Know who this guy is? (Almost looks like a police mug shot, eh?) This is a picture of John Hughes. John Hughes lived from Febuary 18, 1950 until August 6, 2009. His significance?
John Hughes was probably the most infulential teen writer for the movies of all-time. John Hughes wrote all of these movies, and directed all but one: "Sixteen Candles" (1984: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Micheal Hall), "The Breakfast Club" (1985: Emilo Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald), Wierd Science (1985: Anthony Michael Hall, Kelly LeBrock), "Pretty in Pink" (1986: Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy), "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" (1986: Matthew Broderick)
Pretty prolific burst in the mid-80s. But to be honest the only one that really registered with me -- and I was part of the teenage demographic these movies appeal to was "The Breakfast Club."
So why am I bringing John Hughes up? Because I think the teen romantic comedy sub-genre is a very important one, and John Hughes work helped shaped that genre into what we it know it being today. AND in my own pretentious-as-fuck way I want to enjoy success in this genre like John Hughes enjoyed, as I'm currently penning a teenage rom-com, much in the vein of "Weird Science" (more details to come when the script is further along), and I've also already penned an excellent teen rom-com that would rival ANYTHING out there, "Revenge of the Fat Chicks." Scoff all you want about the title, but get past that and actually READ the script and you'll see it's much deeper than you think. Worthy of being compared to ANYTHING in the teen rom-com world.
So why is the teen rom-com so important? Well, because where most people have their most powerfull romantic feelings is in their teenage years. Search your heart, when was it that you first started getting interested in members of the opposite sex? Chances are that was in your teenage years. Hence, the teenage years are linked in a powerful way to one's romantic development, and worthy of exploration in the movies.
Ithink the teen romantic comedy is the most neglected of all the sub-grouping under the rom-com umbrella. Though not the staple center of the genre, the teen rom-com is very important, and I think Hollywood should be making more of them. Period!
In his book, Writing the Romantic Comedy, under the "What More Can a Romantic Comedy Be? The Cross-Genre Hybrid" section, Billy Mernit actually does an EXCEPTIONAL job stating doing a brief overview of the teen rom-com and its characteristics on page 28 of his paperback book:
Wild parties, major peer pressure, sibling and parental interference, angst ridden self-examination, and lot of great rock 'n' roll... What makes these movies particularly compelling is the deeply, soulfully over-the-top passions of its teenage protagonists; these are usually first-love stories...
Yes! Brilliant. I love it! Conflict: angst ridden self-examination, major peer pressure, sibling and parental interference. X fun-factors: wild parties. Compelling characters: over-the-top passionate teenagers. As a story writer myself this is the kind of stuff that perks my interest.
And I see the teen rom-com as fertile ground for the launching of careers of up-and-coming actors and actresses. Case-and-point: "Mean Girls" (2004: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAddams, Amanda Seyfried). Sure Lindsay Lohan may have flamed-out of own accord, but Rachel McAddams and Amanda Seyfried have truly blossomed into great actresses in their own right. Now if only Lindsay would get her act together...
BUT in the same breath I also do realize therein lies yet another challenge of this sub-genre: finding bankable stars in the teenage ranks. Movie stars help a movie have some credibilty BEFORE its even released. Casting relative no-names IS risky.
Right now I don't see enough teen rom-coms being made. Feels like there's a dark shift towards what Hollywood is putting out to entertain today's youth. The whole "Harry Potter" bullshit. Sorry but you will NEVER get me to say a nice work about a series the acclimates teenagers to witchcraft, and portrays witchcraft in a positive light. Then there is the "Twilight" franchise. The bullshit continues only now vampirism gets glamorized and tailored to fit today's youth. And now we have "The Hunger Games" captivativating a massive teenage audience. And what really is "The Hunger Games"? It is youth slaying each other in brutal hand-to-hand combat in front of a mass broadcast audience. Kinda of sick, if you look at it in that light.
We live in dark times. But what if the teen rom-com sub-genre became a catalyst to stem the tide, to entertain yet steer our youth in a positive direction? Can movies do that? Damn right they can! They've been steering people's consciousness since the day they started coming out. It's just a matter of what kind of messages Hollywood sends out. Why can't they be good ones? Life-affirming ones. Ones that can affect our youth in a positive way, and help them become happy, well-adjusted, productive members of our society?
Making money doesn't justify wrecking the entire culture that you made that money off. I want something more wholesome for today's youth to latch onto. Their heros and people they strive to emulate need to be better than magic practicing wizzards, vampires, and killers.
Okay, I'll get off my soapbox, and dive back into the heart of this post.
A lot of people MAY think that teenage rom-coms should only be fitted and talored towards one quadrant of people: teenagers. Go latest technology, infuse cutting-edge, young musical acts. But I say why not go retro in your teenage rom-com and appeal to a broader audience. How do you do that?
Appeal to the universal and ageless quest for love. Older people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s can ALL relate to what they felt by that one member of the opposite sex who first got them interested in romance. How one deals with their first love appeals to a much broader audience than just teenagers. Sure, they're the ones grappling with the questions now, but the older ones can relate to that first love syndrome. And I believe will go to the movies to see that so long as the filmmakers don't paint in such colors that only appeal to the teenage demographic.
Jenna Rink from "13 Going on 30" (2004):
I think all of us want to feel something that we've forgotten or turned our backs on...because maybe we did'nt realize how much we were leaving behind. We need to remember what used to be good. If we don't, we won't recognize it even if it hits us between the eyes.
Pretty profound stuff, eh? And that's from a Wish-fulfillment Rom-com. One COULD classify "13 Going on 30" as being a Teenage Rom-com, but since so much of the movie takes place in the adult world of 30-year-old Jenna, I think that's a little disingenuous to the teenage rom-com sub-genre. Yes, the central question is will Matt and Jenna end up a couple. Hence, "13 Going on 30" is deserving of being labeled a rom-com. I just think the central device of the wishing dust which flash-forwards Jenna in her life helps label the sub-genre.
But in the Jenna Rink quote from the movie. Do you see how that appeals to an older demographic than teenagers? Hope you do, because its stuff like that, that helps broaden the quadrants your movie appeals too.
The biggest attraction in the teenage rom-com arena is the issues surrounding that one great love interest. Will the guy get the girl? Will the girl get what she really wants? The pursuit of what you feel is your great love is the coolest thing the teenage rom-com has going for it. And you know what, it's something I think EVERYONE can relate too.
Do you remember that one girl, (or guy if you're a chick) that you had your heart set on in high school? I can still picture them all in my mind. They were angels. Literally to me, they were unobtainable, celestial beings. They floated past me. Congregated with other people, and only socialized with me if I could help them academically. I was the plague. But they were angels. Only time I got to really interface with them was once in some English assignment we had to put on a little play, so I wrote one up about Russia and America. They all knew their lines, and performed them awesomely. Whereas I fucked everything up during the presentation. That happened during my senior year; guess it was God's way of giving the girls something to remember me by: the fuck-up who fucked up the drama skit that they were forced to do with me. But that's what fuck-ups do; they fuck up -- it's to be expected! NEVER been real smooth with the ladies. And even now in my 40s the beat goes on.
But even if your real love life sucks (like mine does), the movies always offer some relief. The teen rom-com is much bigger than movies just for teenagers. Because the issues in teen romance are universal and be enjoyed by a much larger group then just teens.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
P.S. Sorry for not posting last weekend. No real excuse, I had two days off, just was doing other things. Will try to post again on Wednesday or Thursday. Will the goal always being one content post on the weekends, one smaller post during the week.
P.S.S. Still working on the latest spec. script. Didn't get a lot of writing in last week. Will try to do better this week. Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga.
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