person. The film will always result in a happy ending which makes the audience look good about themselves. Normally, it results in a big fairytale wedding, where the best friend gets over excited and the mother becomes very controlling. However the wedding always ends up with the happy couple saying their vows and being together, which ends up with the audience feeling happy and pleased for them.
The Holiday - Opening scene
The Holiday starts with the cliche classical music which shows the audience that this is a classical romance film. However, the shot then zooms out to reveal that this music is being played by one of the main characters over the top of a film hes producing, this immediately adds a twist to the typical romantic film. However, this film is still cliche as we then go on to see the main character (Kate Winslet) at a work party. Her voice narrates over the scene as she explains her previous relationships and how they have all failed - cliche romantic opening. However, in the opening of this film she also describes different kinds of love and quotes Shakespeare, 'journeys end in lovers meeting.' This sets a romantic scene and introduces the audience to the idea of love. This makes her a relatable character to the single female audience. We also see her friend in this scene, who is portrayed as supportive, but very loud. This also a typical trait of a romance film. Before this we are introduced to the other main character (Cameron Diaz) where we see a shot of her sitting awkwardly in a car with a man. We assume that this is her boyfriend, now ex boyfriend, which suggests she was with 'Mr wrong.' This film features all the cliches of a romantic film a person could want in its opening scene. The voice over talking of love and the music immediately shows the audience that this is a Romantic film. This opening attracts the audience because the characters are easily relatable and with the introduction of the loud, mouthy friend it also adds a humorous introduction to the film. In this opening scene we also see a shot of an old man which we later discover is the helping friend. This is different to a normal romance film as he is very old and an unexpected character to be giving a young woman advice on love, however this is still a cliche for a romance film as he is still a supportive, helping friend just older than expected.
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